Comprehension: An Untapped Area for Golfers
IN: Golf Psychology | by Carey Mumford | 17 Jan 2006
We need comprehension for our golf. That goes a little deeper than just "understanding," since it embraces things like context, positioning, comprehensiveness, interrelationship with all parts of the whole game, and accurate definition. We regularly encounter those who propose, market, promote, (or as consumers, we entertain their meanderings) bits and pieces of the mass of resources aimed at golfers. We could loosely refer to that rather large collection of "bits and pieces" as "golf's encyclopaedic index."
Some of what is available is insignificant, but most is indeed important to the composite total concern affecting the game. (The "encyclopaedic index" would be a gathering of all the information and tools that have been passed along, piecemeal fashion, in the last 100 years, and generally given "gospel proportion," pertaining to the game). However, those pieces are often taken out of context, only considered in a separatist, fractured sense and manner, and removed, or kept isolated, from other important pieces in a way that causes bias in what we are able to see. That makes them tend to come out bent, skewered, or downright broken. "Muscle memory" is one of those, to illustrate. And there are many more. Anxiety is another, along with pre-shot routines, and a bunch more.
Unfortunately, the written word is a tough medium. If you know the name Albert Mehrabian, you may already have the following information: "Aside from his many and various other fascinating works, Mehrabian established this classic statistic for the effectiveness of spoken communications:
- 7% of meaning is in the words that are spoken
- 38% of meaning is paralinguistic (the way that the words are said)
- 55% of meaning is in facial expression
While he indicates reference to "spoken" communication," we can take a small flyer and pass that definition on to the written word, which is left with only the 7%, since there is no paralinguistic (tone of voice or inflection) and there is no facial expression (body language, non-verbals).
Since the questions we receive in email form are typically raised regarding a limited number of issues, bearing similarity to one another, and there are many repetitions, this writer confesses not being sure what others are "hearing" as they read articles, mine or anyone else's. 7% is just not a lot to support getting "clear meaning" to the top of the list. And since the questions characteristically point to fundamental issues that largely have been misunderstood or poorly presented, it may be time to attempt further clarification. If my writing is off a bit, or there is a slant to someone's "hearing" from prior perception, or if the percentage factor bends either side of the message, the intended meanings may be, or appear to be, skewered, at times. We intend to "un-skewer" our side of the messages here as much as possible.
Most recently, questions have arrived concerning attempts to understand what is meant by the term "immune system," and also the framework and definition of "anxiety." In tandem, we get a few questions also about the meaning of "non-discriminatory." We do recognise that these are expressions not often included in golf documents or educational pursuits, which we see as a formidable omission on the part of golf writers, instructors, and those who produce what are supposed to be expert views, issues, programs and explanations. It really is no one's fault. All of the above just got left out of the mainstream portfolio in education, which opened the door to a backlash in sports psychology and the way it is presented.
Two Different Parts Of The Same Issue
To bring a general recap, bear in mind that actually, the immune system and anxiety are two different parts of the same issue. The immune system is nature's first line of defence and works full time without fail (unless it becomes seriously over-burdened) whether you need it or not. Anxiety is the system's most prominent signalling device and the early warning system that sends the immune system into action, as we have observed, "whether that is needed or not." Both are non discriminatory. You cannot either make them work or stop them from working. You need not take my word for it. Just get yourself a copy of Dr. Hans Selye's little book "Stress Without Distress," and study it carefully. Needless to say, all of the above play crucial roles in our lives generally, and in golf specifically. Or perhaps that would better be put, "Hopefully, it is needless to say." However, we don't run into many players who can even address those concerns. They may know the words, but they just haven't become acquainted with the tune.
As for the term "non-discriminatory:" It means exactly that - does not discriminate, make choices, exercise judgements, etc. It just springs into action on signal, and the signal does not have to be "bad," or negative. (Winning the lottery and the death of a loved one have the same sound to the immune system and it acts the same way in both circumstances. Either one jolts the system and all the system hears is the "jolt.") Some people have defaulted into lumping all that under the heading of "involuntary," but that is a term that is much too simplistic and general to be helpful. We suspect that, as educational content goes, we have all heard the word "involuntary," and then without further adieu, used that as a catch-all "code" word that allowed us to forgo any further need to find the real meanings or attachments such dynamics have for our lives and activities. After all, the "involuntary" word was left for us to "hear" that anything in that vein simply wasn't "consciously" derived. So we just flat out ignored the rest because it was labelled "unconscious," and "Who needs that? Right?" If you can't see it or hear it, it must not make any difference.
So we learned to blow it off. You guessed it - that in turn caused us to completely miss the meaning and importance of the role of the unconscious. We have rarely met a golfer who ever thought that he/she could not control everything in the game consciously by "concentrating better" - and that is just plain mistaken. Of course, after a bit of experience, many golfers learn to "confess" that the game is largely mental, but that doesn't appear to stop anyone from acting as though it really is manual.
Allow us to pull off a small review here - or perhaps it's all new information for you, and if so, it is a virgin, not a review. Anything that is non-discriminatory functions the same way all the time and is not given to alterations based on conscious commands or varying circumstances.
The Immune System
The immune system, for instance, behaves in non-discriminatory fashion, as does anxiety, to mention two that come into incessant play in sports. We cannot change the behaviour of our immune systems, nor would we want to. If we could have done that anywhere along the way, we would not likely be sitting here now to address the matter. Shut off your immune system and your survival will be at stake. That is not some idle meandering. That is the way the human system works. Persons whose immune systems have failed are vulnerable to any and all infections, injuries and insults. Maybe you recall the "Bubble Baby" episodes from years back. If not go look it up. Because his immune system did not work properly, the "Bubble Baby" had to live out his life in isolation behind a sterile "curtain," hence the "bubble" metaphor. Otherwise he was vulnerable to any and all germs, bugs, viruses, and other injuries.
Attention to the immune system is one of the principal concerns in human life that was left out, especially where sports and sport psychology are concerned. That happened largely because the academic and clinical fields of psychology and physiology, either selfishly in the deliberate sense, or unbeknown in the non-deliberate sense, kept themselves separated from each other and failed to draw on studies and research that would have enriched each other's studies. Sadly that compromised what could have been gathered synergistically from those fields unless you, individually, stopped yourself and gained a background in both. It certainly was not going to come in the universally shared educational package, and did not. As far as we can see, it is not on the drawing board now, either.
It was from within Hans Selye's lifetime studies that we found a management path, already paved and usefully applicable to our golf games. But most folks don't even have a clue who he was, let alone what he had to offer. Selye's work ultimately led us to find clear keys as a manager for anxiety. Clear keys provide a reliable means to prevent signals from anxiety being sent to the immune system long enough to execute a golf shot without interruption. It does that by providing a short-termed blocking action against the signalling process. If the blocking is not there, the system defaults to the next step by producing any number of physiological responses that are natively set in motion by the immune system in completely non-discriminatory fashion.
The system "hears" and "acts" on all signals. That's the nature of "non discriminatory" functioning. Anxiety only comes into play when the organism, either consciously or non-consciously, experiences any message (interpreted always as "danger"). The "kind" does not matter. It can be real or imagined and it can be happy or sad, rich or poor, exciting or flat. The system doesn't care. Perhaps it can be made more understandable if we see that the immune system is somewhat like a computer's mainframe operating system and anxiety is one of the principal installed system programs. Clear keys simply postpone the inevitable, long enough for one to execute shots without interruption.
On other fronts, we get questions about programs like hypnosis, biofeedback, neurolinguistics, right and left brain activity, dominant eye patterns, muscle memory, visualisation, heartmath, profiling, peak performance, yips, being in the zone and control of emotions. We won't go into those here, but suffice it to say that more often than not, the questions around those topics carry an inference that any one of them is, or ought to be, the "magic bullet" that promises to eliminate a golfer's problems. In almost all cases these partial resources are promoted, separately and individually, to golfers in a way that causes them to be viewed, each one, as a potential "remedy," when in fact, they are primarily engaged in supplying information, clarification and perhaps diagnosis. But none of the above carries any action plan that works faithfully and full time within the limits set by Mother Nature in a way that pertains to anxiety and the immune system.
You can have the best programs on earth, but if those are set in motion without regard to the responsibilities and consequences imposed by the natural system, they will fail, unless you get very lucky indeed. In other words, first be aware that there is nothing you can do anywhere in your life that is not affected in some way by anxiety and the immune system. Golf is not an exempt function. Second, bear in mind that an information function and an action function are not the same and cannot be called upon to perform each other's role in life.
A corollary: Never assume that anything shown to be part of something can be all of it. Anything that is basic must be seen as foundational. Other things are dependent upon basics. Basics do not depend upon peripherals. Most attachments to your PC do not work without that connection, but the PC will still function without most peripherals.
Biofeedback Training
Biofeedback training, for instance, is very helpful for many people (and players), but primarily as an informational system. It does not, of itself, produce therapeutic results, though it indeed provides the kind of information upon which one can construct therapeutic advantage. But, it will not change the immune system or eliminate the need for anxiety management. Biofeedback is not a management tool, so much as an information base to assist the management process. (Taking one's temperature with a thermometer is biofeedback, but taking the temp will not reduce a fever, though it may lead to other steps to be taken). Psychology and physiology, of themselves are information systems. They are not therapeutic agents as such, although they can point the way to therapies.
Such questions, as they come to us, are invariably joined by comments and observations that reflect a need for, or a belief in, being able to control one's game. "Control," of course, sounds quite good, certainly innocent enough. The problem is that what is meant by control, by and large for most people, only fits into a mold that involves both force and manipulation. In turn, that produces anxiety, because force and manipulation simply are not compatible with habit and the automatic principle, and therefore, will not work. At this point there is no need to say what that will lead to.
It works like this: If you try to control anxiety, it will produce more anxiety. If you try to control anger, it will produce more anger. If you try to control your temper, it will produce more temper. In all cases, a breaking point is finally produced and the floodgates open. That serves neither person nor process well. If you try to manipulate your swing, your motion, your rhythm, pace or anything else that moves, you will never get to automatic. It's a given. What we need are management skills and habits. You can manage all those conditions if you know how. But control and manipulation are fragile and breakable. Management is flexible and resilient.
The "management" word, however, may need attention, as well. It has been used, for instance, in connection with anxiety, so a caution is offered. That expression ("anxiety management") has been in the "common vocabulary" for years and the perception of its meaning has now become so familiar as to be misplaced, if not lost. When it is talked about, the "management" word gets used, but what appears as the working definition is really intended as "control" of anxiety, which is ultimately neither possible nor desirable. The more you try to control it, the more intense it will become. And one cannot "control" the immune system under any circumstances (fortunately, since us humans would likely destroy ourselves if that were possible).
It might help here to make a clear distinction between "control" and "management." The latter is what is important for athletes (and all of us in all walks of life). "Control" will, at some point, invariably compromise a result. Attempts to "control" activity virtually assure that anxiety will rear its head and the immune system will snap to attention (non discriminatory) and all the resources in the world will not stop that activity. To illustrate, information systems like EKG can tell us that we are having a heart attack, but it won't stop the attack. Biofeedback can tell us we have "needs" in the system, but it can't fill that need. Neither of those can produce a remedy.
All Information Systems Are Valuable Resources
So that the meaning is clear - as far as we can see, all information systems are valuable resources. Unfortunately, they may have been touted by some as being therapeutic mediums, in the same way that certain training aids are touted as having "healing" powers. Such things do play a role, but they only are able to point the way. They cannot create the actual changes that may be required. That part remains in the hands of learners. Biofeedback can point the way to appropriate learning and make the process less stressful and more timely, but it is not the actor. It is part of the instruction needed for sound action, so it certainly should not be dismissed, but it should be applied according to its self-limitations and not be expected to produce a result that is not part of its authority and responsibility.
The point is that, by and large, we golfers are in dire need of more basic information than we now either have or use, in context, properly placed and related clearly to other portions and parts of the total information base. If that is the desired condition, then we are OK and may have wasted time reading this piece. If something more is on one's "wish list," and that is realised, it will allow making solid, measurable and meaningful judgements for one's games and self, and allow that information to be included in what and how one learns to do that which is truly desired - no more rhetoric, but the real thing. The alternative, of course, is to continue thrashing around, searching for "something or another" that may not even have been remotely identified, let alone understood.
It is reported, perhaps spuriously, that Elvis one was asked about his music and why he formed it as he did. He is said to have replied, "The others are searchin' for it and I flat got it!"
See you on the first tee.
