How To Get The Most From
|
|
Habit and Performance
How you perform your golfing techniques is determined by habit. Before you tee off you will probably prepare yourself in a way that feels right. Where you place your feet, place your grip and even how you breathe will be based on how you have done it before. So why is there such a wide variation in the result? Why does it fly straight down the fairway one moment and veer way off at the next hole?To appreciate just how influential your habits are, try my unique fitness test and see how you get on.
Regardless of sport, every sports person plays their game in a way that feels right. But of course, what feels right is only your habit. How you put your golf instruction into practice will be determined by what feels right, or remember it's only your habit which could be good or not. How would you know? Habit gets in the way of progress and may prevent you from improving elements of your game. Let's look at an example.
The Golfer, His Habits And His Confidence
A golfer starts to pull the ball off the tee whereas previously the ball went straight down the fairway. His swing was always free of tension because he had previously stayed poised to play the stroke. Once he started to compete at a more senior level stress became a factor resulting in a small but unperceivable amount of tension in his neck and shoulders. He doesn’t notice this because he is concentrating on getting the ball toward the green. Gradually this tension becomes part of his technique because he has conditioned himself to do it and he will not start his swing until this tension is present because he now associates this feeling with preparation.So now he will unconsciously prepare for his stroke by tightening the neck and shoulders in anticipation of the effort required. The first indication he has of the problem is the obvious outcome is the ball landing in the rough and not the feeling of tension, because this is now an automatic habit it is ignored. He now knows something is wrong and will try to alter his swing. But his attempts to correct the problem start too far down the chain by focusing on the execution of the act and not his concept of it. His focus on the swing adds more tension to his habit for preparation and will start to pull the ball further. Other alterations made to his shot to make the ball go straight will further complicate the issue because they are now ‘built’ on top of his suspect preparation habits taking him further away from his natural style. He will do what feels right but remember the arm-folding experiment in our fitness test earlier?
Things will get worse because he seeks the help of a coach for golf instruction who will see the build up of unnecessary tension and instruct him not to do it. Our golfer’s confidence will be further dented when what he is told not to do something that feels so right.
When he tries to carry out what he has been told to do it will feel wrong (the opposite arm-fold) and he will start to believe he doesn’t know anything about golf.
The initial problem started because he was not in The Zone , the ultimate state of awareness where performances become almost flawless. Once he started to focus on an action that was yet to happen - the club making contact with the ball, he was no longer in the moment. He should have been absorbed in the act of his stance so he would be poised before he starts to raise his club and turn his upper body. This way he would have instantly recognised the tension and could have let it go before starting the swing.
Sports people devise all sorts of methods to stay in the moment, for example marksmen often observe their breathing to help them focus. Yet once we start to concentrate on the desired outcome ahead of where we currently are, i.e., the seconds on the clock, the muscles we are working out or the ball going down the hole, we are taken out of the moment and inappropriate actions may begin to creep in until they become part of the technique.
How To Make Your Golf Instruction Count!
So how does our golfer change his technique? He knows he is pulling most of his drives but has not as yet discovered why? He has an idea that it is something he has started to do prior to the shot because he had previously been able to play this shot with few difficulties.His golf instruction has highlighted the tension build up in his neck and shoulders yet he lacks the self-awareness and observational skills to determine what is causing this. Besides he cannot feel this for himself because it is a habit and part of his technique therefore is unable to stop doing it (how can you stop doing something you don’t know you are doing?) The tension in his shoulders has become part of his preparation for the swing, as soon as he thinks about playing he applies this tension and won’t start the swing phase until this is present.
This feeling is his template for the technique so he won’t be aware of the tension because it is there before he starts to observe his preparation. He needs to change his concept and not the end product, his technique.
So first, before he can carry out the techniques from his golf instruction, he has to learn to stop to rediscover his natural poise and reset his template. He has to learn to stop and lower the level of activity in his nervous system to an appropriate minimum for each action.
If he can get himself into the moment and focus on his breathing, muscle tension and position before he has even picked up his club, he will be able to recognise when he starts to build up tension in his shoulders. Now he has a chance to prevent this. By maintaining a stillness he has learnt from going back to the basics of movement and awareness he can allow himself to play the shot that has been there all along. With his new understanding of his body and how his thinking controls his actions his confidence will grow as he starts to minimize the discrepancy between his intent and his outcome – skill.
Using your intellect to identify, assess and overcome a problem will give your confidence a huge boost. It is also a process to apply to any aspect of your game or even your life. It will also allow you to get the most from your golf instruction.
The best improvements are made when we are in The Zone. But how do we get into this ultimate state? Certainly not by trying too hard! My unique Peak Performance Program will develop your skills of focus and self-awareness that will optimize what you get from your golf instruction. It is neither a mental or a physical program but brings both vital elements together to integrate your thought with your actions.
Worth A Look
Get into The Zone and get the most from your golf instructionCan we train to get into The Zone? I believe you can. In this state you are better placed to put your coaches golf instruction into practice.
Gail Smirthwaite: Golf Confidence Coach
Gail Smirthwaite writes for Lady Golfer Magazine and is the founder of the Confidence Caddie programme, and author of ‘The 7 Secrets of a Highly Successful Golfer’. She is helping golfers of all levels of skills to achieve their potential with specialist golf mind coaching. I will be working with Gail to run a number of workshops that will combine both our approaches to enhancing performance.
Can custom made clubs improve your game?
According to Nick Faldo, 90% of amateur golfers are using the wrong clubs - this will impact on your game. Check out this site for information about how to go about getting good custom-made clubs.
Golf Property in Murcia, Spain
Enjoy golf any time of the year at one of many golf resorts in Murcia, Spain. Or check out the new developments at the Punta Perla golf resort in The Dominican Republic.
|
|
