Swing thoughts as Words in Your Mind? Bad idea.

[Dave2512]

Yeah for me it's a reminder to feel something, usually a thought that describes a specific movement.

[chasm]

Then this thread isn't what I thought it was. I don't think very many people at all have swing thoughts "appear in their head as a word." I think they're almost all "feels" for people. Sometimes feels have words we associate with them, sometimes they're sounds, and sometimes we can't even put sounds to them and we can only describe them by demonstration. But I call them all "thoughts."

oK, well that's interesting in itself, because most of the time I hear people descrbing their swing thoughts as words, exactly like you said "sloooow back". And if that isn't what is meant, then it's no wonder that I've been screwing up when trying to think in those terms. I'd be interested in other people's perspectives about that. [quote]You feel "love" and "anger" but rarely do those "feel(ings)" appear as "words" in your mind, right? [/quote] Right, but that's a different thing. Let me attempt another parallel. My other sport is cycling, I used to race until recently. If you race bicycles, from time to time you inevitably crash. If you spend some time learning how to fall, then you automatically tuck and roll and probably escape injury. If you try to think about it, you stick an arm out and break your collarbone or your radial head. The learning how to fall is a conscious process, you do it over and over again at low speeds until you have the "feeling". Then, when it happens for real, thought is unnecessary because it has become automatic. That's what, it seems to me, a grooved swing ought to be like. Am I mistaken?

[mvmac]

If my "sloooow" during the backswing actually appears in my head as a word, I'll screw up. If it manifests itself as my just getting into the rightt rhythm without thinking, I probably won't.

Don't know how else to express it. And I'm happy to accept that I may simply be odd.

That's more of a "swing word" than a swing thought. Swing thoughts are related to a feel.

Swing thoughts can be harmful if a players has too many of them and/or they try some random tip they read in a golf magazine that has nothing to do with their priority piece.

You feel "love" and "anger" but rarely do those "feel(ings)" appear as "words" in your mind, right?

I definitely don't see words when I'm hunger

[iacas]

oK, well that's interesting in itself, because most of the time I hear people descrbing their swing thoughts as words, exactly like you said "sloooow back". And if that isn't what is meant, then it's no wonder that I've been screwing up when trying to think in those terms. I'd be interested in other people's perspectives about that.

I think people use words to describe things because we haven't perfected ESP yet and so words are how we communicate.

[chasm]

I think people use words to describe things because we haven't perfected ESP yet and so words are how we communicate.

Of course. But that isn't what we're debating here - at least not what I'm debating - because the dialogue I have inside my own head while on the golf course has nothing to do with communicating with anyone else.

[iacas]

Of course. But that isn't what we're debating here - at least not what I'm debating - because the dialogue I have inside my own head while on the golf course has nothing to do with communicating with anyone else.

You said, and I responded to: " because most of the time I hear people describing [sic] their swing thoughts as words ".

[mvmac]

Of course. But that isn't what we're debating here - at least not what I'm debating - because the dialogue I have inside my own head while on the golf course has nothing to do with communicating with anyone else.

I'm not sure what is really being debated but people communicate their feelings or emotions with words all the time.

[chasm]

You said, and I responded to: "[COLOR=181818]because most of the time I hear people describing [sic] their swing thoughts as words ".[/COLOR]

OK, we clearly aren't getting anywhere here. But I didn't say people describe their swing thoughts [b]with[/b] words - of course they do. i said they describe them [b]as[/b] words - and that's at the heart of the distinction I was trying to make. [quote name="mvmac" url="/t/75079/swing-thoughts-as-words-in-your-mind-bad-idea/36#post_1004012"] I'm not sure what is really being debated but people communicate their feelings or emotions with words all the time. [/quote] See above. I'm sorry I haven't been able to make myself clear.

[iacas]

See above. I'm sorry I haven't been able to make myself clear.

Because they're DESCRIBING them to someone else. They're communicating with someone else. How else would you describe them? Imagine you're on the phone with me after a great round, and I ask you what you were doing throughout the round. You say "I was …" and then what, you go silent while you think about the feelings you were having?

You see what I'm saying?

I don't think anyone actually "sees words" and takes that to mean "swing thoughts." Swing thoughts are not "seeing words" during your swing. But when you DESCRIBE them, you have to be able to communicate. That means either demonstrating, or making a sound of some kind, often words.

[mvmac]

i said they describe them as words - and that's at the heart of the distinction I was trying to make.

First time for me, never heard any player describe a swing thought as a word, as in actually seeing words as you make a swing.

[iacas]

First time for me, never heard any player describe a swing thought as a word, as in actually seeing words as you make a swing.

Ditto. Another way of saying what I'm trying to say too.

[chasm]

First time for me, never heard any player describe a swing thought as a word, as in actually seeing words as you make a swing.

Really? You've never heard of anyone holding the word "slow" or "tempo" or whatever in their head while they're making a swing? I seem to remember Faldo saying his swing thought was "knees". Oh well, OK.

[Moppy]

My swing thought is "Freddy Couples, Freddie Couples" it just means not to swing the club like a tire iron in a gang fight.

[mvmac]

Really? You've never heard of anyone holding the word "slow" or "tempo" or whatever in their head while they're making a swing? I seem to remember Faldo saying his swing thought was "knees".

No.

Even if that was the case, the word is still related to a feel.

I think the issue is the swing thoughts you're using, not swing thoughts in general. Just thinking "slow" or "tempo" probably isn't specific enough to what you need to do.

[cfritchie]

Maybe you haven't developed your swing enough to be able to manipulate it with a thought/feel and find success.

A swing "thought" actually can create a singular thought that rids the busy mind of other things competing..like "don't hit it left, don't leave it short, there is out of bounds right, etc. It can cause a singular focus that clears up the muddy water.

I've had swing thoughts that enable my body to feel what I want the swing to do..a swing thought might last 3-4 holes or 3-4 weeks or even 3-4 years. It is not uncommon to have a thought that helps the body do what it is you want it to do.