Author: Stephen Ladd Added: February 6, 2007
The Zone – it is the Holy Grail of all athletes in every sport…the elusive mind/body state in which everything comes together.
Golfers describing the experience of being “in the zone” usually sound like this:
“Everything felt so easy”
“My swing was so fluid”
“I knew exactly what to do”
Etc, Etc.
Ah yes…all golfers have had this experience. Some for only a moment or two, some for an entire round or even a weekend tournament.
But what is The Zone, anyway?
How do we get there and STAY there?
There are certainly plenty of theories postulated by PhDs in sports psychology as to the exact biochemical happenings in the brain and nervous system during “zone time”.
They even hook golfers up with electrodes and monitor a plethora of information and biofeedback data. This is all done to assist these golfers in their quest for the Holy Grail…The Zone.
Although it would be kind to assume that these Ivory Tower theorists have the best intentions, my gut tells me that it is usually more a case of “intellectual masturbation”.
Regardless, the whole thing really reminds me of Monty Python and The Holy Grail.
In other words, a fruitless endeavor doomed to failure because it is based on inane premises and therefore produces deluded conclusions.
However, it does provide a decent amount of comic relief, at least for me.
OK, so maybe I’m exaggerating (but just a little bit).
The quest to somehow evoke the Zone state and maintain it is misguided by most people because it is seen as a foreign destination – a state of being outside of the golfer’s natural mind/body state.
Here’s the big news …drum roll please…the Zone is your natural state of being.
That’s right – The Zone is NOT a state of being that you have to “get into” and then hope and pray that you stay there.
Rather, The Zone is your true state of mental and physical being. It is the place to which you return when you are finally able to eliminate and clear the specific impediments to your natural freedom state.
These impediments include (but are not limited to):
• The voice of your “inner critic” (does it EVER shut up?)
• Self doubt
• Fear
• Tension
• Comfort Zones
• Anger
• Etc., etc.
Feel free to add your own to the list.
The important point is that these issues keep you from LIVING in The zone, both on and off the course.
The key is to “clear” or “eliminate” these issues… and then…viola…you are in The Zone.
After a relatively short period of time, The Zone will start to feel normal, because it is indeed your natural state of being.
There are many tools, methods, and techniques that different people have found useful in clearing these types of issues. They include everything from meditation and prayer to traditional talk therapy.
Hell, if you listen to the top grossing movie stars, even Scientology!
My personal program is a combination of quantum physics and centuries-old Asian wisdom called Tap In Golf (TIG) ™.
The Tap In Golf techniques are designed to clear these issues that keep you from being in The Zone, and from shooting the scores you deserve.
TIG is not the only way to clear your issues. It just happens to be extremely fast, simple to learn, and is specific to golf.
No electrodes or biofeedback devices required.
Golf will quickly become a whole lot easier.
Are YOU ready to LIVE in the ZONE?
Forget about the quest for the Holy Grail. Leave that to Knights who say “NI” (and the PhDs).
Stephen Ladd is a Golf Mental Game Performance Coach pioneering breakthrough energy psychology techniques, and the creator of Tap In Golf. Visit http://www.tapingolf.com for free reports, newsletters and products to catapult your game to a new level today!
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