| |
| |
|
Golf Information |
|
|
|
Sports Psychology for Golfers: 4 Tips for Beating the Yips
When players labels themselves as having the putting yips, they think they have an incurable disease. Putting confidence declines and the fear of missing putts makes matters worse. Players who suffer from the fear of missing don't like to putt. The more they putt, the worse it gets, until it's intolerable. This leads golfers to believe they have an affliction that they must learn to play with. When golfers condition themselves into believing they have the yips, it is extremely hard for change to occur. The yips start with poor results and missing short putts. The player then progresses to the fear of missing and the fear of putting. The player feels like it is a physical condition, which leads golfers to believe that it can be corrected with a change in technique or practice habits. But the yips come from the golfer's inability to gain neuromuscular control due to poor attentional focus or anxiety. Intense anxiety or fear does not allow the golfer to control his muscles and putt smoothly. The player freezes and can't draw the putter back from the ball and initiate the putting stroke. The player wants to move the club back, but his or her hands and arms are in a vise. It's like a deer that freezes in the middle of the road by the fear of an approaching car. Another form of the yips occurs when the player tenses up at impact and feels like he or she is stabbing at the ball. The yips are curable. Several touring professionals such as Bernhard Langer, who suffered from the yips have putted free again. The first step is to stop labeling yourself as having a physical "illness" that causes you to jab at your putts. Next you have to realize that the physical symptoms of the yips come from a conditioned way of thinking about putting. Here are some suggestions for dealing with the yips: 1.The fear of missing is where it starts. Throw away the fear of missing putts. Fear and anxiety come from what you think might happen in the immediate future. It's very important to not let your mind wander to outcome of the putt or missing. You need to stay focused on the execution of the putt and how you are going to hit a good putt. Forget about what might happen, good or bad. 2. Forget about the past. You can't change the fact that you missed several short putts the last round. If you carry a poor putting round with you, you will have a monkey on your back. It's very hard to putt with a monkey on the back. Every round is different and every putt you have is different. You must look at each putt as a new opportunity for success! 3. Simplify your approach to putting. Often the tendency when not putting well is to search for the answer with your method or putter. Often, this can make matters worse-when you have too many thoughts about how to putt. Prepare for your putt with only one focus--to hit your target that you selected. Think about throwing darts. Focus on the bullseye (or your target in this case) and let your body do the rest. Look at your target and pull the trigger as your eyes return to the ball. Continuous motion helps prevent you from freezing over the ball. 4. See the ball going in the hole. How often do you imagine the ball missing as you are over the putt ready to start your stroke? It is very important that all your thoughts and images are focused on the ball rolling into the hole. As you read the putt and select a line, see the ball roll along that line into the hole. As you walk into the ball, stay focused on that image of the ball dropping into the hole. Over the ball, continue to have a powerful image of the ball rolling towards the hole, even if it is only for the last two feet of the putt. Dr. Patrick J. Cohn is a master mental game coach who works with athletes of all levels including amateur and professionals. Visit Peaksports.com to gain access to over 500 exclusive mental game articles, audio programs, and interviews with athletes and coaches to enhance your athletic potential: http://www.peaksports.com/membership/ or call 888-742-7225.
MORE RESOURCES:
Golf - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Golf Training Principles That Produce Results Time is a precious commodity when it comes to golf. We need to set aside time for practice, play and training in addition to managing our jobs, our families and other priorities and interests. Which Golf Training Aids Improve Your Game? When you think of golf training aids, a number of them probably come to mind. For putting, you can invest in a putting mat and cup. Golf Exercise Tip - How To Warm Up A useful golf exercise tip to take into consideration is the fact that warming up before your game of golf can dramatically help you improve the quality of your game.The warm up session does not need to be something elaborate or strenuous. Why A Golf Ball Actually Flies Through The Air Not accounting for weather conditions there are a few things that influence how high and far a golf ball will fly.The first thing is the spin of the ball. Golfing Products And What You Need To Know Before Purchasing In recent years, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of golfing products available in the market. Most notably golfing products that are supposed to dramatically improve one's game, virtually overnight. What Can A Golf Exercise Routine Do For Those Who Are Happy With Their Game Can a golf exercise routine be useful to a golfer who is happy with the current quality of their game?You bet it can. While there are many useful benefits of a golf exercise routine to a person's game even when they are happy with their current form, exercises have many other benefits that a golfer can enjoy and benefit from. Golf Humor Poetry:- Ode To The Fanatical Golfer. (Part Two) He's not eager to reveal his handicap; Around the truth he would often tap. They told him his game was taking a nap; That it never showed up; it needed a map!Of his golf apparel he was Oh so proud! But people thought it was just too 'loud'. Golf For Beginners - What Makes A Good Golfer? A good golfer is a golfer who is happy with their own game and willing to listen to advice from experience. A good temperament is needed to play golf, expect bad days it happens everyone from low handicappers to full professionals. Golf Training Programs For Women Golf training programs designed to help condition the body for better golf have really taken off in recent years. Male golfers have not been the only beneficiaries. How A Golf Fitness Book Can Transform Your Game A golf fitness book that is written to give you ready-made golf fitness programs, exercises, step-by-step instructions and illustrations can quickly transform your golf game.There are so many "so-called" golf fitness books on the market; but when you open them up you see dozens of pictures of golf models sitting on exercise machines in the gym. Play Better Longer - Peak Performance For Golf! The golf swing is a dynamic movement that demands precise coordination of muscle contraction and relaxation, postural stability, strength, balance and body awareness. That is not to say that we cannot swing a golf club without these elements. Taking The Confusion Out Of Golf Ball Compression Compression, in terms of a golf ball, is probably the most understood aspect of golf ball technology. At one time compression was used to describe the quality of a golf ball according to the tightness of the windings around a three piece ball core. Purpose Driven Golf I want you to meditate on a couple points for a moment:1. Why an earth are you playing golf?2. Super Golf Wheel Chair that Enables Disabled Golfers to Play Normally Last week when I was at the driving range I noticed a number of young disable people working on their games. I was very impressed by a young lady who, despite the fact that she was sitting in a wheel chair, was able to drive the ball straight for around 120 to 150 yards. Putting and My Aching Back! I am guessing that all of us can relate to the title of this article. I am sure you have bent over for that 4 footer (can't give you that 4 footer, sorry), and felt that lower back feel tired, sore, painful or tight. Golf Training Uses Flexibility, Strength, And Power When it comes to fitness training for your golf game which is most important: flexibility, strength, or power? Flexibility advocates stress the importance of being able to swing a club through a full range of motion completely uninhibited of physical restrictions. Strength training advocates claim that building muscle will enable you to hit your drive farther. Sit Up Straight! It Will Help Your Game What does it take to reproduce the perfect golf swing? Precise coordination of muscle contraction and relaxation, muscle balance and body awareness are all required to recreate a good swing. A prerequisite to these necessary components is good posture. Golf Nutrition Is Not An Oxymoron - Listen Up Golf nutrition is still a relatively new concept. However, everybody knows that leading athletes in the NBA and NFL quite often have special diets and specific nutrition programs to help them perform at their peak. Are You Having Trouble Sustaining Energy On The Back Nine? Loss of stamina and endurance toward the end of an eighteen-hole round of golf happens to many golfers and can often be attributed to poor nutrition. To keep up the pace and go the distance, there is no substitute for good nutrition. Shoulder Exercises To Improve Your Game Your shoulder strength and flexibility are essential to producing an optimal swing off the tee. Adequate shoulder rotation is responsible for keeping the club in the desirable swing plane.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
