Put a bunch of academics, researchers, engineers, and golf coaches at a University presenting research on golf and what do you get? The World Scientific Congress of Golf held this year at the home of golf in St Andrews, Scotland.

I was lucky enough to spend the week in St. Andrews attending as many sessions as possible while trying to get a good grasp on where the research is currently at and where it’s headed.

A little about the Congress

This was a return of sorts as the first event was held in 1990 at St. Andrews University led by Alastair Cochran (author of Search for the Perfect Swing) and Martin Farrally.

The mission of the WSCG is to bring together researchers, professionals, and interested golfers in the areas of The Golfer, The Golf Course, and Equipment and Technology.

You might recognize the current chair of the Congress, Dr. Debbie Crews from past episodes and founder of Opti International. However, this was her last year as chair, having held that position for the last 10 years! She did a fantastic job pulling together an amazing group of presenters and creating an event that was really enjoyable to attend and completely fascinating.

I wanted to share a few things that stood out to me and give you a quick look at some of the research.

Quiet eye might not be all it’s thought to be

We recently did an episode sharing some research on Quiet Eye and putting. It’s a concept that a fair amount of research has been done on, but when I sat in on a presentation from Laura Carey she presented some valid arguments to take another look at the concept.

In her study they attempted to create a representative task (previous studies haven’t taken this into account) to what golfers face on the course, putts of different lengths and slope (8, 15, and 25 feet) and what they found was surprising.

The data revealed considerable within-participant variability in both QE and performance measures. The within variability of participants in putts holed and QE highlight that within experienced amateur and professional golfers there is inconsistency within their putting accuracy and their routines. (Laura Carey, Robin Jackson, Malcolm Fairweather, Joe Causer & Mark Williams, 2016)

What they found was a lot of variation and variability with the duration of Quiet Eye amongst golfers. At this point it seems we don’t understand why it works or why it happens.

The takeaway? Take a listen and learn about the concept but understand that you need to test it yourself and see what works best for you.

Gaze Behaviors of Elite Golfers: Does Task Difficulty Influence Quiet Eye?
Laura Carey, Robin Jackson, Malcolm Fairweather, Joe Causer & Mark Williams

There’s more to the concept of “external focus” than you think

We’ve done a few pieces of content here at the Golf Science Lab talking about Internal vs External Focus. The concept being that an external focus helps to make movements more fluid and improve performance + learning.

Dr. Noel Rousseau presented some VERY interesting research that might open up some new possibilities. In a study he did he created an “intervention” of sorts walking golfers through a pre-shot routine helping them limit conscious processing (swing thoughts). You might think that if you had “no thoughts” during a swing you would be able to perform better.

What he found is that’s not true for everyone…

A high ‘verbaliser’ group deteriorated while ‘visualisers’ showed improvement during restricted conscious processing trials (Noel Rousseau, Matthew Bridge & Ian Boardley, 2016)

What I took away is there’s more to the conversation than just internal vs external. The reality is that there has been some incredible golf played with an internal focus… why is that? Well there’s variability between us and what works for you might not work for me.

I’m really interested in Dr. Noel’s work and looking forward to learning more about these concepts.

Conscious Processing of a Complex Motor Skill: An Investigation Into the Automaticity Paradigm of Full Golf Swing Execution
Noel Rousseau, Matthew Bridge & Ian Boardley

The Irish are working hard on their player development

There were two really good presentations looking at the development of golfers in Ireland. The first by Jussi Pitkanen talking about the transition from amateur to professional.

The most important need for these amateur golfers was social and psychological support, followed by financial support, and the need to be highly self-motivated and driven to succeed.

One fact that stood out from Jussi’s study was that, the players that received the most funding and support during their amateur careers have the lower world rankings after turning pro.

I heard more than a few times at this congress from player development experts that the emphasis needs to be on developing great PEOPLE and not just winning. There needs to be more topics talked about other than performance, scores, and winning that help to equip athletes for life beyond sports.

Elite Irish Golfers’ Experiences of Transition From Amateur To Professional
Jussi Pitkanen & Martin Toms

There’s a lot of very practical and useful research going on at Pinehurst.

Dr. Bob Christina and Eric Alpenfels from Pinehurst went about busting a number of myths with their research. Here are a couple of the most interesting ones that will probably have an impact on your game the next time you head out to the course.

Aim Small Miss Small? – BUSTED
In the testing they did this didn’t hold true… in fact the opposite appeared to have the most positive impacts with driving and long putting.

Lower Tee Height = More Accuracy? – BUSTED
Not only do golfers hit it longer but also more accurately when teeing the ball up higher. This again goes against conventional wisdom but showed to be true with their testing.

Use the grip size that feels best? – BUSTED
Most people choose their grip size by what feels best or based on some type of fitting chart. Through testing 23/24 golfers found they had their best performance with a grip other than what they were fit for based on measurements.

The reality is that selecting the right grip size has less to do with preference or size of hands and has more to do with the type of shot and performance.

With all of these concepts. Go do some testing and see what has a positive impact on your performance.

The Pinehurst Studies: Discoveries That Defy Conventional Wisdom
Bob Christina & Eric Alpenfels

Aim Small, Miss Small: To What Extent Does it Work?
Bob Christina & Eric Alpenfels

Great Info from Golf Coaches

I attended two presentations from some great coaches…

A Framework for Artful Coaching: Infusing the Lesson Tee with Learner Optimized Activities – Corey Lundberg and Matt Wilson

How do you actually implement these research based learning concepts into the lesson tee as a coach and instructor? That is what Matt and Corey covered so well.

I love this framework and in fact they have an entire article outlining the concept you can go through here.

The Scottish High Performance Golf Project – Graeme McDowall and Peter Arnott

Amateur golf is characterized by stability and professional golf is characterized by instability.

How do you create training that helps golfers improve skills that show up under pressure when it matters on the golf course? Graeme and Peter are looking at helping players use constraint based coaching environments.

We’ve done two amazing episodes with these guys in the past. Highly recommend checking those out.

How Good Golfers Get Good
Constraint Based Learning Environments

Speed Set Testing – Application of the Scientific Method to Club Fitting – Liam Mucklow
What would happen if you applied the scientific method to club fitting? A valid question if you ask me! Liam got everyone out onto the St. Andrews driving range giving a hands on demonstration through the method he takes people for fitting clubs.

Fantastic method I recommend looking into more.

The Brain and Emotions Control Learning and Performance – Michael Hebron & Stephen Yazulla

Michael always has some interesting insights to share on learning and the brain and his workshop was no different. I love the premises he shared…

1) To be mindful that your words and attitudes create emotional responses in your students during a lesson, particularly those attempts that would be considered to be “failed” outcomes.

2) To understand that these emotional responses are reflected in the hormonal environment of the brain, which in turn affect subsequent actions.

3) To coach in a manner that takes these changes in the brain into account so as to create a learning environment that enhances learning and performance rather than suppressing them.

It was a fantastic week and one that I came away with a lot of new knowledge and great experiences from. Watch for the all the abstracts from the Congress which will be published mid August in the International Journal of Golf Science supplemental issue.

At the closing banquet it was announced that the 2018 congress will be held in Vancouver, Canada. Hopefully we’ll see some of you there!

The post 2016 World Scientific Congress of Golf Review appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

We went back through our past contributors and pulled together everyone’s books in one place so you can pick up anything that’s missing for your library.

This post’s books are from contributors to season 1 of the podcast and presenters from the Motor Learning Masterclass. Great for both golfers and coaches looking to expand their knowledge of how learning and skill development actually happens.

Dr. Mark Guadagnoli

No matter what you have tried so far, there is a better way. There is a better way to practice so you lower your scores and have more fun. The better way means learning to go beyond your comfort zone on the range so you are in your comfort zone on the course.

The better way means combining the mental and physical aspects of golf to create habits of excellence. “Practice to Learn, Play to Win” uses the latest research in brain science to supercharge your golf. The better way to golf starts with great practice and ends with great scores.

Get your copy here >Practice to Learn, Play to Win

Adam Young

This book is the most comprehensive guide to improving your Golf EVER!  A best-seller in the USA, UK, Canada, Germany and France, and featured on The Golf Channel, “The Practice Manual – The Ultimate Guide for Golfers” is creating a wave in the golf industry and changing the way we think about playing better golf. With golfers around the World hitting the driving ranges and not improving, it is time to do something different — it’s time to do something better. Using information from the latest in motor learning research, you will discover the key ingredients which make the ultimate practice plan. You will also find out where you have been going wrong all these years, and be able to quickly change for the better.

If you are a keen golfer who likes to practice, or if you are an aspiring Tour Pro or College player, this book is a necessity. For Golf Coaches around the World, this book will transform the way you teach golf forever.

Get your copy here > The Practice Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Golfers

Trent Wearner

In order for you to successfully take your game to the course, you must bring the elements found on the course to your practices and that is exactly what this book (and this interactive website) does.

With its 230 pages and nearly 100 competitive practice games (all with color photos), items like score, a consequence, different lies, distractions, pressure and more are brought to the forefront so that you can practice in a manner that TRANSFERS to the course.

Get your copy here > Golf Scrimmages: Realistic Practice Games Under Pressure

Dr. Gabriele Wulf

Attention and Motor Skill Learning explores how a person’s focus of attention affects motor performance and, in particular, the learning of motor skills. It synthesizes the knowledge coming from recent research examining the effects of attentional focus on motor performance and learning, and it provides practical implications for both instructional and rehabilitative settings.

It provides many practical examples and implications for teaching, learning, relearning, and performing motor skills. This book will help readers better understand the effects that attentional focus has on motor performance and learning as well as the mechanisms underlying these effects. While challenging traditional learning methods, this book presents the latest research and demonstrates how changing one’s focus of attention can speed the learning process and lead to more effective performance of motor skills.

Get your copy here > Attention and Motor Skill Learning

Dr. Tim Lee

Motor Control in Everyday Actions presents 47 true stories that illustrate the phenomena of motor control, learning, perception, and attention in sport, physical activity, home, and work environments. At times humorous and sometimes sobering, this unique text provides an accessible application-to-research approach to spark critical thinking, class discussion, and new ideas for research.

The stories in Motor Control in Everyday Actions illustrate the diversity and complexity of research in perception and action and motor skill acquisition. More than interesting anecdotes, these stories offer concrete examples of how motor behavior, motor control, and perception and action errors affect the lives of both well-known and ordinary individuals in various situations and environments.

Get your copy here > Motor Control in Everyday Actions

Joe Bosco

Any player from beginner to aspiring tour player can improve in a much more direct and enjoyable way using a time-tested and results-proven method backed by cutting-edge research in human learning and brain function. It’s a technique used by the Marine Corps, Harvard Business School and the NBA. Unlike the dozens of other instruction books that come out every year, Real Golf isn’t a collection of mechanical adjustments, tips and drills.

It is a complete guide to sorting, evaluating and successfully integrating the instruction players are already receiving from a teacher, magazine, book or a video. It is instruction on how to use instruction. Using the sophisticated, personalized self-scrimmage strategies detailed in the book, players can make dramatic scoring breakthroughs immediately, and see massive handicap improvement in eight to 10 weeks.

Get your copy here > Real Golf: Taking Your Best Game to the Course

Michael Hebron

A must read for every serious golfer who wants a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of the golf swing. It’s one of the best books on the golf swing in publication and truly focuses on the motions and actions present in all sound golf swings. Explanations and the many illustrations are easy to understand. Hebron quotes Ben Hogan and Bobby Jones throughout the book. Originally his Masters thesis, now a classic in the industry. Third revision refines the book even more than prior editions.

Hebron’s efficient approaches to golf help players invent their swings, putting strokes, and tempos.

On the subject of learning golf comes a comprehensive study of how people learn the necessary motor skills plus a wealth of information on keeping the mind centered on the task at hand.

The quintessential manual for golf instructors, coaches and curious minds of any sport. This manual, filled with powerful photos and drawings, is a must for any serious golfer’s bookshelf. Each of the 3 sections is a manual in and of itself. Hebron shares a lifetime of extensive research on the sports mind and body, then relates the information to the golf swing. By understanding the roll of each moving and thinking part in a motor skill, readers are placed in a position to build a golf swing (or any motor skill) that is controlled, repeatable and permanently learned.

In the 21st century it’s unacceptable for students not to make progress at a reasonable rate when instructors and students could benefit from what science has uncovered about learning. Modernizing Approaches to Learning discusses research related to the brain as the gateway to learning. When taking a brain-compatible approach to learning, we can learn faster and retain information and skills longer.

The author discusses findings from neuroscience, cognitive science, physiological and psychological research about the brain and learning. He offers practical, modern ways to move from damaging educational approaches toward emotionally safe, self-discovery and self-reliant approaches. Approaches that are geared to help are not as valuable as those geared for self-help. Modernized approaches join the art of teaching with the science of learning where research demonstrates that we learn naturally through trial and error adjustments.

See and Feel the Inside Move the Outside, Third Revsion

Play Golf to Learn Golf

Golf Swing Secrets… and Lies: Six Timeless Lessons

The Art and Zen of Learning Golf, Third Edition

See & Feel the Inside Move the Outside, Third Edition – Full Color

Building and Improving Your Golf Mind, Golf Body, Golf Swing

Matthew Kluck & Dennis Sweeney

This is the central book of the series 101 Games for Golf that was featured by Martin Hall on the Golf Channel’s School of Golf. It is an essential golfing manual designed to help you to transfer the skills you get in a golf lesson to the golf course. It does this by showing you how to practice for improvement by playing simple games that range in difficulty from easy, for beginners, to difficult, for advanced players. Six companion games booklets are sold separately and describe the games in detail.

In addition to outlining the games, the book has chapters on setting game improvement goals, developing a pre-shot routine, choosing golf instruction that meets your needs, and managing your emotions on the course. Written by an applied industrial psychologist and a PGA Master Teaching Professional who has been recognized as a top teacher by Golf Magazine and Golf Digest, the book is a must for any golfer, from the novice to tournament player, who wants to maintain or improve his or her golf swing. PLEASE NOTE! The games are described in detail in the six companion game booklets. Each booklet has games for each key golf skill: putting, pitching, chipping, full swing, bunker shots, and on-course play.

Additional Supporting Books:

Putting Games – Flat Stick Magic! (Golf’s Missing Links)

Full Swing Games – Let It Fly! (Golf’s Missing Links)

Chipping Games – Lowering Your Score (Golf’s Missing Links)

Pitching Games – Up and Away! (Golf’s Missing Links)

Bunker Games – Up and Over (Golf’s Missing Links)

On the Course Games – Putting It All Together! (Golf’s Missing Links)

If you’re looking for more materials make sure to check out SEASON 1 of the Golf Science Lab podcast and the Motor Learning Masterclass.

The post Recommended Books on LEARNING from Past Contributors appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

Welcome to the first episode of our new Golf Science Lab powered podcast Game Like Training Radio. Hosts Matthew Cooke and Cordie Walker are dedicating an entire show to learning and practice so that you can play your best game on the golf course instead of on the range.

Because the topic of learning is so under explored, Matt and Cordie are going to explore more effective and efficient training environments, have conversations with experts in the field, and also dive into research papers on different topics related to golf training.

Learning… What is it, and why should we be looking in to it?

Learning has played a major role in the existence of the human race, and has become increasingly popular amongst golf coaches, and athletes in the 21st century. The capability to learn, and continuously enhance human performance is critical to competing at the highest professional level, and ultimately earning a living, and surviving out on the professional circuits (PGA Tour, European Tour, LPGA Tour, LET, and many more professional tours).

It is key to first outline what learning is defined as: Learning is the gain in the underlying capability for skilled performance developed during practice. Motor Learning and Performance 5th Edition, R. Schmidt, Time Lee

Learning, and performance

Often misinterpreted, or misunderstood, is the conclusion that many draw from the performance of golfers, which often does not reflect the skill level that underlies the performance.

Sometimes the best does not always win, which highlights that the golfer (learner) might not always, for many different reasons, perform to his, or her full potential.

When has learning taken place?

To state that learning has taken place, and so qualify as a change in skilled performance, the change has to be permanent. Often the mistake of changing golfers particular strategies, or movement parameters, can lead us to believe learning has occurred, however the same golfer may, and in most cases will revert back to their original way of doing things out of habit, and more deeply a solidified connection, and response to stimuli firing particular motor programs.

When performance does not return to its previous level, and remains at a higher level, then it can be concluded that learning has taken place as the performance level has been enhanced.

Learning, and practice. What’s the difference?

When conducting practice for a golfer the goal is to acquire new skills, or enhance the precision of current skills. This is close to defining learning, and can guide us in the overall goal of practice, which is to learn.

It has become evident that golf as a domain is starting to accept the widely known principles of the learning sciences, and has starting to become accepted amongst highly credible golf coaches.

Concepts such as blocked verses random practice, constraints led learning, contextual interference strategies, dynamical systems theories, testing techniques, learning of forgetting, and much more are shaping the next generation golf coach.

It is when this approach is taken we will inevitably see the incredible abilities of human performance.

What to expect from this show

Over the next 2-3 months we’re going to bring you in depth conversations with experts in the field of learning like Trevor Ragan, John Kessel, Dr. Fran Pirozzolo, and many more. As a player or coach you’re going to have a better idea of how learning works and how you can get more out of your practice.

Links Mentioned

GameLikeTrainingGolf.com
Matt’s workbooks on training

Matthew Cooke

Originally from the United Kingdom, Matthew developed his knowledge through extensive study in sports and exercise performance, sports and exercise science, and the PGA (Professional Golfers Association) of Great Britain. Whilst in the U.K. Matthew Co-founded ‘Leap Golf UK’, with Iain Highfield, where he worked with Ladies European Tour, Euro-pro and mini tour professionals.

Since joining the United States, Matthew founded ‘Game Like Training Golf Academy’. The Academy runs full scale coaching programs for all level golfers, and educational programs for coaches looking to expand their knowledge on scientific learning principles. Clients spread from all over the Unites States, Europe, South Africa, and Australia.

Matthew is currently involved with research studies in expertise and expert performance with Dr K Anders Ericsson, and Len Hill PhD, and is collaborating with professors in motor learning, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and professionals at the United States Olympic Association.

Matthew has written 4 workbooks that have helped hundreds of golf coaches, and players, in over 13 countries, practice, and train more efficiently. The workbooks give an insight, and practical examples, to the key characteristics of creating an environment that fosters learning.

In 2016, Matthew was elected to be part of a book project, called “The Taxonomy Of Educational Objectives For High Performance Golf” with Dr. Fran Pirozzolo, Dr. Robert Bjork, Iain, Highfield, Sean Foley, Chris Como, Jonathan Dismuke, Pat Goss, Bernhard Langer, Dr. Rob Neal, Russ Paine, Trillium Rose, Grant Waite, Joey Wuertenberger, and Kevin Smeltz.

Collaborating with the worlds best golf coaches, and academic professors, Matthew aims to educate, grow, and give back to the golf community.

Cordie Walker

Cordie Walker has spent the last four years working with golf instructors, helping inform thousands on business and teaching best practices (if you’re a coach or instructor, check out golfinthelifeof.com).

Through this experience he has realized that it’s time to change the way golf is taught. After reviewing research and talking with coaches and academics, he launched the Golf Science Lab, a website and audio documentary-style podcast focused on documenting what’s really going on in learning and playing better golf.

The post Welcome to Game Like Training Radio appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

Our guest today is Trevor Ragan from TrainUgly.com. Trevor explains his “jungle tiger” analogy and walks us through his four-step framework to achieve amazing results in your game.

Trevor explains that Train Ugly is the marriage of the mental component, or growth mindset, and motor science learning. He emphasizes that a motor learning science practice can get ugly – it’s harder, more chaotic and more random. When you’re in that zone, you make more mistakes.

That’s why coupling that science with growth mindset research produces the best results; the mental approach to learning helps you see the value of mistakes and struggle and how that helps you to grow more.

Trevor notes that two concepts matter most with the growth mindset:

1. Belief in your ability to learn and
2. Value of learning and getting better over how you look to others.

Throwing Zoo Tigers Into the Wild

Trevor cites his “jungle tiger vs. zoo tiger” analogy to better illustrate the concept: There are two tigers; one lives in the zoo, one in the wild. One lives a life that is safe and easy, whereas the other faces daily danger and struggle. If you put a zoo tiger in the wild, it wouldn’t survive. The jungle tiger figures out how to survive in the wild by being in the wild. Both are the same animals with the same tools; the only difference is the way they developed.

The point of this analogy is that a training approach filled with struggle and mistakes develops skills. The game is “the wild,” in that no two games are ever alike. When we design our practice like the zoo, players aren’t developing the skills needed to perform in that wild environment.

How do you approach failure?

When asked how to help players deal with the inevitable failures and mistakes that come with this method, Trevor makes the following points:

• The most successful people, regardless of industry, have been through a lot of obstacles and struggles in their lives.
• Ugly is where the magic happens. A stumble should be celebrated as a special learning opportunity.
• Practice is there to help us learn how to get better. It doesn’t matter how we look when we’re practicing.
• We need to find ways to maximize the transfer of improvements in practice to the game by making our practice resemble the game as much as possible.

How does this apply to a beginner?

Trevor has a specific four-step framework for applying his training method to beginners and young players. He explains that when you’re teaching a new skill, it’s okay to involve a bit of block practice, or drilling, combined with the Train Ugly concept.

His format follows a progression of watch, keys, block practice, and random practice. He explains it in a bit more detail:

#1 What does it look like? Watch a video about technique and then ask “why do you think it would be important to learn this skill?” This builds engagement and gives purpose.

#2 What’s important? Next, create skill keys surrounding that technique.

#3  How does it feel? Spend a short, intense period of time in a block practice atmosphere — e.g. reps with no defense — and give visual feedback.

#4 Add game elements. Finally, enter into a more random zone by adding game elements into the equation.
And finally, when it comes to adding the pressure of the score, Trevor always tells his trainees, “Never let the number on the scoreboard rob you of an opportunity to grow.”

Links Mentioned:

trainugly.com
Train Ugly Twitter
Learning Like a Jungle Tiger
BOOK – Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

About Trevor Ragan and Train Ugly

Trevor Ragan has dedicated himself to researching how learning best occurs. However, he has noticed that there is a large gap between the best practices found in the research and common coaching methods.

Train Ugly is based on motor learning and performance science research, and focuses on how to foster an environment that promotes personal growth and improvement. Trevor’s mindset approach has been used both in the sports world (e.g. the USA Women’s Volleyball Team, the Miami Heat) and the corporate world (e.g. Starbucks).

The post The Critical Missing Component in Most Practice Sessions w/ Trevor Ragan appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

John Kessel is the director of sport development for USA Volleyball and joins us today to talk about the importance of learning and some of the most important principles they’ve implemented with the US Volleyball team we can transfer to golf.

The way we learn and practice has drastically changed over the last twenty years and has become clear on how to retain skills. Retention is the ability to remember on Saturday, what was learned on Tuesday, and something most golfers are familiar with while being frustrated with the lack of transfer from range to the course

Learning Intrinsically

When you learn things intrinsically they are retained far better than when you are simply told what to do.

John uses the example of learning to ride a bike. How did you learn to ride a bike? Did your parents hire a bike riding coach, put you through bike riding drills or send you to bike riding summer camp? Did they do bike riding progressions?

Most likely you got on the bike, you wobbled, somebody held you up and all of a sudden you were off.

When all is said and done if you haven’t ridden a bike in five years you are going to get on and wobble for a few seconds but then you will just take off. That is learning intrinsically. It is far better to figure it out on your own rather than being told what to do.

Guided Discovery

The value of an instructor or coach is to take their wisdom and guide the student to figure things out on their own. This is guided discovery and the retention of that form of teaching is almost as good as if the student had figured it out themselves.

Question for coaches – How do I become the best guided discoverer for the athlete so they can solve the problem when I’m not there.

Synaptogenesis

John explains that doing something in a row is far less efficient in teaching and learning then having the skill done over and over. Its like your brain goes on auto pilot and the ability to produce synapses shuts down because you’re doing the same thing over and over.

When you randomize and add spacing during practice, you have to relearn the task or redo it with only a piece of what you remember which is ultimately strengthening, by means of stimulating, the connection a synapse created. This allows your brain to retain the information far better and enhance the changes in movement faster, which is why some call the connections “super highways”.

We learn by doing not by watching.

Links Mentioned:

John on Twitter
John’s blog “Grow the Game Together”
Marshmallow study Matt mentions
Dr Gabrielle Wulf on Attention of Focus
Challenge Point with Dr Mark Guadagnoli

About John Kessel:

Since 1985 John has been working for the National Governing Body of the sport, USA Volleyball (USAV), now as Director of Sport Development. He currently serves as the staff liaison for Disabled Programs, USA Deaflympic Teams, Starlings USA, National Parks and Recreation Assoc., the YMCA and over 30 other Affiliated Organizations working with USAV. He is Secretary of the NORCECA Technical and Coaches Commission, and Director of Development for World ParaVolley. He was Team Leader for the 2000 USA Olympic Beach Volleyball Teams in Sydney, which brought home one gold medal, and for the 2004 USA Paralympic Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team in Athens, which came home with the bronze medal. In 1995, Volleyball Magazine’s special Centennial issue named him one of the 50 most important people in the sport in the past 100 years. In 2013 the American Volleyball Coaches Association inducted him as their 60th member of the AVCA Coaches Hall of Fame.

John has been coaching since 1971 at the collegiate level or above, including Women’s U.S. Open titles in 1986 & 1987. A sought after international lecturer, he has conducted seminars in all 50 states, and in over 50 nations, including China, Denmark, Bolivia, Thailand, Qatar, United Arab Emerits, Cook Islands, Barbados, France, Germany, Egypt, England, Italy, Argentina, Lithuania, Japan, Iceland, Puerto Rico, Western Samoa, American Samoa, Canada, Guatemala, Venezuela, Greece, Israel, Australia, Jamaica, New Zealand, Holland, England, Belize, Trinidad Tobago, Ireland, Tonga, Belgium, Haiti, Vanuatu, Costa Rica, Fiji, Poland, Nicaragua, British Virgin Islands, Vietnam, and El Salvador. He is also a busy author, with over half a dozen USAV books, including the IMPACT coaching manual, the Jr. Olympic Volleyball Program Guide, and most recently Minivolley 4 Youth, the Youth Coloring Book, and countless articles. His blog called “Growing the Game Together” is the second most popular blog of the hundreds found on the US Olympic Committee’s Team USA website and he promotes the “Grassroots” Button on the USAV website with material, videos, posters, and information for clubs, schools, coaches, parents, players, and officials. He has received many other awards, including USA Volleyball’s Honorable Mention in 1978 and 1986, the Harry Wilson Distinguished International Service in 2004, the George Fisher Leader in Volleyball in 2006 and in 2007 was named a Sport Ethics Fellow by the Institute for International Sport.

From 1982 to 1990 Kessel was Director and Coaches’ Coach of the Albuquerque Junior Olympic Volleyball Program. For a month in the summer of 1991, he was one of four featured speakers at the first ever International Youth Volleyball Coaches Symposium in Olympia, Greece, attended by over 50 nations, and he repeated that role in the International Volleyball in the Schools Seminar in Canada in 1995 and 2007 and in Thailand and Vietnam in 2013 and 2014. During the Centennial year of volleyball he was the principal speaker at the Centennial Advanced Teaching and Coaching Seminar in Beijing, China. He was on staff for both the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, and served as producer for both the 1996 Centennial Olympics for indoor volleyball in Atlanta, and subsequently producer and announcer for the 1996 Paralympics in Sitting and Standing volleyball. For 1999-2000 he was director of the U.S. Olympic Challenge Series, the Olympic qualifying series, which included an FIVB World Tour Grand Slam stop in Chicago with $400,000 in prize money for that one stop alone. He also served as head coach/team leader for the 1999 and 2003 USA Pan Am Games Beach teams, with a silver medal, and 4th and 5th place finishes in the four events. In 2004 and 2005, he directed the National High Performance Beach Camp, worked his 10th US Jr. Olympic Beach Volleyball Championships for USA Volleyball in Hermosa Beach, an event he started in 1994 with Dale Hoffman of the California Beach Volleyball Association, and worked with the AVP.

For over a decade John served as one of 8 members of the International Volleyball Federation’s Technical Commission, as Secretary, and he remains a FIVB Level IV Instructor. Since 2001 he has served as Secretary on the NORCECA Technical and Coaches Commission, developing clinics and the “Leave a Ball Behind” Program to enhance zonal volleyball growth, and directed a two year State Department Sports United Grant to assist coaches in six NORCECA nations in 2011-12. He helped run the World Sitting Volleyball Championships in 2010, and the Director of Development for the World Organization of Volleyball for the Disabled (WOVD – now known as World ParaVolley) for 2012-2016. He served on Jury at the London 2012 Paralympics for Sitting Volleyball, in 2014 for the ParaVolley World Championships and will again in 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Kessel pioneered USA Volleyball on the Internet, helping the late Tom Jack develop the original site, one of the first 1,000 websites listed on Yahoo, and still contributes the usenet group Rec.Sport.Volleyball. He is an administrator of the 7,500 closed member Facebook page “Volleyball Coaches & Trainers” and an advisor to the website TrainUgly.com. From 1987 to 1991 he was the tournament director for the U.S. Jr. Olympic Volleyball Championships and began the U.S. Junior Olympic Beach Volleyball Championships in 1993, directing them until 2000. He also designed and directed the Nike VolleyVan program with 4 years of daily clinics in the lower 48 states, and currently directs the MVP project, working to get a “Million Volleyball Participants” connected to USA Volleyball. For that, he developed a series of CDs, with animated drills, skill posters, videos and dozens of articles for growing the game for youth, juniors and adults, now containing 7.5 GB of information on the 2013-2016 USAV Sport Kit DVD, and created a follow up SportKit DVD for World ParaVolleyball specific to the sitting game.

As a player Kessel has participated in 16 U.S. Open Championships, and was a 7 time Regional Champion. He also played professionally with the Denver Comets in the old International Volleyball Association, and a year in Italy for the Alessandria Volleyball Club. Recently he competed for the Time Lords in the 55 & over division, 36 years after his first US Open in 1973. In 2004, he finished in the top 15 of the Men’s BB in the USA Outdoor National Championships, playing with his son, Cody, and has won several King of the Mountain Father – Son Doubles tournaments in Colorado. He returned to Junior Olympic Volleyball coaching when his children wanted to play, and his daughter McKenzie’s 13 and under team with Stellar VBC won the Bronze medal at the 2007 US Jr. Olympics in Minneapolis, MN. She was a member of Cheyenne Mountain High School’s volleyball team which won four straight state titles in 2008-2011 and now plays for Bowdoin College 2012- 2016. John coached his son Cody’s 2010 Palmer High School team in the Colorado State Boys HS league. Cody was a member of the 2010 USA Junior National Training team, and was a starter for Princeton’s men’s varsity program, making All American three of his 4 years, leading the nation as a freshman and senior in kills per set. He is now playing professionally in Switzerland after captaining the USA World University Games team and playing for the USA Men’s B side in the PanAmCup. Last summer Cody also become the youngest doubles player in 42 years to win the Aspen “MotherLode” men’s Open, and Atlantic City “Big Shot” Open, plus 10 other Beach Open events in the west, and obtained his AAA rating when he took second in the Hermosa Open. John also has coached lacrosse for the Cheyenne Mtn LAX Boys and Girls teams since 2000.

His main goal is to help make all coaches more efficient, positive and creative, no matter what level – 7 year olds in an elementary school program or National team players and programs. He challenges old ways of thinking and help coaches create what they need, while having fun in the process. John has a BA in Biology and Economics received from The Colorado College in 1974, and since 1996 he has been a single dad, raising his kids alone. His pastimes beside volleyball include fly-fishing, writing, skiing, lacrosse, mountaineering, upland game hunting, deep-sea fishing and travel.

The post Why Your Practice Doesn’t Transfer to the Golf Course w/ John Kessel appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

In this episode we talk about the phases of participation every golfer goes through when they get into the game and how to best manage them. It’s critical to understand the different needs of a golfer to set up the best learning environment possible to avoid burn out and get the best results.

Phase 1 – Entering the Game

This is where players are introduced to the many aspects of the game in its entirety in a very open, engaging, and non-intimidating game like way. Measures are taken and scores are recorded, however, they are not shared or discussed too much extent in an attempt to reduce the possibility of creating unrealistic expectations. Praise and applause are given in response to the efforts that are being made. Carelessness is pointed out to the player in a very un constricting way. Smiles are given often and rewards are a must. At this stage, instruction is very informal yet personal.

Measures of achievement are of no concern; it is all about engagement

Measures of achievement are of no concern; it is all about engagement and exploring the wide varieties of the sport. Teachers are more than just teachers; they get involved with the player and with that the player gets more involved in the sport.

‘Based on interviews with elite performers and their parents and teachers, Bloom (1985b) found that future elite performers were typically exposed to the domain initially under playful conditions as children (See Stage I in Fig. 1.3)’. (The road To Excellence, Dr. K Anders Ericsson.)

The image below is the Fig. 1.3 Dr. Ericsson was referring to.

Students learn through fun games. Curiosity then gets the better of those who begin to feel the desire to learn more. Suddenly they become more skilled and begin to explore. It is this exploration that leads to the discovery of vital areas such as principles, rules, and history. It is at this point where the sport gets a little more systematic for the student. Discipline is self-regulated and intrinsically established from this point onwards. For some, it has been known to be a dramatic moment, in which the student makes a shift from “all fun” to active study. This leads us to phase two, but before we discuss phase two in depth we must understand the transition.

The transition can be seen through students’ minute differences in behaviour, both in and out of training. Early arrival and later finishes, extra workouts and extra questions, more communication etc. Subtle, but clear. Through this transition students who have already decided to start acting and thinking more seriously about playing golf can be prodded, prompted, encouraged and supported by parents and teachers.

It is at this time expert teachers should seek out other expert teachers, particularly those possessing different characteristics to their own, i.e. a stricter regime, mandatory extra practice hours, or more structured study time. These types of teachers find ways to keep some form of notes for their students. Practice schedules are now outlined, weekly accomplishments are always marked, gold checks or stickers are awarded when tasks have been completed and the appropriate competition is necessary.

‘At some point, normally in the early or mid teens, future elite performers in music and sports made a major commitment toward reaching the top level in their domain. This was often associated with seeking out a master teacher and optimal training conditions, which sometimes required the family to move geographical location’. (The Road To Excellence, Dr. K Anders Ericsson.)

Phase 2 – Intense Training

Somewhere in the transition students must become possessed by golf and have the sudden desire to play, excel and compete. The initial interest has been fostered, cared for and is now becoming inspired to evolve. Students begin to work and spend tremendous amounts of time fine tuning detailed aspects of the skill. The stage one applause turns into knowledgeable criticism from teachers, feedback during practice and competition results.

Students must become possessed by golf and have the sudden desire to play, excel and compete

Practice takes a dramatic change becoming very long and very detailed whilst concentrating on those small details. The teacher at this stage expects more from their students and holds them to much higher expectations. The change towards instruction is now more rational and formal and less personal. Specific skills and vocabulary have become a core part of practice. Results from tournaments and training are used to plan future practices with the goal of accelerating the learning process.

The relationship between teacher and student from the early stages to this stage has now shifted from a simple connection to a deeper respect. At this stage, students learn their techniques and hone their skills by incorporating the four cornerstones during practice to best reflect what they may experience during tournament play. An issue that golf has faced for a number of years, hitting an all-time high last year (2014) with 400,000 people leaving the sport, can be helped if we understand this particular element at this particular stage of participation: technical mastery has to be taught intelligently, not mechanically. Instruction is designed to stimulate intellectual eagerness and awaken an intensified desire for intellectual activity and knowledge. Although at this stage students are guided in the direction needed to reach higher levels of performance, they are still expected to take an active role in problem-solving.

A reciprocal respect starts to grow at this stage where teachers find themselves working with students who could become very accomplished golfers. Students also find themselves working with teachers who are highly dedicated and appreciate the commitment. A relationship at this stage flourishes far beyond infrequent lessons. Teachers are to encourage and inspire students to take part in public competitions by providing extra help in preparation, putting in extra hours and even occasionally transporting students to their events. These competitions will provide the answers to many of the questions outsiders will have about why these students are committed to such demanding practices.

Golfers will spend multiple years at this stage developing a plethora of skills and their identity even though they are not at an expert level.

Towards the end of this stage students can do one of two things:
(1) Commit to doing whatever was necessary to become professional; or
(2) Resist the psychological commitment to doing what was necessary.

Phase 3 – Guidance and Mastery

This is where the focus now shifts to a player creating their own personal game based on his or her strengths. Here golfers transition from technical precision to personal expression. Interviews of expert coaches in different sport related domains state that they teach young people for a number of years and they end up playing very well, but then they suddenly plateau when they have to do something by themselves.

Others also state that students are great imitators and that it is fine if it’s a stimulant, but not if it remains as a product. Everybody learns by imitation of some sort, but the goal is to then make whatever we learn our own. Golfers at this stage develop the ability to take charge of their own development while working with expert teachers who are amongst the most respected in their field. These teachers were not necessarily expert performers themselves but have been around and exposed to the intricacies, demands and attributes of said expert performers.

It is the teachers prior to this stage that have given golfers the opportunity to be in a new environment and around coaches who have the experience working with elite level players. Interactions now become incredibly different. Students are expected to practice more than before, approximately 4-7 hours a day. Teachers do not tolerate sloppiness or laziness and will generally show their disappointment instantly when students have not met specific standards. Work assignments require a lot more time and attention. Students have been known to say that they were terrified before lessons or in tears afterwards. One student, in the music world, described his interaction with a teacher at this phase by expressing the following;

“He was an impossible taskmaster. It was incredible. He would just intimidate you out of your mind. He would sit there… You played a concert, you didn’t play a lesson. You walked in prepared to play a performance… You would get torn apart for an hour.” (Developing Talent In Young People, Benjamin S. Bloom)

It is the esteem that kept the students going through the new way of working. The new ways of working meant sacrificing some of the details that were so important in the earlier stages, and directing focus now towards feelings, meaning and expression. Rather than looking at certain aspects teachers now help students see the bigger picture: the broader and more generalized styles of their game. Master teachers at this stage try to impress upon students’ notions that no two golfers should ever try to play the exact same way. Rather, it must reflect the golfer’s most careful intentions and emotions.

Final thoughts:The time that the student becomes their own best coach and their biggest critic is inevitably and undoubtedly the later stage.

Tips:
It is a good idea to have students at the same stage grouped together or living together as they share the same commitments – this can help stimulate challenge. Theoretically it would help if you had a small team of coaches that could offer their expertise in these 3 phases providing a pathway for students to work through.

Phase #3 tip: Competitions should be entered with the career in mind allowing plenty of time for rigorous preparation. Students are getting exposed to inspirational and internationally known athletes, which will prove to be useful in years to come.

Links Mentioned:

BOOK – Developing Talent in Young People

The post How to Maximize Your Training by Understanding the 3 Phases of Participation Every Golfer Goes Through appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

Looking for some books on the mental side of golf to help with your performance on the golf course? We went back through our season 2 guests and Unlocking Performance Masterclass and compiled a list of useful resources for you.

Lynn Marriott and Pian Nilsson

Two legendary coaches give golfers a powerful new approach to the game… and to life. As coaches to some of golf’s top players, Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott have designed and refined a revolutionary way of teaching the game, with phenomenal results. They don’t believe in prescribing the same stance, grip, and swing to everyone, followed by hours of purposeless drilling. They don’t even believe in beginning with physical technique. Their success has proven to them that a great game begins with a great vision.

Unlike any other golf book, Every Shot Must Have a Purpose offers cutting-edge techniques for integrating the physical, technical, mental, emotional, and social parts of a player’s game. The book’s revolutionary pre-shot routine will improve your focus, leading to a golf swing that is not only successful but can be repeated under extreme pressure.

Get your copy here > Every Shot Must Have a Purpose: How GOLF54 Can Make You a Better Player

Building on the core concepts introduced in Every Shot Must Have a Purpose and the strategic thinking in The Game Within the Game, Play Your Best Golf Now takes the mystery out of the soft skills of golf and shows golfers how to add these skills to their game for peak performance. Players learn to master the 8 Essential Playing Skills:

These Essentials complement the technical anchors of the game-the grip, the stance, the swing-and give players a foundation for achieving their peak performance. MY54 is the vision, and these are the building blocks for achieving a higher level of play.

Get your copy here > Play Your Best Golf Now: Discover VISION54’s 8 Essential Playing Skills

Dr. Rick Jensen

Providing insights from his inside-the-ropes experiences on the PGA and LPGA tours, Dr. Rick Jensen masterfully delivers a step-by-step guide to taking your business performance to the next level. Packed with insightful stories and self-assessments, as well as thought-provoking exercises and practical case studies, Drive to the Top provides you with everything you need to become a champion in your field of play.

Drive to the Top weaves together the insights, emotions and behaviors of champions in golf and business in delivering a thoughtful, how-to guide on getting to the top. Dr. Rick Jensen has consulted with business executives as well as golf’s greatest champions. Now you can experience what it’s like to receive a personal coaching session from one of America’s premier performance consultants.

Get your copy here > Drive to the Top

This is the golf book for the mental side of golf that helps champions take their game from the practice range to the golf course. Embracing Dr. Jensen’s 12 Truths will help you take your struggling golf game to that wonderful next level. Play better golf with the 12 Truths!

Get your copy here >Easier Said Than Done 

Dr. Rob Bell

Mental Toughness Training for Golf illustrates how to maximize our preparation. In this cutting edge book, you’ll learn how great coaches and players create pressure in practice, how to build a human taproot, why suffering is needed, and the don’ts of mental toughness. This book not only applies to how PGA Professionals compete in practice, but how you can take the same message to your own game.

Get your copy here >Mental Toughness

A change has occurred — youth sports have been professionalized and there has been a perversion of potential. It has become scholarships over development, trophies over toughness, and talent over tenacity.

The professionalization has created an environment of externally driven, perfectionist, and stressed competitors. Parenting athletes also require such a vast amount of sacrifice both emotionally and financially. Are we doing it correctly?

Get your copy here >Don’t Should on Your Kids

Dr. Jon Finn

Pre-Shot helps golfers of all standards to train themselves to hit more great shots and achieve lower scores.

You don’t have to change your swing. Whether you are a beginner, a keen club golfer or an aspiring pro, this system is for you. It has been created by Jon Finn, golf psychology consultant to the Professional Golfers Association of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Finn works at the Association’s National Training Academy at The Belfry, in the UK.

Golf is arguably the most mentally demanding of all sports and the Pre-Shot system is for players of all abilities. It will help them radically improve this aspect of their game and increase their success and enjoyment on the course.

It consists of easy-to-understand golf-related exercises which tap into the latest neuroscience and understanding of which parts of the human brain are used by golfers.

The simple, practical exercises can be performed anywhere. The effectiveness of the Pre-Shot training programme has been proven with players of all standards; from high handicappers to European tour players.

Get your copy here >The Pre-Shot Training

Dr. Debbie Crews

This book is written to enlighten golfers to perform what we want, when we want it, on the golf course. It is about performance, an integral part of learning and playing this great game of golf. In order to perform it is necessary to achieve a synchronized state of being that allows those great shots to flow through the system (mind, brain, and body). The “system” itself is a remarkable entity that is available to assist us in whatever we want to accomplish. It is more often the case that the performer is unclear, undecided, and possibly in a state of being that interferes with the system’s performance.

Get your copy here >Golf: Energy in Motion

Dr. Fran Pirozzolo

If you’re looking for pointers from the master on crushing drives down the fairway or just having more fun on the course, this is an absolute must for your golfing library.

Get your copy here >Game I Love

A PGA coach and a renowned sports psychologist team up to offer golfers 100 unique physical and mental techniques to improve their putting in a special package designed to slip into the golfer’s pocket or bag.

Get your copy here >The Putter’s Pocket Companion

To help golfers conquer the most important battle in golf, the mental game, renowned sports psychologist Fran Pirozzolo teaches readers how to cultivate mental toughness, concentration, self-awareness, and self-trust; set better goals; and manage mistakes. 100 high impact tips combined with plenty of explanatory photos and illustrations make this book the key to unlocking the full potential of every golfer.

Get your copy here >The Mental Game Pocket Companion

David MacKenzie

Every player has so much untapped potential which is never seen because they don’t know how to utilize the power of the mind. Elite players have mastered how to do this in 7 simple ways and this book will show you how.

The Golf State of Mind is a blend of sports psychology and practical application (eBooks and audio sessions) that will have you playing to the best of your abilities in a very short period of time.

Get your copy here > Mental Game Training System

Steven Yellin

You walk off the course after playing your best golf. Someone asks you why you played so well and you are at a loss for words. This book answers that question.

Get your copy here >The Fluid Motion Factor

Dr. Michael Lardon

The first research-based program to offer concise, clear ways to realize your best performance.

As a therapist, physician, and mental coach, Dr. Michael Lardon has dedicated his career to helping athletes understand and better achieve peak performance. In Finding Your Zone, he shares with readers what he?s discovered about reaching the state in which ?thoughts and actions are occurring in complete synchronicity,? and how this state is accessible to all, not just the few.

In ten key lessons?illustrated by personal anecdotes from his clients?Lardon teaches readers how to access the zone not only in sports but in all aspects of their lives, by understanding how to:

Get your copy here >Finding Your Zone

Perfect your mental approach to your game

To be a golfer is to tinker—with everything from equipment to grip to swing. But one thing most players don’t give enough attention to is the mental game. Psychologists aren’t a new phenomenon in golf, but Dr. Michael Lardon is a different breed of performance coach. Instead of sending his players into a losing battle against emotion, indecision, and fear on the golf course, he shows them how to organize their thoughts and use them for maximum performance. His step-by-step Pre-Shot Pyramid provides any player with the ideal blueprint for shot setup. And his revolutionary Mental Scorecard will give you the tools to accurately measure what you really do on the golf course and how to make real, permanent improvements.

You will learn the same techniques that Dr. Lardon shares with Phil Mickelson and dozens of other tour players, including the tools that helped Mickelson right himself after the 2012 U.S. Open to win the British Open a month later with a historic final round. Mastering Golf’s Mental Game will change the way you think about golf, and is a must-read for any player serious about shooting better scores and getting more enjoyment out of the game.

Get your copy here >Mastering Golf’s Mental Game

Dr. Joseph Parent

The best players know that golf is a game of confidence, and most important, concentration–the ability to focus and block out distraction. The goal of achieving clear thought is also at the heart of Buddhist teachings. In his highly original and groundbreaking book, noted PGA coach and Buddhist instructor, Dr. Joseph Parent, draws on this natural connection and teaches golfers how to clear their minds, achieve ultimate focus, and play in the moment for each shot.

Get your copy here >Zen Golf

Jon Stabler & Dr. Deborah Graham

Do you swing too fast, try too hard, lose concentration, lack confidence, get angry, putt poorly under pressure, finish exhausted, or suffer for hours after a hard game?

The most valuable tool a golfer can bring to the course is a strong mental game. Yet many golfers and instructors take this for granted, focusing almost entirely on grip, stance, or swing technique. The 8 Traits of Champion Golfers is a unique and persuasive approach to becoming a better golfer. Leading sports psychologist Dr. Deborah Graham and Jon Stabler identify the eight crucial personality traits that separate true champions from the rest and give you easy-to-follow steps for improving your game and making it more enjoyable.

Get your copy here >The 8 Traits Of Champion Golfers

If you’re looking for more materials make sure to check out SEASON 2 of the Golf Science Lab podcast and the Unlocking Performance Masterclass.

The post Recommended Books on PERFORMANCE from Past Contributors appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

Today we’re joined by the incredible Dr Fran Pirozzolo, former mental skills coach for the New York Yankees as well as psychologist and coach to many PGA tour golfers, and in this episode he shares concepts to accelerate your learning.

If it’s not difficult there really is no new learning happening. The goal of all learning is retention and the transfer to other environments. Desirable difficulties are one of they concepts that help achieve those goals. Watch the video below to learn more.

Dr Fran shares some of the most important aspects of learning that should be implemented in golf from his decades of research in other sports and with the military. Check out this quote about the importance of randomizing practice and not attempting to hit shot after shot “perfectly”.

The brain wants to see change and will reject doing the same thing over and over again.

Dr Fran also shares some of the research and concepts around mastery learning and what you need to be applying to your training to take it to the next level. Learn how “testing” might have benefits for growth and improve long term learning.

We talk about staying motivated and pushing through desirable difficulties that are necessary on the path of learning. It’s a concept that golfers and coaches need to understand to keep moving along and not get stuck with a fixed mindset when in reality we need learners to have a growth mindset. We talked about this more on a past episode with Trevor Ragan you can listen to here.

And at the end of the episode Dr Fran shares the critical component to understand when you approach learning. Don’t miss it!

I want to be better tomorrow than I am today.

Links Mentioned:

Lasting Learning
drfranpirozzolo.com
Dr Robert Bjork speaking on Desirable difficulties
BOOK – Development of Talent in Young People

About Dr. Fran Pirozzolo

Dr. Fran Pirozzolo is a licensed consulting psychologist who has worked with many of the world’s top athletes and is currently the Mental Skills Coach for the Texas Rangers Baseball Club. He also has a private practice consulting business. in his home town of The Woodlands, Texas just north of Houston.

Dr. Pirozzolo was the Mental Skills Coach for the New York Yankees from 1996 – 2002, a period during which the Yankees won four World Championships. From 1988 – 1995, Pirozzolo served in a similar position in uniform with the Houston Astros, for the Detroit Tigers (2000). In 2002 Dr. Pirozzolo became the player development coach for the NFL’s Houston Texans from 2002 -2006. His work with the Texans resulted in winning the Winston Shell Award for excellence in player development. Pirozzolo was a training consultant for the Heavyweight Champion of the World, Evander Holyfield, from 1990 – 1998.

Dr. Pirozzolo has been a consultant to numerous collegiate athletic departments, including the University of Texas (men’s & women’s golf), Fordham University(basketball), University of Oklahoma (golf), Texas A&M University (men’s & women’s golf), Rice University(golf), Texas Christian University (golf) and the University of Houston (golf, baseball, basketball).

Dr. Pirozzolo has published 14 books and over 250 scientific and popular articles. His golf books include “The Game I Love” (Harper Collins) with golf legend Sam Snead, “The Mental Game Pocket Companion” (Harper Collins), “The Putter’s Pocket Companion” (Harper Collins). Fran collaborated with Jim McLean on the Golf Channel production of Sam Snead: “A Swing for A Lifetime”. Fran’s most recent book is entitled, “Multiple Intelligence and Leadership” (with scholars Ron Riggio and Susan Murphy at the Kravis Leadership Institute – Claremont-McKenna College) Dr. Pirozzolo’s also has done a mental training for golf CD entitled “Golf Mind”.

Holding degrees from The University of Chicago and The University of Rochester. Fran began his academic career with a professorship at UCLA moving to the University of Minnesota. In 1981 he came to the Baylor College of Medicine, serving as Chief of the Neuropsychology Service, Associate Professor of Neurology at Baylor for 15 years with an Associate Adjunct professorship in psychology at The University of Houston.

Dr. Pirozzolo also was a Visiting Scholar with the Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont-McKenna College and has received numerous awards for research in neuropsychology.

The post How a Growth Mindset Can Accelerate Your Improvement w/ Dr Fran Pirozzolo appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

FEEDBACK… What is it and how does it impact how you learn and perform? That’s the topic of today’s conversation with golf coach Trillium Rose.

We’ll talk extensively about the two types of feedback defined below and walk about examples of how this might play out with your golf game.

Intrinsic Feedback comes from within; proprioceptors and kinaesthesis, concerning the feel of the movement, for example the feeling of the balance during a handstand. This type of feedback is important for autonomous learners who are at a level where they know themselves what needs to be corrected purely by the feeling of the skill.

Augmented feedback is feedback received from by a subject from their social surroundings. So for example in the performing arts or athletic performance the performer receives auditory or visual stimuli from spectators, coaches etc. which can affect their performance.

Links Mentioned:

trilliumrose.com
Trillium on Twitter

About Trillium Rose

Trillium Rose is the Head Director of Instruction at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland. An innovator and life-long learner, her knowledge of teacher effectiveness, mechanics and practice training have proven highly successful. She has improved the games of over 1,000 individuals who rely on her cutting-edge expertise, and honest, straight- forward approach.

Her area of expertise is in helping golfers develop their skills as quickly as possible and help them practice efficiently. She is highly skilled at designing and implementing curriculum’s that develop golf athletes with targeted practice plans.

Known for her accurate swing diagnostics, and her dedication to meeting students’ goals with as minimal disruption as possible, she has a loyal following of students including political figures, world leaders, and A-list celebrities of all ability levels. On one side of the spectrum, she has taken single digit handicaps down to scratch and on the other side she has guided novices through their first experiences on the golf course.

Awarded a “Best Teacher in State” distinction (ranked #3) and one of “America’s Best Young Teachers” by Golf Digest, Trillium Rose’s name has been synonymous with quality practice standards and trusted education.

Trillium’s background includes five seasons working for and training under Jim McLean at the Jim McLean Golf School at Doral, focusing on swing mechanics. While there she worked alongside renowned biomechanist, Dr. Rob Neal and his wife, exercise scientist, Karen Harrison. Countless other professional relationships have influenced her teaching including Dr. Tim Lee, Dr. Richard Magill, Dr. Steve Silverman, Dr. Rick Jensen, Dr. Mark Brodie, Dr. Fran Pirozzolo, and Bob Toski. A graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University with a master’s degree in Motor Learning and Control, she also has a formal education in the science behind how people acquire and adapt skills.

Trillium has lectured on motor learning and control, been on numerous radio shows, appeared on television and has published been in top golf periodicals. She is an active member of the community and contributes her time to the First Tee and the Wounded Warriors to help provide access to golf to those who would otherwise not have the opportunity.

The post How Types of Feedback Influences Learning w/ Trillium Rose appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

In this episode of the Golf Science Lab we dive into everything golf shafts, so you can make a better educated decision the next time you’re purchasing a new club and it comes time to select a shaft.

The shaft in each golf club has an impact on the ball flight…

> The height of the shot.
> The curvature of the shot.
> The speed of the club head.
>The direction it’s traveling (hitting it in-to-out or out-to-in, positive or negative angle of attack)
> The orientation of that club head with the face. Is the face open to the path, you know, are you going to slice the ball? Is it close to the path?

All of these variables can be influenced by the shaft of a club and was talk through each step on this episode with Dr Sasho MacKenzie and Liam Mucklow.

During the swing flex in a shaft causes deflection.   The two aspects of that are lead and toe down deflection, so the club is drooping and leading relative to the grip (see graphic).

This is why you see the recommendation for slower swinging golfers to play more flexible shaft. In general, especially with the driver, you’re going to want to have a higher launch angle with more spin if you have a slower club head speed and typically if you play a more flexible shaft, that’s going to help those parameters.

Shafts don’t have a systematic effect on club head speed.

There’s a general thought that the more flexible shaft will give you more club head speed. There is a variable called kick velocity which shows how much speed is added to club head speed due to the shaft flexing (it’s the rate that the club moves from lagging to leading in the swing at impact in particular).

While everybody had higher kick velocity with the more flexible shaft, not everybody had higher club head speed with the more flexible shaft because as that shaft kicks forward, it actually tends to slow down the hands.

To find your ideal Launch Conditions check out Liam Mucklow “Launch Doctor”

LENGTH

If you’re swinging two clubs with the same angular velocity the longer the club the more speed you’re going to create.  There’s a little simple equation that says, the linear speed of something is equal to the angular velocity times the radius of that something.

By using a longer shaft it increases the radius thus why the driver is the longest club in the bag.

WEIGHT:

The heavier the club gets, so the more massive a shaft gets; which [Unclear 0:10:55] overall inertia of the club, the more tendency there is to swing that club out to the right. It just doesn’t seem to want to come in-to-out or out-to-in. So that’s one way the shaft can influence the path

To get the full details on these concepts listen to the complete show below:

Dr. MacKenzie completed a PhD in Sports Biomechanics at the University of Saskatchewan, which focused on 3D forward dynamics simulation of the golf swing.

He is currently an associate professor in the Department of Human Kinetics at St. FrancisXavierUniversity and his research interests lie in the optimization of human movement with a strong emphasis on sport performance.

His research encompasses both optimal sport movement patterns as well as the most advantageous training techniques. He has conducted, presented, and published research on putting, shaft dynamics, 3D mechanics of the swing, shoe fitting, and the role of center of pressure in the golf swing.

Dr Sasho’s Website
Dr Sasho on Twitter

Relevant Research on Golf Shafts
The influence of golf shaft stiffness on grip and clubhead kinematics
The Influence of Clubhead Mass on Clubhead and Golf Ball Kinematics
Golfer Specific Responses to Shaft Stiffness
How does shaft flexibility affect the delivery of the clubhead to the ball?
Understanding the mechanisms of shaft deflection in the golf swing

Additional Commentary from Liam Mucklow

Liam joined the PGA of Canada in 2001, one year prior to graduating from the University of Alberta in 2002 with a Bachelor’s of Physical Education. At University Liam was on the varsity golf team, an All Star volleyball player and a medalist in badminton.

After spending nearly a decade with the World Long Drive Tour, California Mini Tours and various Professional Tours in Asia Liam dedicated his full focus to coaching. His innovative programming that combines student accountability and deliver quantifiable results have remain unique in the industry.

More recently Liam has refocused his energy on Education and Research. He has been working with the PGA of Canada to provide the highest level Golf Coaches in Canada with support on analyzing performance with technology. Liam also helped the Titleist Performance Institute launch its worldwide Power Coach Certification program in May of 2013. In 2014 Liam presented at the World Scientific Congress of Golf in Australia, and the World Golf Fitness Summit in California. This year he has been confirmed for to host a 3 hour workshop at the WSCG in St Andrews, Scotland. Liam will be demonstrating his Speed Set Driver Fitting protocol. This process has been consistently delivering golfers of all levels and addition 4-7% total distance through equipment optimization.

Liam’s Website
Liam on Twitter

The post Everything You Need to Know About Golf Shafts appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

You would think that an 8 year study on the benefits of relinquishing swing thoughts would lead me to become a sports psychologist, complete hippy or otherwise esoteric character.

To give you a clue as to the personal impact of the study, I am a technical coach that utilizes 3D motion analysis technology. I value greatly self-awareness of one’s movement and view technical awareness as the route to positive automaticity.

It is easy to be seduced by the notion that optimal performance occurs in the absence of conscious control. Golfers are all too familiar with what it is like to think too much about the swing, be that through their own hypothesis testing or explicit coaching. I don’t know who best to credit with the phrase, “paralysis through analysis”, but I would like to bet it was a golfer.

It follows logically to contrast this crippling experience of extreme conscious control with our retrospective reflections of moments of peak performance, which often seem to be effortless and without the inner chatter/self-instruction that accompanies the rest of our golf experience. These self-report experiences relate well to typical descriptions of FLOW state with automaticity being considered a heavily contributing factor.

If you are like me then at some point, this line of thinking would have led you to committing yourself to a ‘not thinking about your swing’ rule on the course and a new pledge to trust in our wonderful subconscious mind and innate skill.

This noble vow seldom lasts long before we are back to engaging in swing thoughts old and new. It is not a lack of perseverance or mental fortitude that causes the slip back but a lack of tangible results.

The truth is:

optimal performance may seem to occur when our level of swing thought is reduced but the opposite causality does not hold true; merely reducing swing thought will not lead to peak performance.

This is in stark contrast to previous academic research and the prevalent teachings of golf psychologists over the last 2 decades. I distinctly remember a conference where a leading figure in England Golf dismissed golf psychs as having only two messages;

‘don’t think about your swing’ and ‘stay in the moment’.

Such is the prevalence and over-use of the message that it is eroding the reputation and credibility of sport psychology. A more grown up description is required.

Until most recently, the literature on the subject viewed reinvestment (swing thoughts) as having a wholly negative effect through the process of consuming working memory and breaking down the procedural nature of the movement. It should be noted that these theoretical positions are in the main, based on studies of putting with the odd chipping task. I would argue that the mechanical complexity of the putting stroke and perceptual demands of putting are not comparable to the full golf swing and require an entirely different cognitive strategy.

The Study

My route into this study was as a coach with an intervention to test. The intervention (flow drill) was in essence, to walk into the ball and hit with only the minimal time required to set our address position and initiate the action. This had proved transformational for many and a wrecking ball for some. For others, including myself, this approach was extremely useful in some scenarios but not effaceable for the vast array of task variation we have to deal with on the golf course.

In its entirety, the study involved a number of experiments over 8 years with expert golfers (hcp
Verbaliser/Visualiser

The concept being tested here was that verbal and visual information weigh differently on cognitive load. Would someone who tested high in the visual domain have a different thought process and react differently to a golfer who thinks in more of a verbal style? This could go back to the initial coding of the movement.

What we found was that when swing thoughts were severely restricted, the high-verbal group’s performance declined while the highly visual group performed better in comparison to their baseline scores. Various interpretations of this result were offered but in terms of the big picture, we can clearly see a personality factor that influences one’s cognitive process during shot execution.

Working Memory Capacity

It seemed logical that the effect of swing thoughts would be influenced by how much information one can hold and process at any given time. Essentially, this is the realm of working memory so, novel as it was, it seemed only logical to test for an affect of working memory capacity (WMC).

Contrary to existing theories of WMC and pressure, in this study the low WMC group got worse while the high WMC remained stable in performance terms. The interpretation was made that WMC plays a much bigger role in movement production than previously thought and without the ability to hold and process information, the automaticity intervention is actually destructive.

What does this mean to the golfer and coaching practitioner?

Like all research, many more questions have been raised by the study but my overall views on the matter have changed greatly. To think or not to think is a far too dichotic framework with which to view the subject. The results of this study and other recent papers are shifting the previous views of automaticity as the pinnacle of motor learning and ideal performance state.

Influencing factors include;

• Personality; Not exclusive to but including WMC and cognitive style as highlighted in this study.
• Task variations; this includes novelty of task such as sloping lies etc. We must also consider the mechanical complexity and perception/action demands. i.e a putting strategy is much better arranged around the focus on the ball’s pace and curve than the relatively simple action of the stroke which often acts as a distraction for elite players
• Whether the golfer is at an autonomous stage of learning or undergoing a swing change. To this point, I am never not undergoing a change and see the process as constant evolution.
• Pressure. It is only natural to want to control movement more under pressure, leading to heavy levels of swing thought. We have all been there!

Do’s and Don’ts of Swing Focus

While scientists wrangle over a useful theory of automaticity that reflects our sport, here are some basic do’s and don’ts to consider.

External vs Internal Focus

This is well documented with external focus having closer links to the task and higher levels of automaticity. However, it is not fool proof or exhaustive. Other classifications currently being studied include:

Holistic Focus: Whole vs Part Movement

Simply put, a focus on turn back, turn through involves much bigger chunks of movement and will be preferable to a focus on the back of the left wrist or even clubface at the top of your back swing. Even though the clubface would be an external factor.

To this end, one’s swing training should reflect ‘one fluid movement’ where possible and not a multitude of pieces. This is a big part of the ‘tradecraft’ of good coaching and is not as easy as it sounds.

Key Movement Effector

Understanding that movement representations of experts are arranged in a hierarchical structure, focus on one area could have a totally different affect than a lower order segment. Eg. A focus on the scuff of the grass while chipping will create self-organization around the very element that relates to good contact. Focusing on your backswing may give you a good back swing but not necessarily a good outcome.

Movement Analogy

Due to the familiarity of the pattern movement analogies are rich in information cues yet low in cognitive load. They also tend to be whole movement foci as well, making them an excellent form of swing focus.

Rhythmic Queues

Need I say more; not really a swing focus but low cognitive load with swing timing benefits.

To summarize, although you will never catch me using absolutes like ‘don’t think about your swing’, a modern coach needs to be ever aware of the cognitive load placed on the pupil and structure learning in a manner that allows for efficient and logical encoding of movement representations.

As for the intervention; I used it only yesterday with a pupil that was trying swing while recalling every last piece of instruction ever given to him. The results were nothing short of breath taking! It was a true one-trial transformation and that is what motivated me take on this study in the first place.

Any view on automaticity must take into account the role of self-organization within the movement/swing. More on this my next post.

Did you know that looking at the ball can ruin your movement?

Noel Rousseau’s next research project is a study on the effects of ball focus. To find out more and help steer the research, please leave your thoughts and experience on his research forum page.

The post The Reality of Effective “Swing Thoughts” appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

The putter… One of the golf clubs in your golf bag that seems to be more than just a piece of metal, it can make or break a round and one putt made or missed has changed careers for countless players.

Today we’re trying to figure out what goes into making a putter, from design to fitting with two incredible designers, Austie Rollinson of Odyssey Golf and David Edel of Edel Golf.

I believe in the basic premise, that my job as a fitter or a putter maker is to make what a person sees is real and what they feel to be real.

David Edel

There are attributes to putters that give the perception of being either open or closed when looking at alignment.

For example, by moving attention backward on a putter, it tends to look open. When you do a laser test you can see it’s square to the target but to the mind it looks wide open. On the other hand when you move the attention forward, the putter tends to look closed.

Learn more about putter design and the impacts of different styles of putters on Edel’s website here.

Through the mid-90s the golf ball was going through a change. You either had a tour balata style golf ball or the harder Top Flite / Pinnacle style golf ball (that gave you more distance).

Starting around the late-90s, players started using some of the solid core balls which gave them a little more distance but not the same feel that they had with the balata.

Odyssey put the softer urethane material from the golf ball on the face of the putter which matched up well with the firmer golf balls to give a similar feel as hitting an old balata ball. Players were able to have the benefits of a longer golf ball as well as a feel (the sound off the club face and the ball speed)

Since the urethane of an insert is a lot lighter that the metal it allows weight to be moved elsewhere into the putter and improve the center of gravity and inertia improving putter roll and forgiveness.

Listen to the entire story in this episode.

Austie Rollinson

Austie Rollinson is the Principal Designer for Odyssey and is a senior member of the Golf Club Innovation & Development team. His primary responsibility is leading the creation of all of the company’s products under the Odyssey brand. Austie has had this responsibility since Callaway Golf purchased Odyssey Golf in 1997.

During Austie’s 19 years at Callaway Golf he has helped to design numerous driver and iron products in addition to most all of the Odyssey putters since 1998. Under the watchful eye of Mr. Helmstetter and Roger Cleveland, he helped design many of the popular Callaway Golf and Odyssey products including the Big Bertha and Great Big Bertha drivers, X-series irons, Fusion drivers, White Hot and 2-Ball putters, and TriHot putters. He is also named on 300+ worldwide golf-related patents.

David Edel

David serves as the company’s visionary leader, working tirelessly to innovate and develop ground-breaking products that shift the thinking of the golf equipment industry. His extensive club design and engineering expertise allows Edel Golf to continually push the envelope of equipment technology.

“MY GOAL IN LIFE IS TO BE KNOWN AS SOMEONE WHO GAVE BACK TO THE GAME OF GOLF”
-DAVID EDEL

The post 2 World Class Putter Designers Reveal How Putters Get Made appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

Learn from one of the “forefathers” of golf motor learning research, Dr Tim Lee as we talk about specificity of learning and feedback so you can discover how to improve your learning environment.

Specificity of Learning = Practice Like You Play

In early research they found that skills individuals found were much less general than they thought, finding that skills were much more specialized. We talk about how this plays out between a beginner and an advanced golfer and how you should scale specificity based skill level.

Specificity is a sliding scale that you want to look toward and try to achieve.

Positive and negative feedback in a learning environment… What should it be? We talk about this fascinating topic as Dr Tim shares some new research that has changed his beliefs over the past few years.

Confidence leads to improved competence

The one thing Dr Tim recommends reading is the “P.A.R paper” which summarizes a lot of the golf research on learning in one paper.

Links Mentioned:

Motor Learning and Performance-5th Edition With Web Study Guide: From Principles to Application
Golf Science Lab podcast on Challenge Point
Golf Science Lab podcast on Motivation

About Dr Tim Lee

Timothy D. Lee, PhD, is a professor in the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He has published extensively in motor behavior and psychology journals since 1979. More recently, he has contributed as an editor to Journal of Motor Behavior and Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport and as an editorial board member for Psychological Review.

Since 1984 his research has been supported by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Dr. Lee is a member and past president of the Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology (SCAPPS) and a member of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA), the Psychonomic Society, and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. In 1980 Dr. Lee received the inaugural Young Scientist Award from SCAPPS; in 1991-92 he received a Senior Research Fellowship by the Dienst Onderzoekscoordinatie, Catholic University in Leuven, Belgium; and in 2005 he presented a prestigious Senior Scientist Lecture at NASPSPA. In his leisure time, Dr. Lee enjoys playing hockey and golf. He has maintained a lifelong fascination with blues music and would one day love to put years of motor learning study into practice by learning to play blues guitar.

The post Specificity of Learning Might Explain Why You’re Not Improving w/ Dr Tim Lee appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

Are your wedges hurting or helping you? Today we’re diving into everything you need to know about wedges, from design to features and how it will impact your game.

In this episode you’ll hear stories of players going from horrible wedges players to fantastic and the technical reasons that might be holding your wedge game back.

Bounce with the wedge is the most important factor, and finding that correct bounce angle has been misunderstood for far to long. Most think of bounce with a negative connotation because history tends to say less bounce is better, when in reality all the data from fitting and launch monitors tells us that most players need more bounce.

Now when you talk about bounce, you have to talk about it in two different ways, there’s width, which gives you effective bounce and there’s actually the true angle. To find the best bounce for you take the loft of that club and subtract the launch angle of a shot (measured on a launch monitor) which will tell you the bounce value needed.

For instance… if you had 60 degree wedge and a 38 degree launch angle, you would need 22 degrees of bounce. When you have that much lean, (or negative angle of attack) you need a narrow grind with a lot more width.

Most people under bounce by probably 10 degrees on average.

That means the player has to dig 10 degrees, through leaning back and creating bounce through their body and their spine angle which shortens right shoulder radius to the ground, so now they shove forward more, with the right arm, because they can’t release the club head because they’ve changed their angle through their spine trying to create bounce so it doesn’t dig but they’re actually exacerbating the problem… So bounce is really the critical factor.

Having the optimal bounce angle combined with the correct sole width on your wedge will result in less face twisting, more consistent clubhead speeds, increased spin, and consistent control of distances; drastically improving your shortgame.

Learn more about the edel wedge fitting process here

The environment also has a factor on what kind of bounce you need.

If you’re in a wetter environment more bounce is most likely going to be better. If the ground is harder typically narrower grind with more less bounce. So the environment has a lot to do with the bounce requirements you need and theoretically you might need to have two wedges, one for winter and one for summer.

To hear the rest of the story listen to the full episode below…

David Edel

David serves as the company’s visionary leader, working tirelessly to innovate and develop ground-breaking products that shift the thinking of the golf equipment industry. His extensive club design and engineering expertise allows Edel Golf to continually push the envelope of equipment technology.

“MY GOAL IN LIFE IS TO BE KNOWN AS SOMEONE WHO GAVE BACK TO THE GAME OF GOLF”
-DAVID EDEL

Learn more about Edel at edelgolf.com

Tony Wright

I (through my business, Game Improvement Golf) am a professional club fitter and also specialize in putter fitting and putting improvement.

I am a Level 10 Assn. of Golf Club Fitting Professionals (AGCP) club fitter, and a Level 2 SAM PuttLab Certified Instructor. Since March of 2014 I have done a bi-weekly podcast – The Golf Improvement Podcast – that focuses on custom club fitting, short game improvement, and effective golf practice techniques.

I have a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics from the University of Minnesota, and had a 35 year “first career” as a Senior Scientist at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN. I do my club fitting and putting improvement efforts at the Centennial Golf Course in Oak Ridge, TN.

The post The Most Undervalued Factor in Wedges (and what to do about it) appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

In this conversation we talk about Performance Games, how to create them, why to use them, and give you some examples you can take to the course.

The answer is; traditional practice just doesn’t offer up as easily the carefully designed pleasures, the thrilling challenges, and the powerful social bonding afforded by game environments. It doesn’t motivate us effectively. It doesn’t maximize our potential.

Training ‘Game Like’ fulfills our genuine human needs; it’s inspiring and can engage us in ways that the traditional training method does not. Games help bring us together and work towards a common goal as a team rather than against each other in solitary. Games will, if created using the following structure, create all of the above and can re-shape the golfing world.

“Expertise is defined as a sequence of mastered challenges with increased levels of difficulty in specific areas of functioning.”

Dr K. Anders Ericsson

To create an effective game you need to have these 4 components.

#1 – Name: Every game needs a name to be referenced by.

#2 – Goal: During golf we have a goal… shouldn’t we during practice?

#3 – Rules: Simple the better!  One of the components that takes the most work to perfect.

#4  – Scoring: Do you keep score during golf?  Let’s keep score during practice.
If we embrace what science tells us and evidence shows us, we can revolutionize the golfing world.  Lets open our minds and take what we can from the Xbox and PlayStation; their secrets lie in the structure of their games and with that structure we can take our youth outside and away from the TV screen.

The post 4 Step Process to Creating Highly Effective Performance Games appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

We sat down with two leading driver designers to explain what’s going on “under the hood” and explain some of the driver terms you might have heard but might not fully understand.

If you had the perfect MOI essentially every shot would have similar ball speed and you wouldn’t see any of the gearing effect with off-center strikes. MOI has nothing to do with the distance of your perfectly struck shot, but it’s got to help make your miss go almost the same distance as your better shot.

However, it wouldn’t mean every shot would go straight, because if your face is open to the path, it’s still going to curve to the right.  Miss-hit shots on the club deal with MOI whereas delivery of the club face is a separate factor completely.

When we do testing, we look at what we’d call a dispersion area.

So if you have 10 players taking 10 shots each, you have a hundred shots in a dispersion area, and what you see with high inertia clubs is that the bottom end of that dispersion area moves up.

The top end of that dispersion area, the very further shots stay where they are, but as you increase inertia, the bad shots gets better.

What is “Center of Gravity”?
It’s not actually a golf term but a physics term meaning…

The point at which the entire weight of a body may be considered as concentrated so that if supported at this point the body would remain in equilibrium in any position

Brian Bazzel shares how center of gravity works on the adjustable weight system on the Taylormade M1 Driver.

With the M1 driver, you have a 15 gram weight in the front track and a 10 gram weight in the back track. When you move those weights, you’re moving the center of gravity which ultimately impacts the ball flight of that club.

When moving the 15 gram weight in the front track toward the heel you’re going to get a gear effect where the face is going to want to flare open a bit more and the ball’s going to want to turn right to left.

In addition to that, with the weight moving toward the heel, your ability to rotate the club becomes a little bit easier, so there are two impacts from that one change of center of gravity.

If you were to move the weight all the back with the “high and low” track you’re inertia values are starting to increase, providing stability on off center shots and protecting ball speed when you mishit it. Although the back track is labeled high and low for trajectory, it also relates to high and low inertia values. 

Get the rest of the story (and all the details) in the episode below…

Paul Wood – Ping Golf

Paul is the Vice President of Engineering at Ping, coordinating a department responsible for club design, development, innovation and testing. He moved there in 2005 after completing a PhD studying Solar Flares in the Mathematics Department at St Andrews University, Scotland.

He has spent most of his time with Ping in the research department working on the physics of ball flight, the club-ball impact and many other aspects of golf science. Some of his projects at Ping include the nFlight fitting software, iPing, Turbulators and TR face technology.

Brian Bazzel – Taylormade Golf

Brian Bazzel is the Senior Director of Product Creation for TaylorMade with a focus on metal woods.

The post Driver Engineers from PING + TAYLORMADE Explain What Factors Actually Matter appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

There are a lot of misguided common beliefs and myths about player development that we tackle in this episode of Game Like Training Radio with special guest Iain Highfield. If you’re a coach, parent, or junior golfer, MAKE SURE to listen in to this episode!

Player Development Myth #1 – Players don’t need mental training

With most players not making it onto the PGA tour till their mid to late 20s a junior golfer has 10+ years until they achieve “their goal”. Pursuing excellence of a craft for 10+ years demands grit and resiliency to be able to make it over the long haul.

Beyond just the demands of playing golf many players have to adapt to cultural or lifestyle differences which can have a big impact on development.

Mastering golf doesn’t align with today’s “quick fix” culture.

What is mental training? Helping golfers develop psychological characteristics of excellence. I ncluding… meta-cognication (self-awareness), goal setting (mastery goals over ego goals), growth mindset, grit, resilience, self-determination, focus on process.

Player Development Myth #2 – – Parents don’t matter

One of the biggest factors that dictates if a junior golfer will become an elite athlete or not is their parents.

It’s the coaches responsibility to work with the students and parents to reduce interference and educate parents on the vital role they play in the process of athlete development.

Potential – Interference = Performance

Player Development Myth #3 – The coaches knowledge is most important

A great coach is a transformational leader. A coach exudes the qualities that are trying to be coached in the student.

Students model behavior… Coaches what are you modeling?

Player Development Myth #4 – Kids Must Win

If you go and win junior worlds as an 8 year old you’re going to be a super star… Probably not the case. Don’t push kids into early specialization and be conscious of their phase of participations (listen to this past episode).

The goal as a coach is not to get 7, 8, 9 year olds winning it’s how many people leave the game. Change the metrics.

Player Development Myth #5 – Kids must perfect their swing / technique

If a young adult is growing quickly and their body is changing rapidly working on technique can have a detrimental effect golf game and mindset. You have to look out for this phase and create more feel and general awareness drills if possible.

During the 13-14 year age group kids are most likely to drop out of the game even if they were incredible at a young age.

Links Mentioned:

• IJGA
• BGGA
• Interview w/ Dr. Fran Pirozzolo
• Benjamin Bloom – Developing Talent in Young People
• Dr Anders Ericsson in the Cambridge Handbook
• Stuart Morgan
• Dr Bhrett McCabe on Early Specialization

About Iain Highfield

Iain is the Director of Mental Performance at the Bishops Gate Golf Academy and the International Junior Golf Academy. Qualified in Economics and Business Psychology as well as Sports & Exercise Psychology, Iain began to apply his coaching models to junior golf in 2009. In 2011 he Co-founded Leap Golf UK and worked with elite juniors as well as Ladies European Tour, Euro-Pro, Challenge Tour and European Tour professionals.

During this time Iain was based at the Nike Golf academy in Leeds and also consulted for De Vere Golf Academies and England Schools Golf, as well as holding a coaching position wtih the Nottingham University golf team. At the end of 2013 Iain fulfilled a lifelong ambition, moving to live and work in the United States and sharing his passion for enabling junior athletes to evolve into exceptional athletes and outstanding people.

Iain’s coaching philosophy centres on an eclectic and holistic mental performance program that allows players to experience freedom, flow and fun in competition.

The post 5 Common Myths of Player Development And What To Do About It appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

We have an expert in player development with us in this episode, Stuart Morgan.  He manages one of the largest full time junior golf academies and has years of experience developing skills, and helping players perform their best.

Today’s guest, Stuart Morgan started out teaching on tour believing everything was about technique. The player he was working with ended up losing his card and leaving the game… That experience motivated Stuart to never let that happen again and begin a search to better understand performance.

One area he’s dived into is learning and player development and has become an expert at junior development, and now is the director of instruction at the IJGA academy.

Never dismiss technique. It’s still very important there is just a lot more to look at.

Skill Regression in Juniors

In juniors there is a nonlinear period of time when they’ll go through growth spurts and experience change in the brain and body. You can see the legs grow first, feet are bigger, and torso / arms are small.

This ultimately leads to a loss of coordination and potentially skill regression.

Sometimes it can be as obvious as drastic differences from one day to the next during this period.  One day they can be aimed perfectly and the next they’re completely different.  Juniors during this period just don’t have the same awareness and coordination.

There are also mental factors to watch for as juniors might be fatigued and lacking in motivation during this period.    Stuart shares how he helps golfers through his stage with a mental break.  You have to scale the over all environment for the player.  A suitable challenge point if a player regresses back keeps people in the game vs dropping out.

A coach needs to help educate the golfer and parent about this process!

This is a can’t miss converstion. Listen in below!

Links:

• IJGA
• Stuart Morgan on Twitter
• Article from Dr Steve Bain on small goals

About Stuart Morgan

The post How to Help JR Golfers Manage Skill Regression w/ Stuart Morgan appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

It is a given that enhancing sports performance requires a commitment to training and practice.  But what should the nature of training and practice be during development?

The three stages of development are:

• Early or sampling
• Middle or specializing
• Late or investment

Alfred North Whitehead called the three stages the, romance stage, precision stage and generalization stage. Studies show any emphasis on structured, deliberate, effortful training and practice during the first or early stages of development is now associated with great costs.

In most cases deliberate practice is not associated with great levels of sports proficiency when compared with diversified, enjoyable, playful training.

In 2002, Cote and Hay researchers said:

1. During the early sampling years there should be low frequency of structured deliberate practice and lots of “play” activity.

2. During the specializing years there should be equal amounts of deliberate practice and deliberate “play “activities.

3. During the investment years there can be more deliberate practice than deliberate “play “when training (the skills have already been learned).

One other key component during the sampling years it is important to sample several different sporting activities, instead of specializing in one sport.

An athlete’s cognitive system (brain) during training is being re-organized to meet the needs of the tasks at hand. Researchers have now assessed what they believe to be the optimal amount of structured, deliberate practice and the optimal amounts of deliberate “play “activities that best support the three stages of development.

At each of these stages there are different amounts of time devoted to deliberate practice and deliberate “play.” An athletes involvement with other activities beyond their main sport will also influence their development.

This Developmental Model of Sports Performance (DMSP) is consistent with general theories of child development (Paget, 1962 Vigotsky, 1978) that support the building blocks for physical, cognitive and emotional development.

When it comes to sports participation there are three natural outcomes, people either become…
1. Recreational participants
2. Elite participants
3. Those who drop out

It has been shown that which one of these three outcomes individuals will experience is influenced heavily by the type of activities and contexts they experience during their three stages of development: sampling, specializing and investment (Cote et all, 2003 Cote & Hay, 2002)

This model (SMDP) has allowed researchers to asses what appears to be the optimal amount of deliberate practice and deliberate “play “at each stage of development. Simple repetition is insufficient, training activities must increase to a complexity just beyond current developmental stages.

Negative Consequences of Early Specialization

Early specialization is associated with dropping out in sports, while staying involved is supported by early diversification.

A lack of enjoyment was the most common reason for withdrawal from sports altogether

When elite Russian swimmers were studied it was found that 9 and 10 year olds who began specialized training spent less time on their national team then the athlete who waited to begin specialized training until 13 or 14. These 9 and 10 year olds who specialized early also ended their sports careers earlier than athletes who started to specialize later in life (Bompa 2000).

A single focus on tennis at an early age contributed to withdrawal from the sport (Lochr, 1996).

Parents of hockey players, both active players and ones that dropped out (ages 6-13), found the players who dropped out spent more time in deliberate, specialized practice and training “off ice” (low enjoyment), than the expert athletes who experienced more “play “(Hodges and Deakin, 1998).

A lack of enjoyment was the most common reason for withdrawal from sports altogether (Ewing and Seefeldt, 1996).

The Value of “Play” During Early Development

Respected research has demonstrated that a significant component of the early sport experience of current elite athletes was a wide spread involvement in a range of both organized sports and deliberate “play “activities.

Researchers Cote and Hay defined deliberate “play “as an activity designed to maximize inherent personal enjoyment.  Deliberate “play” activities are normally regulated by flexible rules, adapted from standardized sports rules, and they are normally set up by the participants involved in the activity.

John Brandsford, editor of How People Learn pointed out that “play” activities should promote “interest” over focusing on trying to make play fun.  When “play “is interesting, individuals stay interested during their unwanted outcomes.

When involved with deliberate “play” there is less concern with the outcome of behavior than with the enjoyment of the behavior.

Deliberate “play “behavior in sport can have immediate value in terms of motivation to stay involved in sports and it also has benefits related to the ability to process information in various sporting situations.

Motivation based on self regulation (Ryan and Deci, 2000) supports the idea that early “intrinsically ” motivating behaviors (deliberate play) have a positive effect on staying motivated, becoming more self determined and being committed in future sport participation.

From a skill acquisition perspective, deliberate “play “serves as a way for athletes to explore their physical capacities in various contexts. This was found to be true for elite hockey players who spent more time in deliberate play than deliberate practice activities before the age of 20.

These findings also hold true for elite and recreational baseball players (Gilbert et all, 2002).  The elite players were involved in more deliberate “play “than recreational players from ages 6 to 12.

When investigating 17 Australian rules football players who were elite players, classified as expert decision makers and 15 elite players classified as non-expert decision makers, the results showed that expert decision makers have invested a significant greater time in varied deliberate “play “activities playing basketball, football, hockey, all within a space of two years (Berry & Apernethy, 2003).

Deliberate “play “in various contexts will ultimately provide a broad foundation of skills that will help to overcome the physical and cognitive challenges of various sports as well as their main sport (DeKnop, Engstrom, Skistad, 1996).

Schmidt and Wrisberg (2000) suggested that transferable elements could be categorized into movement skills, perceptual skills and conceptual thinking skills.

• Movements – biomechanical and anatomical actions.

• Perceptual – environmental information that individuals are interpreting emotionally.

• Conceptual – strategies, guidelines, rules.

Sports skills demands include:

• Physical demands such as power.

• Movement demands such as precision and esthetics.

• Cognitive demands such as perception memory, or strategic capabilities.

These demands are developed more efficiently through deliberate “play” than structured deliberate practice.

The post 3 Reasons Why Most Beginning Golfers Are Set up to Fail appeared first on Golf Science Lab.

Dealing with nerves during pressure situations is something most golfers have to learn to deal with. So what are the best strategies to give yourself better opportunities to perform under pressure?

I’m lucky enough to receive emails all the time from golfers and coaches who are taking a new look at learning and performance after going through some of the Golf Science Lab podcasts and education. And I wanted to share with you a story that stood out.

It’s a story that some of you might relate with. A PGA head professional getting back into tournament golf after years off and having to learn to deal with the mental side of the game.

“So I struggle with nerves. Played at a decently high level in the past but lots of past scar tissue… I play tournament golf in our PGA section and battle nerves that physically affect me. Shaky hands mainly.”

I know I’ve seen this myself. Maybe not in a tournament but when you’re playing with buddies and some money is on the line down the last few holes. If you relate. Let’s talk about this with our case study today Paul Regali.

“Since I learned about your website I haven’t had time to apply all the things that have been written but day by day I am reading the articles and listening to the podcasts.”

So how do you get better at playing under pressure? You put yourself in that environment more so you can find what works for you and that’s exactly what Paul’s done.

I’ve been playing money games during ‘practice’ to help me figure out how best to overcome the nerve issue. When I just play a ‘casual’ round there’s no nerves and performance is pretty good.

I’ve seen progress because of playing these money games because it’s close to tournament golf type setting for me. When the stakes get high the nerves kick in.

My question is: in your opinion is this a good avenue to keep going down? I’m definitely more comfortable in tourneys since I’ve been playing money games.

My answer to this. ABSOLUTELY keep doing this. In a past podcast with Dr Adam Nicholls we talked about stress and how we can reframe it to see the positive.

What I encourage athletes and golfers to do is, focus on the challenge side of stress. “What can I gain from situations?” One thing I’ll say to students is, when thinking about something on your head, start the sentence with “This is an opportunity for me _____________ “

“This is an opportunity for me to put into practice what I have been working on the training ground.”

“This is an opportunity for me to improve my handicap.”

Stress can be good and bad, but it all depends on how you interpret it, and how you manage it.

Here’s the rest of the story from Paul and what he’s been learning.

I grew up playing competitive golf starting in the 6th grade. Played the Oregon Junior golf circuit during the summers, and the club I played at had a great junior program so we always had others to play with. One of them went on to earn their PGA Tour card. I was fortunate enough to play college golf at the University of Oregon. I traveled all four years and my last two years I either played 1 or 2 man. I competed against Tiger, Notah Begay, Furyk, Mickelson, Charlie Wi, Jason Gore, Todd Dempsey, Chris Riley, etc. During this time I always battled nerves, specifically on the first hole of a tournament. It was the standard stuff, shaky hands, butterflies in the stomach.

Also during this time I experienced the chip and putting yips. I have never enjoyed those feelings as it changes how I physically move. Once graduating from college I turned pro worked at a course for 2 years before getting the opportunity to go into the sales side of the golf business. I sold equipment to golf courses in the NW for the next 12 years. Over this time I got married and we started a family so my golf and competing became less and less. Fast forward to 2012 and this is the year I entered back into the golf business on the PGA Club Pro side of the business and have been there to date. The last four seasons I have gotten back into practicing, playing both casual and competitive golf.

When I first re-entered this realm my game was very rusty but more interesting my nerves were a disaster. Here is a key component I believe of partly why: With my history of being a good player, when people hear you played college golf at a D1 school they automatically chalk you up as a great golfer, even before seeing you play. Same holds true if you say you are a ‘pro’. People automatically peg you as a scratch or better. My game was no were NEAR scratch golf level. I was covered in rust and it showed.

Over the last two seasons I have knocked enough rust off the game to venture out and enter tournaments around our section. Nerves are still a huge challenge for me as I battle the yips with the putter and on occasion with pitch shots as well. I used a long putter to combat my putting issues initially but the last 2 years was able to play/compete using a standard length putter.

The last 2 ‘off seasons’ I started playing in money games with a group of members who are scratch or better. I have learned a lot during this time as the matches are as close to a tournament round as I can simulate to practice dealing with nerves. The money isn’t an amount that causes financial hardship but it’s enough for me to get some butterflies coming down the stretch (which is exactly what I need in order to apply various things I’m learning on dealing with stress on the course). The set up is ideal because you have to play well to win (same as a tournament) and you the nerves will pop up if I am playing well (same as a tournament).

What have I learned/applied? What I have noticed is several things:
1. My mind defaults to the negative between shots and standing over shots. Knowing this I am working on correcting my self talk both on course and off course.

2.Committing to a specific routine for putting has helped me. And I mean very, very specific, and not straying from the routine EVER, this includes when I practice putting. Which I do with only ONE ball.

3. There is a fine line I must walk with expectations and importance. The line is right in between not caring one bit if I ever play golf again and caring so much it affects my life.

4. I have changed my practice habits. No longer do I pound balls on the range. When I practice it is typically on course by myself. Never do I hit the same shot twice. E.G. I may hit 4 drives off the 8th tee, but each drive I hit has a different shot shape goal.

5. I have learned that we play a game that mentally sets you up for a beat down. In golf you ‘lose’ way more than you ‘win’ and if not careful this can wear on a person.

Just a great story and awesome to hear the impact of these critical learning and performance mindsets and skills we’ve been talking about here at the Golf Science Lab. I asked what resources he recommended most and below are the two at the top of his list.

The QuickStart guide to motor learning has been fantastic for me to drill down into more specific practice habits. Get that here

The podcast with Debbie Crews was very good. Listen to that here

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