Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Blink! Think Without Thinking


I recently finished a book titled "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell. This book is about what Gladwell calls rapid cognition - the kind of thinking that happens in the blink of an eye. He believes that we can develop a thought or feeling in under two seconds and that thought (whether we like it or not) has a significance on our feelings, attitudes, and reactions to situations.

I love this book because for years, I have tried to tell myself and students that playing good golf is the art of being able to "think without thinking." Our minds are constantly corrupted by negative thoughts like "there is water right" or "don't hit it in the sand." There may have been times that we have been in between clubs and thought too long and hard about which one to hit. How many times have we had a good round going only to start thinking about score and before we know it, the good round is gone?

Even Dr. Bob Rotella preaches that students to "stay in the moment" and not overcloud their thoughts. When you find yourself in those situations try to think without thinking. What I mean by that is let your ability take control of the situation and allow yourself to hit the shot you have practiced over and over. It doesn't hurt to tell yourself to "just play the game" and don't forget to Blink!

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