I haven't written a post in a while because quite frankly I haven't had much to say. I've been spinning my tires searching for that one magic swing thought or training aide to catapult my playing career to the next level. Following a recent layover in Orlando, I am thrilled to report my golf journey and overall understanding of the sport has undergone a paradigm shift. I never could have imagined how important a 6" veggie sandwich from Jersey Mikes would be to my future as someone trying to control physics for a living.
No matter your faith, it certainly is interesting how every so often it seems the universe presents an opportunity to cross paths with someone at the exact right time and place. Luckily for me, I was recently afforded such an opportunity to meet with Steven Yellin at a chain sub restaurant in Orlando. Upon recommendation from a friend, I read Steven's book, Fluid Motion Factor, for the first time about a year ago when trying to quiet my mind during competition. At the time I found the book fascinating from a biomechanical and neurological standpoint, but I unfortunately filed it away in my mind as an over complication of an already complicated game. I returned to relentlessly beating balls on the range, watching every available YouTube lesson online, and trying out every swing instructor in the DFW area. I am thankful my desperation from poor performance lead me to re-read the book and schedule a lunch meeting with Steven.
At the restaurant, Steven and I briefly discussed my inability to consistently play to my capability and he recommended I take part in his online Fluid Motion Factor program. He was not pushy about the salesmanship aspect of it, but told me I would become much more consistent. After lunch, Steven invited me to shadow a lesson with one of his mini tour players. It was unlike any lesson I had ever witnessed, with a dejected student morphing into a supremely confident ball striking machine in about 15 minutes. The student reminded me a lot of myself, coming to the range tight, mechanical, and basically one more bad round away from abandoning the dream altogether. Steven worked with the student on a series of what he calls "Fluid Cues" to unleash the effortlessly powerful, smooth swing lurking within all players of a certain level. After the apparent complexity of the book, I was amazed by the simplicity of instruction. I saw the student's body language change almost immediately as he was reminded of his potential by the abstract exercises. I didn't know exactly what was taking place in the student's mind, but I knew enough to see this was no placebo effect. I went home, signed up for the program, and it has been the most liberating decision I've ever made for myself in golf.
Here's the jist of the program without giving away any of the secret sauce:
- If you are happy with how you hit the ball on the range most of the time, your swing is good enough, and it is time to work on learning to access your potential more consistently on the course
- Every shot requires a plan created by the logical part of your brain followed by infused silence to allow the mechanical part of your brain to do its thing on autopilot
- The exercises in the program teach you on an incrementally powerful level to let go of control over the swing as the crispest, most fluid, powerful, accurate shots will come when the realization is made that logic or consciousness is not the captain of the ship
- Intentions not Directions consistently guide your golf ball to its target in a spooky, almost spiritual way
If you are frustrated by your inability to consistently do what you know you are capable of on the course, I can't speak highly enough of the Fluid Motion Factor system. This is not woo-woo hippie stuff, this is a seriously powerful bridge between the mind and body that is tragically not taught to all golfers from a young age. In just a few weeks, I have already had several "zone" experiences on the course and in practice. Steven's drills allow you to learn the core elements of the program in an interval system. Each set of "Fluid Cues" help the golfer gain a deeper and stronger understanding of the mindset required to play your best. The most liberating aspect of the program to me is seeing the correlation between quality of shots and the quality of silence in the mind. This correlation has shown me that my current swing, short game technique, and putting stroke are good enough to shoot great scores. What's even better is that my best shots and putts come when I'm in the passenger seat, letting the mind control the muscles without any input from yours truly. I know it sounds too good to be true but please give it a try, I am so thankful I did.
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