How many of you fall into this trap? It's competition day, so as part of your preparation, you go to the range or practice area for a warm-up before competing. Sounds good so far, but how many of you are influenced by how well the warm up goes? For example, if you find it difficult to hit the ball in your warm up, does this impact your confidence? Do you walk to the first tee with concerns that your game is not going to be good today? Afraid that the bad shots you've hit at the range are going to transfer to the golf course? I certainly know several golfers who will feel they are going to have a bad round because they hit bad shot after bad at the range. Conversely how many of you find you're hitting the sweet spot at the range and go to the first tee all buoyed up, that today is going to be a great game of golf and consequently have high expectations on how well you're going to perform? If these scenarios sound familiar, you're not alone, many golfers assume their warmup on the range is an omen for how they will play on the golf course. Here's the good news - ITS NOT!!!! Just because you mis-hit shots at the range, it does not mean the same is going to happen on the golf course. The reality is the warm up is simply just that - A WARM UP. Never ever judge your game from the warm up. Use it to simply get your body moving and activate and stretch your muscles. Use it to check in with your playing tempo for the day - you maybe surprised to find your tempo changes daily, ever so slightly. Use your warm to run through the clubs in your bag and don't be concerned on the ball flight. Taking faulty thinking to the golf course is not the way to prepare for competition. Going with the mindset that you are unable to hit shots will only demotivate you before you've even begun the round. Likewise going to the tee thinking your invincible and today is the day you shoot the best round ever, is setting simply setting yourself up to fail. Heading in with high expectations will only crush your confidence, when you fail to meet them early on in the round. Instead use the pre-round practice as a warm up the body ONLY. Go to the tee with your mind focused on the process and not the outcome. You can't affect the outcome with your future thoughts, but you can prepare your body to compete at its best, by staying in the moment and focusing on the process - the results will follow. Give it a go this weekend and let me know how you get on. If your would like more information on these techniques please contact me to arrange a session
Hope you found this blog interesting, if you would like to learn more about mental toughness please visit our website and get in touch. Drop me an email and let me know what you think, I would love to hear from you. Visit our website and check out our other blogs, there's something in there for everyone.