| Today, let's get down and dirty about the word "feel" | | | | subconscious and the conscious functions. Once we |
| and how I apply it to golf the "Without Practice" way | | | | get this, we can do a lot toward the mental side of our |
| so you can shave some strokes effortlessly this | | | | game to reach our potential. |
| weekend. You know deep down if not at the top of | | | | I used to take advice from the magazines that say |
| your head, that when you feel good, you will perform | | | | you have to keep track of your Greens in regulation, |
| or act your best in anything right? Most of us struggle | | | | how many putts you had, how many sand saves etc. |
| with our feelings because we just let them occur | | | | and then "identify" my weaknesses. Again, not good |
| based on whatever is happening in our lives at the | | | | since putting the focus on the negatives only gives |
| time. For instance, if you just get news that you got a | | | | them power and the repetition of thinking about them |
| raise at work, you are going to have a great feeling | | | | starts to solidify in your unconscious. Remember that |
| for some time after correct? This is a great time to | | | | your unconscious doesn't know the difference |
| get out on the course as your bio-computer (brain) is | | | | between a positive or negative thought, it just accepts |
| now in the optimum conditon for performance. Nobody | | | | that which it is most convinced of by repetitive thought |
| denies this and yet we go out on the course and | | | | or action. And besides, I don't need a scorecard to |
| choose to say and do things that destroy our optimum | | | | remind me of my weaknesses on a given round. I |
| performance potential. | | | | know what they are after every round and I can |
| I am becoming more and more convinced the longer I | | | | usually pin it down to something I did or didn't do prior |
| play this game that how we "feel" during our round | | | | to hitting the ball in my pre-shot routine as I discuss in |
| determines the variation from our average score more | | | | my "Without Practice" system. |
| than anything else. What I mean by feel is our STATE. | | | | What you need to start doing right now, next round, is |
| STATE is physiology plus internal representation. It's | | | | really zero in on the things that go well. Make little |
| short for "state of being." So what if we can do things | | | | celebrations in your mind (be humble with your |
| to affect our state just the same as receiving the | | | | partners) when you hit a great shot. Turn on the |
| news that we got a raise at work? We can! | | | | positive emotions and show a big smile when you sink |
| Recently, I shot my best round of the year at 1 under | | | | that long putt! Take mental, if not paper and pen, notes |
| par. As I teach people to really dig into how they "felt" | | | | on anything worth remembering when you do anything |
| when they played a great round, I took notes and after | | | | that puts you into that "feel good" state. Create an |
| the round really went over the things I was thinking, | | | | anchor that you do every time you hit a shot exactly |
| how my body was responding, what did I eat, what | | | | the way you planned it just like the ringing buzzer that |
| were my eyes seeing, etc. You need this information | | | | Pavlov's dogs were trained to salivate to. |
| to help build your optimal state. Once built, you can | | | | When you have bad shots, immediately analyze it |
| rebuild it in the future since you now have the blueprint | | | | afterward, see what you can learn from it and then |
| or instructions. WE need to pay far more attention to | | | | FORGET IT! It will do you no good whatsoever to hold |
| when we play well than when we don't! | | | | onto it. You know that your swing is different from day |
| Many golfers completely dissect their rounds | | | | to day as all the pros also complain about. So what |
| afterward replaying their bad shots over and over in | | | | benefit can be gained from going over bad shots that |
| their minds trying to figure out what went wrong. This | | | | could be gone the next day without even trying? Save |
| only serves to implant suggestions in our unconscious | | | | the analyzing for the range if you do have time to |
| mind that that is how we play. Not good for future | | | | practice. If not, then just keep pounding your |
| rounds. Remember: "as a man thinketh, so shall he | | | | subconscious with images of you accomplishing the |
| become" and other quotes like that? It all stems from | | | | little things you had trouble with until your next round. |
| the concept of the duality of our mind; the | | | | That is the "Without Practice" way. |