Back in 1996 i coined a coaching technique within our academy (Cranfield Golf  Academy) The CGA Circle Swing… in essence this is a concept that perfectly blends the mind and body in the golf swing and to my knowledge there is no other model like it.  it helps the golfer focus on the ‘whole’ and not positions or parts.  Anyway i have recently been in South  Africa and with my own game in a bit of a mess, i got to the range and went to the very basics i teach (not easy to teach yourself  – even worse than your wife!!).  I chose to think of only the clubhead and imagine it travelling on the perimeter of a large circle going around my body, i gave no thought to how i needed to move my body to achieve this, but just kept my mind 100% on this large circle and the clubhead tracking it, the result… a swing with less anxiety and thought, which meant i at last felt some rhythm again!  More work required but i really enjoyed hitting balls again, and of course nice to know my own ideas work on me as well!!  If you are feeling stuck on your swing or too technical give this simple thought a try – it just works!

Every physical action we take i.e. throwing, catching, lifting etc is a fully integrated motion for the body, you would be shocked to know the intricate detail that goes on inside your body for these actions.  So why do we break the golf swing down into detail and practise isolated movements and is this a bad thing?  There is value in breaking down to understand things and practising isolated movements can help establish a specific feeling, BUT stay on this for too long and you may become obsessed with positions at the cost of flow and rhythm!  Once you understand what you want to do and have a feeling blend that understanding into your full swing both physically and mentally – this is done through a process i call internalisation where you mentally rehearse what your ‘new’ swing will feel like from start to finish.  This approach will help you develop good rhythm as well as your technique.  A wise combination!