Does Your Junior Golfer Need A Sport Psychologist?
"My son gets so angry on the golf course that he cannot perform in competitions". "My daughter gets so nervous when other people are watching her play that her game completely falls apart". "My kid hits it so well on the range, and then hits it all over the map in a tournament". These are the kinds of comments that I often hear from parents of junior golfers. Do these kids need a golf psychologist? No. Nobody needs training on the mental part of the game. I take the word need very seriously. I believe we need air and water and sleep and food. I certainly wouldn't suggest that anyone needs mental training, anymore than I would suggest that anyone needs golf lessons or physical training. What I would say, however, is that I have yet to encounter any player who couldn't benefit from proper mental, technical, or physical instruction. Thus, I believe any junior golfer could benefit from mental instruction. Most people simply don't understand what this training is or how it works. When I ask parents what percentage of their kid's golf game is mental, I rarely get a number less than 75%. Conversely, when I ask those same people what percentage of their child's training time is devoted to working on the mental game the answer is rarely greater than zero. And while parents see the "problem" with their child's mental game, the young player doesn't know how to work on the mental game and the parents don't know where to look for answers to their questions. "What exactly do you do?" Most people outside of sport have never heard of sport psychology, and many people in sport have little knowledge about the nature of the job itself. In a nutshell, golf psychology- or mental training for golf- is consultation and education that exposes a player to the requisite mental skills necessary to create an internal environment to enjoy the sport more and achieve excellence in performance. These skills are in conjunction with, but not contrary to, the mechanical and physical instruction that might be given by a swing coach or fitness trainer. Here's what it's all about: Among other things, mental training for golf is to help: Understand how to deal with lapses in concentration Deal with situations of accumulating frustration Develop coping strategies to deal with increasing anxiety Improve decreasing motivation Examine and reinforce slipping confidence Create strategies to reduce breakdowns under pressure Craft procedures to increase consistency of preparation and play Generally the process first involves some type of assessment. Next, there is a period of education and skill development, followed by on-going follow-up and adjustments. The specifics of the actual mental training will vary from player to player, with the vast majority of interaction and consultation done via telephone, on the golf course, at the range, or on the putting green. The added benefit for junior golfers is that the training typically also has positive life effects. Understanding the power of one's thinking, learning how to differentiate those things over which we have control from those over which we do not have control, deepening an understanding of how to take responsibility for our actions and our reactions to events are among the many, many golf/life issues explored and addressed. Ultimately, the more the junior player knows him or herself, the more they understand the nuances of the game, and the more they have specific strategies to apply, the more they will be successful in golf and in life! Jeff Troesch, MA, LMHC is an internationally recognized expert in the mental side of golf. As the former Director of Sport Psychology for the David Leadbetter Golf Academies, Jeff has worked with thousands of golfers nationwide and brings a wealth of experience to seasoned golf professionals as well as the recreational golf lover. You may contact Jeff directly through his website, http://www.fitnessforgolf.com.
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Effective Golf Fitness Equipment
Golf fitness equipment is designed to help a golfer build strength in certain muscles so as to improve their golf game and lower their scores.
Beginners Guide to Buying a Set of Golf Clubs
You walk in to a golf store and there are hundreds of woods, irons, wedges and putters to choose from along with clothing, balls and all kinds of accessories. When just starting out in golf, choosing a set of clubs can be an overwhelming task. What is one to do? What decisions need to be made when buying a set of golf clubs? This article aims to help you know what you need to know, so you can make the right call and save you a little dough in the process.
A Golf Fitness Tip Must Focus On The Golf Swing
There is no way that you can separate a good golf fitness tip from a good well executed golf swing. The golf swing is the most strenuous aspect of the game and a good golf fitness tip is one that helps you improve on your golf swing.
The Ideal Exercises For Senior Golfers
The really tricky part about exercises for senior golfers, and getting them to do, is the fact they often suffer from various ailments and pains in various parts of their bodies.
Womens Golf Performance Is Directly Related To Strength
Womens golf is not much different than mens golf, but there is one issue that comes to mind with women golfers.
Golf Tips Should Always Include Fitness
When you think of golf tips, do you usually think about how to improve your swing, or how to sink your putts? Those, of course, are good tips, but you also need fitness tips behind all of those technique tips. Without proper fitness, technique tips will fall short.
How To Find A Golf Fitness Routine That You Can Stick To
Most people know that the golf fitness routine that you can stick to and be consistent with is the one that is best for you and will end up being the most effective.
Golf Club Swing Weights
A golf club's swing weight helps the player to be able to feel the club head hit the ball. This helps each of the clubs to have the same feel for continuity purposes.
How to Develop More Power in Your Golf Swing
How can you develop more power in your golf swing? This is probably a question that all of us want an answer to. Most of us go to great lengths to do whatever it takes to get that "power" into our drives off the tee. I think we probably all have some ideas of where 300-yard drives come from, but I want to give you the answers without any "fluff."
Quickly Improve Your Golf Swing
Do you need some golf swing tips? If you could use a few golf swing tips you have come to the right place.
What A Good Golf Workout Program Should Have
Golf workout program?with the exploding number of so-called golf experts these days it becomes very confusing and it is easy for a golfer to be misled and end up in a program that will hardly have the desired objective of improving their game.
Golf Weight Training Is The Answer To Longer Drives
It is no secret that most of the male and female tour players who want to play their best golf, do golf weight training exercises. But it's not the kind of grueling, sweating stuff you're thinking about.
The 5 Keys To A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE Golf Pre Shot Routine You Can Learn Immediately
What I'm about to disclose to you in this article is an easy to follow, 'Step-By-Step' formula to having a highly effective pre shot routine. Every golfer knows that this is a key element of their golf swing that must be executed effectively.
Easy To Implement Golf Improvement Techniques
Golf improvement techniques abound. This article will cover some golf improvement techniques that may help your game.
Achieving The Perfect Golf Swing Drill
The perfect golf swing drill is a joy to behold. And yet it is not too hard to achieve.
Golf Flexibility For The Senior Golfer
Golf flexibility is the biggest term you hear when the senior golfer is complaining about lack of distance or a sore back.
What A Golf Conditioning Tip Must Have
There are certain aspects that any good golf conditioning tip must have. And with the increasingly high number of golf tips flying through the net and many other places, it is extremely useful to know what to look for in a genuine golf conditioning tip.
The Beginners Game of Golf
A professional should give beginner golf swing instruction. In this way, you will learn to correct way to grip your clubs, stand, and swing. They will concentrate on the three fundamentals grip, stance, and posture so you will have the basic foundation to play the game.
Why The Golfing Game Has Changed Tremendously In Recent Years
The world has changed a great deal in recent years and so has the golfing game. Those who are resisting the changes in the world instead of trying to understand them and adapt have often ended up in serious trouble.
3 Things You Must Check Before Buying Used Titlist Golf Clubs To Avoid Regrets
Used Titlist golf clubs are great golf clubs even if its used. They usually retain their quality longer. I also suggest that you get a used golf club set if you're a beginner so if you decide that this game is not for you. You wont burn as much cash as you if you bought new golf clubs.
|
