Where your focus goes, your energy flows
In my last blog I talked about how it’s easy to lose sight of how much we have improved over time. In this blog, I want to address what I think is the most important part of disc golf. The mental game. Sure, drives, approaches, putts all matter, but without the mental fortitude to overcome adversity you’ll never really excel at this game. As I like to say, “Disc golf is 90% mental, and 10% mental.”
In the last couple months, I have found myself playing some of the best golf ever. Why? I haven’t increased my practice throws or putts. My bag hasn’t changed. I have always had a positive outlook on the game, and you won’t see any emotional outbursts from me. I like to stay steady and even keeled when I play. So, what’s happening? Now this is pure speculation on my part, but my theory is that my confidence has increased. It happened one Monday morning a couple months ago. Mondays are usually a day where I can get in a solo round at a course of my choosing. I love Monday golf because attendance is low, and I can play more popular courses in my area like The Canyons, or Fel-Pro RRR without all the crowds. This whole summer it seemed that I had been struggling with just about every part of my game. But when I got to the course that morning and teed off on hole one, I realized something. I had been overthinking every shot, and I was rushing through my form. In a single instant I had the epiphany that I just needed to slow down both mentally and physically.
Suddenly and without much fanfare, I just started throwing better. I started to trust my body to move the right way and allow myself to just feel the throw, not think about it. And on the green, I just relaxed and found a new rhythm that added more accuracy and less variance. As I’m writing this, it all seems so simple. Like, “Of course you have to do these things!”. But as I mentioned earlier, sometimes we lose sight of our progress while in the moment. With just one little thought, I leveled up. I think we need solo rounds for this exact reason; we can be completely focused on our game, with no distractions, and that allows for a certain amount of clarity. Since that fateful morning, I have played consecutive rounds where I’m putting up my personal best scores on a variety of courses
Now does this mean I’m going pro next week? No. Does it mean I’m throwing farther? No. What it does mean is that I am just approaching the game from a much more relaxed, ‘let things just happen’ mentality, and it has yielded better results. Will this new mentality last forever? I certainly hope so. And now I hope you can learn something from reading this as well. There are several terms for when you are playing well. ‘The Zone’, or ‘Zen State’, or ‘Locked In’, no matter what you call it, it’s the most amazing feeling in any sport. I have no idea how to get there, or how to maintain it when you do, but I’m going to try and lay out some guidelines for you.
I think with all things in life, the first thing you need is perspective. First, I always try to remember that no matter my performance, I’M PLAYING DISC GOLF. And the whole reason I got into this sport is because it’s fun. I remember my first tournament, coming in dead last place, and saying that it was the best time I had losing, and I couldn’t wait to do it again. If we come into this game with this kind of perspective, then we’re already ahead of the curve. You need a solid foundation based in fun. Second, I like to think that the only person I’m competing with is myself. Sure, I love comparing scores to others, and I want to place well in tournaments, but at the end of the day, if I am honest with myself, it’s about how well did I take on the course based on my own skill set and potential. It’s too easy to get caught up in comparing your results with those of your card mates, and the less you can do that, the better you’ll perform. And finally, you need to have a short memory. In another life, I was an avid and successful poker player, and it was in that arena that I learned how to really focus on the now and not dwell on past decisions or outcomes. I know this is easy to say on paper, and it will take some dedication and practice, but in time if you can teach yourself to only look forward, you will see your scores go down.
Easy right!? No, it isn’t, but I just wanted to share with you my experience. As we enter the late summer stage of the season (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), I am hopeful that I can continue to maintain this mind set to establish this thinking as my new ‘base line’. As I look back to my early beginnings, I can say that I have constantly improved, and I think one of the final pieces to becoming a great player is training your mind to work in harmony with the body. Thanks for reading folks, see you next week. Cheers.
