If a player doesn’t have a good post shot routine or is unaware, they will store the bad shot/experience deeply (by not being able to move on). The post shot routine is a very overlooked part of the process. Once the shot has been decided upon, the rest of the process/shot must be largely external and athletic, as opposed to internal and instructional. Studies have proven that, with short game and putting especially, focus for any level of player is always better on the intention for the shot ( external focus), rather than what the body is doing. Unfortunately, that approach rarely works. The player believes that if they can just make the correct movement, they will avoid the outcomes they fear. On the golf course, because of fear of making a bad swing and getting a negative outcome, that focus can move “internal” and more on the swing. the look of the shot and feel of impact). When you are doing short game practice, I’m sure that your focus is more “external” and on the intention for the shot you want to hit (i.e. Do this often as it will increase your self-belief. If you can see it, you can believe it’s possible. Do some visualization for golf exercises – close your eyes and see yourself hitting an array of short game shots, under pressure in tournaments (make it vivid). If you close your eyes and imagine yourself playing short game shots, can you see yourself being successful? If you can’t, you will struggle to do it for real. Seeing yourself having short game confidence For this reason, the skill of arousal control and being able to control heart rate needs to be practiced. Going through the steps in this article will help lower arousal, but there will always be times when you feel pressure and your heart rate (or “arousal level”) goes up. Energy flows away from your brain towards your muscles (which is one of reasons that focusing is harder and you shake over some short game shots and putts). When your heart rate goes up, it means that your nervous system is on “high alert”. This is why I created my mental game scorecard, which you can access at the bottom of the article. The answer to this question shouldn’t change from shot to shot i.e., your process for your short game will be the same during a round. What do you need to do to hit a good shot? Write down 3-4 things that you will do before, during and after every short game shot.
We need clear goals for what you are going to bring your attention to before, during and after every shot, and the success of it is about achievement of those goals, rather than the outcome of it. Make Short Game Process the GoalĪs with all my mental coaching for golf, we are striving for those things that are within our control, not results. Let’s take a look at how you can reduce fear and build short game confidence. These changes in mental and physical state mean that the intention for the shot is lost, the mind and body are not relaxed, and the messages being sent to the muscles are unclear. This fear can also cause physical changes as heart rate and muscle tension rises. Focusing on the possible negative outcomes such as poor contact (hitting thin or fat shots), what the reaction will be from your playing partners, not making a fluid swing and throwing away strokes takes focus and energy away from what is most important. The reason: fear.įear makes you focus more on what could go wrong, rather than the outcome you desire. I hear all the time how a player has a “great short game in practice”, but on the course it disappears. Players who are struggling with short game confidence feel more pressure and fear around it, so the first step to getting better is understanding how this affects the execution of a short game shot. Understanding How Fear Affects Short Game Confidence
If you don’t have confidence, focus and commitment to your short game shots, you won’t be able to access your best physical skills, no matter how good they are. Because precision is required (touch, contact, face control, etc.), a player’s mental state is a huge factor. The short game is the area of the game that requires the most use of fine motor skills, which is why some players can struggle.
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