Both you and puttmad point to a couple of issues that do become involved. Puttmad points to the "learned" part, which is really that thing called "waiting for the other shoe to drop." And Tim, you "felt like you were afraid to hit the putt." If you step back and be objective for a moment (both of you) you will see that you have each described a moment of anxiety (sorry to keep using that word, but it is the common denominator). Both situations you describe in your posts are very good examples of the everyday kind of thing that happens to us and they all bottom out in anxiety. That sets the human "guard" system in motion. Most of what we experience in a days time doesn't have the same kind of telling effect that you get with a putter or driver in your hands, but if you stop to consider it you will note experiences that you've had in a day that register on the anxiety scale - including times you were "ticked" off at something or someone, or if you had to wait in traffic when you were in a hurry, or just being in a hurry because you were a litttle late, such as when the boss wants something done "yesterday." We just notice that generic form more with a putter in our hands, but all of those invoke anxiety, which then signals our systems and they go to work without questioning the reason, the cause, or what might be the outcome.
I don't question that this may be a little hard to fathom at first, but that's the way the human system works and I can only report it. I cannot change it, but I can manage it successfully in golf with a clear key.
One PGA profssional, who uses this in his own teaching, has a student who uses clear key in his work as a fireman at NASA Kennedy Space Center and also used it to kick a 40 yard field goal worth 250,000 bucks at the Peach Bowl two years ago. So there are other applications, but all of those relate to solitary activites and primarily where the issue is "acting upon," (inititating the action) not "reacting to" (as in returning a volley in tennis or on a fast break in BB) Pitchers have used it, bowlers, pool players, archers, dart throwers, BB player for foul shots, to name a few others. Those players, however, clearly understood the concept of anxiety and how many forms
it comes in.
That said, no one needs to feel uncomfortable pointing to things that generate anxiety without having noticed that was in fact happening, since, so far as I can tell, that was never on our plate for learning at any point in life until along came the "yips," unless someone had to be treated for an anxiety dysfunction. What we are talking about here is the natural level, the everyday variety, nothing to be looked upon as unusual.
There is no doubt that if we changed something everyday, we might have enough distraction from each change to avoid the effects of anxiety, but that would wear off without another change. Don't know about you, but I don't have the dough to buy a new putter every time I flinch.
The guys running proshops need to put two barrels in - one with drivers and one with putters, and allow anyone coming through to leave their's and take one from the barrel for a $10 exchange fee. They'd make so much money they'd never have to sell another shirt!
Cheers.
