HOW PROPER UNDERSTANDING AND EFFICIENT PRACTICE WILL ALWAYS EQUAL GOLF IMPROVEMENT

It seems that everyone is on a tight schedule these days, and unfortunately, the time to practice what your teaching professional advocates has been reduced, for most people, to simply hitting a few balls before you play the next time; or even using what they learned to try and fix their swing on the course itself without ever hitting balls after a lesson- when scoring is your only thought. . .If these two symptoms remind you of yourself this is the article you’ve been waiting for!
It seems that most people try to circumvent the necessary learning process that EVERYONE must go through by not following the proper motor learning steps for the consistent elimination of an old incorrect swing habit or flaw. Because of that, we as teachers see many students who don’t improve quite to the level or at the pace they would like, so what’s the problem? The reason for this breakdown, can come from two sources, but it is usually the student’s misunderstanding of the actual physics of move itself and/or the student’s improper focus during practice that allows these habits not to be corrected fast enough before frustration, quitting, and doubts occur! I hate to see this breakdown with a student- it kills me- but the student is not always to blame. The teacher can also cause this meltdown in several ways: an improper or too advanced explanation, the teacher’s own misunderstanding of how the swing works, or too many swing thoughts given to the student at one time. By failing to ask questions or not completely understanding, the learner is setting himself up for disaster.
If they would only ask themselves the following two questions, then 99% of this problem could be eliminated! Do I understand the process of why is this going to make me a better player mechanically vs. where am I currently, and How am I going to get there in the most efficient manner possible. If you do not understand the important nature of these questions then you will NOT improve- period! So, let’s examine these questions and we’ll make sure you improve as rapidly as possible.

1) Do I understand why this process is going to make me a better player mechanically vs. where am I currently?

In my opinion this is the most important question that any student must ask himself after a swing flaw explanation! I have seen countless players who are working on something in their swing with NO idea of why it will help or if it even makes sense with the mechanics of their own swing. Take the time to ask your teacher WHY he wants you to do this and WHY it fits in with your problems. Make sure what he has you working on is not just his opinion of what’s happening- have him prove it through physics (not just pictures of professionals- they are very subjective) and also explain it mechanically from a cause and effect standpoint if you do not understand! This is SO important for several reasons, one, with this total explanation you will always know where you are, where you’re going, and the important question of how and why you can not get there with your present swing will be shown to you immediately; and two, by asking your teacher to prove what he is saying through causes and effects will instantly let you know if they totally understand the mechanics of your swing and the total mechanical interworkings and physics of the golf swing itself. Don’t be afraid to ask why and have it proven to you through facts- it’s your swing and your money. Now proper understanding will give you a clear picture of the reason you cannot hit the ball as consistently as you would like. Finally, armed with this necessary factual information you can move on to question two and get to your goal as soon as possible.

2) HOW AM I GOING TO GET THERE IN THE MOST EFFICIENT MANNER POSSIBLE?!

You have all the information, you understand the difference of where your swing is going wrong, NOW just how do you get there???? In my studies of Motor Learning concepts- the way the human brain and body integrate to learn a physical skill- I have come across several ways that will allow you to stop your slice, fat shots, shanks, ect. . .but, they take a ton of self discipline, and that’s what makes consistent learning so hard!
In order to stop and correct a flawed habit you must first understand where you are currently in your level of mechanics, know the correct position you are trying to achieve and why you must be there, and finally feel the difference between the right and the wrong motion.
I just told you to secret to learning- that’s it! 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 first understand the mechanics of cause and effect- that takes an advanced teaching professional with a lot of knowledge and experience to show you facts, physics, and mechanics of right versus wrong. Second, if you have the information and understand it thoroughly, now you must feel it in the proper way to identify the correct feel from the incorrect one. This is where most people stop trying- the learning curve comes to a screeching halt- and golfers continue to stay at the level of current playing ability even after lessons. A teaching professional can not make you practice in the most effective manner, all we can do is show you where you need to go and how you can get there.

Motor Learning states that in order to learn a complex skill it first must be broken down into smaller subskills that must be mastered first before you can fix the total motion. So, by learning the swing in sections you are effectively learning to fix the total swing piece by piece. Using a mirror or your shadow to make enough correct repetitions 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! This is why I use video, computers, Tour Pro data, auditory tones, and mirrors in my lessons to help you to see and feel the new correct way piece by piece- I want a high number of correct repetitions, not just a bunch of swinging which only gives you exercise. I tell my students after they can make the “piece” move correctly, then go to the range and hit 40 yard shots in slow motion seeing if you can still feel the good mechanical swing versus the bad ones, and see if your shot pattern is better. If you can’t hit 40 yard shots in slow motion correctly you certainly will not be able to hit full shots correctly- YOU WILL NOT IMPROVE! After you have done your mirror work and made the number of repetitions it takes to feel the difference, you can hit 40 yard good consistent shots with the best of them it is now time to move up to full swings with a short iron only. When you move to these full swings you will see a decline in correct feeling swings and your shot pattern will expand again, this is normal. It is here that you should focus intently on feeling your new move with your practice swings, and during the swing by hitting a bunch of short irons slowly until you can once again reach that new good consistent shot pattern, if you still struggle go back to the 40 yard shots again until you can make the smooth transition. When you can hit those short irons correctly move up to a mid iron ect. . .

This process of learning has been proven to be the most effective way for learning, study after study, concerning any physical motor skill. The more complex the motion (like the golf swing) the slower you have to start out and the more important of your feelings become. How can you feel right versus wrong with clubs moving at 80+ MPH? How many of you have just bolted down to the range to hit 1000 drivers after your last lesson? Did it work? Could you decipher good mechanical swing from bad ones? Did the shots that went straight do so because of a better position or did you just happen to time your hands just right through impact?
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 freethrow shooting, shot putting, to the golf swing. If the best, most talented professionals with all the God-Given abilities they can handle do this---WHY DON’T YOU GIVE IT A TRY?!