BY TOM CLARK
Motor skills are an important part of human
existence. Without these skills we would not be able to walk,
run, chew or balance ourselves.
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To move your golf swing up a level
or two, phone Tom Clark at the Timberwolf Academy at
691-6019. |
Learning a skill such as golf involves
following a set of procedures, especially early on when
attention and focus are key factors.
The frontal lobe is engaged because working
memory is needed and the motor cortex of the cerebellum
(located across the top of the brain) is activated to control
muscle movement.
There are four levels of golf skill
development and this earliest stage is known as conscious
incompetence.
The performance is effort riddled with
conscious self talk and is halting, jerky, uncertain, and
poorly timed. Think back when you were first learning to drive
a car. Feel familiar?
As practice continues the activated areas of
the motor cortex become larger as nearby neurons are recruited
into the new skill network.
This level is known as conscious competency.
You are still giving yourself conscious instructions but to a
lesser degree.
With less thinking and some confidence in
your mechanics, your level of competency improves. You are now
probably shooting in the 90s, working on shooting in the
80s.
The last two levels are unconscious
competency and unconscious mastery. Here, the brain activity
shifts to the cerebellum, which organizes and co-ordinates the
movements and timing of the muscles to complete the
swing.
The brain no longer needs to use its
higher-order processes, as the swing becomes automatic. If you
get to the level of unconscious mastery you have Canadian Tour
potential if that is your goal.
Remember, Mike Weir, Annika Sorenstam, Lorie
Kane and Tiger all started at Level 1, so don't despair and
keep practising the proper techniques needed for your
development.
