In the East, a daily practice is integral to all traditions and paths, whether that of the warrior, the monk or the everyday person looking to cultivate themselves, develop positive qualities and attain a transformation be it personal or spiritual.
We don’t really have a daily practice as a concept in the West apart from things like goal setting or sticking to a diet or fitness routine so my job is to help you develop a morning ritual of between 20 – 60 based on Eastern principles and practices – to prepare for the day ahead and prep for greater enjoyment and higher performance in the sport you love.
There are many things involved in a traditional daily practice from breathing awareness, posture training, meditation, movement routines, reciting a mantra, visualisation, chanting or other forms of worship and it also includes an interesting concept called CONTEMPLATION, which is a slowly dying art in this superfast high-tech world we’re currently inhabiting.
So, in today’s episode I’m going to go through what the teachers in my Tai Chi lineage call “big ideas” and which are sayings or concepts taken from the classic writings for you to ponder on and bring into your game.
Stillness is the Master of Motion
Golf coaching is usually given by deconstructing the swing after it’s happened – it’s the analysis of movement after the event – the golfer then sets about trying to implement these technical changes with varying degrees of success.
The greatest martial artists from Miyamoto Musashi to Bruce Lee argued two key points that run counter to this 1. practicing fixed patterns of movement leads to defeat, they unravel, something always needs fixing, tinkering with – 2. working with your body in its entirety with stance or posture training can help develop the foundations of movement bypassing the need for a mental checklist.
Stand Like a Mountain, Move Like a River
Training your body or developing a body that can serve your game means having a strong lower body, with a relaxed upper body – you know this state if you’ve ever hit a great golf shot or have putted well or felt quietly confident as you walked out to the first tee – it’s a very interesting phenomena that the quieter the mind the more relaxed the body.
Moving the centre
To find your physical centre, relax the muscles, joints and tendons while maintaining an upright posture. Feel as if your head is suspended from above and your feet are supported from below.
As the mind settles to the centre, calm and stillness are created. It’s the first step to becoming more connected. When you start over-thinking and trying too hard, excess tension is created which stops the body obeying this natural force.
Take your time contemplate these three classic phrases and work on bringing the feeling and awareness this creates into your golf – always at set up and aiming not to abandon the principles as you go through your swing!
All of this and more, plus the training that goes along with it is in my book Connected Golf; Bridging the Gap Between Practice and Performance – it’s available in paperback, Kindle and audio.
I’ve also put together a Golf Performance Programme which has 20 years of my material in audio, video and written form such as eBooks and instructional articles.
Please reach out if you’d like to work with me on your Performance Practice or send in any questions about your training that you’d like me to answer on the show.
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