In my next four blogs I will cover the main aspects of good practice broken down into: Before play - During play - In - between shots and After Golf.
Before Golf
Understanding the key components for effective practise.
There are two forms of practise.
Practising to acquire a skill.
Simulating game conditions.
Acquiring a skill.
Whilst practising to build a new movement pattern always remember that all swing amendments take place in your brain first. You are effectively changing the neural pathways or re mapping your brain. Did you know that it takes 3 - 5000 good repetitions to make a new movement totally instinctive. Therefore you should only ever work on one new movement at a time, any more will conflict with each other. The stationary part of your address you may get away with two or three.
Using a mirror for feedback I would say is essential.
Simulating game conditions.
Every shot you hit has a consequence and is often recorded, it is also an interval sport in so much as you hit a shot and there is a period of time before you hit the next one. Therefore your practice should reflect both the element of consequence and interval. So why not do this in practise.
The importance of state
Nervousness is physiologically an increased heart rate.
Be prepared for this and work on your breathing. Deep inward breaths and slow exhalation. Also add this into your practise by jogging on the spot and then hitting some shots, this will help to immunise you from the shock of that nervous feeling on the course. Also keep reminding yourself it is only a game, not a matter of life and death. Finally, Coffee and Tea are stimulants that can affect your heart rate prior to a game.
Mental practice.
Finally, there is a lot of evidence on the effectiveness pre event visualisation and imagery.
When I don’t have much opportunity to play I find that this is a huge factor and very beneficial. This will definitely give you an edge. Imagine the shots you want to hit and not the ones you don’t.
Good luck and I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year filled with excellent, fun golf. See you in 2021.
