I have long said that when practising it is best to keep it contextual, so that instead of hitting shot after shot at the same target with the same club, it would be more beneficial to imagine you are playing a certain hole you know and hit the shots it requires. Such as a drive then an iron, etc. This is much more in context of how the game is played, and it will help your visualisation skills by imagining each shot. When doing this though one thing is missing. Pressure. This is one of the reasons why golfers hit it great on the range but lousy on the course. If I write the word again,
PRESSURE. In the context of golf and your game, what comes to mind……?
You see if you can create a little pressure when you practice then your brain will be better prepared to cope with it on the course. If you can create an environment where you can get your juices flowing all the better.
On the range there is no pressure, stress, or anxiety. You have a certain tempo and speed. On the course many elements change. You may be conscious of the lie of the ball, your swing, the weather conditions, etc. Also you may speed up and try to give more effort. These are different to what you experience on the range.
When under pressure and stress you produce cortisol, which is referred to as the stress hormone because it’s secreted in higher levels during the body’s fight or flight response to stress. Small increases are fine and can produce positive effects. Prolonged higher levels can have negative effects on your health let alone your golf game. When you practice or get used to playing under pressure you can begin to be more comfortable in those situations, which will in turn lower your cortisol levels.
You may then start to find comfort under pressure. This is a useful tool to have in your armoury and is how soldiers for instance are trained. You build the resources inside the problem state so when the time arises you are better equipped to deal with the situation and perform under pressure.
Everybody reacts differently to pressure. Some will sink and some will swim. There are however many ways to learn to deal with it.
Learning to focus on your breathing and slowing down your heart beat are a couple of techniques that will work.
Really we are talking about forms of self hypnosis, because we drift in and out of different trance states all day long.
Now wouldn’t it be beneficial to learn how to control and access these states when you need to?
Therein lies the power. To be able to control your own neurology, easily.
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