My instruction has many little nuances that make HUGE differences. These are mostly setup. I push routine, routine, routine to my students and the reason is the routine is the vehicle for lasting change. If you do something enough, it becomes muscle memory, but if you rethink or relearn something every time, it is brand new to your mind each time, makes you anxious, and does not get programmed as a muscle memory item since it is not repetitious… it keeps changing. The real long lasting change (muscle memory), only comes when something is exactly the same each time for many repetitions over a long period of time. How many repetitions? How long? are totally individual. I do know, the students that focus, don’t change and practice almost like a machine, program much faster…. the “Thinkers” or “Re-learners” never get off the ground and never will. Again, it is because the mind is relearning each time. Real productive practice is repetitious and sometimes boring. It is about programming “Trust” that what you have, is right and will get the job done! The results are awesome.
Here was a reply to a student who has all the pieces and just needs time and no more thinking…
Everything you said and discovered is right. These are the puzzle pieces. Right now you feel like there is a lot of steps, but the small movements will combine into just a few comforting reminders during the routine (after weeks and months of repetition like any other real, lasting change). The best part is once learned, there are so few pieces, the golf swing comes down to Shoulder/Body turn. All Large Muscles and Repeatable. If anything goes wrong, it will almost always be there was a grip pressure change during the swing or slight setup adjustment. You just need time and repetition. It is like the thinking part is done, now stay focused on the same few components over and over in a routine and it will hold up on the course… Ross