Play Your Best Game » Smart Practice
Smart Practice
By Dr. Paula King
Most golfers take lessons and many of those like to
practice what they’ve learned before taking the
new skill to the golf course. However, many of you are
practicing hard rather than practicing smart. Trying
hard or practicing hard usually translates into a mindless
activity, while practicing smart is done with a mindful
intention and attitude.
Mindful, smart practice is identifiable because it contains the following key elements:
- If you employ mindful practice you have chosen one golf instructor who teaches to your learning style and strengths. (You’d be surprised how many golfers have worked with 3 or more instructors in a one-year period of time. Too confusing!)
- You are an active learner and let your instructor know what works for you and what doesn’t. You trust your experience along with the expertise offered by the instructor. Just because they say it doesn’t necessarily mean it works for you, or that they always know best. A mindful learner is one who trusts their own experience to determine a final say about things.
- You know your learning style and seek out an instructor who effectively teaches to your strengths. If you are an auditory or kinesthetic learner you benefit from taking notes (during or after the lesson) because writing down important concepts help you retain them. If you are a visual learner you probably will benefit from an instructor who video tapes the lessons and allows you to see what’s happening “in real time.” Remember to ask for a copy of the tape to watch later.
- To enhance mindful practice use the day immediately following the lesson to imagine you taking the lesson. In you mind’s eye imagine the instructor giving you the lesson and imagine yourself following the directions. Make the imagery more potent by employing all five senses in the images in your mind. See it, smell it, hear it, feel it, and even taste it.
- In preparation for going to the practice tee to groove your new skills choose one skill as the focus for each practice session. On the practice tee have a clear intention and target for each swing you make. Limit the practice of the new skill to a maximum of one hour. Use any remaining time to practice other aspects of your game (still being mindful, of course!)
- Save the last ten minutes of your practice time to return to the new skill and make several more mindful swings implementing your new skill.
- Take notes about what you noticed and learned during each practice session. What worked for you? What didn’t work for you? What questions do you have? Take your Golf Journal to your next lesson.
- Practice your mental skills with every swing you make on the practice tee. Practicing smart means choosing self-talk that is helpful to you, choosing clear intentions, purposes and goals, making a commitment to a pre-shot process, imagining the shot you want to make and having a definite target in mind.
Practice smart and watch your scores drop and your confidence
and consistency improve.
Happy golfing!
Questions or comments? Contact Dr. King by visiting
her website at www.drheadcoach.com
or calling 602-862-0032
