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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Avoid Robotic Practice: Use the 4th Ball Strategy

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Incorporate slow-motion practice swings to enhance body awareness
  • Identify and correct poor swing habits by stepping back between shots
  • Improve focus and retention of your swing thoughts during practice

Learn how to break the cycle of repetitive swings by implementing a simple practice strategy that enhances body awareness and improves focus. This drill will help you develop a more mindful approach to your practice sessions.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.160
There's a real simple concept for helping you avoid some of that repetitive

2
00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:06.600
robotic practice.

3
00:00:06.600 --> 00:00:11.210
So if you're the type to just kind of hit and rake, hit and rake and really

4
00:00:11.210 --> 00:00:11.880
just get

5
00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:16.600
focused on where's the ball going, what was the contact on that one.

6
00:00:16.600 --> 00:00:19.700
When you're trying to work through specific positions and you need to get a

7
00:00:19.700 --> 00:00:20.160
little bit

8
00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:26.520
more body aware, I'll give a real simple rule, which is every fourth ball I

9
00:00:26.520 --> 00:00:27.560
want you to take

10
00:00:27.560 --> 00:00:33.330
a step back and do a couple practice swings, just focusing on slow motion and

11
00:00:33.330 --> 00:00:34.520
just focusing

12
00:00:34.520 --> 00:00:37.120
on the awareness of the movement.

13
00:00:37.120 --> 00:00:41.020
Once you've done a couple reps in slow motion focusing on the awareness, then

14
00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:41.740
you can step

15
00:00:41.740 --> 00:00:44.600
back in and hit a few more golf balls.

16
00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:48.780
But if you're the type who falls into the pattern of hitting 10 or so golf

17
00:00:48.780 --> 00:00:49.200
balls in

18
00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:54.360
the span of a minute, you need to occasionally slow it down so that you can

19
00:00:54.360 --> 00:00:55.440
actually test

20
00:00:55.440 --> 00:00:59.040
what your brain is absorbing and what your brain is learning.

21
00:00:59.040 --> 00:01:05.840
So I've got five golf balls here as a quick little demonstration.

22
00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:08.440
This is what I'm talking about.

23
00:01:08.440 --> 00:01:15.600
Sometimes I'll see, hit that ball, grab another one, didn't like that.

24
00:01:15.600 --> 00:01:16.880
Maybe not even look at the target.

25
00:01:16.880 --> 00:01:19.360
You can see that's hard for me to not do.

26
00:01:19.360 --> 00:01:28.160
Okay, that was a little better but a pull, not even watching, get up here.

27
00:01:28.160 --> 00:01:32.310
You can see my quality of contact is actually going down because right before I

28
00:01:32.310 --> 00:01:32.680
swung on

29
00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:36.520
that ball, I had to think to myself, what the heck am I doing?

30
00:01:36.520 --> 00:01:39.830
So instead of going all the way to four, I'm going to stop at three because

31
00:01:39.830 --> 00:01:40.480
that wasn't

32
00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:44.750
really productive practice in any sense unless I wanted to test myself and just

33
00:01:44.750 --> 00:01:45.280
see what

34
00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:47.040
my automatic pattern is.

35
00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:53.410
But now I'm going to get into a little bit more of kind of my release thought

36
00:01:53.410 --> 00:01:54.720
right now.

37
00:01:54.720 --> 00:01:59.760
So going through in slow motion, kind of getting that was decent.

38
00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:05.810
Now I'm going to try, I might even, because I just did a few slow motion ones,

39
00:02:05.810 --> 00:02:06.400
yep, I'm

40
00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:08.000
going to do a nine to three.

41
00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:12.040
That had more of the ground contact and trajectory that I'm looking for.

42
00:02:12.040 --> 00:02:18.090
So now that I have a little bit more awareness, I'm going to try to apply it to

43
00:02:18.090 --> 00:02:19.400
a full swing.

44
00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:27.100
Got a little caught there, but overall, you get the sense of the pattern and

45
00:02:27.100 --> 00:02:28.040
what you

46
00:02:28.040 --> 00:02:29.600
want to avoid.

47
00:02:29.600 --> 00:02:33.780
If you need to put a little timer on yourself or just keep reminding yourself

48
00:02:33.780 --> 00:02:34.440
after every

49
00:02:34.440 --> 00:02:39.000
few balls, go back to whatever drill or whatever concept you're working on if

50
00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:39.780
you're doing

51
00:02:39.780 --> 00:02:41.440
mechanical practice.

52
00:02:41.440 --> 00:02:45.170
If you're doing target and shot shaping practice, then it makes even less sense

53
00:02:45.170 --> 00:02:45.920
for you to fall

54
00:02:45.920 --> 00:02:47.960
into that robotic practice mode.

55
00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:53.010
So be aware and be diligent with the time you spend over each golf ball, not

56
00:02:53.010 --> 00:02:53.660
just the

57
00:02:53.660 --> 00:02:54.200
quantity.

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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Avoid Robotic Practice: Use the 4th Ball Strategy

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Incorporate slow-motion practice swings to enhance body awareness
  • Identify and correct poor swing habits by stepping back between shots
  • Improve focus and retention of your swing thoughts during practice

Learn how to break the cycle of repetitive swings by implementing a simple practice strategy that enhances body awareness and improves focus. This drill will help you develop a more mindful approach to your practice sessions.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.160
There's a real simple concept for helping you avoid some of that repetitive

2
00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:06.600
robotic practice.

3
00:00:06.600 --> 00:00:11.210
So if you're the type to just kind of hit and rake, hit and rake and really

4
00:00:11.210 --> 00:00:11.880
just get

5
00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:16.600
focused on where's the ball going, what was the contact on that one.

6
00:00:16.600 --> 00:00:19.700
When you're trying to work through specific positions and you need to get a

7
00:00:19.700 --> 00:00:20.160
little bit

8
00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:26.520
more body aware, I'll give a real simple rule, which is every fourth ball I

9
00:00:26.520 --> 00:00:27.560
want you to take

10
00:00:27.560 --> 00:00:33.330
a step back and do a couple practice swings, just focusing on slow motion and

11
00:00:33.330 --> 00:00:34.520
just focusing

12
00:00:34.520 --> 00:00:37.120
on the awareness of the movement.

13
00:00:37.120 --> 00:00:41.020
Once you've done a couple reps in slow motion focusing on the awareness, then

14
00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:41.740
you can step

15
00:00:41.740 --> 00:00:44.600
back in and hit a few more golf balls.

16
00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:48.780
But if you're the type who falls into the pattern of hitting 10 or so golf

17
00:00:48.780 --> 00:00:49.200
balls in

18
00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:54.360
the span of a minute, you need to occasionally slow it down so that you can

19
00:00:54.360 --> 00:00:55.440
actually test

20
00:00:55.440 --> 00:00:59.040
what your brain is absorbing and what your brain is learning.

21
00:00:59.040 --> 00:01:05.840
So I've got five golf balls here as a quick little demonstration.

22
00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:08.440
This is what I'm talking about.

23
00:01:08.440 --> 00:01:15.600
Sometimes I'll see, hit that ball, grab another one, didn't like that.

24
00:01:15.600 --> 00:01:16.880
Maybe not even look at the target.

25
00:01:16.880 --> 00:01:19.360
You can see that's hard for me to not do.

26
00:01:19.360 --> 00:01:28.160
Okay, that was a little better but a pull, not even watching, get up here.

27
00:01:28.160 --> 00:01:32.310
You can see my quality of contact is actually going down because right before I

28
00:01:32.310 --> 00:01:32.680
swung on

29
00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:36.520
that ball, I had to think to myself, what the heck am I doing?

30
00:01:36.520 --> 00:01:39.830
So instead of going all the way to four, I'm going to stop at three because

31
00:01:39.830 --> 00:01:40.480
that wasn't

32
00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:44.750
really productive practice in any sense unless I wanted to test myself and just

33
00:01:44.750 --> 00:01:45.280
see what

34
00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:47.040
my automatic pattern is.

35
00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:53.410
But now I'm going to get into a little bit more of kind of my release thought

36
00:01:53.410 --> 00:01:54.720
right now.

37
00:01:54.720 --> 00:01:59.760
So going through in slow motion, kind of getting that was decent.

38
00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:05.810
Now I'm going to try, I might even, because I just did a few slow motion ones,

39
00:02:05.810 --> 00:02:06.400
yep, I'm

40
00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:08.000
going to do a nine to three.

41
00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:12.040
That had more of the ground contact and trajectory that I'm looking for.

42
00:02:12.040 --> 00:02:18.090
So now that I have a little bit more awareness, I'm going to try to apply it to

43
00:02:18.090 --> 00:02:19.400
a full swing.

44
00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:27.100
Got a little caught there, but overall, you get the sense of the pattern and

45
00:02:27.100 --> 00:02:28.040
what you

46
00:02:28.040 --> 00:02:29.600
want to avoid.

47
00:02:29.600 --> 00:02:33.780
If you need to put a little timer on yourself or just keep reminding yourself

48
00:02:33.780 --> 00:02:34.440
after every

49
00:02:34.440 --> 00:02:39.000
few balls, go back to whatever drill or whatever concept you're working on if

50
00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:39.780
you're doing

51
00:02:39.780 --> 00:02:41.440
mechanical practice.

52
00:02:41.440 --> 00:02:45.170
If you're doing target and shot shaping practice, then it makes even less sense

53
00:02:45.170 --> 00:02:45.920
for you to fall

54
00:02:45.920 --> 00:02:47.960
into that robotic practice mode.

55
00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:53.010
So be aware and be diligent with the time you spend over each golf ball, not

56
00:02:53.010 --> 00:02:53.660
just the

57
00:02:53.660 --> 00:02:54.200
quantity.

Have questions about this video?

Ask Mulligan for personalized guidance on technique, drills, or how to apply what you've learned.

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