Is it possible not to think?

[ekennedy]

Duckjr,

To take it another step, (don't laugh) but I've begun saying "3 degrees down, 3 degrees left" before I hit a shot. I don't have access to Trackman right now, but I've been working on some pretty interesting experiments in our indoor hitting area and I'm getting terrific feedback. It's kind of like calling your shots, but I think a verbal cue like "3 down or 5 down" has been a very helpful reminder and I'm convinced that if you have better than average hand eye coordination you can get your swing to do some pretty amazing things just by having a clear picture in your mind of impact.

 

[ej20]

"If I have two swing thoughts, I have no chance at all. If I have one, maybe I' ll have a good shot. If I have none, then I can play like Bobby Jones." ...Bobby Jones

Golf is fickle.Even Jones need a swing thought or two occasionally.I think we've all been there.Some days the swing is just easy and everything flows effortlessly and we play great.Some days the swing aint so good and it requires more effort and conscious thought to execute.Probably the same for other sports.

Nothing against Clear Keys but when the swing aint so good and your bleeding out there,it's gonna be tough to think row,row,row your boat.Thoughts of flinging that misbehaving driver into the nearest water hazard might be more likely.

 

[ekennedy]

And sometimes its best to just lay back and let the current take you...

 

[duckjr78]

Duckjr,

To take it another step, (don't laugh) but I've begun saying "3 degrees down, 3 degrees left" before I hit a shot. I don't have access to Trackman right now, but I've been working on some pretty interesting experiments in our indoor hitting area and I'm getting terrific feedback. It's kind of like calling your shots, but I think a verbal cue like "3 down or 5 down" has been a very helpful reminder and I'm convinced that if you have better than average hand eye coordination you can get your swing to do some pretty amazing things just by having a clear picture in your mind of impact.

No laughing at all. It's pretty neat when my dad and I get into calling our shots on the course. The good shots are the same, but the misses are nowhere near as bad as when we just try to hit the ball with no clear plan. You are just taking it one step further and calling out what you want the swing to do, not just what you want the ball to do.

I've also started tracking my club distances with gps. Knowing I have the right club for a 170 yd shot really helps remove the little voice on the downswing that says "It's not going to get there unless you hit it real frickin' hard!" I've always envied the pros for having a caddie right there to reinforce that you are hitting the proper club/shot.

My best days golfing are when I am processing about a million different things before I grab a club and then once the club is in my hands, I just swing. No negative thoughts, no swing thought either. The bad days are just the opposite. I don't think about anything until I am over the ball and then it all goes nuts.

Being confident in the choice you have made about which shot to hit is as (if not more) important in your score than the swing you bring to the course that day, IMHO. When I process properly, I don't receive nearly as many "no" signals during my swing. The swing just happens. My mind is blank. Happens all the time off the golf course as well, but not always for the better.

 

[softconsult]

Remember that thinking about tee to green shot strategy, will help remove some of the stress that can creep in before the swing.

 

[ZAP]

I usually try to think about thinking. Of course I usually play so fast it makes no difference.
See ball.....hit ball....find ball...repeat.

 

[ekennedy]

How about see ball...hit ball...provisional ball...?

 

[pokerlife]

I changed thoughts into feels.
On my back swing i wait to feel the club load up and then i make a smooth move to my left side and the swing is done.

 

[macduffer]

I don't think so. Wait...was that a thought or not?

 

[aaron_lohan]

I honestly do not know.

Talked to someone a while back who thought thoughts were like clouds. "Scattered clouds."

Discuss...! (please )

Any psychology people in the house?

Yes, with the practice of meditation you can learn to clear your mind for extended periods of time.

 

[billmckinneygolf]

Probably most people who frequent these forums are prone to over-thinking...myself included.
I've worked with a few sports psychs and read dozens of books, but the simplest one that worked the best for the longest time was Tim Gallwey's Inner Game of Golf...play in the awareness mode instead of the trying mode, and mentally chant "back-hit" while swinging (and trying to time the moments of top and impact). It worked like magic for me.

 

[self-mastery]

Meditation + trance + anchoring the correct mental state = Yes

Hire the military hypnotist that trained Tiger.

Information junkies do not become masters.

Padawans become Jedi Knights.

 

[birdie_man]

It is amazing to see the differences in intent and opinion out there. Neat.

We need better science for the Mind. Functional/practical I mean.

I am pretty darn sure there will always be options, as well. Though some are better than others.

May revisit this one later. Need to pull myself away now.

Meditation + trance + anchoring the correct mental state = Yes

Hire the military hypnotist that trained Tiger.

Information junkies do not become masters.

Padawans become Jedi Knights.
__________________
You may dump the sugar, shake the sugar, but NEVER drink the Kool-Aid

Your equation...?

Calm the body...consciously "anchor" (harness) appropriate conscious state/mode using appropriate thought process.....?

Trance is a neat word. Trance...zone...

Carey Mumford talks about "Everyday Zone" vs "Exceptional Zone", the latter being the one everyone seeks most. (peak performance, per-se)

Byron Nelson used to talk about "the trance."

I will avoid the top secret military brainwashing! Lots of psych I am sure is withheld though. Conspiracy Theory With Jesse Ventura, and birdie_man.

Info junkie, padawan...what's the difference?? I think I might be an info junkie! 335 am and I work at 9...what the heaven am I doing...

Your sig is hilarious btw. Just got it.

Sugar! In Kool-Aid...duh...! (beats putter over head, like Woody Austin)

(I like Woody A, btw)

 

[birdie_man]

Probably most people who frequent these forums are prone to over-thinking...myself included.

Sometimes I think it would be easier if I were less this way. Some people seem more naturally inclined to detach, or switch gears, or whatever. I don't mean consciously more informed. (or better, for that matter) Just different.

I've worked with a few sports psychs and read dozens of books, but the simplest one that worked the best for the longest time was Tim Gallwey's Inner Game of Golf...play in the awareness mode instead of the trying mode, and mentally chant "back-hit" while swinging (and trying to time the moments of top and impact). It worked like magic for me.

Interesting. Don't try or try something else? Try to "reserve judgment"?

I like all this stuff...

I am gonna watch a bunch of martial arts movies. (good stuff in Beverly Hills Ninja guys)

Wax on, wax off...(RIP Pat Morita)...

 

[Spike]

Yes, with the practice of meditation you can learn to clear your mind for extended periods of time.

Don't mess with the lohan! He is absolutely right. This practice is about recognizing a thought when it appears, dismissing the thought so as not to become attached to it. Simple really...but we just don't take the time to investigate...benefits or not.

What is interesting is how many different thoughts and opinions have been expressed. This makes me want to ask, "Where do thoughts come from?"

I most certainly don't know.

 

[duckjr78]

This practice is about recognizing a thought when it appears, dismissing the thought so as not to become attached to it. QUOTE]

When you hear negative self talk, you have to dismiss the thought and regroup. Most of us, myself included, get a "no" signal or negative thought, become uncomfortable with the shot, and proceed anyway, only to hit a poor shot.

Like Shivas Irons said about negative thoughts, "Wait 'em 'oot."

 

[Spike]

The best I've seen for golf is Clear Keys. This is an active approach to managing anxiety on the golf course.

As I understand it, anxiety is lurking out there all the time. It live in the past or the future and we let it creep into our present time.

It attacks us and our immune system goes to work which causes a physical reaction of our nervous system and makes us goofy.

The Clear Key gives us about 14 seconds to combat this reaction.

 

[birdie_man]

Hey Spike!

sm...

With "padawan" vs. "info junkie" you must mean more action, discipline? I like it. Hmm...

 

[birdie_man]

The best I've seen for golf is Clear Keys. This is an active approach to managing anxiety on the golf course.

As I understand it, anxiety is lurking out there all the time. It live in the past or the future and we let it creep into our present time.

It attacks us and our immune system goes to work which causes a physical reaction of our nervous system and makes us goofy.

The Clear Key gives us about 14 seconds to combat this reaction.

I use them in putting all the time.

With full swing, I have fooled around with mechanics so much it has been tough.

Doing better now, so we will for sure see.

Carey's stuff has always appealed to me.

 

[birdie_man]

Don't mess with the lohan! He is absolutely right. This practice is about recognizing a thought when it appears, dismissing the thought so as not to become attached to it. Simple really...but we just don't take the time to investigate...benefits or not.

"Delete" (key) right Spike?

Like a computer...

What is interesting is how many different thoughts and opinions have been expressed. This makes me want to ask, "Where do thoughts come from?"

I most certainly don't know.

I agree. "Free will" is one thing, but who knows just how we work right...? What happens to make a thought "pop" into your head, good or bad...?

It is pretty amazing if you think about it.