Thought stopping concentration
Thought stopping concentration
I have started playing golf, well I have played off and on for the last 10 years. But the last two summers I have tried to improve my game and become a better golfer. In the past i didn't care if I shot well or not. My biggest problem is putting. Negative thoughts always jump into my mind. Thoughts like “ no way this goes in” or “ I am a terrible putter”. At least if I miss a long putt its expected, but with the mid to short range putts there is no excuse and those are the putts that get the best of me.
I am going to start to use “self talk “ to help me get through the negative thoughts that go through my head pre - putt. Self talk needs to be short phrases that are positive, have meaning, and are used in the first person, and are in the present tense.
Thought stopping will help improve good self talk. When thinking about an undesired thought you need to have a cue that snaps you out of it, and clears your mind. My cue is going to be the word “stop”. When I stand over the golf ball ready to putt and my mind starts having negative thoughts about not making a putt, I will say “ stop” and refocus and think “I can make this”.
Negative thoughts Positive self talk
- “I will never make this” - “ I can make this”
- “I never putt well on this hole” - “ Its just another hole, just concentrate”
- “what a poor putt.” - “ keep a smooth back swing, sink the putt”
- “ I never make downhill putts” - “ soft touch, smooth swing, it will go in”
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Comments
I like your approach to improving your putting. Putting is the most inconsistent aspect of my game. Since this class has began, I have noticed that I analyze my thoughts more. The biggest difference I have found in my self-talk is similar to yours. When I am putting poorly, my thoughts are “get it close enough to two- putt”. I am so worried about three-putting that I don’t try to make any putt over five feet. When I am putting well, my thoughts are “pick a good line and just putt.” If you have been playing for ten years, then you know how to putt. Just putt. I have to be confident in my read in order to be confident in my putt though. When you use your new technique when you have negative thoughts, take some extra time to confirm a good line.
I like the fact that you are able to notice when the negitive starts to creep in. I feel that is half the battle. I also notice (between your experiences and my own) that negitive self talk seems to occur more frequently during the quite moments of the game. I wonder if using an iPod during a round (I do not know if that is allowed)would help keep you focused on something posititive.
I am not much of a golfer, but I love to play. I fully understand your thoughts with this! My biggest problem is the drive. If I stand like a normal person and drive it will slice drastically to the right. It is very odd. I have had to adjust the way I stand and aim. Most people on the other fairway or road sometimes look at me like I have two heads, but it works for me! For the longest time I just got really down on myself and almost gave up on the sport altogether, until I thought alittle more into it and stopped my negative thinking. It was much easier to adjust to fix the problem when I wasn't so down on myself.