Eighteen Holes In Your Own Mind

There is the story of a golfer, we will call him Golfer Joe. Golfer Joe quit golf for seven years. Previous to quitting golf for seven years, Golfer Joe was no one special on the green. He was your average Joe. But Golfer Joe had a dream. His dream was to improve his average, which was around 90. Seven years later he stepped onto a golf course again and shot a 74. That's a 20 stroke improvement for those of you who don't know.

What was interesting was that Golfer Joe was also in worse physical condition than he was 7 years prior.

Golfer Joe, for those seven years was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Not only did he never swing a club, he never saw a green. He never spoke to or saw anyone except for those holding him captive. He was alone.

To escape, to occupy his mind Golfer Joe dipped into his mind. He imagined the smell of the grass, the feeling of the sun, the grip of the golf club in his hands. And in his mind he imagined himself playing round after round, hole after hole, swing after swing.

For seven years he played golf in his mind for four hours a day. Eighteen holes of golf, in all weather conditions. He saw the ball bounce, he corrected the imperfection in his swing.

Golfer Joe tapped into the most amazing, strongest, most capable part of our body. Our mind.

When I swam in high school, Coach Aungst would lead us through visualization drills. He would have us distance swimmers lay on mats. He'd set up the races. We'd imagine stepping onto the starting block. We'd imagine the feel of the block beneath our feet, we'd feel the anticipation of the gun. Then the race would start. Mr. Aungst would start his watch and then fall silent. We were left on our own to visualize our race. When we hit the wall we were to raise our hand.

After three sessions like this I was about to hit the wall at 5:20. The time it took for me to swim a 500 yard freestyle. Each race we would do that and I would be able to predict my time within 2 seconds. At the ripe young age of 15 Mr. Aungst taught us about the most important aspect of athletic performance..... the mind.

So think about your goal, your big race, your big game. Then lay down. Get comfortable. Feel the conditions. Is it hot? Is it cold? If you are outside can you smell the grass, the sand or the ocean? When the game starts or the gun goes off does your heart leap?

Imagine yourself flowing through every aspect of your game, your race, your event with ease. With grace... as you make no mistakes. Feel the lactic acid build in the legs, but feel yourself rise above it all. Feel yourself let go, and feel yourself soar.

As it finishes feel the finish line, hear the whistle blow, allow yourself to experience the ending. Then in your mind turn around. Did you give it 100% Did you do your best?

Don't visualize failure, visualize success, and don't be afraid of it. But don't discount the power of your mind either.

When it comes down to that one day when you need the stars to align and the wind to blow from the back........ you will be ready. And just like Golfer Joe, you will be more prepared than ever to go out and have your best day.

:-) Mary Eggers