Sample Practice Session.

Here is a sample practice session. If yours does not look like this, that is ok. But, if you want to quality practice, maybe this is something to think about.

Goal of the practice: Improve my ball Contact with my irons. 30 minutes on the range.

Plan / Type of Practice:
* 00-05 minutes - Tempo. BLOCK STYLE (Drag and Hit). No focus on results. No judgement. Get the tempo.
* 05-10 minutes - Focus on striking the ground. Hit 40m pitch shots for better feel. Introduce 1 full swing after every 5 practice shots. RANDOM STYLE practice.
* 10-15 minutes - Focus on better balance in my swing. Start over my routine after every shot. Change target and club after every shot for variety. RANDOM STYLE of practice.
* 15-25 minutes - PLAY. Focus on playing the course on the range. Introduce the feeling of nerves by thinking about playing with my idols (Tiger, Phil, Robert Karlsson, etc) or with someone I don't know. Create consequence with different barriers (out of bounds, water hazards, bunker). RANDOM STYLE of practice.
* 5 minutes for TEMPO. BLOCK style of practice. Get the feeling in your body.
* 3 minutes for entré into your journal. This time is vital for your brain to assess what you have learned and to remember for next time.

Variety must be an important part of your training. Have a specific goal in mind (which determines the practice method) and change it up to keep your concentration. Good luck!

Steven

Assessment:

Good, Better, How

Lessons from the Lesson Tee 19/4

So you never know what sort of problems or situations you will run into when giving golf lessons. My philosophy is to treat everyone individually and tailor the lessons based on the physical limitations and goals of each student. I don't want to go into each lesson with a pre-determined way that they should swing, HOWEVER, I do have a framework in which I determine what is important. Here are a couple keys that I try and achieve with my students:

(1) Take out curve. If I have a student that has too much slice / hook, I want to match the face and swing shape so to take out much of the curve. Eliminating one side will be much easier when aiming and playing.
(2) Address Physical Limitations. My experience as a TPI GP3 professional tells me that most people don't want a prescription to training in the gym. However, if we can introduce simple, at-home exercises or stetches, this will help us achieve our swing improvements.
(3) Promote Short Game. There is no way around this one if you actually want to be a decent player. Anybody can "knock" it around the course, but getting the ball into the hole requires some skill.
(4) Teach people how to practice. I know too many people who don't know how to take the information from the lesson tee to the practice range / golf course. I make it a priority to teach people how learn / accept shot information. I teach people how to build their practice sessions which will match their ability and goals.
(5) Know when to shut up. Sometimes saying less or nothing at all is worth more.

Today, on the lesson tee:

* Student 1 needed to get more left in the swing. However, we found that his left hip is pretty tight. In addition to "getting left", we needed to introduce some simple exercises that he can do daily to achieve this feeling. This lesson was very productive as the student was a good player and understood what was needed for his improvement.

* Student 2 needed to continue to work on aiming and improving their routine. Student 2 is a high achiever in her business life, and there is too much judgement on each shot defining her worthiness as a golfer. We have introduced more confidence-building drills based on "process" rather than "outcome". She is doing great after one week and this really showed up today. I am proud.

* Student 3 hit the ball much better on the range today than she has been on the course. With her, it was more reflections and understanding, rather than hitting balls. We did focus on improving her bunker shots (an understanding of the design of the sandwedge, ball position and speed were all needed in this lesson). She, too, needs some credit for how she is practicing.

* Student 4 was one of those "know when to shut up" lessons. She "pured it" throughout the lesson, and so we worked on hitting different shots which she might be facing during an upcoming tournament. Another "process-focused" lesson, her swing thought is finding 80% tempo. When her tempo reaches higher than 80%, she loses her posture and becomes too steep with her swing plane. However, I did not need to tell her that. She knows what she needs to do and came away from the lesson with more confidence than when she came.

I am proud of my students for stepping up and taking lessons. I am also proud in how hard they work to get better. We promote a "growth mindset" on the lesson tee, which I believe is the true way to improvement.

Steven

Get to know your tempo!

Getting back to the swing of a new golf season, don't neglect your tempo. Here is one way to find your tempo.



Leave a comment if you like it.

Regards,
Steven

Junior Training Camp Day Four

The purpose of a camp like this is to (1) bring juniors together and get to know each other (2) learn different techniques / practice tips from each other (3) get away from our "Home Club" to be able to focus on improvement. I think we achieved all three. The last day at Degeberga GK in Skåne, Sweden, brought with it Sun and Warmth. After 3 hard days of training in the wind, our players had to quickly make the adjustment. It is just as much a mental test as a physical. In the end, Henrik Sturehed from Vreta Kloster won our 36 hole tournament with 77-80 (157), which I can say was not all that bad considering the first round of the season, and in somewhat storm conditions. During this camp, we focused much of our time on teaching the kids how to practice. There are a couple of different ways to practice but the most important is to have a GOAL for the parts of your practice session. The goal will then determine the method (Block or Random) for which you use to practice. We also tested the junior's short game. This is VITAL to do if you are interested in becoming a better player. There is always room for improvement in the short game and often times this can be the most meaningful in reducing handicap. Lastly, we introduced (for some) the physical side to golf. Pushing yourself to get up and workout is not only going to improve your fitness and body, but also your mental side. If you keep pushing yourself, you never know what you can achieve. Thanks for reading and check out all the pictures in the album Regards, Steven

Junior Training Camp Day Three

So, as you can see in the picture, I have made it to the top of this mountain that is directly behind our rental house. Every morning, we have used this as both a fitness and mental test. One of the themes we carried into this Junior Camp is to "Push Yourself" and this is a perfect way to start each day.

We played early today and with the weather being more sunny and warm, everyone was feeling excited. This was the first "real" golf that we have played since the Autumn.

After golf, we brought out the Flightscope and tested our Drivers. It is very important to know what your club/ball speed, initial launch angle and spin rate is if you want to maximize out your length. We ended with a long drive tournament (which was one by a very good looking American Pro who hit it 304 yds with 113mph, 13.5 launch and 2657 rpm in spin). :-)

For the last hour of the day, we divided up the group into two (half went back out to the course for some strategy / routine work and the other half stayed on the range to hear about and understand how the ball curves). All in all, today was a productive day. Now we can look forward to watching the Masters this evening! Good Night from Degeberga.

Steven

Junior Training Camp Day Two

So ever wondered what it is like to play golf in Hurricane-like conditions? We developed had felt that today. With winds holding at 54mph and gusts upward upward of 60mph, it was definitely a challenge. We started the day with a fitness session. Jogging around several Soccer Fields, we ended the session by sprinting up the "mountain" that happens to be behind our housing. Out of breath, we then did the Coach Noss Punching and Star Drills (focus on developing different planes of motion and rotation). After breakfast, we start golf training on "How to Practice" and "How we Learn". We talk much about taking time between shots to let information sink into the brain and using the Block Practice method when working on Tempo. We talked about planning practice and setting goals for each practice session. Next, we used the Red Zone Challenge Short Game test to see where all short game tests are currently. The tests showed a couple of areas of improvement: especially Bunker shots and Distance Wedges. After lunch, our focus was on playing. Being so difficult conditions to deal with, we focused our time on building solid routines. One technique I like is to "Say Outloud" what the player is thinking with his/her routine. It helps focus thoughts more clearly and usually keeps out the negatives that might creep in. Tomorrow, hopefully the weather will be a bit better. We play in the morning and practice in the afternoon. Good night from Skåne. Regards, Steven

Junior Training Camp Day One

So we have driven down to Southern Sweden called Skåne (Skoh-nay). With 3 packed mini busses and 17 juniors, we have arrived at a golf course called Degeberga-Widtsköfle Golf Club. Today's focus was to get comfortable with golf again, because for many, this is the first swing of the clubs since October 2010. With 50mph wind gusts, today was definitely a challenge. A couple of areas that we focused on today were: (1) Tempo - I learned early in my golf career "When it is breezy, you gotta swing easy." Keep the tempo lower to be able to decrease spin on the ball and hopefully hit it straighter. (2) Hit it solid. The ball doesn't fly anywhere, when mis-hit in windy conditions. (3) Acceptance. These types of days are vital to have the right attitude and accept all kinds of bad situations. Because the wind affects the spin of the ball, the stability of the player and the mental skills of the player, it is impossible not to find yourself in weird situations. Take it easy on yourself and enjoy these conditions. Tomorrow brings 4 hours of training in the morning and course strategy training in the afternoon. Good night. Steven

Lessons from the Lesson Tee

I was in the studio pretty much the entire afternoon today, which was good since it was a couple degrees above 0C and blowing sideways. It wouldn't have been much fun to stand outside while practicing.

My goal for every lesson is to improve upon the current technique and above all help the student learn how to practice. The student should always come away from the studio knowing what he/she needs to do and different ways to do it.

Lesson #1 - My player with a 11 handicap hit pretty much every shot to the right and with very little solid contact. Looking at his swing, he moved a good foot to the right and never really returned back to the ball. This is a classic "Feel vs Real" situation. I told him that we need to feel Left, Left and Left (he is a right-handed player). This would be a great situation to use the Stack & Tilt swing style (but I am not officially certified in SnT). Anyway, with a little clubface education and some feet together drills, he started to understand the feeling. I also held his head (at first) to get him moving into right direction. After a while, he got it and knows what and why.

Lesson #2 - Check the lie angles of your clubs. Did you know that your clubs could bend over the course of a season. Don't assume they are correct. I changed probably 6 irons that where, in some cases, 1 degree too upright. Check your clubs!

Lesson #3 - If your swing is flatter into impact (meaning the clubhead travels more from inside to out, then you need to activate your body more through impact. Here, my student (who is a very good player), told me that he is hitting BIG SWEEPING DRAWS with the occasional "BLOCK" which really gets him into trouble. His feeling is to keep his hands in tight as he rotates his body hard left. His thought is that he is standing in a Hula Hoop (which is a laying on the ground. His hands need to follow the shape of the hoop and never swing on the outside of the hoop.

Lesson #4 - Always go back to fundamentals. My player was returning to the game. When he quit a few years back, he had a 13 handicap. This tells me that he knows HOW to swing the club, but his fundamentals where a bit off. His ball position was too far forward to be able and strike downward with his irons and his balance was off. He tended to fall forward toward the ball. After I guided him toward the correct feeling for a release, I then stood behind him and proceeded to push him (gently, of course) forward towards the ball. His job was to not fall forward. He had to engage his muscles and rotate left instead. It was a new feeling and one he could definitely develop with the help of a buddy.

I always try and make time (10 minutes or so) at the end of each lesson to teach HOW to practice. Today we focused on 1 bucket of balls (20 balls) divided into groups of 4. With 5 balls in each group, the goal is to (a) Only ONE thought per group (b) slow down the tempo or hit pitch-style shots to get the feeling (c) test with ONE full swing in each group. (d) no judgements...only objective information.

"So long" from the Studio and the Lesson Tee....

Regards,
Steven

Should your coach give you "HOW-TO" directions?

I had a good player in the studio this afternoon. We started our time together for a fitting of new Titleist irons, but after some "off" shots we shifted a bit towards his technique. Being a good player (hcp 5), I know that do not have to give much feedback. My rule of thumb is "The Better the technique, the less the feedback," ...meaning... I shouldn't stand there and give "HOW-TO" directions for striking the ball. Instead, I noticed that his ball position was quite a bit forward. His misses were definitely thin / fat shots, so we started the discussion, "If you mis-hit behind the ball, what might be some causes?" We arrived to ball position and I suggested that he put a club on the ground between his legs to check different positions. He noticed that the ball was way forward and understood that it would be difficult to hit downward with this position. I did not tell him "Your ball position is WRONG," but because he made the connection to what it SHOULD BE versus where it WAS, it was easy for him to make the adjustment.

Another aspect of the fitting showed us that he consistently hit the ball on the toe end of the face. His set up with the iron clubs were already favoring the toe pointing upward, so I wasn't interested in making his club longer. We put a headcover on the inside of the target line, and I suggested that he miss the headcover when striking the ball. He did so but was still on the "toe-side" of the middle of the face. After a couple of shots to gain the feeling and understanding, I suggested that he TRY and hit the hosel of the club. He made some great swings...striking closer to the middle of the face than the previous shots during the lesson. Again, we stopped between shots so that he could make the connection / understanding of what was happening. As a teacher, I could clearly see that his ball position and face impact was off, but to help the student actually learn something, my questions needed to lead him to his own discovery.

As a coach, do you TELL your students directly what the problem is, and if so, do they learn?

As a student, do you learn best from lessons where the coach gives you "HOW-TO" instructions or lessons where you come upon the answers through your own guided process?

Leave a comment if you like. Thanks!

Steven