COMPARING KIDS AND JUNIORS?

By Luiz Martins

PGA Master Professional

2002, July 20^th – As more and more children battle to be the best at younger and younger ages, what is the damage to those children around them, who spend large amounts of time comparing themselves to their higher performing peers in terms of their own long-term development and potential future participation? It is potentially huge and we must do all that we can as parents and educators to avoid the children we are involved with getting sucked into ‘The Comparison Trap’. When your child first sets out on their sporting career and are attempting sports for the first time one of their main forms of feedback is how they compare themselves to others.  You may think that this is crazy, but it is one of their most significant forms of feedback.

We know that there are many discrepancies during these early sporting experiences.  Some children are well ahead of the game due to the amount of time they may have spent practicing a specific sport or they may be physically and emotionally more developed for their age. If your child compares themselves to some of these early developed athletes, they run the risk of dropping out of the sport too early and as parents we need to do all that we can to help manage the situation.  We can be all too quick to label our children potentially in a way that may hold them back, comparing themselves to us or other players, or giving them specific positions or even defining them on their prowess in a particular sport.

We run the risk of labelling our child “musical” or “sporty” without giving them the chance to properly develop in a particular field.  The reason for this is that a lot of time may need to be committed to improve a particular skill and we take the starting point sometimes as a sign of what they may be capable of.  It is far easier for parents to motivate and invest time for their children in something where there is already some perceived success as opposed to developing areas of weakness.

Children need to know that they all develop at different rates and at different times and as parents we need to understand that sporting development is never the lovely line that we see in the first diagram below, but more like the second one.

Children will have periods where they plateau, where they grow quickly, where they improve rapidly, where they get worse; this is all part of the sporting process.  The latter one is a difficult one for parents to watch but it is a reality. One thing is clear; current or early sporting performance is not a good indicator of future sporting success. Think back to your own childhood – people you may have seen or played with who were so far ahead of the game at a young age but then never featured as they hit the teenage years or moved into adulthood.  Many international junior sportsmen in a number of different sports struggles to make the jump from junior to senior athlete. There are so many stories of athletes who were average at a younger age, who never really featured prominently who went on to become far better sportsmen and women than many of their earlier high performing peers.

As parents, understanding this is crucial if we wish to manage the situation successfully. Many children will soon lose the motivation of turning up to training and matches each week if they are regularly comparing themselves to others and see their team mates or opposition as ‘miles better than them.’ This can be even more testing for parents and athletes as many selection and talent programs select the physically dominant performer, the one who is competing well in the here and now and not the one who may develop much further down the line. However, as parents we need to understand how and why this may happen and communicate it effectively with our children, letting them know the following in whichever type of language we choose to use:

1. Physical advantage—some children are bigger, stronger and quicker and they will always dominate at a younger age.
2. Emotional maturity—some children are emotionally more mature, can listen to coaches more effectively, deal with competition better and cope with situations in a far better way than some other children.
3. Time spent—a child who has spent double the time on a chosen sport or a skill generally as a rule should have a significant advantage over the other.  At a young age this can be even more pronounced but that does not mean that it cannot be taught but it will need time
4. Skills—can be developed and they are not based on physical characteristics

 It is very sad to see that many young people stop playing sports because of anxiety and mistakes made by their parents. This is a subject for many years, because year after year new problems arise and the characteristics of these wrong parents are always the same. What does not change are the numbers of many young people giving up on fulfilling their dreams and frustrating the programs of many Coaches around the world.

We, as parents, have to accept that there will always be someone better. However, our children need to understand more that they must not compare themselves to others!  They can enjoy playing with these players, competing against them and indeed even learning from them but they must never feel a failure or threaten to walk away from a sport just because they are not as good as someone else.  Not at least until they have given themselves plenty of time to develop.

 They will never know what they are truly capable of until they have truly invested the time and effort.  So, the next time your feel that your children maybe falling into ‘The Comparison Trap’, be armed and ready to explain to them why comparisons may not be such a good idea! Ensure they know that sport and development is a long-term investment and success is not necessarily in the here and now.

 I can’t get enough of reviewing my attitudes to my daughters. Acting as a father and as a Coach, for not controlling my actions I missed the chance to see them shine on the course and tournaments of the LPGA.  I thought about it today, because I can’t go back in time.

2022, September 20th.

MENTAL PERFORMANCE

By Coach Luiz Martins

Then an ideal world, you wouldn’t know what your score was during a round until after the last putt was rolled in on the 18th green. I’m sure you’d agree with me on that. Most golfers would play much better if they had no memory of what their score was, or if they didn’t try to predict what score they will have at the end of the round. You would just be playing every shot as best you can, “one shot at a time”.

Not focusing on score becomes harder the more important the round is. However, if you trust in your coach and all you learn from him you can be a good mental golf performance it’s possible to learn how to become less score-focused, so you can more consistently play to your full potential.

THE MOST COMMON MENTAL MISTAKE THAT JUNIOR GOLFERS MAKE

The most common mental mistake that junior make is not being able to detach themselves from their score. Most junior are adding up their score along the way and judging how good their game is based upon these numbers. If they’re scoring higher than usual, it means (in their head) that they aren’t playing well, and if they are scoring better than usual, their game is on the up…but then, of course, it becomes a case of “if I can continue playing this well, I’m going to shoot a great score!” And then the pressure of “shooting a great score” gets to them and they fall back to their normal level.

WHY FOCUS ON SCORE AT ALL?

So why focus on score at all? Of course, we need a measure of where our games are, what we need to improve and where we are in relation to where we want to go. In this sense, score is a good thing to think about – we need to be honest with ourselves and figure out what we need to do to get better. But on the course, it’s an exercise in staying present. Simply put, the more present you can stay the better. Unless there’s a real need to know your score for strategy purposes (like having a 3 shot lead coming down the last hole of a tournament), thinking about score is NOT going to help you. Why should how you play the last hole have any impact on how well you play the next? We need to stop being so obsessed with the outcome and give the shot in front of us 100% of our mental energy. One Shot at A Time.  Our minds are at they their quietest and most focused when they are focusing on the present moment. Thoughts about the past and (especially) the future while on the course, will result in performance anxiety (tension, increased heart rate, loss of focus etc) and higher scores.

How do we reduce focus on score?

The number one goal for my students is to execute their process as best they can and stay in the present in between shots. I’ve got many techniques for a good process and how to stay present in my Mental Game experience. Score plays to the ego, but measuring your success by how well you are sticking to your process and your plan, is playing mastery golf. Mastery and golf stile always produce better scores than ego golf.

MENTAL GAME MISTAKE 2: BEING REACTIVE TO BAD SHOTS

How you talk to yourself on the golf course can make a big difference in how you perform. Most caddies are selected, not only because they can calculate yardages and read greens, but because they know what to say to a player and when to say it. You can bet your life if I hit a shot O.B., and my caddy was to say “What the @#$% was that? How can you hit a shot like that you loser!”, he would be fired on the spot. However, this type of negative self-talk is something I hear all the time at my course from players berating themselves after a bad shots and (not surprisingly) I see their performance go downhill as you Amy did last weekend.

Junior don’t have the luxury of a caddie, so they must create they own “inner caddy”, to praise and celebrate our good shots and bounce back quickly from shots we’re not happy with. To do this, start to develop a list of phrases that you can say after a shot. Challenge yourself to remain emotionally “neutral” to bad shots. Again, as part of my post-round review process I have my students evaluate how well they did this and give themselves a score which we try to beat each time.

MENTAL GAME MISTAKE 3: OVER-ANALYZING YOUR SWING

After a few bad shots, most golfers tend to think their swing is broken, which is simply not the case. They start to focus more and more on their swings and lose connection with the target and the intention for the shot. The fact is, trying to consciously control your body during any action makes the task more difficult. Trusting what you have is far more important than trying to correct something or forcing a movement while swinging.

It’s simply trusted your ability as a golfer. You use your conscious mind to determine where you want shot and how to put there (the equivalent of picking targets and strategy) and you use your subconscious mind to drive the ball. Thinking about your swing while swinging creates tension which interferes with the free flow of a good swing. It’s fine to think about it on the driving range when you’re practicing a new movement you’ve learnt in your golf lessons (during block practice), but on the course your mind must be quiet, and your connection with the intention needs to be strong. You can still hit good shots with a less than perfect swing – if you connect to the target and the shot and trust yourself.

If you need somewhere to put your conscious thought during your swing, from my experience, tempo swing thoughts are best. You could imagine some music in your mind or say the words, “one-two” for the backswing and “three” for the follow-through. This should help eliminate the swing thoughts and maintain a smooth tempo.

MENTAL GAME MISTAKE 4: NOT PICKING PRECISE TARGETS

When you get to overhear caddies and players discuss a shot on the TV, you’ll undoubtedly hear them mention very specific targets. But many juniors just aim at a general area of the fairway or green and this costs them several shots per round.

Ask any of the top players and they’ll tell you that they make their target as small as possible. I always think: “Aim small, miss small”. In the photo above, the target might be that thin silver tree branch behind the green. It definitely won’t be the whole green or even one half of it. Next time you’re out there, make this a part of your pre-shot routine and you will notice the difference.

MENTAL MISTAKE 5: NOT MAKING YOUR ROUTINE YOUR GOAL

The shot routine (which includes the pre-shot and post shot routine), is an absolute must if you want to play your best golf.   Firstly, you need to establish what helps you hit the best shots you can, (every shot routine is different), and then we need to be held accountable for doing it.

It ensures:

1. You focus on the things that will give you the best chance of hitting a good shot
2. You’re not focusing on negatives or what you don’t want to happen

My mental game available in my training program (play 3 and 3 holes) is a great way to shift your focus from outcome (score) to process and hold yourself accountable. All my students give me a “mental score” at the end of their rounds, which tells me how many shots they stayed in their process.

We already talk about your shot routine you just need remember and use it. Make sure you’re not making any of these mental game mistakes and I’m confident you’ll see improvement in your scores.

LM GOLF SCHOOL 

MIND CONTROL – By Luiz Martins – Head Coach Professional

You’ve heard different comments about how pros hit the ball — some get up to 300 yards —- many players dedicate hours of driving range training just for long shots. Many of them say they believe that if they hit the ball just a little bit harder and farther, their results will improve. I tell them: Wrong! Here’s the truth: I know that a few extra yards on your shots will get you closer to the target, but it won’t solve your problem. If you dedicate more time to improving your short game and mental game, your results will improve dramatically.

Believe me, I know what I’m talking about. The times I won and was among the top 5 drive batsmen in the South American Tour, in the Tour of Asia and Europe were many, but the times I won tournaments were not so many.

In this article, I will discuss with you the mental game and suggest how to improve your performance and consequently your game and lower your shots. I will also list 5 (five) fundamental points for you to understand, develop and improve your game in mind.

Attitude: A positive attitude is knowing how to use your skills when you have to face what happens in the field. Anyone achieves great things (perhaps by luck), and anyone can have disappointments. Be optimistic about your results by allowing your swing movement to flow naturally by hitting solid shots on the course. Strokes/accurate, less chance of bad results and unforgettable frustrations. Keep track of your emotional state and do it with ease to maintain consistency on the field during the game.

Focus and Concentration: It is very difficult to concentrate for four or five hours without losing control. But great champions learn how to focus and concentrate at the appropriate time.

To spice this up, I suggest you set goals.

1. Do you want to become hdc (02)?
2. What areas of your game need to be worked on in order for you to reach your goal?
3. Do you have a trained teacher to help you evolve your game?
4. Can you motivate yourself to succeed?
5. Are you a fearful player like you drop off production when you’re under pressure or are you brave that when exposed to intense involvement and you’re winning, you’re calm and cool like a reptile?

Once you learn your style, you’ll be able to use your skills to achieve your goals.

Confidence: It’s easy to be confident when you’re in a comfortable zone, whether it’s in your professional life or a game of golf. If you’re an hdc (12) you probably expect to hit less. What happens when you play much better or much worse than your normal? Have you ever experienced controlling your emotions and not expecting bad things? Do you get sad, angry, and angry when you play badly, and your result is horrible?

The secret to trust is preparation. A better prepared player is also a balanced player. You can prepare yourself by training to have your equipment (glove, shoes, clubs, etc.) in hand before the game, work to make your long and short game consistent, and always try to follow your training routine in search of improving your results.

Mental Power

1. How do you deal with adversity on the field?
2. Do you give up when a couple of bad things happen?
3. Do you look for birdies to recover the bogeys you made?
4. Is it easier to make BOGEY than PAR when you miss drives?
5. Do you lose control after making a few bad swings?
6. Do you have an aid system that brings you back to golf when you’re out of timing?

All the best golfers have their minds prepared for what can happen around them. When you master this and maintain a training routine, your level will improve, and you will make the shots you want and need.

Individuality: If we were meant to be the same on the golf course, there would never be any different champions like each other. They all have unique characteristics. Therefore, they believe and repeat their swings and have become the most respected champions of golf. But more than their swings, each of them (and the big players) understands their limits and weaknesses. They are honest in their own reviews.

Many have swings that we want to copy, they also understand that they must be honest with them and their abilities. By doing a personal analysis, you will also learn how to follow what is “correct” for your swing considering your physical abilities. Check your game through these five elements of the mental side of golf and improve your game. By incorporating these aspects, you’ll considerably improve the levels of your game.

Exercises to Improve Your Mental Game

Developing Your Individuality

When you’re in the driving range, pay attention to the shape of your normal shots.

Hit 10 balls and analyze height, direction and clubface contact as you complete your pre-shot routine just as you would on the course.

Do you hit with direction, but sometimes it falls short or passes?

Do you hit solid shots to the clubface, but finding direction is a challenge?

Next, hit 10 balls with the same club and use a smaller version of the swing (short swing – 3/4 of the swing). 

Again, analyze height, direction, clubface contact, and the completion of your normal routine as you were on the field.

Compare the shots with both swings.  Do you hit better (more solid, in the right direction, distance) with the normal version of the whole swing or with the reduced version (3/4 of the swing)?

Next, hit 10 balls again with your normal swing.

Now, you have to fix the direction your ball should fly and imagine any obstacle (water, bunkers, or OB) on one side of your target.

How were those shots compared to the first 10 with a normal swing —- and when he hits without obstacles that interfere with his analysis process.

Finally, hit 10 balls in the same way with the smaller version of the swing (3/4 of the swing) with water obstacle or any other in play.

Compare to the first 10 obstacle balls. Define which were the best shots, those with the pressure of the obstacle or those without pressure.

This workout is for you to find out what your best swing is when you are relaxed and what is the best swing when you are under pressure, the choice is always according to how you feel now.

Pre-Shot Routine: Your pre-shot routine is to identify and think about yourself and your style. This is important to find and identify the form and preparation that is key to maximizing your performance. So, head to the driving-range, grab your favorite putter and the bat you like the least, and sort them out of your bag. With your favorite cue, hit 5 balls using your natural routine. Now, hit 5 balls with the cue you like the least.

1. Did you do the exact same thing with each club?
2. How many good shots have you hit with your favorite club?
3. How many good shots have you hit with your least favorite club?

Analyze how you feel with each of the clubs.

1. Where did you compare one taco to the other?
2. Where did you lose control with both clubs?
3. Do you find your swing routine with a club difficult on its own and what causes the timing of your swing to change?

Now, add something new to your routine before your shot. Prepare the muscles involved in the golf swing, eat well following a nutritional program, carefully observe the Coach’s classes and don’t be afraid to change when he tells you to, develop your technique, put it into practice and you will have total control of your shots when you are on the course. Think like the best, who examine the routine before you take the shot, you can correct mistakes before you even make them.

LM GOLF SCHOOL