The Blathering Duffer
Think About it-Preshot Routine Introduction
TBD 25.10
Aretha Franklin said it best: Think, Think, You better Think About it. Think About what you’re Tryin to do….Let Your Mind Go Let Yourself Be Free.
Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson (Cofounders of Vision54, Authors of Play Your Best Golf Now) developed the pre-shot routine used by tour players today. They used a 2 box routine: Think Box-Play Box meant to clear the mind and be present in the moment of the shot,
20-30 seconds total. Anika Sorenstam averaged 24 seconds total pre-shot routine. Studies have found the best players take only 6-8 seconds to execute once they step into the Play Box. If a golfer takes more time to execute the swing once they take their setup, other thoughts intrude in the mind. Our brain cannot focus for more than 10 seconds without other thoughts intruding. So just step up and hit it! Pre-shot routines give you confidence when under pressure, or feeling stress in your game. The mind-body connection becomes habitual and relaxed. A relaxed golfer swings smoother with more confidence.
Many now use a 3 Box routine. The Think Box is now split into Box 1 (Think Box) and Box 2 (Feel Box). The Think Box and Feel Box are typically behind the ball as you look down the fairway or look to the green. The Play Box is… you guessed it…. Where you set up next to the ball for your real swing. (Side Note: I personally have my feel box split, a few shots behind the ball, then I step up into hitting position where I take 1 or 2 practice swings for the sole purpose of making sure my depth perception and swing match so “I know where the ground is.” But that’s my personal thing.)
Box 1 The Think Box: Remember the Lewd Golfer; Think about Lie, Elevation, Wind and Distance for club selection. Pick your Target and Visualize the shot shape. The smaller and more precise the target, the better focused the mind will be. Ask yourself, “If I hit this ball exactly as I want, What will it look like.”
Box 2 The Feel Box: No longer think about everything, you’ve made your club decision and picked your target. Just take 2-3 practice swings while visualizing the shot. Feel it-see it-believe it.
Box 3: Play Box: Reacting to the feel and visualization, be an athlete with a relaxed tension free swing. Hit the shot with confidence. Commit to decisions of box 1 and feel of box 2 and the body can be relaxed and the mind body connection is freer. Step out of the Feel Box, Step into the Play Box and just hit the ball, pull the trigger. No thinking, just hit it.
Post Shot routine: 10 seconds or 10 steps to evaluate the shot, recognize what you did, good or bad. Did you commit to the shot and what caused the bad shot? Now forget about it. The rest of the walk or ride to your next shot is now focused entirely on the next shot, not the past shot. Stay in the present. Continued thoughts of the past shot take away from the focus and mind body connection of the next shot. The emotion will tighten the body and take away from commitment of the shot you’re hitting right now.
If you ever hit the ball badly and then say “I knew that was going to happen”, then you weren’t committed to the shot. And if you knew that was going to happen, why did you hit the shot?!?! It’s ok to know there’s a possibility of a bad shot, but if you knew it…. You were actually telling yourself to do it. As you are in the Think Box, recognize the possibility and then take measures to avoid it. If the ball is below your feet, you might top it… OK… Fix that thought with “Stay down on the ball”. Water on the left…. OK… Aim a little more right or lay up so you can’t hit it in the water. Focus on the correction. Commit to your shot with positivity.
Part 2 will discuss differences you may have in the pre-shot routine depending on shot type e.g. Tee shot vs Approach shot vs Putting and whether you are playing in a tournament vs fun, Ready Play golf.
Think About it-Preshot Routine Introduction
TBD 25.10
Aretha Franklin said it best: Think, Think, You better Think About it. Think About what you’re Tryin to do….Let Your Mind Go Let Yourself Be Free.
Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson (Cofounders of Vision54, Authors of Play Your Best Golf Now) developed the pre-shot routine used by tour players today. They used a 2 box routine: Think Box-Play Box meant to clear the mind and be present in the moment of the shot,
20-30 seconds total. Anika Sorenstam averaged 24 seconds total pre-shot routine. Studies have found the best players take only 6-8 seconds to execute once they step into the Play Box. If a golfer takes more time to execute the swing once they take their setup, other thoughts intrude in the mind. Our brain cannot focus for more than 10 seconds without other thoughts intruding. So just step up and hit it! Pre-shot routines give you confidence when under pressure, or feeling stress in your game. The mind-body connection becomes habitual and relaxed. A relaxed golfer swings smoother with more confidence.
Many now use a 3 Box routine. The Think Box is now split into Box 1 (Think Box) and Box 2 (Feel Box). The Think Box and Feel Box are typically behind the ball as you look down the fairway or look to the green. The Play Box is… you guessed it…. Where you set up next to the ball for your real swing. (Side Note: I personally have my feel box split, a few shots behind the ball, then I step up into hitting position where I take 1 or 2 practice swings for the sole purpose of making sure my depth perception and swing match so “I know where the ground is.” But that’s my personal thing.)
Box 1 The Think Box: Remember the Lewd Golfer; Think about Lie, Elevation, Wind and Distance for club selection. Pick your Target and Visualize the shot shape. The smaller and more precise the target, the better focused the mind will be. Ask yourself, “If I hit this ball exactly as I want, What will it look like.”
Box 2 The Feel Box: No longer think about everything, you’ve made your club decision and picked your target. Just take 2-3 practice swings while visualizing the shot. Feel it-see it-believe it.
Box 3: Play Box: Reacting to the feel and visualization, be an athlete with a relaxed tension free swing. Hit the shot with confidence. Commit to decisions of box 1 and feel of box 2 and the body can be relaxed and the mind body connection is freer. Step out of the Feel Box, Step into the Play Box and just hit the ball, pull the trigger. No thinking, just hit it.
Post Shot routine: 10 seconds or 10 steps to evaluate the shot, recognize what you did, good or bad. Did you commit to the shot and what caused the bad shot? Now forget about it. The rest of the walk or ride to your next shot is now focused entirely on the next shot, not the past shot. Stay in the present. Continued thoughts of the past shot take away from the focus and mind body connection of the next shot. The emotion will tighten the body and take away from commitment of the shot you’re hitting right now.
If you ever hit the ball badly and then say “I knew that was going to happen”, then you weren’t committed to the shot. And if you knew that was going to happen, why did you hit the shot?!?! It’s ok to know there’s a possibility of a bad shot, but if you knew it…. You were actually telling yourself to do it. As you are in the Think Box, recognize the possibility and then take measures to avoid it. If the ball is below your feet, you might top it… OK… Fix that thought with “Stay down on the ball”. Water on the left…. OK… Aim a little more right or lay up so you can’t hit it in the water. Focus on the correction. Commit to your shot with positivity.
Part 2 will discuss differences you may have in the pre-shot routine depending on shot type e.g. Tee shot vs Approach shot vs Putting and whether you are playing in a tournament vs fun, Ready Play golf.
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