KEVIN HALL
Blog: January/February 2013
“The Mind”
In every sport that you watch, be it football, basketball, golf or whatever, there are athletes that stand out because of their superior skills, championships that they have won throughout their careers or because of their indomitable will to win. When you put all of them together, you will see a list of completely different people from different backgrounds.
There will be athletes that possess skills that others cannot match. There will be athletes that have no business being on the professional level yet they still produce championship results over and over. How is it you can have different people of various skills and they all produce results? Through several mental training sessions with Swingtime Golf USA CEO Alan Duval, I was able to get a better understanding of how your speaking patterns, your behavior patterns and the events in your life influence your goals and the results you are after.
Alan began his first couple sessions instilling in us the concept of G.O.L.F, or Game Of Life First. Why is that important, one might ask? As golf is a game, so is life. If you are successful in the game of life, results will soon follow. It took me a while to understand that. I can work as hard as I want on my game and have goals I want to meet but if my life off the golf course is not in order, how can I expect to be successful on the golf course?
Paying attention to things like physical training, taking pride in your personal appearance, reading and studying about how to strengthen your mind, and always maintaining a positive attitude will pay dividends as you go through your journey in whatever endeavor you choose to pursue. You can’t have one or the other. Both must be working in harmony with each other.
I was given a couple DVDs to watch and in them, I found something that was very interesting. The Seven Principles of Golf. I found it interesting because the principles that Darrin Gee, the author of the DVDs, shared were applicable both to my golf game and life. They are: 1) Balance, 2) Feel, 3) Visualization, 4) Create your own ritual, 5) Find your natural swing, 6) One Shot at a Time, and 7) Transform your game, transform your life.
Balance is important for your golf swing, you don’t want to be falling all over the place. It is also important for life, you want to be balanced in all aspects of your life. Feel is part of golf and most of it comes from your hands. Your hands grip the club and both you and the club become one. In life, you have to trust your heart, trust your instincts.
Before every shot, you have to visualize in your mind’s eye the shot you want to play, trust it and execute it. You have to know what you want out of life then go make it happen. Routine in golf can be your security blanket under the greatest of pressure. Knowing who you are and being secure with it will take you a long way in life. Staying focused in the moment and going through the round one shot at a time, through life one step at a time and you will eventually accomplish your goals.
In whatever endeavor you choose to pursue, there will be people, things, situations along the way that will test your patience and your will to succeed. There will be some good days and some bad days. The path is often a bumpy ride but if you work on all aspects of your life and especially your mind, you can weather all kinds of things and come out on top. Be positive, be secure in who you are, stay in the moment and enjoy the ride!
G.O.L.F!!!
All the best,
Kevin
Golf is a family affair with the Halls!
(L-R: Percy, Jackie and Kevin Hall)
