I would like to begin by reproducing some text from Timothy Gallwey´s very popular book ´The Inner Game of Tennis´ where he talks about the conversation we have with ourselves when we do anything, including playing sport.
Discovery of the Two Selves
A major breakthrough in my attempts to understand the art of relaxed concentration came when, while teaching, I again began to notice what was taking place before my eyes. Listen to the way players talk themselves on the court; “come on Tom, meet the ball in front of you.”
We are interested in what is happening inside the player’s mind who is telling who what most players are talking to themselves on a court all the time. “Get up for the ball.” Keep it to his backhand.” “Keep your eyes on the ball.” “Bend your knees.” The commands are endless. For some, it’s like hearing a tape-recording of the last lesson playing inside their head. Then, after the shot is made, another thought flashes through the mind and might be expressed as follows: “You clumsy ox, your grandmother could play better!” One day I asked myself an important question – who was talking to whom? Who was scolding and who being scolded? “I’m talking to myself,” say most people. But just who is this “I” and who the “myself?”
Obviously the “I” and “myself” are separate entities or there would be no conversation, so one could say that within each player there are two “selves.” One, the “I,” seems to give instructions; the other, “myself,” seems to perform the action. Then “I” returns with an evaluation of the action. For clarity let’s call the “teller” Self 1 and the “doer” Self 2.
Now we are ready for the first major postulate of the Inner Game: within each player the kind of relationship that exists between Self 1 and Self 2 is the prime factor in determining one’s ability to translate knowledge of technique into effective action. In other words the key to better tennis – or better anything – lies in improving the relationship between the conscious teller Self 1 and the natural capabilities of Self 2.
Before delving deeper into the subject of Self 1 and Self 2, it is worth noting that there are external circumstances that also interfere with our golf. I am reminded of a story of Jack Nicklaus in the 1981 Open Championship at Royal St. Georges which is the ultimate example of interference.
Nicklaus uncharacteristically shot a first round score of eighty three. Just before teeing off he had been told that one of his son´s had been involved in a car accident in the USA but no more information was available. Jack was evidently in a state of shock and his concentration on golf was shattered. When he got off the course he was informed that it was only a minor incident and he was able to talk to his unhurt son on the telephone. He improved by seventeen shots on day two shooting a sixty six.
In my own experience, when I have had an argument with my partner, or I am tired or stressed from work, I know I am not relaxed on the course. The worst thing is though, rather than accepting that my poor performance is due to external circumstances, I will always go looking for a technical solution.
As well as the external circumstances to do with one´s personal life there are quite a few external circumstances on the golf course that can affect us. First Tee nerves, a water hazard, the scorecard, a bet on the game, the Monthly Medal, the handicap, to name but a few. When circumstances like these pop up, again the habitual response is to look for a technical solution. And this is where the conversation begins, particularly in golf, between Self 1 giving the technical instructions to Self 2.
So what exactly is Self 1 and Self 2? Self 1 is the conscious part of our mind. It is the relentlessly calculating, logical and thinking part of us that likes to think it is in charge of our actions and habits. It is the voice inside us that seeks perfection, that does not trust in flow, spontaneity or intuition. It begins to try, rather than let go.
When Self 1 takes over like this our golf goes downhill and, when it does, it likes to point the blame at Self 2. Anything nasty will do, where we say things to our Self 2 that we would never say to anyone else. Things like “You topped the ball because you lifted your head! You must be so dumb because you have been told to keep your head down for 15 years and you still lifted it. You are such a plonker!“
Self 2 is the unconscious part of mind. Located on the right side of the brain this encompasses the feeling, intuitive part of me. This is the part that is really in control, whether or not I choose to believe it. The unconscious mind represents 95% of all our beliefs, values, thoughts and actions, most of which are purely habitual and that we are often totally unaware of. It is more than capable of carrying out an action, like swinging a golf club, with relaxed concentration.
On the golf course, this is the part of me that is allowed to go into automatic because my conscious, Self 1 has given up due to a horrific score on the front nine. Because I am now relaxed, my conscious Self 1 is quiet. Now my relationship between the two selves is at it´s most healthy. This often explains why many golfers shoot great scores on the back nine after posting a poor score on the front nine.
Vice verse, when I am playing well on the front nine, my two Selves are in tune and relaxed. Then, when Self 1 begins to think of my score, the calculating left-sided brain takes over and begins to try. Trying to keep a good score on the back nine, it begins to ignore Self 2 and completely takes over.
The challenge, then, is to keep the relationship between Self 1 and Self 2 healthy on a consistent basis. Many people talk about the power of positive thinking and of different ways to keep the conscious Self 1 under control. In my opinion, to try to avoid thinking negatively is ´trying´ in itself, which produces tension. And this simply results in me giving more and more energy to what was, only a moment ago, just a thought.
Personally, to improve the relationship between my Self 1 and Self 2, I believe meditation is the ultimate key. To practice the non-attachment of thoughts and feelings and the art of watching the conversation between Self 1 and Self 2.
By being more mindful and catching negative thoughts when they arise means that we are in a position to choose in any given moment. Do we want to give energy to these doubting, negative thoughts or do we simply want to allow them to pass, just like any other thought that runs through our mind? The intention must be to let the thoughts and doubts come and go and to stay relaxed and let Self 2 go into intuitive action. We need to trust that Self 2 possesses everything that is required to produce the desired action.
At this point I would like to add how dumfounded I am by the sheer insanity, absurdness and ineffectiveness of technical coaching that is endemic in golf coaching today. The kind of instruction that conditions us, from the start, to look for technical solutions when things go wrong. And this is why you will find 99% of all golfers throughout the world doing the same thing I did. Because this is the only direction we are being pointed to for help. In my own experience, from an early age, every golf manual, DVD or golf instructor I have looked to for help have ensured me that the answer to my golfing woes lies in technique.
As I see it, the main objective as a coach is to encourage the student to keep the right-sided subconscious brain engaged. Keep the conscious Self 1 quiet by communicating with Self 2 as much as possible, by using certain tools that do not involve verbal instruction, which is fodder for Self 1. When we communicate better with Self 2 we are allowing it to intuitively learn and act. Self 2 is capable of accomplishing extraordinary things (Please see my first blog post on just how awesome our Self 2 is) and we therefore open ourselves up to a world of unchartered territory where all sorts of possibilities present themselves.
Fundamentally, this is why I joined Positive Impact Golf and why I wholeheartedly stand by the philosophy which trusts the amazing capabilities within all of us when we engage Self 2. I hope you found this post interesting and please feel free to leave your comments below. Until next time, happy golfing in Self 2.