IT SEEMS THAT EVERYONE
is on a tight schedule these days. Unfortunately,
the time to practice what your teaching professional
advocates has been reduced to simply hitting a few
balls before you play your round.
Most people try to circumvent the necessary learning
process that everyone must go through by not following
the proper steps for the consistent elimination
of an old, incorrect swing habit or flaw. Because
of this, I see many students who don't improve
quite to the level or at the pace they would like.
The reason for this breakdown is the student's
misunderstanding of the move itself and improper
focus while hitting balls. I hate to see this
breakdown, but the student is not always to blame.
The teacher can also cause this meltdown with
an improper explanation, his own misunderstanding
of how the swing works or by giving too many swing
thoughts to the student at one time.
To correct this problem, ask yourself if you
understand why this process is going to make you
better mechanically. In my opinion, this is the
most important question that any student must
ask himself. I have seen countless players who
are working on something in their swing with no
idea of why it will help their swing or if it
even makes sense with the mechanics of their own
swing.
So take the time to ask your teacher why he wants
you to do this and why it fits in with your problems.
With these questions answered, you will know where
you are, where you're going and why you can't
get there with your present swing. Don't be afraid
to ask why. It is your time and your swing.
Another question you should ask yourself is how
am I going to get there. In my studies of motor-learning
concepts, which concentrate on the way the human
brain and body integrate to learn a physical skill,
I've discovered that in order to stop and correct
a flawed habit, you must first understand where
you are mechanically. Then you must understand
the correct position you are trying to achieve
and finally feel the difference between the right
and the wrong motion.
Now you might ask, "If it is that simple, then
why does everyone not do it?" That's a good question.
In order to correct a swing flaw, you must feel
the new motion in the proper way to identify the
correct feel from the incorrect one. This is the
hard part. Remember, the teaching professional
can only inform and educate. You must absorb and
apply.
Use a mirror or your shadow until you can see
and feel the right move from the wrong one. If
you never achieve the feeling of the correct move
versus the incorrect one, you will not improve.
Next, try hitting 40-yard shots, seeing if you
can replicate the same feeling. If you can't hit
40-yard shots in slow motion correctly, you certainly
will not be able to hit full shots correctly.
Continue to do this until you can hit full swings
with the new motion and feel.
This piece-by-piece, slow-motion learning is
the only way to improve consistently. These are
the same processes that every professional athlete
goes through in order to fix any flawed motion,
from free-throw shooting in basketball to the
golf swing. Just remember that no one is exempt
from the proper learning process.
