calling vp27519 ....

Hey Nicole. You may be interested in this, based on some of your more recent readings.

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.ph...k=view&id=2098

Charles

Thanks Charles.

Will give it a read and let you know what I think. Appreciate your thoughts.

I've read it Charles. However I will need to read it again when the boys are in bed and I can absorb it.

A stand out at this point is the author's view of the "zone/flow". To have any chance of attaining this innate place, one needs to have skill, devotion and immersion.

Is this a correct assumption thus far Charles?

At this point, I have the skill. However, circumstances at present don't allow me to be a 100* devoted and immersed.

Again thanks for your thoughts.

Nicole xo

Having read this article, I can relate to the part of it where he talks about the self concious wanting to help, where you say I'm not going to go left into the rough and then promptly do so, because you are concious of it. At least 4 times on Saturday I had given myself putts of less than 10ft and was dreading taking them, knowing I would miss. And, of course, subsequently doing just that.

For me, my fear of putting is a self fulfilling prophecy on far too many holes.

I wonder if mental imagery can alter this.

There seems to be a theory out there where if you can picture yourself doing something with confidence, then if and when you actually do come to do this thing, you have a positive image to draw on.

I wonder......

Thoughts anyone...???

__________________
Look at the Target, Look at the Ball, Swing... Dr Bob Rotella...

I forget who, but I remember reading about a study done with 30 basketball players.

They were broken into groups of 10.

Group A practiced shooting free throws for an hour a day, for a month.
Group B visualised shooting free throws for an hour a day, for a month. They didn't shoot any actual free throws at this time, just visualised it.
Group C did nothing.

At the end of the month, Group A and B had improved equally (while group C, surprisingly, had not improved at all )

So yes, I'd say there's something to visualisation.

I wonder if Group B had visualized missing free throws, if they wouldn't have improved at all?

__________________
True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
It's live! - www.ShipShapeClubs.com
PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

The author is talking about the zone in relation to sports, but it can occur in all aspects of one's life. Driving a car is probably the most common, but I have also had it occur at work while writing up a report.

I kind of agree and disagree with the author about ease of getting in the zone. I agree that you need to have the proper groundwork to make yourself "accident prone" but once that is set I think you can get in the zone by using either self-hypnosis techniques (clearkeys type method) or memory recall.

I have been working on getting myself "accident prone". Unfortunately, I don't have a methodology but the 1000s of years of zen may provide tried and tested methods.

One thing that I have found for me was that I needed to learn to be "emotionally detached" from the outcome of the golf swing. So I do not worry or fear what will happen. This helps to greatly supress any chance of an adrenaline rush, which has killed my rounds in the past.

Scragger63 - Try over compensating. Once you have chosen the correct club (driver: wood: iron: wedge: putter) for the situation. Assume arrogantly you will make the shot perfectly everytime (land in the middle of the fairway: make every GIR: drain the chip: drain every putt). The true "trick" is how to react to what actually happens. Remember you cannot go back in time AND if you are truely assuming that every shot will be perfect then any errors made in the last shot have NO relation to the current shot.

Keep living and keep learning,
Charles

http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/c...roduction.html (Golf Psychology Introduction)

This reminds me of my artical a couple of years ago now but I can say I still stand by every word, I love the link and agree that the zone is the way to go for serious improvement once you have the basics down.......................just like you have just mentioned regarding driving a car..............how light do you grip the steering wheel...........when did you change gear etc etc we do it without conscious thought I would suggest that all top pros are also great at driving cars.............

Great thread

Ian.

__________________
Once you learn the swing, your next step is mastering golf psychology................

Gallwey (Inner Golf - See other thread) goes into this a fair bit only he gets you to visualise something else, non-golf but not totally dissimilar, that you are confident with.

I haven't got the book to hand so can't give you a real example (Ian? Anyone?) but for putting you might use sinking an easy ball at snooker or pool, or something from basket ball.

As I've said I'm still struggling with this but if you are looking at mental imagery its an idea that might work for some.

Tim Gallwey talks about the body hitting the ball perfectly well why the mind is a mistrusting so and so.

I always make an effort to hit the last 25 balls at the range with out any thoughts at all just a feeling of my whole body not any particular part, takes a few shots but it works........just stare at the ball and almost day dream as you hit....it really works.

If you struggle with that exercise then try 'back and hit' 1,2,3, counting or saying "back" as you takeaway then "and" at top, "hit" as you swing though, sure stops you thinking about where you arm, foot, leg, head etc is.

For me personally day dreaming does it, just glare at the ball with almost glazed eyes.


It all takes a bit of practice so you shouldn't give up straight away, but it must be worth a bucket of balls to give it a fair go.


Hope this helps

Ian.

__________________
Once you learn the swing, your next step is mastering golf psychology................

Interesting Charles, the thought of becoming emotional detached from the result of the shot.

I was away for new year and decided that my resolution would be, not to worry about the score. Then I come across this thread.

I imagine the two thoughts achieve the one goal.