Golf Psychology Newsletter
By Dr. Karl Morris
www.golf-brain.com

Become a Certified MIND FACTOR COACH
and
Gain a DIPLOMA in SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY
with
Dr Karl Morris of THE MIND FACTOR
24-27th November 2007
Manchester

Your opportunity as a Coach or Player to experience 4 days of learning, gain an “in depth” knowledge of the “secrets” of sports psychology - then gain a DILPOMA in SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY and become a Certified MIND FACTOR COACH.

Just imagine experiencing a training course that puts you at the forefront of your profession as a coach or player by understanding and utilising the latest cutting edge tools and techniques of peak performance.

All of the practical and useful NLP interventions will be explained but, unlike other courses, the week will not be 'padded out' with outdated and innefectual methods. You will gain a deep knowledge and confidence of how and when to utilise hypnosis in the sporting arena to produce lasting change.

Dr Karl Morris will host the 4 day training in central Manchester supported by Special Guest speakers including Phil Richards (see below NOT JUST MENTAL).

VENUE : City Inn Hotel in central Manchester is the newest contemporary 5 star hotel recently opened for business with press reporting it as the most exciting 5 star premium hotel to open in Manchester. This hotel is exclusively designed and can be viewed at www.cityinn.com/manchester.

PRICE : £899. SPECIAL OFFER !!!! Confirmed bookings made before 31 August will be charged £599 only! Limited places available. Quote Reference : MFC11/07 when booking.

Call 01925 764053 or email : sales@golf-brain.com for further details.

PHONE CONSULTATION
Over the past few years because of the issues with geography and time, I have seen the benefits to working on the ‘Mind Factor’ by phone, text and e-mail. Clients from Australia, USA, Canada and the Far East have made significant progress with their game by taking the cost efficient route of telecoaching.

How would you like the opportunity of working on a 1-2-1 basis with Dr Karl Morris when perhaps in the past location would have otherwise been an issue?

Call 01925 764053 or email : sales@golf-brain.com for further details.


IT CAN'T BE AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!!!!

‘I’ve heard all about that breathing stuff before!’ is a phrase that I have come across countless times over the past few years working with players at all levels of the game.

Age old traditions such as Yoga and the Martial Arts seem to have heard all about that breathing stuff for a few thousand years, yet still seem to give it paramount importance!

In Hawaii, the ancient discipline of Huna has as its central theme the importance of the breath.

The story is that in Hawaii they look at the only difference between someone who is alive and well and someone who has just passed away is the absence of the breath. They believe firmly that the breath is the ‘life force’. All well and good you might say but what on earth can that do to help my golf game I can hear you all saying?!

Well, in a short article it would be difficult to list all of the benefits to your game as they are too numerous. But, Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, who I have worked with over a five year period has a complete understanding of how vital correct breathing plays in terms of his own personal routines.

One of the keys that Graeme believes is vital for his game is a very clear mental image of the shot he is about to hit. When the mind is jumpy and thoughts are bombarding your brain it is very tough to have a CLEAR image of the shot you intend. However, as part of Graeme’s system, he will take a full and complete breath BEFORE he attempts to see the shot he is about to hit. This breath has the effect of clearing the mind and allowing the clear image to emerge as a result of mental calmness.

The other great aspect to focusing on your breathing is that you gain the benefit of actually being in the place that all the mind guru’s recommend …the PRESENT MOMENT. If you consider that your mind can do time travel…What were you doing yesterday?...What will you be eating for dinner tonight? Always the mind is hopping backwards and forwards between the past and the future, however, unless you know something that I don’t, your body CANNOT do time travel. Any time that you are FOCUSED on your body i.e. your breathing, you are well and truly anchoring yourself to the present moment and you can then focus on the task at hand.

The challenge that you have with focusing on your breathing is that you can easily miss the point and the effectiveness because it appears so simple. Yet, I promise you that if your brain is scrambled on the course and nerves are hitting you, your breathing patterns will be all over the place.

The quickest way to change how we feel is through the body and by placing your attention on and becoming aware of your breathing patterns you can control your physical and mental state out on the course. I have found that different breathing patterns can be used for certain situations or parts of your on course routines.

KEY LEARNING
Begin by simply placing your attention on your breathing as you start your shot routine.
Just take a moment to actually focus on a full and complete breath.
As ridiculously simple as this sounds, the discipline to do this on each and every shot is a real challenge.
You will notice your tendency to rush, your tension levels and your ability to see the shot at hand by placing your attention in the present moment on your breathing.
Set yourself the challenge to do this on EVERY shot, sounds easy but let me know if you manage a FULL HOUSE the first time that you try it because you would be pretty unique as very few people have the mental discipline to carry this through.

Stick with the process and the benefit to your game will be profound.

For more information on specific breathing process get yourself a copy of ‘Train your Golf Brain’ at www.golf-brain.com

NOT JUST MENTAL

Long ago and in a far off time, I used to believe that the state you were in at any given time was down to just the two components : your external physiology and your internal pictures (ITV). I even held seminars passing on this information (some seminar presenters are still giving that same information!).

However, having been fortunate to spend some time with one of the world's leading fitness conditioners/nutritionists, Phil Richards, who has worked at the very highest level in Premiership Rugby and Football, I realise that there has to be a significant aspect of your state that is caused chemically in your brain. Phil will be part of our Diploma course in Manchester in November with some information that will literally rock your world but will provide you with cutting edge science regarding peak performance. For now though I recommend that you take a look at the book ‘The Mood Cure’ by Julia Ross just to wet your appetite!!