Spend More Time Simulating the Real Game

In “Be A Player,” Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson cite another study about trying to do the same thing over and over again:

“’The nervous system was designed to be flexible, not to do the same thing over and over,’ Churchland explained when the study was published. Given this, the scientists extrapolated, an athlete’s quest for consistency is at odds with how human brains have evolved.

 ‘The pervasive belief that we can repeat our [golf] swings is wrong; science tells us the brain will never allow this to happen. If we accept that our swings will always be variable day to day, then the way we practice can become more productive.’

 Golf is a random game played in an ever-changing and flexible environment. Yet players spend hours on the practice range hitting ball after ball in a fixed and closed environment. Players should spend more time simulating the real game.

So when you practice, make it random to force the brain to create new different shots. And visualize the move of how you want to the shot to come together!