Set high goals

Peak performance comes from high standards, highly set goals and a work ethic that is just intense.

Intense is that you work on flawless technique first, to perfect it, and this takes time and then even more time and then intense concentration.
Now, the work I do to get there to get a perfect technique goes slowly, I had to re-learn old habits last year, which was good but also I didnt understand enough what to practice and how to practice right.

So, I started doing that this year, slowly working trough what my body does, and do when I perform the motion, and this is what I will stick to doing the whole summer also.
I am using a new embodied form to become aware of what the body is doing as it does it.
Now, already this has improved my technique a lot.

But I need to get the summer come along, so I can get a even better feedback, when the ball is struck for me, I can judge the performance of ballflight with the technique and note, does it match or not?
Doing this, I dont need a lot of analysis, I need to use the feedback and adjust, and feel the body and how its understand and then adjust until its right.

So if everything moves along nicely this summer I be playing scratch golf.
from 9 to scratch in a season.

That would be one for the record books.


/Robert Johansson

Ben and Moe

In the world of sports people seek consistency to be doing the same accurate thing and this wont change.
Now, in Golf, even professional golfers will tell you their swing is a day to day and even a swing to swing consistent.
They are constantly trying to find a swingthought that keeps them doing the same and same again.

Now, doing it like they do, focus on the toe, or left toe and as it lifts they can make the same shot, for a time, and soon they hunt again for another haystraw.

It just wont work for them.

The secret that Ben Hogan had and that Moe Norman shared was the ability to constantly swing the same.
Now, every golf theory and guru out there have tried to find the secret they had and none ever have been able to copy what they did.

I belive I have solved that, and this summer will show if I indeed did find, the secret.

Exciting times.

/Robert Johansson

When everything changes.

Doing what I do is a nice thing, however as I do them I also find new things, get a new understanding and need to revised old ideas.

The format I described here is now old.
I found a better way to implement peak performance and optimize performance and even if these ideas now needs revision, this have to wait for another time.

/Robert Johansson

Problemsolving performance the how to

Each and every thing we do regarding performance does not always happen as we want it to be like.

Going trough a checklist is then a good thing.

Since we can at least to some degree check some basically overall structures,
we can check the state, is it the one we wanted to have?
Did we change the state to much during performance?
Did we let things creep into affecting our thinking and state?

We check the state to find out if that is affected.
We then turn to beliefs,
did a old belief affect what did go on in our performance?
We also check, context.

When we set up an outcome in how we want to do things, we must measure as good as we can what is going on.
No excuses are allowed.

We define first context, what is going on there is based on what we want it to be, we then support that context with beliefs that adds a generalized connection to context and binds that to the state we add.

The trinity of performance, context, beliefs and state are the corner stones in our performance.

If one of them are off, they will make things unbalanced.
If we start to think to much without keeping the context and performance in view, then we will slide into a different state, we then will start to alter our beliefs.
If we get affected by things that happens in the performance due to factors out of our control, we can make sure the beliefs are in jeopardy.

The context, if we keep track of that we keep track of our attention.
This will make the beliefs and state coming along for the ride.
The context is in our mind a particular bit of space.
It exists as a time space continium.

As we dont perform, as we want to, its due to not having the proper context in our attention,
and this often happens due to our state is changed, our beliefs shifted along the way.

This is why its so important to keep track of what you do know and are knowing about your outcome, the context, the beliefs and the state.

If you cant have the performance, then all that is needed to do, is to know what the context is, the beliefs with that and the state that follows that. (I play at a golf course, (context) and I am a professional elite golfer playing at a particular level of performance)
Then we created a loop of feedback, the more we get our attention to the context, the more we get into the performance level we seek.
This we can measure along the way if we are on the right track or not, if we dont do that its easy to get sidetracked.

In essence, we dont need to do problemsolving since nothing can change the context, the beliefs or our state we set up.

Many might have a problem with that thinking, but we are creating a space, a zone an area of performance that nothing else can be part of, NOTHING!

We sort that out.

What typically happens when people dont have their performance off is to find something that did go wrong, they try to analyze what went wrong.
Nothing can go wrong with this.

This is a way we can make sure that our performance always are at our utmost best level at all times. Obviously different things affect our day to day as age, physical fitness etc...
but we can always be at our best if we choose to be.

If you open a door, then its open. Until its closed.
Many dont have a problem with that.

If you set a standard for your performance, then that can always be open.
Never to be closed until we change something and dont sort that out.

I played with some friends, and my performance was decent.
My state was fine, I played many good shots and never had any really bad ones.
But I wasnt as acurate.
This was due to a technical aspect of my performance, an old habit I am sorting out, to much body movement.
When I find that out, my performance still was the same but the result now became much better.

I didnt change my state, my context was still the same and my beliefs in place, but my body couldnt do the technical move properly due to my awareness to my body in how its moved was of.
As soon I found that out, massive improvement did happen.

Now, of course, I then take this as a learning and updating check, I need to practice differently, I need to update my check for how my body moves in the swing, and how to make sure I be still and how I do know that and then when that is done integrating it into my outcome ie: performance.

If you understand this, I can check if my set up was flawed in my outcome of performance, and since I done that and nothing was off, I knew I didnt need to change any of that, its working.
Obviously, my performance was off, but since I didnt know by what, I waited.
And since I then understood why, I could take some measure to improve that a lot.

I started to hit great shots, dead straight, had some good short shots, good putting on bad greens but I felt great knowing I started to do technically right.

I then now after this have to find a good session of practice when I add this as routine to ingrain this until it become habitual.
I will be able to measure this and how I improve by more stable play.

I today shoot around 80-85 or so.
My performance is much better, I can hit all greens in regaulation due to my distance is enough, and if I have found the biggest flaw I will notice directly if this is on track by making better scores.
If it is the technical aspect, the body moves to much then I can work on other things, tweak things if this improves my scores.

So, doing problemsolving makes this easy,

Is my set up properly done in my outcome with context, beliefs and state? (a yes)
Do I need to change that? (most likely NOT)
Is it a factor outside my awareness? (if it is, wait until the cause present itself)
This you can measure when things works again. (it isnt always easy)
When the cause is found, sort it out, work on it and integreate this into the performance context.

I hit some great shots even when my performance was not on properly, this was strange, since I suddenly could hit a bad shot not knowing why it happen.
I didnt question this, I kept on following my context, my beliefs and state.
I trust that since I know I play at my best doing that.

So, when I find this flaw, the technical aspect, that I simply cannot feel, when I move to much, I then know what to do.
I must practise how to feel this, and make this obvious for me, in my awareness, so I know what is going on.
Then when its properly done, I simply will forget about it and play again, knowing it will work for me in my set up performance.

The idea is simple, play, have the performance, and just enjoy the ride.
When I am walking out there, I keep track of what I need to do, then I check my state and context since those directs my attention and my beliefs will be there when I perform.

When my performance went up, I made 5 birdie chances in 7 holes that was around 4meters.
Due to greens, they didnt go in even when properly been read and hit.
What I liked was that I hit some shots I was simply question what club I needed to make the distance, and what shot was required, made sure my body was still and just performed.
I made 2 poor shots due to to much movement but then I knew what the performance was affected by and didnt bother about it.

Tomorow, I will play again, I be working on making sure the body is more still, how to work on feeling that, and then go out and see how this new knowledge affects my score.

If you do problemsolving, its important to understand this;

Dont change the trinity of performance, context, beliefs, and state.
Find the cause, anchor from outside, old anchor from inside, bad mood, emotions, bad food, tired, technical depending on your level of performance.
Check comparisions you make, the reason people sometimes talks themselves out of things is that they compare, and then debate what they compare, ruining the state and then alter the beliefs and obviously, the context has changed along the way.

The level of performance, if this is set up properly, can never change, ever.
If it does, it do so by factors either unknown or known which we let influence our state, our beliefs and creep into our space of performance context, if this is sorted out before it enters our context, then the performance will balance itself out and be at the level we expect it to be.

This is why I am when doing this are making sure I practice when I practice, and then when I play I play. (sorting out contexts and beliefs, criteria etc..)
I dont think out there why I dont play as my performance I set up, due to me knowing I got the right state, I have the beliefs, and the context is there.(No need to change that)
I obviously notice when I dont make the shots I need to make and that I set up to do.
And again obviously something affects my performance.
Until I know what, I wait.

Now, knowing this about my body, I will set up a routine the following sessions at home and at practice and when I play.
When I find the proper treatment, identify what to do, I work on that until its habit and then forget about it.

Then I just play.

How I sort this out is to overdo what I need, I make sure my body are more still than needed in my practice sessions, then map how that feels and how it affects my technical performance.
I do that Until I get a sensation that more or less makes it obvious what to do.
Making sure, I get two ways to feel this, one is when my body is still and one when my body moves to much.
I then sort those sensations/feels out and reinforce the one I want and ingrain that with my full swing.

This system is perfect, when set up you never need to change anything.
What can be changed, adjusted, tweaked or balanced are what new information that comes along tha way to your outcome/context of performance.
You might adjust the state, adjust the beliefs, add or delete something, altering the criteria of measurement, tweak what is done in practice and in play etc...

What I have done since early may is this,
I changed my practice state, to more match the one I use when I play.
I sorted out unwanted behaviours on the course, I deleted and replaced emotions in regard to my performance, I added a new belief to the context that I play on a golf course with my level of performance, I measure the improvement and add practice to what level of my game I need to improve based on facts out on the course.
I am looking for a stable and consistent golf where my scores dosnt differ much from day to day.
I am checking and re-checking that my technical aspects are improving into habits.

As far, everything is getting better and better. I also added improvement based on when things go right, I then added how it would be if this would be even better.
A natural improvement feeling.

I am measure that I am becoming the player level of statistics that I have aimed for this fall.
My greens in reg is around 50-60% was around 35% last 2 years.
I putt better and have better short game than ever. (Up and down is much improved)
I hit longer and straighter than ever.

I am not where I want to be yet, this is largely due to flaws in my technical aspects and some in the lack of experience in how the ball behave on the greens when I do my approach shots.

When I meet my requirements, my criteria, I will own my game.
I will be able to play consistent golf everytime due to me knowing that nothing can affect my performance due to how well I set it up.
If anything would affect the game, I will easily know what it is, be able to sort it out and continue playing at my set up performance level.

I am pretty sure that my score tomorow will improve.

I get back to you in how it did go.

/Robert Johansson

Does this work?

When doing such a model as I do, the question from people is, does it really work and how do you know it does?

Earlier in my life, I had no good satisfied answer to such a question, this was due to the unconsious and often out of awareness focus of NLP.

Yes, it works and yes I do know how.

What if you can measure your improvement in your performance each practice and each time you engage into your sport?
How fast would you improve?

I have since early may when I recived the dvd´s for my golf swing, and I have been spending ton of time on the range and watching those dvd´s and doing air drills to memorize positions.
I have made sure that each practice was made with some specific goal, that I also would take any sensation felt and make it internalized when doing it correct and properly.
I also have made sure each time I did do it right I also improved on that, feeling it.

The last 5 rounds I have played, each round I checked what I needed to improve, went back and practice that the next day.
I memorized the sensation when doing it right.
Out and played again.
Noted again what I needed to improve and practiced that.
I also improved what I already did well out there.

So, each round have been better than the one before.
The game starts to get more consistent, no errors in any bigger numbers and many really good shots.

As I do the improvement, I measure what I do, with factual numbers, do the shots get closer to the pin, do the % numbers of fairways and greens go up, do the up and down from the rough get higher? etc...
This makes me sure what I do works or not.
I can see the numbers, I know what to work on, I can feel the swing much better in my positions, I still need to work out some things but the important thing is,
I can now play golf really easy.

For me, it feels like really simple.

Like playstation golf.

Just aim and hit.

So, I measure how it feels internally in my swing, do I get the right position, does the ball go straight, does the distance improve etc..?
Today the ball went further, with less power.
I had to adjust, big time to get the right club for the shots.
Much more fun.

As I measure my improvement in performance, I also check the basics from time to time.
The swing system works, I get more power as the technique I have is getting better, my acuracy goes up as I can do it more correct and so on.

Today I equal my best ever score at 78.
Without effort.
I made no birdies and plan on making some tomorow.

Accelerating learning is all about making sure you measure the right feeling/sensation, improve that, then add factual statistics if possible to see if the feelings match the outside performance.

I did change some approaches before the game today.
I tweaked my state a little, and I set a new target when approaching greens on my iron shots.
This tweak made the game for me a little easier.
I hit a lot of greens (13) and was really close on several others.
I had chances to do birdies but the small chips was a little off to make easy birdies.

As I look at my game, watching my stats improve, the feeling I have when playing and checking my state and taking note of what I need to improve each day and each session, I improve.
I evaluate each session, each round I play, finding the proper and correct approach to meet my criteria of stats I am aiming for and the distances I need to compete at the level this fall.

If you dont improve each session, each round your not doing it right.
Your either not measure the right things, or adding improvement additions to the stuff you do well.
When I meet my outcomes, the goals I set up in my skill level of playing golf, I be shooting under par consistently at my home course.
Then I can at least to some degree say that I am in some way meeting my criteria.
I also need to compete when that happens.
However the summer havent even started and already the progress made is astounding.

Does it work?

For me most definitly.

/Robert Johansson
Re-New NLP.

Sorting programs what are those?

As it states, its sorting out what is to be sorted out.

In performance this means we want to do things that makes us better, improves us, and allows a higher performance to be in place.
To be able to get that we need to be able to sort out unwanted information.

As I set my outcome, I also set up a measurement and sorting program to meet specific criteria.
As long the criteria is not met, the program keeps sorting out what I do to improve, keeps measuring what I do that makes my results, skills and everything else better.
I can practice, play and improve faster due to my brain knows where I am going.
And as I am not there, it keeps finding ways to get me there.

Adding sometimes and sometimes removing until the criteria is met.
As I work on this and become better I feel great.
I use positiv emotions to re-inforce the improvements.

I keep mapping and tracking, do I need to do something new, do I need to ingrain and find a new sensation, what is my practice today for the skills I need to improve?

Doing the above,
I have improved my game by noticing that when playing this did happen,
as it did, I didnt change it.
Then at the practice range, I find what I needed to do, found that and re-inforced that.
I changed my chipping, lighter grip, tested and went out and played, improved a lot.
Lost my putting, found it out on the course after a few holes.
Noted what I did when it worked.

So, I then know what to practice, measure the practice and map and sort out anything else unwanted.
Then I go play again after I Improved the skills.

This is a fast process, the idea is to identify and improve to meet my criteria. As I do that, I can make a habit of the skills faster since, when I can do what I need to do, meeting my criteria, then I just make sure its got down into long term memory so I just can do it.
Then no more practice of that is needed, sorted that out, then I just check, whats next?

So, my game is improving so fast, my mind goes woooowaaazzzaaa.
It a lot of fun also.

In the last few days, my skills have improved a lot.
The key here is measure the improvement, map them into the criteria I want, if met, I simply check if the skill keeps getting more habitual and soon I simply forgets it.
If not met, I analyze what I need to do, make a practice plan, and re-inforce when I find the right move.

So, the puting now works, I then keep checking if it works until it just dont need any attention, I just putt the way I want.
The same goes with chipping and pitching.
I still need to improve those skills a little more.

Its getting there.

/Robert Johansson
Re-New NLP:

Mental?

Its not about the mental aspects of the performance, its all about emotions.
Or how you handle them. (Not Mental training)

Mentally, its about beliefs, but the performance are all about emotions.
Make sure you use positive emotions, loaded into the direction you want to go.
Sort out all other emotions, make sure they never going to be present in your performance when it counts.

I changed my practice on the range after some thought, I decided I have reached long enough on my practice I needed to change my state as I practiced to the one I use on the course.
My aim has been that practice and play must sooner or later meet, so slowly I am sliding all the stuff I want to play into my practice sessions.

My goal there is to shorten the practice into high quality shots, practice so I get a edge in making every shot with the state and context and the level of skill I want to have.

A very common mistake is that emotions are not that important, however, emotions tie us into responses, often unconsious ones, we just react out of habit to something, often we got a belief, we can perform a shot a move and when we fail to do so, we respond by becoming emotional into absurdness.

Handling emotions, anger, sadness, feeling stupid, frustrated, iritated ec..is all about seting the aim of context first, then tie into that with beliefs and states and skills and then add the positive emotions into that supporting this plan of action.

Then so called "bad emotions" will not be part of your performance.
Neat, right?

Emotions are often tied into our beliefs about expectations.
We expect a particular result, when that fails to be met, we react with emotions.
This happens since we have taught our selves to do so out of habit.

I discovered doing this new outcome I had to alter a few of my responses, I did so since I could sort them out really well to get the level of skill I wanted.
I didnt know this did happen due to not knowing how the movement was to be perform.
When I got the DVD´s it become much easier to practice the right motions, to train my body to do it right.
In essence, I needed to re-train my body and train my body to do a motion of swinging a gofclub which I wasnt able to do before.

The result is, I am reaching my distances I wanted, not all there but much closer and that feels great (positive emotions) and also I can practice to ingrain the sensations I need to have to perform such motion so the result stays the same.
The system I use does have some advantages that makes me hit the shots straight, that is a boost also in positive emotions, I know if I do things properly, I hit it really straight.

So, performance is about the state, the emotions we attach to what we do.
Sorting out so called bad emotions and attach positive ones to what we do and want to do are important.

Winning must be the best feeling you get, why else compete?

When you practice, re-inforce the things you do Perfect/Right/Technical correct with positive emotions tied into context.
When I do so, I thank the audience with a tip of my hat or my player who says, nice shot.
Why?

I am introducing the context I want to play and use and do those performances and teaching my brain what I want to happen, will allow for a sorting program to be in place.

Which my next blog post will be about.

/Robert Johansson
Re-New NLP.