THE QATSPY® Quintessential Athletic Training Sports PsychologY
By: Charles W. Boatright
Rule 1 of Subconscious Mind
Rule 1 of Subconscious Mind The Conditioning- How the Athlete Trains, Practices, and Perform Must Be Under Similar Conditions to be effective
If the athlete is trying to put their finger on the main cause of not being able to perform, based on their training and practice, this is a great place to start digging into the disconnect.
Rule No. 1 States: The subconscious mind does not and must not differentiate between visualizations and real situations.
For an athlete to fully utilize their training and practice sessions in their performance, both their training and practice have to be done under similar conditions to match their performance. The major part of the athlete’s training and practice sessions has to be based on developing instincts under similar conditions, not based on thought processes, a conscious effort.
A similar situation to what athletes deal with is the same gap that runners have to deal with when matching up their training and conditioning with their performance for a 10-K run. The runner has to train under similar conditions as they will be running under. If the runner trains under 85° Temperature and 45% humidity, they shouldn’t expect to perform the same running in the 10-K, like in Mississippi in the middle of July with 96° Temperatures and 90% humidity.
In the golfer’s case, this is a real issue, as the golfer’s subconscious mind doesn’t follow logical processes during practice, a conscious function. The golfer might very well use their conscious mind with thought processes to work on the training and practices. But I can guarantee the golfer that once they step foot onto the course, the golfer will be relying totally on their subconscious mind, their instincts. If your golf swing isn’t instinctive, don’t expect to use your swing thoughts on the golf course, a subconscious function.
If the athlete’s practice and training sessions are based on developing thought processes, your subconscious mind will totally disregard your training and practice sessions and revert back to instincts, or survival skills.
This is the very reason that coaches tell their athletes when they are experiencing difficulty in their performance– that they are trying too hard, or thinking too much.
If you want an effective training and/or practice session, use what football coaches call scrimmages. These are as close to gameday conditions, without playing the game. The player isn’t going to perform based on conscious thought, but they’re going to perform based on raw instincts.
The Home Depot Orange Bucket Challenge
For a great training/practice session for golfers to use, I recommend the Home Depot Orange Bucket Challenge, where the golfer has to hit 4 out of 5 golf shots within a 10-foot radius. This is putting at least four (4) golf shots near each of the two orange buckets, through 5 sets on a Par 4. To add another degree of reality to your practice, videotape yourself performing The Home Depot Orange Bucket Challenge. This technique will hone your skills and instincts, instead of relying on developing swing thoughts.
Swing thoughts are not the most effective means to train or practice during training. If you want prove this, try to change a habit, and you will revert back to your old habit, not the new one.
I like to get the athlete to focus on what occurs to drivers along familiar roads or scenic highways. The experienced driver’s skills are so instinctive that their subconscious mind takes over all driving tasks so much that the driver doesn’t even remember driving past certain notable landmarks for a period of time (usually 5-minutes). This is called Driving Hypnosis. Driving Hypnosis, while it is still unsafe for driving a vehicle down the highway, but it works great for driving a golf ball down the fairway.
In driving, I like to compare it to me learning to drive my granddad’s 3-Speed Jeep. At first, it was a thought process that was awkward, then it became an instinctive process, without thinking about coordinating the accelerator, brake, and clutch. In driving, there’s nothing like driving a 3-speed 1963 Chevrolet Corvette.
For more information about developing the Subconscious Mind, read QATR 411-The Palmer Preset IQ-Technique APP:
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