The one interesting thing I’ve found about increasing CHS is that for the first time in history of anything, the “placebo” effect does not work. Nor does positive thinking, or any other hocus pocus. You can think all you want you’re going to swing 140 mph, but unless you do the right training, it just ain’t gonna happen. On the flip side, I think it’s good to have a positive attitude and to have the belief that deep down you’re capable of increasing your CHS. I truly believe that without this confidence, you’ll have major difficulties making great gains. And 99.9% of the time, that’s how I roll. However, last week, I found myself in that .1% twilight zone and I found myself being very negative heading into a Long Drive event in Denver.
I’ve been riding high after my performance in Topeka http://www.longdrivers.com/remax_local.php?id=435 and my thrills in Tulsa. Unfortunately in the time since, I’ve not been able to workout like I normally do, due to life getting in the way. Accordingly my CHS and ballspeeds have fallen. To add injury to insult I tweaked my wrist on a dog leash before the competition. All this led me to being negative about my upcoming performance.
I didn’t know that negative thinking worked so well. Not only did I hit it BAD in Denver, I didn’t get one in the GRID and I was only hitting it about 360, which is woefully short in the mile high air. I’d never been so negative and I’d never hit it so poorly.
My only consolation was that my wife and baby Chloe were waiting for me in Salida, CO and we had a great family vacation. On the way home, I realized that I could have qualified in the Denver event, but not with the attitude I had. I don’t fully believe that positive thinking will significantly change your outcome, but I now know that negative thinking will. As I look back on Topeka, my attitude going in was, “bring it on”. I had a swagger and confidence that I was there to compete. This is something that my new friend on the PGA Tour and I talked about, you have to have an ego. You still treat other people kindly and with respect, but you truly have to believe in your abilities. No wait, you don’t have to, you just do. If you talk negatively, that’s telling yourself that you don’t believe. So, do your training and believe that your training will take you where you want to go. If you’re not playing so well going into an event, you don’t need to think you’re going to win, just don’t think that you ARE going to lose. Furthermore, go into it with no expectations. Just let it unfold and see what happens. That’s what you hear most tour pros say the week of a victory.
If it’s broke, fix it!
I’ve got a guy here in Lawrence that does ART and it’s awesome, my wrist is already better, but Dr. Jones suggested that I take 3 weeks off from hitting balls. OK. You know me; I’m still going to work on something. So, I’ve been doing XLR8R’s with our brand new Down Position Power Module. Oh yeah, just with my left arm. When you do a 1 arm swing with the XLR8R with your back arm (your right, my left), you want to take your opposite hand and hold the back of your tricep. This keeps your trailing arm from flying too far away from your body. I did this on my first few swings and it felt very different! Eureka! Why was this a Eureka? Read on and discover the path to fixing what is broke.
You’ve probably heard the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and there was even a book called, “If it ain’t broke, Break it!” I’m a believer in both of these quotes, the first telling you not to mess with a winning game, the 2nd one telling you that you need to constantly improve. The saying you rarely hear is “If it’s broke, fix it!” I guess that goes without saying, but it is very true, if something is not working, then you need to get it to work. Unless of course, you’re OK with it not working. But, you’re a loyal BLOG reader and I know that you’re NOT OK with it. If your name is Tiger Woods, then at some level your swing, or your CHS or routine is pretty much as good as it’s going to get, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. If you’re an 18 handicapper then, you’re in the “If it’s broke, fix it!” category. If you’re a Long Drive guy and your CHS is 140 mph, but you want 145 mph, then you’re in the “If it ain’t broke, Break it!” category, which includes yours truly, I’m always experimenting. Which leads me to the Eureka moment. When I experiment I rarely find something that truly feels unique or different. The first time I did the XLR8R power module – Eureka! The 1st time I did Tour Tempo – Eureka! The first time my dad put the orange aid (newly patented product, available soon) on my club – Eureka! The 1st time I tried my X-factor prototype (by the way, I’ll have this ready for the public by Oct. 1, so hit me up if you’re interested in being a guinea pig) – Eureka! The list goes on and on, but this is over a time period of many years, so Eureka moments are truly big moments. Thus, when I did my 1 arm down swing with the DP Power Module with my right arm on the back of my left tricep, it felt different and that told me something: I was not making my huge turn and “syncing” my body on the downswing. After 2 sessions of doing this drill I’ve already increased my 1 arm swing speed by 5 mph and I expect (pray) that this will be an uptick of 5 mph in my real swing and thus get back to my Topeka 402 form. From there, I’m even more hopeful that if I can get another 5 mph and strengthen my left arm, then my CHS will increase even more.
If you’re in the “If it’s broke, fix it!” category, then your solution is simple: Fix it! The answer to that is not so simple. You need to find drills to help you improve. Here’s the key to the drills: they need to feel awkward or bad or totally different. Why? Because if they feel anything remotely like what you’ve been doing, then your results will be pretty much exactly what you’re doing now, which is not what you want. Let’s put this into real world terms. Suppose for example you’re fighting a slice. You need to drastically change your CH Path and your CH face angle at impact. You probably also need to change your angle of attack. So, you’re going to try a drill to give you these feels. A great one for this is my dad’s Tower of Power (coming out soon) which you use with an XLR8R. Most people claim it feels entirely different, and then guess what? The results are entirely different! So, find drills that will address your “issues”. Perform them correctly with an XLR8R before you go to a ball and make sure they feel “weird”. Once you groove it with the XL, try some balls. You’ll find you’re now in the “If it AIN’T broke, don’t fix it category!” or even worse if you’re an experimenter, you’re now in my domain, the “If it ain’t broke, BREAK IT” world.