GOLF TIP
by Lynn Bernadett"Balance Your Senses"
The perfection of golf has eluded many players of the game because the factors are so great. Players take long strides of studying their swing mechanics and constantly work on organizing their course management skills for structure and repetition. To no avail, a great number of players do not achieve "feel" in their golf swing. Feel comes from total body awareness. Body awareness is achieved by utilizing all five of your senses, in a well-organized and balanced process. You've heard of the "zone" one reaches in athletic competition, that's when an athlete allows their mind to reach the level of total mind and body awareness. Body awareness is balancing your senses of taste, smell, hearing, touch and sight, utilizing them at the appropriate time, in a well-balanced manner. In athletics there is a system to "feel", but it only becomes systematic through trial, error, and practice. Practice does make perfect.
I have competed, professionally, in many different sports and have taught all of them professionally: tennis, racquetball, swimming and golf. Just like everyone else, I had to study and work hard on my mechanics to develop the proper skills in each sport. My levels of performance jumped at a much quicker rate than others (and out-performed my competitors) because of my discipline to achieve "feel", or, balancing my senses. I reinforced my total body awareness by using a "close-the-eyes" technique of simulating the motion, which is used by many other professional athletes during warm-up and the play of their game. Basketball players commonly use it at the free-throw line.
It has been proven that sight can get in the way of an athletes peak performance. Your vision can stifle the necessary components of obtaining "feel" in your golf swing; trust, relaxation and concentration (focus). Just by closing your eyes during a practice swing can help develop these skills. It will be a dream-like state of mind and you will be able to fully concentrate on the task at hand.
The majority of golfers depend too heavily on their sight. Stevie Wonder, a blind musician, composer and entertainer, has an unbelievable complexity to his music, within rhythm, tempo, and timing, because he has keenly developed his dependency on his remaining senses to "feel" the music. Tom Sullivan, blind entertainer and single digit handicap golfer, has associated his musical talents into his game of golf - based on rhythm, tempo, and timing, where as, "feeling" the golf swing with his remaining senses. In transcendental meditation they close their eyes for complete contemplative concentration of body awareness, wiping-out all exterior reception.
For those who have vision, close your eyes during your practice swings on the driving range and at the golf course. Practice putting (actual balls) with your eyes closed. With the use of your remaining senses, you will be able to better "feel" all of your physical proportions in set-up and in motion, more than when your eyes are open. You will become more aware of your rhythm, tempo, and timing within the motion of your swing. Listen to your body.
A major factor that leads an athlete into a state of performance anxiety is simply by allowing their vision to "get in the way". Don't let your sight distract your entire thought process with exterior stimulation. The primary purpose of your vision in golf is, to assess your goal intentions; ball flight, target-line, alignment. Hence, your vision is not a primary sense that should even be utilized during the motion of your swing.
I am not a psychologist, I am a professional athlete and golf educator. I successfully use this learning method with the majority of my students in order to help them achieve their maximum performance. Though, this is not a quick-fix drill, it will take practice. The development of this "close the eyes" technique should start with putting some balls on the practice green, and then, moving on to the more active swings; chipping, pitching and full swing. Stay organized and simplify. By closing your eyes, you will become more aware of other senses and your surroundings. In golf you need to be more concerned about the process before the result - NOT the other way around. Better your feel of the golf swing by effectively using your senses - Balance Your Senses.
* * TRAIN YOUR MIND TO TRAIN YOUR BODY * *
Lynn Bernadett is an LPGA Golf Professional at The Pines Golf Club at Marana and a Saddlebrooke resident. For lesson information, call 520-991-4952, in Tucson, AZ.
Check out some of Lynn's other instructional articles:
Body Awareness Golf
Associate the Motion
Acceptance
Counter Balance
Dynamic Weight Transfer
Senior Golf: Flexibility
GolfabiliTEE: Accessible Golf