Golf talk on Golf and The Alexander Technique

05/10/2011

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I'm giving a talk tomorrow night at Bedford Golf Club on the benefits of golfers learning The Alexander Technique. I like to get people in the audience to try some very simple experiments with movement that help to get across what I'm talking about. I find this is the best way for golfers to experience something that is not that easy to get across in speech - and this is how we can be completely oblivious to things that we are doing whilst performing a task we've done thousands of times before. I find as soon as golfers learn how to focus on their movement in a way that seems simple (and many wonder why they've never done it like this before) - it can make a huge difference to their game.

If you want to try one of these simple experiments with movement - see my ultimate golf fitness test.

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What do we mean by the 'mental golf game'?

05/07/2011

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I'm sure you've heard the term that golf is a mental game and is 90% mental and 10% physical, or variations on that. However, I think to talk of the 'mental' game is misleading in my view. Obviously you can't play golf by just thinking about it - there's some pretty physical stuff too!

I coach golfers to improve their awareness on the course. This involves being aware of what you're thinking AND how you're moving. You can't have 'mental' without 'physical' - this is like saying you can have a mind without a body or vice-versa. Yes, the term 'mental golf' refers to being confident etc as this leads to better play. But I find a player who is 'aware' on the course becomes a more confident golf by gaining greater control over their actions. The more you know how to make the ball do what you want it to - the more confident you will get! The more confident you are - the better golf you will play!

So I say, combine your mind and body to play your best golf through improving your awareness - if you're not sure what this means try my ultimate golf fitness test.




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New Year, New You - dream on!

01/02/2011

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Yes it's an old cliche but unless you make some fundamental changes to your approach, your golf will be pretty much the same as last year. Of course you can make some improvements but they won't be in the 'shifting to the next level' changes if you keep doing the same things.

So what does a fundamental change involve? It means doing something different, something new to achieve different results. This can be as simple as stopping for a fraction of a second before you putt, chip or swing. The problem is that habits take us down the same path every time - even if you don't want to. So if you have a technical weakness unless your preparation is fundamentally different you will follow the same series of events that will replicate your weakness. Part of the problem is that we're not fully aware of all our actions, even when undertaking something that requires our full attention. Try my ultimate golf fitness test to experience what I'm trying to say and see if you can appreciate how to improve your self-awareness during an action.

Also see The Most Vital Skill for A Golfer



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Talking to yourself can be good for self-control. Could it work on the golf course?

09/25/2010

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A recent study in Canada has found that talking to yourself can help improve performance. Psychologists from Toronto University gave volunteers self-control tasks in which they were asked to talk to themselves or keep their mind blank. They concluded that using your "inner voice" plays an important role in controlling impulsive behaviour, according to scientists.

Can it work on the golf course? Could keeping an inner dialogue going with yourself help to improve control of your club? I guess it depends on what you're saying to yourself. Other studies into golf performance found using technical terms to analyse what just happened on your previous shot could be detrimental to your game. I firmly believe that keeping it simple and focusing on non-golf terms has a very good impact on performance.

For example, just talking to yourself and saying something like 'keep breathing' or 'am I lifting my shoulders' help to keep you in the moment and take undue stress out of your body. This helps to free up your muscles for a better swing and can prevent injury. Unfortunately I coach many golfers who are having the wrong sort of dialogue with themselves and being totally oblivious to its affect. Your muscles can only do what you tell them to do - the trick is to know exactly what you're telling them to do!

What do I mean by this? Try the simple golf fitness test here and see if you're not surprised by the result :0)
  
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