Peripheral Training Techniques

Perhaps the NLP thread should have come in here..ho hum. Does anyone here use training techniques that aren't exactly chessic in nature. I mean different from studying square weaknesses or tactics. Things like NLP to improve cognition or mental processing, modelling, or like in Graham Buckley's- Practical Chess Analysis. he states that many errors are due to a blurry inner picture of the board. Okay, I know not everyone uses the Visual Representational system, some rely on a feeling (kinesthetic) etc. But anyway, has anyone tried working on the clarity of the inner picture? I have just started so I cannot really remark on any potential progress. Also hard to determine if the progress came from the Visual Exercises or the tactics and games I am playing. One last one, has anyone tried ImageStreaming? I remember when I didn't study chess, just played games and I began practicing ImageStreaming and I quickly jumped from beating the 1500's to the 178~ on Chessmaster. Ya I know the personality ----(choose expletive) but still, I noticeed marked and dramatic improvement. Should probably start that again. Anyway, this is too long. Any comments?

My BCF rating went up from 140 to 160 (*) whilst I was at University doing a maths degree, despite the fact that I played barely twenty graded games in that time. I've remained at that level or above ever since and I've always thought that the mental visualisation techniques that I developed for my maths helped improve my chess. 150 BCF is quite a barrier, and a lot of club players never break through it.

(*) = roughly 1700 to 1900 ELO using the old BCF -> ELO formula (which I think is more accurate)

Can you describe what kind of visualization techniques you created, it sounds interesting. Maybe we can compare what we know and make a new Training Techniques thread....or something.