Posted by Dexter Francois
| Posted in
Mental Game,
Mike Southern,
Swing Mechanics
| Posted on Monday, August 30, 2010
I have been working with Mike Southern for the past couple of weeks on fixing the loop in my swing. The source of the loop was in my takeaway. My takeaway was flawed from the start of my swing which set me up for disaster.
While Mike has become my virtual swing coach, it seems as though he is subtly imploring some mental tactics as well...but I am on to him. Mike published a post entitled, How Long Does a Swing Change Take? He discusses his research into how long it really takes for a habit to form.
Throughout the process Mike has been telling me to be patient, work hard, and I should begin to see real results in about a month. Well as it turns outs, according to studies, and Mike's post, it takes on average about sixty six days for a habit to form.
As I was practicing the other day, I had already began to have my doubts about how long it would take for my swing to be fixed. I was not having a good practice session, and I was reverting to my old swing. I was really frustrated.
What made it worse, there was a guy watching me swing and he came over and proceeded to tell me everything that was wrong with my swing. He gave me all kinds of swing tips which confused me even more. I had to get out of there. I entertained him for a few more minutes and I made up an excuse as to why I had to leave.
When I got home I turned on my laptop and read Mike's post. I told him about my frustrations and how I thought it would definitely take more time than I wanted it to. I want the results immediately. I want the perfect swing now. He replied with this quote...
The secret of discipline is motivation.
When a man is sufficiently motivated,
discipline will take care of itself.
~Sir Alexander Paterson~
Mike obviously knows that I like quotes. As a matter of fact I used this quote as part of this post on my other blog. As all good teachers/coaches do, they find a way to teach their students in a way that they can understand the easiest. This quote was exactly what I needed to read at that moment.
No matter what we do in life we have to be motivated to do it. There has to be a reason why we do the things we do. I set my goals at the beginning of the year to break 80 and to become a 12 handicap or better. That is my motivation to practice. I have other goals as well in golf. Bigger goals. But one step at a time.
This quote is a reminder to me that I have my goals. I have my motivation. The discipline will take care of itself. I have to stay focused on what I have learned thus far. Every time I hit a straight shot I am motivated and have more and more confidence in what Mike has taught me.
This is another quote that I used today for my quotes blog which really hit home with me in regards to my swing change...
Most people have come to prefer certain of life’s experiences and deny and reject others, unaware of the value of the hidden things that may come wrapped in plain and even ugly paper. In avoiding all pain and seeking comfort at all costs, we may be left without intimacy or compassion; in rejecting change and risk we often cheat ourselves of the quest; in denying our suffering we may never know our strength or our greatness ~Rachel Naomi Remen~
I realize now that I have to go through this process in order to appreciate the game of golf more. If it came easily, I probably would not enjoy it as much and take it for granted. We have all heard the quote, "anything worth having is worth working for." This is the same thing. Suffering through this change will make me stronger both mentally and physically in respects to the game of golf. The mental aspect of golf is what drew me to try out golf in the first place. It is amazing how you can apply all of these quotes to the game of golf and all areas of ones life.
A special thanks to Mike Southern for taking the time to work with me. Not many people would have taken the time to help out a stranger. I will be sure to pay it forward somehow. Have a great round and always hit your target.
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I'm glad you're sticking to your plan, Dex. Over time I've finally realized why kids seem to learn things so much more easily than adults...
The kids have adults to force them through the rough stretches. We adults are on our own, so we tend to just give up. That, plus sometimes we have to unlearn stuff whereas the kids start with a fresh slate. You can see that as a disadvantage or an advantage -- it's up to you. After all, knowing that something won't work can be a lot of help too.
The guy who tried to "help" you may have truly meant to help... and then again, he may have just needed to live vicariously through someone else who seemed to have potential. You have no way of knowing; you can only decide to set sail around the obstacles and keep going.
But you know that already. That's why you will eventually reach your goal. ;-)
And, BTW, I'm a big believer in paying it forward.
The "set of the sail." Jim Rohn used that analogy on his CD, "The Art Of Exceptional Living." Thanks for the reminder.
I'm sure my "friend" meant no harm. I actually see him out there often and we talk when we see each other. I hadn't seen him in a while and I guess he got some lessons and he wanted to share them with me.
As a matter of fact, he is now using the Stack and Tilt method. Kind of ironic since you just wrote a post about it today.
I have watched some of their videos on youtube. I felt like I was always off balance when I tried it. Probably because I was doing it wrong. Just seemed to stiff for me.
Even though my arms are much straighter on my takeaway now, I still feel like I'm swinging smoothly. The stack and tilt seems too rigid for my liking. Again probably because my technique was way off.
I'll stick with the one-piece. Much easier to understand and utilize in a short amount of time.
I think that's a good decision -- not because I showed you the one-piece takeaway ;-D but because you're comfortable with it.
Remember, most "new" swings develop to solve certain problems. If you don't feel comfortable with them, you shouldn't use them... no matter how high-profile the players using them are.
I definitely am a fan of Aaron Baddeley. Just not enough to be tilting and leaning all over the place. I like balance in my life.
Neither Aaron nor Mike Weir S&Ts anymore, despite having won with the method. Which just goes to show that no golfer is ever satisfied. ;-D
I really like Mike Weir. I was at Doral a few years ago and I followed him, Tiger, and Stenson. Weir outplayed them both on that Thursday opening round.
When I went the next day, I saw Weir jogging before his afternoon round. He ran towards me and my girlfriend and he waved saying, "I remember you from yesterday." I was like a little kid, I was so excited. I did kind of stalk the group the entire day. I was with them step for step.
I have been doing the pre-swing takeaway that Weir does. It helps me to remember to get the hands in the right position. Seems to work well for me.
One thing that I am working on is my tempo. I got really slow with the takeaway, too slow I think. I had gotten to where my takeaway was 1...2...3...4...and my downswing was 5. Trying to get back to an even tempo. When I do that, I strike the ball much better.