Title: MENTAL SKILLS FOR GOLF
1MENTAL SKILLS FOR GOLF
Presentation by Sean McCann, Ph.D. USOC
Sport Psychology
2What DO You Need? Distinguishing mental skills
- Technical mental skills (using your brain during
skill acquisition) - Including (imagery, concentration, thought
control) - Competitive skills
- The skills that help separate winners from losers
- This presentation will discuss a model of these
skills - (Offensive Defensive Mental Skills)
3A Model Of Necessary Mental Skills Good
Offense, Good Defense
4Role Of Offensive And Defensive Skills
- Offensive Skills
- Allows an athlete to DOMINATE
- Attacking, aggressive approach
- Put YOUR imprint on the event
- Essential For Greatness
- Defensive Skills
- Allows an athlete to be RESILIENT
- Always under control
- Adaptable to any situation
- Essential for Consistency
- OLYMPIC SUCCESS
- Requires BOTH
5OFFENSIVEMENTAL SKILLS
- Do They Have The focus of a PREDATOR?
- (Luc Longleys One Word Description Of Teammate
Michael Jordan.)
6OFFENSIVE MENTAL SKILLS INCLUDE
- Desire to dominate
- Drive To Set and Achieve Goals
- Ability to Visualize Success
- Confidence
- Develops Effective Competition plans
- Willing and Able To Commit
- Comfortable With Risk
7Desire To Dominate
- Intrinsic Extrinsic Motivation
- (I want to win with a World Record)
- Dominate The Situation- Navy Seals
- Genuine Push For Personal Best
8Drive To Set Achieve Goals
- Athlete Sets Goals Without You Asking
- Athlete Sets Challenging But Realistic Goals
- Bobby Knight The will to win is less important
than the will to prepare to win - Example Has asked coaches for feedback on
weaknesses, as well as extra work over winter to
work to strengthen the weaknesses.
9Ability To Visualize Success
- Dreams Big
- Looks To Emulate Champions
- Doesnt Always Need Evidence, Can Take Leap Of
Faith - Example Compares herself with NCAAs best, not
her other College Teammates, even though she was
only 2nd or 3rd best on her team as a freshman.
10Confidence
- Athlete Actively Works On Confidence
- Optimistic World View
- Solution Oriented
- Can Look Arrogant When Young Unproven
- Example Not afraid of great golfers. (Moneyball
quote)
11Develops Effective Competition Plans
- Athlete Analyzes Data
- Takes Control Of Competition Day
- Athlete Anticipates Challenges
- Example Has a detailed plan for what works well
at tournament. Will work hard to maintain that
plan.
12Willing Able To Commit
- Once A Plan Is Made Action Mode
- Able To Shut Down Brain When Useful
- Willing To Give A Plan Time It Needs
- Example After an analysis of 03 season, decides
to re-make swing, even though early season
results in 04 likely to go down.
13Comfortable With Risk
- Athlete understands that staying aggressive is
usually the smart play. - Athlete doesnt compete differently when in lead.
- Doesnt calculate cost of mistake, instead
focuses on performing cleanly. - Example Once the shot has been decided upon, no
hesitation, no caution thoughts in backswing.
14Offense Wins Games,Defense Wins Championships
When It REALLY Matters, Everything Gets Tougher,
At Big Competitions, Things Are Rarely Easy
15Defensive Mental Skills- The Key To Winning The
Big One?
16Key Word For DefensiveMental Skills
17Defensive Mental Skills
- Can control emotions
- Can regulate energy levels
- Can recover from bad performance
- Can stay focused amidst chaos
- Flexible when schedule or conditions change
quickly - Doesnt lose control of thoughts under greatest
pressure
18Controlling Emotions
- Has learned how to channel strong emotions
- When faced with reality of Olympic Medal chance,
does not get overexcited - Can respond to bad start without panic or
frustration - Example A bogey on first hole of tournament
doesnt lead to athlete taking dumb risk on
second hole.
19Regulating Energy Levels
- Knows how to control over-arousal
- Actively works on anxiety management exercises
- Can bring Heart Rate, Muscle Tension, and
Breathing under control in a minute or less - Can bring up intensity when needed (like at
smaller competitions, or at the end of practice) - Example Athlete takes the extra time to breathe,
which leads to patience, and better control of
putter.
20Recovery From Bad Performance
- Fairly Slump Resistant
- Competes The Same After A Win Or A Loss
- Takes information from bad result, but never
loses hope - Doesnt Try Too Hard After an error
- Example Bad experience at last qualifying
tournament doesnt lead to over-careful
approach to this current tournament.
21Flexible
- Although plans are followed when appropriate,
they are not rigid. - Can adapt to changes in time schedule.
- Is willing to try something new, even at biggest
match. - Example Can handle television time changes,
weather delays, and media meetings that accompany
the Majors.
22Focused In Chaos
- Sticks to program, even as rest of team is
frantic - Keeps thoughts simple and effective, doesnt
overthink - Can effectively manage friends and family at
competition - Doesnt get caught up in team discord
- Example Despite playing partner being Tiger
Woods, can focus on own game.
23Keeps In Control
- Keeps thoughts very simple at competition
- Doesnt panic at competition
- Pressure doesnt change thinking, just increases
effort to keep to plan - Example When leading after third round, with a
night to think about it, athlete doesnt melt
down. Keeps thoughts on process, not on result.
24OFFENSE/DEFENSE- WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
- Great Offense/ Poor Defense- Brilliant, but only
every once in a while. Can disappear off the
front page of results, then pop into the top 5. - Great Defense/Poor Offense- Consistent, but
still, you get the sense they could be much
better. Sometimes wonder if their main goal is
simply making the tour. Get the sense they
arent Comfortable Being Uncomfortable.
25Can You Change These?(Well Either They Have It,
Or They Dont)
- What Options Do You Really Have?
- Do you stop trying to change basic technical
mistakes? - Why would you stop trying to change mental
mistakes? - How Long Does It Take To Change Technique?
- If both coach and athlete agree, you can give
feedback, and make modifications to a mental
approach, just as you would a technical approach.
26 Thank You!