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Better Golf Shots in 2 Steps
Ron Allen
If you find yourself over thinking your golf swing this article
is for you. Most of us know golf is mostly in your head and
when you fix the mental part the rest becomes second nature.
Inside the circles of sports psychology a mental technique
called anchoring has shown some promise.
First just let me say, if you are just starting out, get some
lessons to learn the fundamental swing. It is far better to
learn a fundamentally sound swing in the beginning and build
on it rather than teach yourself bad habits and then try to
unlearn them. Learn the swing then go and hit balls. If your
trajectory is straight and the distance is average or better
you'll be way ahead of most.
Okay, here we go; when you go to the driving range to hit
balls as soon as you hit your first good shot say to yourself
something unique and memorable, like "bam" or "boom". This
is your anchor word. The word can be anything but its best
to keep it simple and limited to a few words at most. If you
take a swing and the result is less than great do nothing
but every time you nail a straight down the middle beauty
say your anchor word. Say it out loud or just mentally but
be sure to say it. That's step one.
Step two, after a number of good shots, imagine reliving a
perfect shot and repeating your anchor word after each imaginary
shot. Repeat and replay the experience mentally. Experience
the whole shot in your mind, the sight, the sound, the feeling
of the clubface striking the ball perfectly, the trajectory
of the ball. Use as much detail as possible and remember,
say your anchor word when your imaginary shot is complete.
What you're doing is building a mental pattern. The anchor
word you use will become mentally associated with this pattern.
Once the pattern has been successfully established you'll
be able to summon the pattern at will. So anytime you feel
negative about an upcoming shot, bam, trigger your pattern
and imagine a successful resolution. Then take the shot.
One of the best things about this is that you can practice
mentally even when you can't make it to the course or the
range. Throughout your day, at work, at home, before you go
to sleep at night, etc., take a few of your imaginary swings
saying your anchor word upon completion. Remember; make the
mental replay as vivid as possible.
By using this mental tactic you'll supercharge your practice
and your results big-time. But, if you have your doubts, consider
this, you have already unknowingly trained anchors into yours
game. It's why you feel your gut tighten up and you choke
on the pressure shots. What we are doing here is turning the
table and using the process to our advantage.
Why should you incorporate the imaginary practice? Because
it works, a study was conducted on 3 groups of people practicing
basketball free-throws. One group was told to practice shots
physically, the traditional way. Another was told to imagine
practicing only. And the remaining group was told to do no
practice at all. At the end of the study the group that did
nothing showed no improvement. The group that practiced physically
did show improvement but what amazed everyone is that the
group that only imagined practicing free-throw shots improved
the most.
Use this simple 2 step exercise for the next 30 days and watch
your score drop. Sports psychologists or coaches may charge
hundreds and in some cases thousands to teach techniques like
this to athletes striving for peak performance.
Get the mental out of golf. Learn to release the barriers
that keep you from great play. http://www.zerolimitlife.com
Article Source: http://www.goarticles.com
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