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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.

Stop Overthinking Your Swing and Start Sensing It

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify when you're thinking too much during your swing
  • Develop a feel-based approach to improve your performance
  • Experience a more natural and fluid swing by focusing on sensory feedback

Learn to shift from a cognitive approach to a sensory experience in your golf swing. This video emphasizes the importance of feeling your swing rather than describing it, leading to more fluid movement on the course.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.040
This concept video is since the swing, don't describe it, so I'm not a mental

2
00:00:09.040 --> 00:00:14.800
game coach. I'm more of a coach on the biomechanic side or on the physical side

3
00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:14.840
,

4
00:00:14.840 --> 00:00:21.160
but I've played my fair share of high-level sports and I like to pass on some

5
00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:27.320
of what I've experienced to my students. So one of the traits that I've heard

6
00:00:27.320 --> 00:00:32.880
mental game coaches describe and that I've experienced personally is that when

7
00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:36.560
you're in the play box or when you're over the golf ball executing the swing,

8
00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:42.200
it should be very sensory. If you are hearing words in your head, then you're

9
00:00:42.200 --> 00:00:45.860
more in the language centers of the brain and you're in the wrong part. That's

10
00:00:45.860 --> 00:00:46.000
not

11
00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:50.720
where movement happens. You're basically talking through a checklist instead of

12
00:00:50.720 --> 00:00:57.120
operating. The goal is to make it very sensory, which is more of a feel-based

13
00:00:57.120 --> 00:01:03.680
approach instead of a logic or cognitive-based approach. The example

14
00:01:03.680 --> 00:01:09.520
that I use quite often with my students is I'll have them run this little

15
00:01:09.520 --> 00:01:13.600
experience. What I want each of you to do, and I'm going to give you a little

16
00:01:13.600 --> 00:01:17.970
pause after this so you can actually do it, is what I want each of you to do is

17
00:01:17.970 --> 00:01:18.240
I

18
00:01:18.240 --> 00:01:25.070
want you to think about and describe your favorite food. So describe or think

19
00:01:25.070 --> 00:01:25.200
of

20
00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:29.150
your favorite food, whatever that might be, whether it's pizza or Chinese food

21
00:01:29.150 --> 00:01:29.280
or

22
00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:35.440
pasta or whatever. A steak. Think of your favorite food and now describe why

23
00:01:35.440 --> 00:01:35.680
you

24
00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:41.000
like it. Describe, out loud, what it feels like or what it what you get when

25
00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:41.000
you

26
00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:53.120
eat it. Okay, so now what I want you to do is close your eyes, picture the food

27
00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:57.880
that's your favorite food and imagine eating it.

28
00:01:57.880 --> 00:02:06.560
Okay, now what I want you to do is close your eyes and imagine your favorite

29
00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:06.560
food

30
00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:11.590
and just picture yourself eating it and imagine just sense what it would be

31
00:02:11.590 --> 00:02:11.800
like.

32
00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:17.880
While you're imagining yourself eating it, can you experience everything that

33
00:02:17.880 --> 00:02:22.000
you tried to describe but all at once? In fact, the way I usually phrase it is

34
00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:22.280
if

35
00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:27.150
you take the description, think about how long it took for your brain to come

36
00:02:27.150 --> 00:02:27.280
up

37
00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:31.920
with that description and how long it took for you to express that description.

38
00:02:31.920 --> 00:02:36.000
That's more of a cognitive checklist but now when you're imagining that you

39
00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:39.800
were eating it, can you imagine that everything was happening all at once?

40
00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:43.960
Well, that's a much more sensory approach and you can kind of have much more

41
00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:50.080
nuance and the precision of the senses will be much better than the precision

42
00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:54.880
of your your description and details and it'll be much faster. So when you're

43
00:02:54.880 --> 00:02:59.640
over the golf ball, I want you to be feeling. So let's say I'm working on the

44
00:02:59.640 --> 00:03:05.030
motorcycle move. I don't want to think to myself in words, turn the wrist down.

45
00:03:05.030 --> 00:03:05.280
I

46
00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:11.200
want to think to myself in flavors or in senses, turn the wrist down right

47
00:03:11.200 --> 00:03:15.120
around here. When I do, it's kind of got this weight feel to it and when it

48
00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:15.120
does,

49
00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:19.480
it's happening while the lower body's doing this. Okay, that's all one feeling.

50
00:03:19.480 --> 00:03:23.400
Got it. Even though I had to describe it because the medium that we're working

51
00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:30.470
in, I can feel it and sense it. Once I have that feeling, I can just press play

52
00:03:30.470 --> 00:03:31.200
. I

53
00:03:31.200 --> 00:03:38.440
don't have to necessarily think about it as far as like, okay, do the

54
00:03:38.440 --> 00:03:38.880
motorcycle.

55
00:03:38.880 --> 00:03:42.320
It's just a feeling of when is that going to happen, how it relates to the

56
00:03:42.320 --> 00:03:47.710
other movements. So it's you're going to get bogged down and you're going to

57
00:03:47.710 --> 00:03:47.760
get

58
00:03:47.760 --> 00:03:55.440
very analytical whenever you're working on a new skill. But once you've gone

59
00:03:55.440 --> 00:03:59.480
through some of the early stages and kind of played around with that new

60
00:03:59.480 --> 00:04:04.870
new skill, your goal is to build it into a sense that goes into this whole

61
00:04:04.870 --> 00:04:05.000
feeling

62
00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:08.920
that you're going to execute from the very beginning of your swing to the end

63
00:04:08.920 --> 00:04:13.710
of your swing. Basically, if you can imagine your favorite food, imagine that

64
00:04:13.710 --> 00:04:14.120
first

65
00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:19.720
bite and then imagine the satisfying feeling of the last bite. You want to be

66
00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:22.740
able to sense that whole thing just like you can sense your whole golf swing

67
00:04:22.740 --> 00:04:22.880
and

68
00:04:22.880 --> 00:04:27.400
when you do, you'll typically have more consistent and repeatable performance

69
00:04:27.400 --> 00:04:31.120
because you'll be in the right part of the brain, not the language center, but

70
00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:34.880
more your movement centers deepen your brain.

Have questions?

Ask Mulligan for help

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Related topics
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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.

Stop Overthinking Your Swing and Start Sensing It

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify when you're thinking too much during your swing
  • Develop a feel-based approach to improve your performance
  • Experience a more natural and fluid swing by focusing on sensory feedback

Learn to shift from a cognitive approach to a sensory experience in your golf swing. This video emphasizes the importance of feeling your swing rather than describing it, leading to more fluid movement on the course.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.040
This concept video is since the swing, don't describe it, so I'm not a mental

2
00:00:09.040 --> 00:00:14.800
game coach. I'm more of a coach on the biomechanic side or on the physical side

3
00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:14.840
,

4
00:00:14.840 --> 00:00:21.160
but I've played my fair share of high-level sports and I like to pass on some

5
00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:27.320
of what I've experienced to my students. So one of the traits that I've heard

6
00:00:27.320 --> 00:00:32.880
mental game coaches describe and that I've experienced personally is that when

7
00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:36.560
you're in the play box or when you're over the golf ball executing the swing,

8
00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:42.200
it should be very sensory. If you are hearing words in your head, then you're

9
00:00:42.200 --> 00:00:45.860
more in the language centers of the brain and you're in the wrong part. That's

10
00:00:45.860 --> 00:00:46.000
not

11
00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:50.720
where movement happens. You're basically talking through a checklist instead of

12
00:00:50.720 --> 00:00:57.120
operating. The goal is to make it very sensory, which is more of a feel-based

13
00:00:57.120 --> 00:01:03.680
approach instead of a logic or cognitive-based approach. The example

14
00:01:03.680 --> 00:01:09.520
that I use quite often with my students is I'll have them run this little

15
00:01:09.520 --> 00:01:13.600
experience. What I want each of you to do, and I'm going to give you a little

16
00:01:13.600 --> 00:01:17.970
pause after this so you can actually do it, is what I want each of you to do is

17
00:01:17.970 --> 00:01:18.240
I

18
00:01:18.240 --> 00:01:25.070
want you to think about and describe your favorite food. So describe or think

19
00:01:25.070 --> 00:01:25.200
of

20
00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:29.150
your favorite food, whatever that might be, whether it's pizza or Chinese food

21
00:01:29.150 --> 00:01:29.280
or

22
00:01:29.280 --> 00:01:35.440
pasta or whatever. A steak. Think of your favorite food and now describe why

23
00:01:35.440 --> 00:01:35.680
you

24
00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:41.000
like it. Describe, out loud, what it feels like or what it what you get when

25
00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:41.000
you

26
00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:53.120
eat it. Okay, so now what I want you to do is close your eyes, picture the food

27
00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:57.880
that's your favorite food and imagine eating it.

28
00:01:57.880 --> 00:02:06.560
Okay, now what I want you to do is close your eyes and imagine your favorite

29
00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:06.560
food

30
00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:11.590
and just picture yourself eating it and imagine just sense what it would be

31
00:02:11.590 --> 00:02:11.800
like.

32
00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:17.880
While you're imagining yourself eating it, can you experience everything that

33
00:02:17.880 --> 00:02:22.000
you tried to describe but all at once? In fact, the way I usually phrase it is

34
00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:22.280
if

35
00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:27.150
you take the description, think about how long it took for your brain to come

36
00:02:27.150 --> 00:02:27.280
up

37
00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:31.920
with that description and how long it took for you to express that description.

38
00:02:31.920 --> 00:02:36.000
That's more of a cognitive checklist but now when you're imagining that you

39
00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:39.800
were eating it, can you imagine that everything was happening all at once?

40
00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:43.960
Well, that's a much more sensory approach and you can kind of have much more

41
00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:50.080
nuance and the precision of the senses will be much better than the precision

42
00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:54.880
of your your description and details and it'll be much faster. So when you're

43
00:02:54.880 --> 00:02:59.640
over the golf ball, I want you to be feeling. So let's say I'm working on the

44
00:02:59.640 --> 00:03:05.030
motorcycle move. I don't want to think to myself in words, turn the wrist down.

45
00:03:05.030 --> 00:03:05.280
I

46
00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:11.200
want to think to myself in flavors or in senses, turn the wrist down right

47
00:03:11.200 --> 00:03:15.120
around here. When I do, it's kind of got this weight feel to it and when it

48
00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:15.120
does,

49
00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:19.480
it's happening while the lower body's doing this. Okay, that's all one feeling.

50
00:03:19.480 --> 00:03:23.400
Got it. Even though I had to describe it because the medium that we're working

51
00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:30.470
in, I can feel it and sense it. Once I have that feeling, I can just press play

52
00:03:30.470 --> 00:03:31.200
. I

53
00:03:31.200 --> 00:03:38.440
don't have to necessarily think about it as far as like, okay, do the

54
00:03:38.440 --> 00:03:38.880
motorcycle.

55
00:03:38.880 --> 00:03:42.320
It's just a feeling of when is that going to happen, how it relates to the

56
00:03:42.320 --> 00:03:47.710
other movements. So it's you're going to get bogged down and you're going to

57
00:03:47.710 --> 00:03:47.760
get

58
00:03:47.760 --> 00:03:55.440
very analytical whenever you're working on a new skill. But once you've gone

59
00:03:55.440 --> 00:03:59.480
through some of the early stages and kind of played around with that new

60
00:03:59.480 --> 00:04:04.870
new skill, your goal is to build it into a sense that goes into this whole

61
00:04:04.870 --> 00:04:05.000
feeling

62
00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:08.920
that you're going to execute from the very beginning of your swing to the end

63
00:04:08.920 --> 00:04:13.710
of your swing. Basically, if you can imagine your favorite food, imagine that

64
00:04:13.710 --> 00:04:14.120
first

65
00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:19.720
bite and then imagine the satisfying feeling of the last bite. You want to be

66
00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:22.740
able to sense that whole thing just like you can sense your whole golf swing

67
00:04:22.740 --> 00:04:22.880
and

68
00:04:22.880 --> 00:04:27.400
when you do, you'll typically have more consistent and repeatable performance

69
00:04:27.400 --> 00:04:31.120
because you'll be in the right part of the brain, not the language center, but

70
00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:34.880
more your movement centers deepen your brain.

Have questions about this video?

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

Ask Mulligan
Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
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