Dr. Izzy Justice
@izzyjustice
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Executive Coach, Sports Neuroscientist, 5X Ironman Finisher
Charlotte, NC
Joined May 2009
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In the movie Gladiator, Maximus is told “win the crowd & you win your freedom.” In neuroscience, if you can win the crowd in your head (control the monologues), you will win the freedom to be your best version especially when it counts.
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I’ve done over 6K brain scans on putting alone. Doing practice strokes just before hitting the putt has a negative impact on brain in over 95% of time. Eliminate your practice strokes to allow your brain to focus on holding your target.
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If there was an app that took all your life’s experiences/knowledge and in seconds converted it into ideas to help you each day especially for when it’s really needed, what would you pay for it? Well … you already have … it’s called Imagination and it’s your brain.
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Your negative thoughts dictate your resilience, not your positive ones. AND your negative thoughts are always 1st on the battle field of a challenging situation. You must prepare the right positive thoughts not for the challenge at hand but to combat your own negative thoughts.
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Your putting practice stroke is not a real practice stroke. You’re not hitting a ball. The brain knows that. It’s an unnecessary distraction robbing your brain of precious seconds it needs to be holding a target it’s eyes are not on.
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6K+ brain scans includes putts in practice area.Our research shows the more different practice shot is from an actual shot,the more useless that practice is bc brain is fully aware/mind wanders more.Practice Putt w 1 ball never from same spot; you know like real on-course putting
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Monday Oct 10 is Mental Health Day. This is short video - Part 1 of 3 - What is Current State? Please share.
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Your brain is designed to automatically store your bad shots subconsciously. Its doing its job and does this with all life experiences. It’s on you to consciously store your good shots. Your 1st post-round response should be to brag about all your good shots.
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Study (Owen Lab) shows brain on left after good night of sleep (6+hrs) vs on right, poor night of sleep (-4 hrs). Rested brain is more active especially for sensory (Target) input & applying right force to ball, like making putts. Make before-round sleep part of your warm up.
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Looking at 6K+ brain scans leads to many accidental discoveries. Par Putts (inside 10ft) have higher brain activity than birdie putts of same distance - resulting in par putts hit too hard for intended target. Play less break on all your Par Putts.
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Putting (& Golf) is a target sport. Targets are captured by eyes but processed in brain (middleman) prior to muscles executing. “Practice” stroke just prior to actual stroke activate a different part of brain (memory) diminishing sensory (eye) input.
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The most impactful golf lesson you can take is learning how to reduce the noise in your head, especially over shots. The dispersion of your shots with a less noisy brain is significantly smaller.
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In golf, when over the ball, only 2 things are asking for your full attention: the ball and the target. The quality of this attention = quality of your shot.
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There’s no such thing as muscle memory. Muscles make no decisions, store no skills/memory.When practicing shots, you’re not training muscles-you’re imprinting in your brain to transfer to muscles. Train your brain = less reps needed = better imprinting = recollect skill on course
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Completed 300 brain scans on 2 types of thoughts in last 5 seconds before shot - technical thought vs target thought. Dispersion of shot to target was 84% smaller (more accurate) with last thought being Target oriented.
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The entirety of your Pre Shot Routine, no matter how thorough, is rendered useless if then over the ball your mind is distracted. In over 6K Brain Scans over shots, the latter is consistently the root cause of poor shots, visibly predictable on screen.
#thebrainswingseveryclub
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Most of the shots you hit are not the reflection of your skill - but of the noise in your head at the time of shot, most of which is your repository of most recent similar poor shot.
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Number of hours you spent or balls hit in practice are mostly for self aggrandizement.This is an older framework of hard work when mind was not wandering every 3-10seconds. A better measure of a good practice is to ask “What did I do that will allow me to remember when playing”
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Worth Repeating: TAKING a target (which most golfers already do) & HOLDING a target are very different skill sets. To improve accuracy (reduce dispersion) improve having a target in mind whilst eyes are not on target.
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30 seconds before a shot, no one should be allowed in your head except the target. Your mental guest, target of current shot, will leave quickly so be super nice and entertain this guest until shot is executed.
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If can execute shots in practice (range) but not in your round, you don’t have a skill issue, you have a mental issue. Hitting more balls/practice will not fix this issue & changing your swing will likely make it worse.
#masteryourbrain
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Try not to think of the game of golf as an 18-hole or two 9-hole or a swing/ball striking/shortgame competition. Instead, consider golf as a 15- minute competition (the total time spent hitting shots over 18 holes) and your ability to hold a target w/o distraction over that time.
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Our research also shows that loss of target in putting (your brain is not holding a target bc it’s distracted) is by far, the
#1
reason for missed makeable putts (inside 10ft).
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Visualization Myth Buster:Consider the difference between Future Visualization (a shot you’re about to hit but have not yet) vs Past Visualization (a similar shot you perfectly hit very recently).The latter is easier (it actually happened, you did it)/more powerful for the brain.
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There is no shot you will hit where your brain is not associating what is required w past similar shots/situations… the 1st of which will always be your poor shots. You must be aware of this to replace that w your best similar shots.
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Doing Ks of brain scans while putting, we’ve found a reduction of 3-12Hz in brain activity by simply changing the language used…shifting from speed/line to Force to Target. Latter are “commands” brain likes - “how hard to hit (force) to send ball there (target)”
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There’s a discernible difference in brain waves (Hz) for putts left short (less force applied) vs putts hit too hard for line/target. Putts left short is a function of lost target during stroke. Putts hit too hard = presence of negative thoughts.
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Taking the target (pre shot routine) and Holding the target are not the same thing. Most are better off spending 25% routine time taking target and 75% holding it. If the brain knows “where” it needs to send the ball, it will instruct muscles to do so.
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THREAD: 1/10: Thank you to athletes/coaches/bz leaders for helping us cross the 15K mark in 2023 of live brain scans while executing a high performing task (at least 1/2 on golfers). We share our Top 10 findings, 1 each day on this thread to start 2024!
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When athletes/coaches call me,they r usually at rock one calls when performing well (rightfully)! In 100% of cases, their EEG (noise in head, usually too many technical thoughts & negative memories) is abnormally high. Improvement starts w noise reduction.
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A minimum of 85% of what you feel, think, do is predetermined by your subconscious (your internal hard drive of past/future).This is your baseline on-course chatter=your defacto (real) caddy. Isn’t it obvious if you have a negative caddy you will play poorly?
#youareyourcaddy
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The mechanics of your golf swing/stroke along w tempo, decision-making and response to poor shots are ALL controlled by your brain yet most know little about it. It’s the “club” that controls all clubs. Master it first.
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The brain will distract itself from any current task every 3-10seconds. In a pre shot routine that takes 60seconds, that’s 6-20 times. Just building self-awareness of what your brain is processing during this time will reduce the distraction.
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In a pre shot routine, the brain’s search algorithm will first go to most recent similar poorly executed shot/club used irrespective of the obvious that the current shot has nothing to do with any previous shot. Changing this algorithm must be part of all pre shot routines.
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An accidental discovery made doing bran scans on golfers while playing was seeing highest EEG activity (brain noise) on Greens (vs T box/fairway). The brain is aware that accuracy is premium and a final hole score is imminent. Making better use of any wait times on Greens is key.
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Use any poor shot simply as an alarm that your brain is wandering/distracted. The response is always the same: negotiate with your brain, refuel with better thoughts before next shot. This is the test of the game.
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For a normal person today, brain will be distracted by itself (lose focus) every 3-10 seconds. In a 45-second pre shot routine, that’s 4-15 times. Being aware of this is key to becoming a good putter so that target is never lost.
#golfisatargetsport
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The proverbial “commit to every shot” can be practiced countless times off the course by “committing” your full attention to any moment/conversation that matters. If you can’t do that here, how can you expect to do it over a golf shot?
#thebrainswingseveryclub
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Under pressure, Visualizing an imminent shot is a lot more difficult than visualizing a past great similar shot. Learn to use your past success - your future needs it!!
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My own data from Ks of brain scans corroborates what other Neuroscientists also found: Less negative thinking is far more effective for performance than more positive thinking.
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Excited to announce launch of new Podcast next week! Called “CHASING 10Hz” - I’ll be exploring cognitive attributes of when we are at our best. Here’s a teaser.
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Your best shot and your worst shot are rarely separated by physical ability or technique, and almost entirely by the crowd noise in your brain over those shots.
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Time is neither fast nor slow yet (1) when performing poorly, things feel fast (2) when performing well, time feels slow. Speed of time is a reflection of brain activity (quantity of thoughts): more thoughts = time feels faster = poor performance.
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Myth Buster: positive thoughts are good to have when putting. Whereas positive thoughts (I’m going to make this) are better than negative thoughts (don’t leave it short), they equally distract from sensory input to hold a target. Target thoughts are better than positive thoughts.
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If your goal is to beat someone else at something, you’ve already lost, no matter the outcome. If your goal is to bring out the best out of yourself no matter the competition, you’ve already won, no matter the outcome.
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An unintended technical flaw in your swing/stroke is entirely a function of distracting thoughts that compete with and disrupt neuromuscular processes from brain to muscle sequencing. A noise-free mind is therefore the best technical fix.
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The poor shots hit 24-48hrs before a tournament round are ones more likely to be retrieved by brain during real round than the 100s of great shots you’ve hit. Replay these poor shots, find the cause/fix/add to your warm up.If you don’t,your brain will do it during your real round
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After poor shots/rounds, if you’re not fixing the noise in your head FIRST, you will always be fixing the wrong problem.
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Want a great short game? Practice with 1 ball. Go pick it up and go to a different spot.
#golfisatargetsport
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stationary drills of any kind show massive spikes in mind wandering after just a few minutes - your brain is essentially “bored”; stationary technical drills are fine but keep them short. Drills that help you hit middle of putter face are best.
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What makes putting difficult is eyes are not on target when putting.Mind loses focus every 3-10 seconds creating internal distractions, losing target picked. Without a target, the “distracted” brain will confuse muscle communication leading to mishits/poor strokes, wrong force.
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@hutch_golf
Hutch. I’m the author so I’m biased :) but the book is not just a read but also a “do” - it asks you to write in it to generate items unique to you that you can use immediately on the golf course. Your brain is the club you use on all shots - and I try to explain how to use it!
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If you’re struggling with putting, consider changing your brain input variables from Line/Speed to Force To Target ie “How much force do I want to apply to the ball to send it there?”
#thebrainswingseveryclub
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2/2…working on your “baseline noise” in the hours/days leading to your round. We take “life’s” brain to the course. Even 30 mins prior to round (even on your drive to course) is priceless time to reduce your baseline noise.
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Consider that the most valuable currency is neither money nor time … but your attention in moments that matter. This is high performance. This is wealth. This is happiness.
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Metaphorically, as we get to Holes 17 & 18 of life, we realize that we would’ve played the first 16 holes different. We will wish we didn’t keep score; instead, took time to enjoy the company, the surroundings, the great shots, and laughed at ourselves more.
#golfisagreatgam
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If you have a club that changes specs every 10 seconds while playing, you’d want to know (1) how much has it changed from original specs (2) what to do to get it back. This club is your brain and primary source of inconsistency.
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Devastated to hear about Grayson Murray’s passing. It’s a common myth in depression that no one else has stress. This is my “I Stress Too” video - join me in dispelling this myth by creating your own.
#istresstoo
#formurray
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The brain is the only part of your body where all of your life’s experiences are stored. This “hard drive” noise is what we take to the course. It can be game-changing to learn how to suspend that noise when over the ball which is less than 15 mins (out of 4+ hours round of golf)
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Making your bad better is better than making your good better bc your bad is what’s holding your good back.
#thebrainswingseveryclub
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I coach all my professional athletes/coaches on the 30-1 Principle. If there’s a 1% chance than doing something that takes less than 30 mins will help you perform better, do it.
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In the movie Gladiator, Maximus is told “win the crowd & you win your freedom.” In neuroscience, if you can win the crowd in your head (control the monologues), you will win the freedom to be your best version especially when it counts.
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You lose focus when the current moment becomes the background to your monologue. The present should always be “the show” you want to be fully immersed in. It’s your moment to experience … a gift to you and those around you.
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Worth repeating: We’ve been thinking of kindness/compassion as benefiting the receiver. Whilst this is true, the neuroscience bears a far more powerful benefit to the Giver than for the receiver. Being kind is easiest way to enhance your human experience.
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You don’t choose your 1st thought … but you can choose the thought after that one. You don’t choose to think about the bogey of last hole on the T box, but you can choose to think about the tree on your target line.
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The best time to learn is when you are performing well.The worst time to learn is when you’re not performing well bc it’s unbelievably easy to fix the wrong problem. Celebrate success but also use it to capture/record/document all the variables responsible for it.
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If you can walk into a crowded room, ignore most people and walk your way to the person you really want to talk to, then you can decide in your crowded Brain thoughts which thought you want to give most attention to. Doing this pre shot and over a shot is mental strength.
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Paying attention to anything or anyone has never been harder. All slower non-reactionary sports are therefore harder. Throw in not looking at your target when hitting the ball …. And you have mentally the hardest sport of all - Golf.
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If you want to be great, you’re only allowed ONE excuse when underperforming … “I did not prepare for all possible scenarios.”
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If you can spend a few minutes by yourself and process the concept of a bad Par and a great Bogey, you will begin to appreciate the massive role of the brain while playing.
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By a landslide, the
#1
barrier to your best performance … irrespective of your craft … is your own internal mind wandering.
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Consider a Neuroscience Definition of Pressure: (1) Too many thoughts (2) Most of them are negative. So under-pressure strategy should be simple (1) reduce thoughts by shifting attention to target (2) replace w positive memory.
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Remember a simple truth: someone will always make time for/notice/be patient with … what is important to them… and vice versa.
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The brain’s subconscious does its job by actively storing negative shots - creating “scars” … what we need to do consciously is “scar” our brain with positive shots. Inventory good shots during your round and “scar” your brain with them.
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In golf, you only need to be perfect for 15 mins over 5 hours. This is a reasonable ask.
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There is no “switch” to turn on to initiate excellence - to hit a shot perfectly. An athlete on the field is merely reflecting who they are off the field. Your “switch” is be excellent in life so there is no switch to turn on the field.
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When a skill you demonstrably have doesn’t show up when it counts/needed, practicing that skill again is not the solution. Removing the barrier of why it’s not showing up should be the focus and in almost all cases, it’s a noisy brain that’s the barrier.
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If you’re surprised in competition, you didn’t prepare correctly.
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There is no performance without Mental Health. If you win, it doesn’t feel satisfying; If you lose, it feels like hell. Make mental health the foundation on which to train, practice & play… you will enjoy your wins (big & small) and in failure, you will learn and still win.
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Your brain is always keeping many scores- not just your stroke ’s also tracking your poor shots: how many of them, when/where, how others are playing, etc. While playing, force your brain to only “score” how well you’re making adjustments to poor shots.
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In putting, HOLDING the target creates the perfect stroke…not the other way around.
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A great day collaborating in Houston w
@halsuttongolf
and his team. Embarking on an some ambitious goals integrating cutting-edge neuroscience using “trackman of the brain” technology.
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@halsuttongolf
@PGATOUR
I’m a neuroscientist. We know more about the brain in past 15 years than previous 1000s. whatever you teach a golfer is received, stored & retrieved in the brain not muscles. Understanding this can help both Instructor/student. eg storage occurs at night/sleep not during lesson.
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A swing/technique change will only temporarily fix the challenge of being self-distracted.
#thebrainswingseveryclub
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You cannot find anything with your eyes closed. This is the challenge of Putting - eyes on ball, not on hole (a small target). Train to hold targets in brain while not looking at them - like a no-look basketball pass.
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In that scared desired “zone” state, athletes claim to “not thinking of anything” -this is a misunderstood attribute. The brain is never not-thinking, it’s more that you’re thinking of the right things…usually absorbing sensory input of present moment.
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Would you use a putter whose dimensions changed on every green? Or changed based on the quality of shots that led to the green? Or past putts? Of course not! Yet, that’s the reality of your brain on every green. It’s changing. Master your brain to master putting.
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Everything is simple. It’s only complicated in the brain.
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If someone yells in your stroke, you’re likely to mishit the putt. The brain is forced to process the yell, you lose the target, and stroke is off. More realistic is your own brain is doing the same thing internally to yourself.
#puttingismental
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“Not thinking” as a goal to high performance is not possible. Some say “Don’t think, Just do.” Not possible. The brain is constantly working even when we sleep. The right goal should be “Think about the right things.”
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A poor shot comes with a Mental Prison Sentence that can last minutes to hours. Your Defense Attorney’s arguments to get you out fast is Mental Strength. All practice must include preparation for this Trial.
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A good warm up is when the 1st hole feels like the 5th hole.
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It is not in your power to stop talking to yourself … it is in your power to decide what you want to talk about. This needs to be part of all preparation for competition.
#thebrainswingseveryclub
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7/10: Most of you will vehemently refute this claim: At least 60% of your performance/score is determined before you hit your 1st shot. Your “wake up brain noise” is a major variable that can be managed.
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You can change your technique and you might find a great mental game, but you can change for a great mental game and technique will matter less.
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In the brain, the half life of a great shot is seconds compared to the half life of a bad shot (mins/hours). This is a correctable.
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Thx!!!!
@jakehuttgolf
“For a normal person today the brain will be distracted by itself (lose focus) every 3-10 seconds. In a 45 second pre shot routine, that’s 4-15 times. Being aware of this is key to becoming a good putter so that target is never lost. “
-Dr Izzy Justice (
@dr
.izzyjustice)
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In a randomized controlled study, 200 Brain Scans were done on 5-foot putts. 156 (78%) were made with elevated sensory cortex just before putt - eg silent description of entry point on hole while looking down at ball.
#brainmakesputts
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When I teach players how to activate their senses and use them in shots - I get a lot of “I used to do this when I played my best!”
#thebrainswingseveryclub
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