Nervous Days
Easing Your Nerves in Competitive Golf
Framing the day
Taking value from earlier writings, it’s important that we present a healthy relationship with what today is. Unless it’s extremely rare situation (in contention for a major on the weekend, 2nd or Final stage of Q School) we can make a rather stout argument that the result of today’s play will not impact your greater golfing career, even more so: your greater pursuit within the game. Today is one opportunity filled with a few shots and few opportunities to hit a couple good ones, really, nothing more.
Pre-Baked Acceptance
I work with several poker players. I understand there are many differences between competitive golf and competitive poker. But I feel that there are lessons and parallels. Experienced professional poker players will be forced to make decisions for their tournament life (today’s play) several points in early play, if they don’t they’ll be blinded out, falling out of touch with a chip count that is ultimately needed as blinds continue to raise.
When working with these types, we home in on their process. Their read of the table, the greater situation, their opponent(s) in key hands, their range, their read on the psychology/behavior of those around. They talk a ton about how rounds develop and moves made within. The results of these hands are mentioned, but they are smart enough to understand that it’s still poker, there is still a rather large chance that they will follow their process to a T and still walk away eliminated in early play. True experience understands that the cards will often not fall their way. True talent has acceptance baked in before even sitting down.
To be clear, that acceptance is not in wavering from process or giving grace for poor decisions made in emotion. This acceptance is of all that can happen outside of their control and their decision-making.
Trusting the preparation
I’ve been lucky enough to meet and in some cases work with some extraordinary and rather well-known performers. One of the most disappointing interactions I’ve had left me scratching my head. It was simplicity in its purest form. I spent an afternoon with a very well-known sports commentator/analyst. Excited to ask him about his career, I generated several questions that I felt would uncover some great value. Almost every answer was entirely too simple. Preparation, Preparation, Preparation.
This announcer covered his intense process of preparation, anything that could come up in the conversation or interview was studied, planned and rehearsed. He mentioned that if his preparation is tight, he’s just talking about a sport he loves. He mentioned that he never gets too high or too low. Just ready for the moment to chat about something that has been a central part of his life since childhood. This interaction left me with confidence in confirmation that the battle is won before the day of any contest or tournament.
Knowing Your Number
Arousal and anxiety is one of the central driving factors around why tournament golf is so difficult. A very precise demand, met with a nerve raking action. It takes the touch of a seasoned surgeon to navigate tournament set up’s at the highest level.
Expanding on the gameshow platform covered in an earlier write up. We want to quantify the feeling, assign it a number. So we can make adjustments if certain observation is present. Think about the best round you’ve ever had: How did you feel? How high, how low were you?
Let’s start with a simple sliding scale from 0-10, 0 should be assigned to an experience from which you’ve never been more bored on a flight, in a classroom, near sleep, agonizing boredom. On the other side of this scale, think of 10 as a moment of near capitulation, a situation of pure fear and anxiety, think about the worst panic attack you’ve had, one where heading to the hospital is on your mind.
What number was your very best performance? Where do you play your best 10% of golf? Are you a cool cucumber at 2 or 3, just happy to be there, focus, feeling no buzz, just calm and ready. Are you a 5? Feeling a good buzz, maybe a small tremor in your hands, shaky but under control. Do you run hot? Perhaps at the 7 level where you struggled to sleep the night before, unable to eat much, perhaps got sick in the locker room? You’re still ready, but you’re as nervous as you really think you could be before getting help?
The truth is, I’ve worked and played with serious competitive golfers that are killers, winners at very high levels. These champions identify with anything from 1 to 7. Science tells us that we are all very different. Csikszentmihalyi tells us that we all experience these states very differently, they are unique human to human. The key is understanding the ingredients present in your experience and doing everything you possibly can to re-create those ingredients today, and every day after. We cannot guarantee that you will fall into flow, but we can certainly do a lot to try.
Getting To Your Number
It’s the day of a big event for you, whether you made it to a sectional for the US Open, playing with your literal golf hero’s or playing in a club championship you’ve won multiple times before. How do you feel? Where are you on this scale as opposed to your ideal number?
The acknowledgement that you are higher or lower than ideal is half the battle. Once it is diagnosed you can use these tactics to move towards that ideal state.
To go higher
-Intense, pump-up music
-Visualizing previous high’s intense shots that you made happen
-I know its tacky, but watch a video like:
-Or like this:
-Lastly, if you belong to an older generation, perhaps this:
To go lower
-Calming music, soft jazz, etc.
-Box Breathing
-Stretching routine + Intentional Breathing
-Meditation
-Gum
20% Better or 20% Worse
Although not a fully scientific observation, it is often said that the presence of a big day can either make you 20% better or 20% worse. A little buzz is sometimes needed to drop into flow. There is no doubt that there is a reality that you can drop into this peak performance state, whether it’s a 20% uptick in your performance, or not, it’s value that you certainly want to capture.
No doubt that 20% worse can be there, we’ve all felt what it’s like to lose control of our golf game. When trust fails you and all you hope to do is to keep the ball in front of your on the golf course. Those days can get so bad that even that 2ft tap in feels like a challenge. This is the state of choke. Now I know you’ve heard the phrasing before. “He chokes under pressure.” This is how the body of work in academia defines it, choke. An alternative state to flow and clutch. The 20% worse.
Framing: There Is No Fail
This is just another day from which you will draw experience from regardless of the outcome. If it’s a massive success, you will remember this day fondly, using it as proof that you can do it. If you play poorly and come up short, it will be an experience from which you will find insight into how you can improve. All results end in learning experience if you choose to view it in that light. This perspective will take pressure away from the moment, and zoom out the focus to where you truly want to accomplish, where you want to end up.
Remind Yourself of Your Mindless Talent
When nervous, when fearful, remind yourself of the thousands of hours you have devoted to this very specific and precise movement. Remind yourself of the times that you’ve fallen into an auto-drive like state. Remind yourself of days that went right, days that you show your best. These are great moments of simple reminder, that you’ve not just done this before, but that you’ve done it thousands of times. Each day feels like a new one, but the reality is that it’s only one of the many thousand times that you lace up your shoes in the parking lot or locker room, today is just another day adding to your collective experience in this wonderful game.
Questions, Thoughts, or Contact:
jon@praxisperf.com