The Process for Training Your Mental Game

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠?

This is one of the questions I get asked the most... by golfers of all levels (and athletes in all sports).

Most athletes have a basic understanding of the process for Physical Training and Skills Training.

𝙋𝙝𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜… simple. Improve strength, increase speed, increase flexibility.

𝙎𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙁𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜… maybe not quite as simple. Improve swing, sharpen short game, dial-in putting.

In my experience golfers apply most of their improvement efforts into these two areas.

𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜… seems to be a bit of a mystery. Is it witchcraft, voodoo… or laying on a couch sharing your feelings?

𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞… 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 M𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬.

You can’t make an efficient plan for positive change moving forward… until you know where you are.

The Key Metrics are:

𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 – Neuroscience driven optimum brainwave “access”.

𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 – Psychological Trigger/Response “patterns”.

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 – Is you training helping your Mental Game or inhibiting it?

𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 – Pre-Shot Routine and Performance Bias strengths and weaknesses.

Once we have created an accurate assessment of YOUR Key Metrics… the process for improvement gets much clearer.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐢𝐬… 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞/𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝.

Go after the low hanging Mental Game “fruit”.

This is where experience is critical.

Knowledge gained from playing, coaching and researching multiple sports is invaluable in assessing which of your Metrics is the most important to change.

This makes sure you move toward your goals as quickly and simply as possible.

The Process itself is all about “Success Progressions”.

Research Science has proven the fastest way to achieve a BIG GOAL is to follow a series of small successful steps toward the BIG GOAL.

Small successful steps on the way to your BIG GOAL keeps engagement high, success level high and frustration low.

When you only focus only on the BIG GOAL it takes longer to achieve that BIG GOAL.

This means you will experience more failures along the way.

Failures are excellent learning opportunities BUT... they can lead to greater frustration and gradual erosion of trust in your ability to overcome new challenges.

𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐬... 𝐦𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

The steps that will simply and efficiently lead you to having more fun doing what you love.

As you can imagine… the details of the Process will vary from individual to individual.

Which is why having a Mentor you trust and that you enjoy working with is so important to make sure YOUR Mental Fitness Process is successful.

Touch base 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐚 𝐙𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐩 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮!