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Does Your Junior Golfer Need A Sport Psychologist?
Jeff Troesch, MA, LMHC
"My son gets so angry on the golf course that he cannot
perform in competitions". "My daughter gets so nervous when
other people are watching her play that her game completely
falls apart". "My kid hits it so well on the range, and then
hits it all over the map in a tournament". These are the kinds
of comments that I often hear from parents of junior golfers.
Do these kids need a golf psychologist? No. Nobody needs training
on the mental part of the game. I take the word need very
seriously. I believe we need air and water and sleep and food.
I certainly wouldn't suggest that anyone needs mental training,
anymore than I would suggest that anyone needs golf lessons
or physical training. What I would say, however, is that I
have yet to encounter any player who couldn't benefit from
proper mental, technical, or physical instruction. Thus, I
believe any junior golfer could benefit from mental instruction.
Most people simply don't understand what this training is
or how it works.
When I ask parents what percentage of their kid's golf game
is mental, I rarely get a number less than 75%. Conversely,
when I ask those same people what percentage of their child's
training time is devoted to working on the mental game the
answer is rarely greater than zero. And while parents see
the "problem" with their child's mental game, the young player
doesn't know how to work on the mental game and the parents
don't know where to look for answers to their questions.
"What exactly do you do?" Most people outside of sport have
never heard of sport psychology, and many people in sport
have little knowledge about the nature of the job itself.
In a nutshell, golf psychology- or mental training for golf-
is consultation and education that exposes a player to the
requisite mental skills necessary to create an internal environment
to enjoy the sport more and achieve excellence in performance.
These skills are in conjunction with, but not contrary to,
the mechanical and physical instruction that might be given
by a swing coach or fitness trainer.
Here's what it's all about: Among other things, mental training
for golf is to help:
- Understand how to deal with lapses in concentration
- Deal with situations of accumulating frustration
- Develop coping strategies to deal with increasing anxiety
- Improve decreasing motivation
- Examine and reinforce slipping confidence
- Create strategies to reduce breakdowns under pressure
- Craft procedures to increase consistency of preparation
and play
Generally the process first involves some type of assessment.
Next, there is a period of education and skill development,
followed by on-going follow-up and adjustments. The specifics
of the actual mental training will vary from player to player,
with the vast majority of interaction and consultation done
via telephone, on the golf course, at the range, or on the
putting green.
The added benefit for junior golfers is that the training
typically also has positive life effects. Understanding the
power of one's thinking, learning how to differentiate those
things over which we have control from those over which we
do not have control, deepening an understanding of how to
take responsibility for our actions and our reactions to events
are among the many, many golf/life issues explored and addressed.
Ultimately, the more the junior player knows him or herself,
the more they understand the nuances of the game, and the
more they have specific strategies to apply, the more they
will be successful in golf and in life!
Jeff Troesch, MA, LMHC is an internationally recognized
expert in the mental side of golf. As the former Director
of Sport Psychology for the David Leadbetter Golf Academies,
Jeff has worked with thousands of golfers nationwide and brings
a wealth of experience to seasoned golf professionals as well
as the recreational golf lover. You may contact Jeff directly
through his website, http://www.fitnessforgolf.com.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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