http://perryandrisen.com/index.php en pa@perryandrisen.com 2006-09-12T23:10:04-08:00 http://perryandrisen.com/index.php/weblog/no_mechanics/ Correcting common swing faults without mechanical thoughts You are probably thinking this isn’t possible.  Not everyone I teach can make a swing change without mechanics, but it is possible and happens often.  The first thing you need to find out about yourself is what you are thinking about during your swing.  Write it down on paper, really.  You will be amazed at how many thoughts you can squeeze into the 1.5 second golf swing.  You could be thinking low and slow, hinge it up, right elbow tucked, keep it in the slot, head down, bent knee, straight knee, hips, hips, hips, blah, blah, blah.  How much fun is golf when you’ve got a drill sergeant yelling at you the whole round?  Most of it rarely works, but you’ve been using these swing keys for so long that it’s the only thing, or things that are comfortable for you to think about.  Swing thoughts are things that satisfy your intellect.  Awareness is much deeper than swing thoughts.  Awareness is in your body, swing thoughts are in your head.  This article discusses what you feel or better yet, sense during your swing.  If you feel tight, are you tight when you start, or at the top, or at impact?  How do you feel at the finish, relaxed balance or otherwise?  Write them down and email them to me.  I’ll probably email you back a few intriguing questions...CLICK HERE for the Podcast. Perry 2006-09-12T23:10:04-08:00 http://perryandrisen.com/index.php/weblog/the_truth_about_making_swing_changes/ This is what’s really involved, but rarely mentioned.Most of you have been to a golf lesson, and as soon as you see your swing on video you see many of the same faults in your swing you had years ago. So why doesn’t your golf swing change? There is a simple explanation for this.  Most of us expect a permanent swing change to take place within a golf lesson or a bucket of range balls.  And we don’t want the change to feel uncomfortable or “mess up” our game for the weekend.  We take a lesson and leave with a few new ideas and can’t wait to try them out.  The next time we play or practice we hit a couple of bad shots and immediately are questioning ourselves.  In our desperation, we try everything that has worked in the past.  We figure it out...Well, at least for now.  Later, you go to another golf lesson, see your swing on video, and NOTHING HAS CHANGED!!  Well, of course nothing has changed.  You just spent a few practice sessions trying to make your swing feel comfortable while making sure you hit some good shots.  That’s your old swing!  Here’s what you need to make changes stick..CLICK HERE for the Podcast. Perry 2006-08-01T18:08:45-08:00 http://perryandrisen.com/index.php/weblog/ball_bound_thinking/ “Hit the ball.” “Keep you eye on the ball.” “Make good contact.” “Rip it.” “Hit it.” “Swing at it.” “Hit another one.” “Try to hit the back of the ball.” Is this your internal dialog?  For some it’s the only dialog.  We fear that if we think of anything else we will miss the ball completely.  And if we miss, we will embarrass ourselves.  Others will think bad thoughts of us because we are bad golfers.  It’s this fear that keeps us focused on the ball.  This thought dates back to the first advice you probably received, “keep your eye on the ball.” There is good news.  You all are doing exactly what you are trying to do, thinking about the ball.  My experience of watching miles of video tape has convinced me that players are thinking way to much about the ball.  And I’ve never seen anyone, in my short 11,000 lesson career, look up!  Besides, why would you turn away from the thing that is controlling the motion of your swing? Perry 2006-06-30T20:26:43-08:00 http://perryandrisen.com/index.php/weblog/putt_like_a_champ/ In a couple of weeks there will be a contest between the best putters in the world.  The name of the contest is the U.S. Open.  And the favorites to win the contest are also the best putters in the world.  The winner of the contest will also have the least number of putts, averaging 26 putts per day.  Putts will be made and putts will be missed.  But in my opinion, the biggest difference between the greatest putters in the world and average putters is that the greatest putters know why they miss putts and average putters do not. To prove my theory, I ran a test.  I gave 20 random golfers, between a 7 and a 36 handicap, just one chance to make a 10-foot putt that broke 3 inches.  By the way, the PGA Tour average has been right at or around 42 percent from 10 feet for the last three years.  My test involved two questions and an observation.  I asked each player how much break they saw, I then observed where they aimed, and after the putt I asked them why they thought they made or missed their putt.  Only two people made the putt (10%), but this was not the reason for the test.  What I found was… Perry 2006-05-23T20:44:45-08:00 http://perryandrisen.com/index.php/weblog/hello_world/ by Dr. Darrell Lavin -Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner In 1996, two words changed the game of golf.  The words, “Hello World” uttered by Tiger Woods changed the way golfers, both professional and amateur, would think about how golf was played and how to prepare for golf. Prior to 1996 there were very few golfers that would even consider lifting weights or spending time in a gym.  Gary Player, an avid proponent of fitness, was considered an oddity.  It was thought that working out would lead to loss of the flexibility that is a vital component in the golf swing. Then Woods, who made fitness a priority, won more and more tournaments, many times by unthinkable margins.  He won the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach by 15 strokes over his nearest competitor.  He surpassed the field by 8 strokes at the 2000 British Open at St. Andrews.  It was becoming obvious that not only was Woods outdriving all of his opponents, he was outlasting them.  As they fatigued, they made mistakes, opening the door for Woods. Perry 2006-04-29T21:18:05-08:00 http://perryandrisen.com/index.php/weblog/how_to_take_instruction/ The first step is to sign-up!!  Call ahead of time, most instructors are quite busy.  On the day of the lesson, arrive early to give yourself time to check-in and hit a few range balls to warm up.  Bring an open mind to the lesson and be ready to exchange information.  The more information you provide the instructor at the beginning of the lesson, the more beneficial the lesson will be to you.  Be honest and tell the instructor all of the thoughts and feelings you have about your game.  It’s a good idea to bring a list of goals and things you think you need to work on.  A good instructor will make recommendations based on all of the information you provide. A golf lesson is not a test The instructor is not testing your ability to play golf.  Just because you may not be a good golfer does not mean you will be a bad student. The goal of the instructor is to help you have more fun playing golf.  This may involve asking questions, examining your equipment, finding out your physical abilities and limitations, and developing an overall understanding of your game.  And hopefully he/she asks why you came to the lesson, and provides you with a plan specific to your needs.  If you are taking a fullswing lesson, make sure you have a full understanding of how the new changes will effect your ballflight.  This will lower frustration and be valuable feedback when practicing between lessons. Perry 2006-04-05T17:35:50-08:00 http://perryandrisen.com/index.php/weblog/eat_in_the_zone/ Playing in the zone starts with eating in the zone.  Tour players know playing golf in the zone requires a relaxed focus and attention that is difficult to sustain without proper eating habits.  Most tour players are on diets that help them to think and perform better.  If you are thinking of steroid diets, that would be a different sport. The so-called ‘experts’ have divided our health and into three areas: psychological, physical, and chemical.  All three are equally important and related.  Nutrition from the chemical portion of the triad has a heavy influence on the other two.  When you change your diet, your mood and your body will change.  Think of how crabby you get when you are hungry, how lazy you are after eating incorrectly, and how diet affects your physical and mental fatigue.  And if you don’t think this affects your golf game, type unsubscribe in an email and send it to pa@perryandrisen.com. Perry 2006-03-09T19:12:11-08:00 http://perryandrisen.com/index.php/weblog/athletic_posture/ This is not the common way to achieve proper golf posture, but it will make the most sense.  There is a new way evolving on how to teach golf.  The new philosophy is based on the premise that you can’t teach a position to a player who is physically incapable of repeating the position.  Instead of forcing a position, condition the body through physical exercise to naturally be in the proper position without effort.  And posture is no exception to this way of thinking. Your posture is pre-determined by the physiological make up of your body.  I can help you get into an athletic posture, but you most likely will feel uncomfortable.  The muscles in your back and hamstrings might feel tight, ridged, and/or fatigued.  Even though I can help you look like a 2 handicapper in the mirror, the problem is that it takes a lot of tension and focus to get into the proper posture because we are not there naturally… Perry 2006-01-31T05:43:32-08:00 http://perryandrisen.com/index.php/weblog/the_off_season/ It’s officially here.  40 days of rain and Noah’s Ark is just about ready to pull away from the station.  The football season is in high gear and the Denver Broncos are well on their way to winning it all, well almost.  And with the holidays almost over, golf is the last thing on our minds.  Unless, you wanted to make a big impact in your game before the 2006 season starts.  This is your chance to make long term changes in your game, without the distraction of short term results.  Here are few off season ideas… Perry 2005-12-29T18:35:29-08:00 http://perryandrisen.com/index.php/weblog/the_truth_about_consistency/ On October 25th, 2001 I changed my teaching philosophy.  I started asking people what they wanted, verses giving them what I thought they needed.  Since I started giving people what they want, I would estimate that almost half of the people I’ve taught have said they wanted to be more consistent.  Consistent is an over-used word in golf and I’m never quite sure what people mean when they say it.  A typical conversation might play out like this: Perry: “What are you hoping to accomplish over this series of golf lessons?” Player: “My scores are between 80 and 100, I’d like to be more consistent.” Perry: “Oh, so if you shot 90 every time, would you be happy?” Player: “No.” Perry: “Wouldn’t you be perfectly consistent?” The conversation can get a bit awkward from here.  Wouldn’t it make more sense to get better and then be consistent?  And the only way to accomplish this is through consistent thoughts without being distracted.  And here’s how… Perry 2005-11-24T23:16:19-08:00