| Nothing is more important to your mental game than | | | | "You just have to stay in the moment. Golf is one |
| the ability to stay grounded in the present moment. | | | | shot at a time. You cannot live in the past. You have |
| Many athletes cannot do this easy-to-understand but | | | | to play the shot at hand. That's what I've always |
| hard-to-apply concept. Some of my students become | | | | done. " ~Tiger Woods |
| mentally trapped by their own thoughts. They focus | | | | How do you stay in the present when you |
| on what just happened during the last play or shot or | | | | constantly are bombarded with distractions in sports - |
| on what may happen in the future. | | | | your own mental traps and outside distractions? |
| The classic mental trap is when you begin to think | | | | You simply have to catch yourself when your focus |
| ahead to the end of the game or performance. Will | | | | wanders and act quickly. This means you must be |
| my team get it done today? What score will I shoot | | | | aware when your mind wanders away from what is |
| today? Will coach be happy with my performance | | | | really important. |
| today? | | | | *Refocusing* is a simple three-step process that all |
| Thinking ahead about the *what ifs* does not help | | | | of my mental coaching students learn. This mental |
| you perform well in the present. But many athletes | | | | strategy helps them pull their focus back to the |
| have a hard time staying grounded in the present. | | | | present moment. |
| We live in a result-oriented society. Everyone | | | | The lesson today - you can't be perfect with your |
| remembers winners - not losers or who finished | | | | mental focus. No one is perfect. Not even Tiger |
| second. | | | | Woods. But he is the master at refocusing or |
| Regardless, you must train your mind to focus on the | | | | regaining his concentration after is slips. |
| process - or what I call execution - if you want to | | | | The mental strategy of refocusing should not take |
| enter and stay in the zone. | | | | you longer than 2-4 seconds to complete in |
| The number 1 golfer in the world, Tiger Woods, is a | | | | competition. The sooner you can refocus - the better |
| master at the present-focus mindset. | | | | your concentration and thus, performance! |