MIND
CONTROLLING PERFORMANCE UNDER PRESSURE NEEDS PRACTICE AND UNDERSTANDING. AT THE SHIFT TRAINING PERFORMANCE ACADEMY YOU WILL LEARN TECHNIQUES TO GET INTO A DEEP ROUTED FOCUS THAT WILL ENABLE YOU TO COPE AND PERFORM BETTER UNDER PRESSURE.
Peak performance happens when everything comes together at the right moment. In golf, it is called being “in the zone” state. In everyday life, it is called being “in the flow.” In this state, a 
golfer experiences a heightened sense of awareness where you have total control of all aspects of your game. Golfers experience a sense of well-being which includes total calm, ease and effortlessness in swinging with an enhanced sense of confidence, intuition and concentration. There is oftentimes an increase in power as well.
Playing to your potential is every golfer’s dream and involves much more than just swinging the golf club. The inner or mental game of what and how you think and feel is equally as important. When you are in a good state you make good decisions and have good results. To play the game to your potential means controlling your thoughts, emotions, memories, personality and reactions. Here are 8 mental techniques for training your brain to access the “zone state”.
1. Have a Positive Attitude
Golf is a game of misses. All misses in golf are mental errors. Your brain tells your body what to do. If you don’t give the right messages, you don’t get the results you want. Golf is not a game of perfection. Golf is a game of recovering from your mistakes. The player who plays the best is the one who has the best misses. Champions can’t control what is happening, but they can control how they react to what is happening to them. Have realistic expectations. Your golf game does not reflect on who you are as a person, but your reaction to your golf shots does. Remember that you play the game for fun. Perfectionism only increases stress and tension.
2. Trust Your Ability
Once you have learned to swing the golf club, you don’t lose your swing. It is recorded in your brain. Once a motor skill is learned it is never forgotten and after a year without practice the performance level returns to 80% after 10 days of retraining. Don’t fall into the trap of constantly thinking there is something wrong with your golf swing. Thinking will make it so! Believe in your ability no matter what the results are. Trust that you can improve.
3. Relax your Body and Mind
It is physically impossible to be relaxed and anxious at the same time. When you are playing you must be in a relaxed state to play well. The way you relax your body in golf is by controlled deep breathing. Changing your breathing can change your thoughts and emotions. Taking a deep breath through your abdomen before every shot will relax your mind and your muscles. Your swing will be smoother and easier.
4. Anchor your Good Shots
Compliment yourself after hitting a good shot. Smile inside and congratulate yourself and anchor that good feeling. You created the good feeling. This is what success feels like. This is what you are waiting for. Anchoring your good shots with good feelings will train your brain to bring up the memory easily, especially under pressure.
5. Mental Rehearsal
Practice makes perfect, but only perfect practice makes perfect. The only place you can practice perfectly is inside your head. At night or in the morning while you are half-awake is the best time to practice your golf game. Rehearse what you want to happen. Program your mind. Scientists have found that your mind is actually programming your muscles as you visualize yourself hitting the perfect shot. The mental process to practice is:
- See yourself practicing hitting every shot perfectly.
- Feel prepared.
- Visualize yourself playing; calm, relaxed, and confident.
- Experience the good feeling when you have played well.