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“The greatest
discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter
their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” William
James
“90% of golf is half-mental” Yogi Berra
New research on how the brain works, and learns, will prove
to be a breakthrough for golfers. It used to be we thought
of the brain as a black box, unchanging. But neuroscientists
are finding that it is capable of enormous change, much more
than we previously imagined.
The brain is composed of cells that look like trees, called
neurons. They communicate with each other electrically. When
groups of neurons fire together, they bond into groups, as
the groups grow, habits and opinions form. Much like this:
10,000 people in a stadium, clapping, make white noise. But
if they all clap together, it stands out. This is the brain
paying attention to something.
Researchers can now literally see where you are thinking,
(not content, but process), and they are indeed finding that
the brain is, as they call it, plastic. The change comes
from what we pay attention to; to use an old phrase `set
your mind to it’.
If we understand this research, then we have way more power
to keep our minds in the right place to play great golf. I
would like to explore some of these ways in this series.
Negativity.
Put yourself in one of these situations;
1) You are on the first tee, nervous as hell that people
will be commenting on how poorly you do. Your intention?
Hurry up and get it over with!
2) There is water on the left, and you have a good round
going. Your miss with the driver is often left. You get this
image stuck in your mind of a quick duck-hook, and you can’t
shake it. Do you stand there intent on swinging way to the
right. (This only makes the hook worse).
Techniques to overcome negativity
First of all, know that those thoughts are made up in your
mind. They are not real.
1) Those people couldn’t care less how your do, being too
worried about their own first shot.
2) And the duck hook only comes when you get quick. You get
quick when you get negative.
Second, know that these are electrical impulses that can be
changed. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but your
brain is just slightly misfiring, like a DVD skipping. Stand
back from these thoughts, and see them as they really are.
Intention
I’m not suggesting that this is easy, but it is definitely
do-able. Once you have stood back from the `static
electricity’, you can now replace the destructive intention
with a positive one.
1) The first- tee freak-out can be replaces with something
like: `There’s my target, it’s only the first shot, just
swing smoothly.’ And understand that there is lots of golf
out there. The whole round is not all wrapped up in this
first strike.
2) The hooker is usually a pretty good player. If he or she
will make a good turn of the body through the shot, the
flipping hands are usually tamed.
Use any thoughts you like, but to combat negativity, use the
latest brain research:
1) Realize that you are probably making the negativity up-
it’s not real.
2) See these thoughts as little glitches in your mental
computer. Stand back from them.
3) Replace them with a more suitable thought.
Next article: The golfer’s serenity prayer.
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