Tweaking Your Game
Most people who play sports on a regular basis find themselves constantly on the lookout for ways to improve themselves and get the all elusive edge.
As part of this process golfers, professional and amateur find themselves looking to tweak their game in some fashion. The better the golfer the more refined their tweaking becomes. In my work with professional golfers I notice they do look to make mechanical changes and adjustments for more consistent ball striking and they also look for mental tweaks as well.
There seems to be a pervading feeling that if youre not constantly tweaking some part of your game; youre not improving your game. I find it interesting that even when things are going well some golfers still find the need to try something different.
The challenge comes into play when the changes they make actually cause them to under perform rather than raise the level of their game.
These changes often occur after talking to someone, getting some new ideas or reading books that offer a new insight of some kind. They can also occur after something seems to go wrong and our game feels like it is slightly off.
Mark, a professional golfer called me last week and told me he felt great but wasnt scoring as well as he knows he can. After reading a new book he saw an insight he hadnt seen before so he decided to think about his golf swing in a different way as a result. The problem was; he was now thinking about his golf swing! How has this so-called new insight helped your game? I asked. I think its a good piece of information he said. Yes, it is but now youve actually gotten in your own way by thinking too much which is causing your swing to lose its freedom and consistency. You werent doing that before were you? I asked. No he replied. Then why would you try to make this work when it is clearly interfering with you ability to be free over the golf ball? I asked.
GENIUS IS IN THE SIMPLICITY
I told Mark that the genius is always in the simplicity. Most of my clients, after a while can slip into a mindset that causes them to look for something more when the simple mind/body basics always bring them back to where they want to be. Its hard to believe that this can be enough. Mark was already a client and hed already learned the laws and insights I teach. The moment things werent going his way over a short time period he decided to tweak his mental game and while the intention was good; the reality was not.
I reminded him to rely on the laws and insights wed already spoken about because they will bring him back in sync and when in sync the golf swing would begin to reveal itself because he is allowing it to happen.
In my conversations with amateur golfers we find the same scenario taking place. It seems every time they hear or read something they get excited and try to apply it whether its tweaking their mental game or swing mechanics. All too often theyve created a situation where they are over thinking, over analyzing and obstructing the free and consistent swing they really wanted in the first place.
Im certainly NOT suggesting that you shouldnt try to improve your game. Its natural to want to get better. Im asking you to be honest with yourself and see if all the tweaks you continually apply are really helping you get what you want. Many of the golfers I speak to are tweaking for tweakings sake and moving further away from the powerful basic truths that allow their greatness to show itselfnot matter what their level of play.
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