Positive Self Instruction for Better Golf

Saturday, December 7, 2013

by Nick Rosa, Ph.D

How we mentally instruct ourselves can either hurt or help our game. Where applicable, making a simple adjustment in our self-talk strategy will improve our performance.

 

Before suggesting the strategy change, I'd like you to say two things to yourself. First, say to yourself "Don't think of a dog.". Second, say "Don't think of the Eiffel Tower.". What happened? Right, first you thought of (imagined) a dog and then you imagined the Eiffel Tower. Why? Because, in order to understand a negative instruction, our brain must create and attend to an image of that which we are telling it not to do.

In addition to golf, I watch a lot of professional boxing. Every time a manager/trainer says to a fighter "Don't lay on the ropes.", sure enough the fighter will lay on the ropes. Why? Because, the fighter's mental attention is drawn to laying on the ropes. And, attention to this image guides the fighter's actions.

 

Think about the implications regarding our golf game when we say to ourselves: "Don't think about the last bad shot", "I've got to get rid of the yips.", and "Keep out of the rough.". Our mind would attend to the bad shot, the yips and the rough and our body will follow. Instead, the prescription is to frame our desired actions and goals positively; "Focus on this being a great shot.", "Be calm and relaxed.", and "Target the middle of the fairway.". Now, our self-instructions create images that prompt actions that are consistent with our desired outcome.

 

In a sense, the prescription for self-instruction is to use the same strategy that we use when ordering a meal in a restaurant. Rather than telling the server all the things on the menu that we don't want, we use a positively framed strategy and request what we do want. Let's do the same on the golf course and use a positively framed mental strategy. By mentally ordering what we do want, we are more apt to achieve our desired outcomes and improve our golf game

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Visualization: Tools of the Trade

by Nick Rosa, Ph.D

Visual imagery (visualization) is frequently recommended by sport psychologists to help golfers maximize performance. Just as a specific type of wrench is recommended for a given purpose, so should the sport psychologist recommend a specific type of visualization for a given purpose.

 

All too often, however, visualization is recommended in a non-specific way. Sometimes even the most basic specification- that is, disassociated versus associated, is not made. For example, it might be recommended that you "Imagine yourself putting......" Given this recommendation, should you imagine seeing yourself on a screen (a disassociated visualization)? Or, should you be in the imagined scene feeling your feet on the green (an associated visualization)? Since both tools are valuable in very different ways, this is an essential specification.

Once this essential specification is determined, adjustments are needed. In the same way a specific wrench must be adjusted and tailored to the task at hand, so does the specific visualization need to be adjusted and tailored.

 

So, if a disassociated visualization were specified, should you imagine the screen to be close to you or far away, large or small? Should you imagine the screen to be directly in front of you, or to the left or right of your field of vision?

 

Whether disassociated or associated, is the scene to be imagined in black and white or in color? If in color, is the color bright or dull? What happens when you reverse the action and run or experience the action in reverse?

 

These questions reflect some of the possible adjustments that can be made regarding how we visualize. And, how we visualize greatly effects how well visualization will help us to get the results we want.

 

These are some of the questions to be answered in the "Mental Briefs for Better Golf (Visualization) Series." Knowing the answers to these questions will, no doubt, enable you to know how to specifically adjust your visualization to get the psychological and physiological results that will enhance your golf game.

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Meditation for Golfers?

by Nick Rosa, Ph.D

Have you tried meditation to improve your golf game? "You've got to be kidding!" is a typical response. However, after understanding the benefits derived from as little as 10 minutes of meditation, most golfers are willing to give it a try. And, as a reward, they find their enjoyment of the game increasing and their handicaps decreasing.

 

Why? Because among the benefits are a reduction in blood lactate levels and a regulation of blood pressure which translate into the golfer being more apt to be in a relaxed flow and less apt to boil over emotionally as a result of a missed putt or errant shot. Brain wave synchronization, another benefit, enables a golfer to be clear headed and more mentally focused. The regulation of cardiovascular and biochemical functioning top off the benefits that enhance a general feeling of well being and enjoyment of the game.

For best results meditate anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour before you are scheduled to tee off. Here's all you have to do:

 

(1) Commit yourself to meditate for a minimum of ten minutes.

 

(2) Find a place where you can be free from sudden interruptions. A quiet place at home or in your car is desirable but not necessary; a chair in the corner of the locker room will work fine as long as you are willing to keep your eyes closed for at least ten minutes despite surrounding activity.

 

(3) Choose a simple, calming, word such as "calm", "peace", "relax" (your mantra) to repeat mentally during the amount of time you've committed yourself to.

(4) Sit in an upright position, gently close your eyes and repeat your mantra mentally for your committed amount of time. At the end of your time period, stop repeating your mantra, wait a minute and open your eyes.

That's all there is to it.

Please note that, during meditation, sometimes you will forget to repeat your mantra and your mind will wander off for varying periods of time. This is to be expected. If you are like most people, you may find that your mind wanders off many times in one sitting. Notwithstanding, when you realize that your mind has wandered off into reverie or daydreaming, you simply go back and begin repeating your mantra again.

Meditating ten minutes will give you all of the benefits mentioned above; twenty minutes will maximize the benefits. Give it a try! Meditating will enhance your play and your enjoyment of the game.

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Transferring Your Driving Range Ability to the Golf Course.

by Nick Rosa, Ph.D

This article is a response to the following question:

I have a major problem getting myself from being too stiff while on the course (no problem on the driving range.) This causes me to not turn my shoulders and there "fore" reverse pivot and I'm trying to hit the ball rather than swing the club. Please help. I've tried just about everything.

There's bad news and there's good news. Fortunately, the good news far outweighs the bad.

 

First, the bad news. Unfortunately, in the tee box you've been conditioned to experience a negative psychophysiology. You have a negative Pavlovian response, the kind referred to in the "Overcoming Anxiety During Competition" article. More specifically, when you step into the tee box your body gets triggered into getting stiff, causing you not to turn your shoulders, which negatively affects your swing mechanics. I suspect that you have some apprehension and that your confidence, expectation, breathing, grip and posture are negatively impacted as well.

 

Now, the good news. Fortunately, on the driving range you've been conditioned to experience a positive psychophysiology. That is, on the driving range your body gets triggered into being loose, you have confidence in your swing and a positive expectation, and your breathing, grip and posture being positively affected. You experience, what I call, a peak performance state frequently on the practice range. Voila! All we need to do is transfer the peak performance state you already know how to experience when on the driving range to the tee box.

There are two exercises you can do to do to accomplish this. One would be to follow do the conditioning exercises described in the "Overcoming Anxiety During Competition" article. The other is to do the following:

(1) Go to the driving range and get a couple of buckets of balls and begin driving. Every time you're pleased with the feel of your swing and nail one down the middle with good distance, immediately take a deep breath and hold for a count of 5 to 7 and exhale slowly. Do this whenever you practice and you will be establishing a connection between this special breath and your peak performance state.

(2) At home, close your eyes, take a your special breath and for a handful of seconds, imagine seeing yourself in the tee box nailing each drive with great distance and accuracy. Repeat this a few times. Next do the same thing a few times except now imagine that you are in the tee box feeling the ground beneath you feet, the driver in your hand, etc.

(3) In the tee box, take your magic breath right after you tee up the ball and before you begin your take away. This will trigger your peak performance state and positively affect your swing.

(4) Finally, in the tee box (or on the fairway), whenever your swing feels right and you drive the ball well, immediately take a deep breath and hold for a count of 5 to 7 and exhale slowly. As in step (2), the bond between your special breath and peak performance state will be strengthened.

Follow steps (1) - (4) and you'll be driving as well from the tee box as you had on the driving range. My prediction, even better!

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Losing Focus After A Great Front Nine?

by Nick Rosa, Ph.D  

This article is a response to the following question:

I just recently had a round where I shot 1 over on the front nine and proceeded to hack up the back pretty badly. All I could think about was my final score and the possibilities of how low it could be. I tried to stay in the present and concentrate on the shot at hand but was unsuccessful.

What can I do to forget about my final score?

 

We all recognize primary or life sustaining, human, needs; needs satisfied by food, air, water and the like. Less obvious are our secondary needs, e.g., our need for excitement. If anyone doubts such a need, consider our thirst to engage in activities that excite; activities such as sky diving, bungie jumping, hand gliding, thrilling amusement park rides and the like. Moreover, we have a need to engage in thoughts that excite us.

 

So, when we’re thirsty, we think about drinking something, say water. Try to think of anything else and we spontaneously go back to thinking about drinking water. Now, with water available, would taking only a sip be sufficiently satisfying? No! We would have to drink enough water to satisfy our thirst for it. Drink sufficiently and we are able to turn our thoughts elsewhere.

 

Now, getting back to you and your sucessful start. Given that your thinking about the possibility of how low your final score could be was exciting, your natural tendency was to continue engaging in such thinking until your need for excitement was satisfied.

My hypothesis is that you tried, too soon, to focus on your shots. In attempting to stay focused on your shots too soon, you denied your need for excitement to be sufficiently satisfied. Thus, the more you tried to stay focused on your shots, the more the pull to focus on the outcome.

My prescription. In the future when you do great on the front 9, take a few minutes, if necessary, and indulge yourself by imagining playing great on the back and/or how low your score will be. Let your excitement build to a satisfactory level (figuratively, take more than a sip); then you will be ready to be more fully focused on the shots at hand.... Let me know how well this prescription works for you.

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