Here at The Renegade Golf Training Institute, we teach our golfers how to control their mental/emotional states at any given moment, regardless of the external environment. That means that they are able to instill a state of golf confidence, focus, or calm, exactly when they need it the most.
Common examples are the first tee, or when facing a tough driving hole.
We would like to share with you one of our favorite techniques from the world of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), called Anchoring.
What is an anchor?
An anchor is formed when an internal response becomes associated with an external stimulus.
Think Pavlov and his salivating dogs.
Hear A Bell = Salivate
We’ll use the same system for creating anchors for you in relation to the internal feelings and emotions that will be valuable on the golf course.
It’s actually easier than you might think. For our example, let’s focus on the positive emotion of confidence.
EXAMPLE – How to Set an Anchor for Golf Confidence
1) Recall a time when you felt the most confident in your life. If you’ve had that experience in relation to golf, then use that. If not, that isn’t a problem. Use any situation where you felt totally confident.
2) Now you need to “ramp up” the positive emotion! In order to do this, you must completely put yourself into your remembered or imaged scene. I want you to get up and move the way you would be moving in this situation. FEEL what you would be feeling (confidence). Hear what you would be hearing, and see what you would be seeing. Take this emotion of confidence and intensify it by 10X. Sense it as energy surging through your body. Imagine the crowds of spectators cheering you on. Then imagine it as another bolt of confidence that shoots through your body and intensifies your feelings of confidence by another 10X!!
3) When you sense you are at your peak intensity of confidence emotions, set your physical anchor to this state.
4) How to choose your anchor – you can use almost anything for your anchor, as long as it is not a common action that you do in everyday life. For example, you could tap your right shoulder with your left hand. Our favorite anchors are actually the knuckles of your non-dominate hand. For example, if you are right-handed, take you right index finger and push down on the knuckle of your left index finger. This could be your anchor for golf confidence. The benefit of knuckles as anchors is that you can create different anchors for each knuckle, and then activate them all at once (but I’m getting ahead of myself).
5) Now come out of your emotional state for a minute or two. Count backwards from 20 to 0 in order to “break” your emotional state.
6) Next, repeat steps 1-5 at least two more times (but up to 10 times), with enthusiasm!
7) Test the strength of your anchor – Once again, break your emotional state. Then “fire-off” your anchor (in this case pushing down on the knuckle of your left index finger). You should get the surge of confidence that you have anchored to that action. If you get a strong feeling of confidence, then you have set a solid anchor. If not, then you need to keep working on the intensity of your emotion, and perhaps just a bit more repetition.
Do not be discouraged, it can take a little practice to set solid anchors… but it well worth it. Then you will be able to create within yourself the best mental/emotional state for peak performance on the tee and on all of your shots.
Now get confident and get after Old Man Par!
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