I'm afraid I let the male population down (again) this morning. All I had to do was to get the honey from the cupboard to put on my porridge - but could I see it? Just as I was about to blame the kids for putting it back in the wrong place, my wife appeared behind me, reached in and picked it straight up. It was right in front of my eyes and I hadn't seen it!
In a pathetic attempt to defend myself, I mentioned an article I'd read in The New Scientist a while back about how this situation can happen. The problem was the squeezy honey pot was upside down! (so someone had put it back in the wrong place...) I had opened that cupboard with the expectation of seeing the pot in exactly the way it usually is. My brain was looking for that specific image and because there was no match I couldn't see it.
But... this doesn't just apply to vision, the same process occurs for movement. Before you go into your stance, take your grip or prepare to swing, you'll have a concept of exactly how it's going to feel and set yourself up to play your shot in that way. If something puts you off, like a sudden gust of wind, a loud noise or a fly landing on your arm, you'll stop and go back and start putting everything familiar back in place again.
Unfortunately, if there is something in your routine that isn't technically correct, you'll not 'see' it because you're happy that you're feeling familiar sensations you associate with your shot. You may be tightening your lower back, your grip on the club or stiffening your ankles (none of which will help) but because you're setting yourself up to play in your usual way you won't notice.
I coach many golfers, runners, tennis players and people from all sports that don't 'see' that many of their habitual actions are not helping their performance, and may even lead to injury. The answer? To get into the right state of mind so you can expand your awareness to notice exactly what you're doing and how you can improve your preparation. I have many practical tips on how this can be done in my book 'Golf Sense'.
Back at breakfast, I was told to stop being a smart a*** , sit down and eat my porridge :0)
Also see:-
When Right Is Wrong: Overcoming Problems With Your Golf Technique
And The Most Vital Golf Skill Is ....?
In a pathetic attempt to defend myself, I mentioned an article I'd read in The New Scientist a while back about how this situation can happen. The problem was the squeezy honey pot was upside down! (so someone had put it back in the wrong place...) I had opened that cupboard with the expectation of seeing the pot in exactly the way it usually is. My brain was looking for that specific image and because there was no match I couldn't see it.
But... this doesn't just apply to vision, the same process occurs for movement. Before you go into your stance, take your grip or prepare to swing, you'll have a concept of exactly how it's going to feel and set yourself up to play your shot in that way. If something puts you off, like a sudden gust of wind, a loud noise or a fly landing on your arm, you'll stop and go back and start putting everything familiar back in place again.
Unfortunately, if there is something in your routine that isn't technically correct, you'll not 'see' it because you're happy that you're feeling familiar sensations you associate with your shot. You may be tightening your lower back, your grip on the club or stiffening your ankles (none of which will help) but because you're setting yourself up to play in your usual way you won't notice.
I coach many golfers, runners, tennis players and people from all sports that don't 'see' that many of their habitual actions are not helping their performance, and may even lead to injury. The answer? To get into the right state of mind so you can expand your awareness to notice exactly what you're doing and how you can improve your preparation. I have many practical tips on how this can be done in my book 'Golf Sense'.
Back at breakfast, I was told to stop being a smart a*** , sit down and eat my porridge :0)
Also see:-
When Right Is Wrong: Overcoming Problems With Your Golf Technique
And The Most Vital Golf Skill Is ....?
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