Swing without thoughts!

It's only for the pacifist.

a golf swing without thoughts

The human species has certainly reached unequalled levels of genius and our bodies have evolved into very sophisticated machines. We have stretched our imaginations and created a modern computerised world with endless scope for improvement.

We have also developed a wonderful game, which we call golf, and it can be argued that it is the nemesis of all sports. Over the last few decades the number of people playing this sport has exploded and the advancement in equipment, both for playing and analysing the mechanics of the game, is extraordinary.

It has, however, always bothered me, as a golf coach, that the levels of improvement in both playing and coaching have not relevantly improved.

Yes, we are hitting the ball a little further and a little straighter but our average scores have not dropped.

Why is this?

In other sports there are definite advancements. Tennis, Formula One, cycling, athletics, football etc have seen marked improvement due to better facilities and equipment.

So why has the average golfer not improved? Let’s take a closer look at this:

Imagine you are watching the London marathon and the joggers are running past you. Although they all have a slightly different style of running due to their physiology, they are, on the whole, running quite smoothly and very few look uncomfortable with their own particular style of running.

Or you find yourself in the city of Peking watching people cycling past you, hundreds of them every few minutes. Again you will notice a slight difference in style but they will mostly be smooth and comfortable.

Now pop out to any driving range and take a look at golfers practising their golf swings. Holy Moses! It’s like a battlefield. There are balls and clumps of earth flying in all directions. There are contorted bodies that resemble something out of a nightmare with flying elbows, flailing hips and backs twisting in pain.

These people are not happy sportsmen and are not really enjoying their recreation. I can see some of them punching the air in dissatisfaction, others kicking up some dirt and then there are the psychopaths who are standing there tearing their hair out and going through temper tantrums.

Suddenly it gets really odd and they start laughing at themselves. This then changes to calling themselves spiteful names like, ‘idiot’, ‘moron’, etc and I’ve even seen them hitting themselves.

“Yes, That’s me,” I hear some of you saying. Well, at some time or other, we’ve all been there. And I am no exception.

So what is it that causes us to act like this and why is it that golf brings this raging bull out in us?

Golf is the only physical activity where we insist or allow the conscious mind to direct the performance of a movement. I can’t think of another sport where we actually believe that a movement or swing should be carried out with conscious thought and analysis.

a golf swing without thoughts

“Yes coach, at the point where my shoulders have turned 70°, I begin to cock my wrists and I try to keep my right knee flexed without turning over on my right foot.”

This same person will also have a couple of downswing thoughts and probably another one around impact.

I have bad news for this player. The conscious mind doesn’t do movement, it doesn’t understand it and has never been involved with the intricacies.

The act of chopping a tree with an axe has similar biomechanics to a shorter version of the golf swing but I don’t expect one single person to use the conscious mind to perform it.

The main message is this, swing with the same conscious thoughts that you are using for walking, jogging, cycling and all the other motor skills.

Please continue pursuing the art of swinging without thinking and you will realise the wonders that will unfold themselves in “Extraordinary Golf”.

Thanks

S.MacD.

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a golf swing without thoughts

a golf swing without thoughts