Erik J. Barzeski on How to Be a Good Student and Improving Your Game ("On the Mark" Podcast)

[boogielicious]

@iacas was on Mark Immelman’s Podcast, On the Mark, and discussed how to be a good student. It’s definitely worth a listen. We’ve talked about how to practice a lot on this forum. These are some added points that we should keep in mind when we take lessons.

On the Mark Golf Podcast: Erik Barzeski on How to Be a Good Student and Improving Your Golf

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Erik Barzeski brings both an extensive scientific understanding as well as a history of teaching to his golf instruction. Recognized as a Golf Digest “Best Young Teacher in America” in 2017 and a Golf Digest “Best in...

Mark brought Erik on the podcast after seeing this tweet thread from Erik.

Check it out if you can.

[billchao]

4 hours ago, boogielicious said:

@iacas was on Mark Immelman’s Podcast, On the Mark, and discussed how to be a good student. It’s definitely worth a listen. We’ve talked about how to practice a lot on this forum. These are some added points that we should keep in mind when we take lessons.

On the Mark Golf Podcast: Erik Barzeski on How to Be a Good Student and Improving Your Golf

---

Erik Barzeski brings both an extensive scientific understanding as well as a history of teaching to his golf instruction. Recognized as a Golf Digest “Best Young Teacher in America” in 2017 and a Golf Digest “Best in...

Mark brought Erik on the podcast after seeing this tweet thread from Erik.

Check it out if you can.

Excellent listen, thanks for sharing.

Definitely see a lot of what was discussed in myself taking lessons with @iacas. I’ve noticed I learn things better when “I” come up with it, because the cue is internal. I’m still fighting the very first thing Erik showed me in a video from ten years ago because it’s in my swing DNA. And I may have had the same lesson more than once 

[iacas]

Please give this a listen and share your direct, blunt feedback here. My personality type is that I'm more interested in the stuff you didn't like, agree with, whatever instead of the stuff you liked.

It'll be a little while before I listen to it.

[nevets88]

Finished listening to it and really can't think of anything to criticize, it all makes sense to me, maybe that's from knowing you for so long. Obviously I liked the bit about slowing yourself down and using the 5 newest balls as a reward. Perhaps the I'm not gonna tell you so and so because you don't need to know might sound blunt to others, but it doesn't to me. Great stuff.

[Shindig]

The comment about the student is never as slow or as short as you tell them to, I am very guilty of that and it's something I do work on... which probably means I'm still faster and longer than I should be.

The comment about audio and visual learners, I think that's an older theory that isn't still supported, but you also said you disregard that (I might be poorly paraphrasing here), so not a problem.  My understanding at least is that learning styles isn't still a view endorsed, although that's not even near the area of education research I conduct. 

The part about students having the same lesson over and over again.  One thing I try to do with my Evolvr lessons is to avoid having the same issue.  But I also have minimal confidence that I can detect from video, so it has to be egregious (sometimes even then) for me to notice I didn't make progress.  Maybe it would be better if I sent in video more often when I think I'm making progress to get checked.

[Darkfrog]

Just got around to listening to it. Enjoyed the discussion. It was neat to feel like a fly on the wall listening to two good instructors discuss what makes a good student.

I liked the concept of the student's swing being a puzzle, and that as an instructor it is satisfying to solve the puzzle.

I also liked the concept of having the student come up with a feel themselves.

The discussion on a student's feel for a change shifting was interesting. This is something I struggle with, as in after the initial physical change feels begins to normal, I continue to exaggerate more to keep feeling it, but then it overdoes whatever correction was being made.

The only thing that bugged me was the audio quality discrepancy between Mark and Erik, and the "Bank of Now" ads.

[GolfLug]

The podcast helps to serve the understanding of golf instruction and the dynamics between the two for majority of students who are not able to appreciate how long it takes to ingrain smallest of changes or are just straight up impatient. 

I didn't hear anything that can be contradicted what was discussed, but I will say a lot of well meaning students see golf instruction as car-driving school or even skiing instruction - meaning, at the end of a few lessons and bit of guided practice, acquisition of some level of permanent competence is automatic given a basic ability to swing a club. I am not sure if that can be 'fixed'.  It's also so easy to give bad instruction and completely ruin the student swing. The struggle is real.. 😄.

Maybe one thing I might suggest is that when a student is provided a priority, if a road map of next priorities to get to the 'promised land' can be laid out then may be a student would stick to the sequence of these priorities and not abandon it until the current priority is mastered - with a caveat of how it would be adjusted if necessary as things progress. A customized curriculum FWIW. 

My two cents..  

Edited May 23, 2022 by GolfLug

[iacas]

1 hour ago, GolfLug said:

Maybe one thing I might suggest is that when a student is provided a priority, if a road map of next priorities to get to the 'promised land' can be laid out then may be a student would stick to the sequence of these priorities and not abandon it until the current priority is mastered - with a caveat of how it would be adjusted if necessary as things progress. A customized curriculum FWIW. 

Almost everyone tries to jump ahead. Even if they don’t, seeing where they will likely go can be a distraction.

It also slightly removes flexibility to adjust on the fly. If the instructor chooses to, correctly, the student might not understand why.

I have a road map for virtually every student. I share them with none.

Closest I’ll get is saying “that’s probably the next thing, but we are not there yet” if a student mentions something.