Over the 12months of the TTW project, Ben and I have tried to stress the role practicing plays in this process. Now that we’re working with students, I find that practice will play an even greater role than we anticipated.
When I have a few days between practice sessions, I notice that it takes a little longer to feel the balance in my stance, the flow within my swing, and a sense of confidence that I can hit my shot. The more I practice, the easier it all comes together.
When working with clients in the gym, especially in the beginning, I give them short, low intensity workouts and request that they practice daily. Over the years, this has produced consistent and measurable results. Those who are more consistent simply progress faster.
Using this successful model from my training business, I’ve put together a basic practice guide for beginning TTW students.
Day 1:
10 full practice swings from center.
Day 2:
5 full practice swings. Hit 5 foam balls
Day 3:
10 full practice swings. Hit 10 foam balls.
Day 4:
Hit 10 foam balls with full pre-shot ritual.
Day 5:
5 full practice swings with full pre-shot ritual. Hit 5 foam balls with full pre-shot ritual.
Obviously, you can substitute hitting real balls at the driving range in place of hitting foam balls. Using foam balls allows you to practice closer to home and limit the amount of time necessary for each practice session.
What I am trying to do here is to make sure that every day we’re practicing being centered while holding a golf club. These practice sessions shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to complete. This is the bare minimum amount of practice necessary to make progress.