(Premier Login aceputt) Forum Owner Posted Apr 18, 2009 11:50 AM
Dear Frog,
There is a problem in the way Aaron Baddeley goes about his putting practice. You really don't "groove the move" to the point that it is "automatic" so it is a habit so you "don't have to think about it" so you can avoid "paralysis by analysis". The "groove the move" golf folks really, really need to check back with modern motor learning science about that. You have to LEARN WHAT WORKS AND WHY and then hone performance from that foundation. You ALWAYS have to KNOW HOW because you believe the HOW you choose is sound because you actually understand the WHY it is sound.
Conventional golf instruction absolutely RUINS this essential learning process. The whole idea of feel and repetition and automaticity according to "muscle memory" is just not correct, and results in only so-so performance skills, and really leaves golfers prey to loss of skill under pressure and to streakiness.
It's great that Aaron spends lots of time on the practice green, but uh he choked choked choked on the greens in the US Open when it mattered on Sunday and there's no hiding from that. And I can pretty safely predict that there will come a day when Aaron is not that great a putter and won't KNOW HOW to recapture former brilliance. At the very least, he is highly unlikely to improve much over the years doing what he is doing.
Practicing a) with a contraption b) repeating exactly the same exercise ("mass practice" in motor learning lingo) for c) too long a period in session after session with d) a constant stream of feedback knowledge of results e) on the same putting green f) when none of the putts really count and g) without integrating any one putt with the read, aim, and touch required for that putt are exactly the wrong a, b, c, d, e, f, and g's. The only PURPOSE this sort of practice serves is to "groove a move" you don't understand or want to understand so it will work without you having to understand it when you play. But motor learning science says watch out: you THINK you're grooving a move, but you're really "grooving your practice". Your stroke may SEEM golden as long as you don't get under pressure or lose the stroke a bit and not know why or how to get it back on track.
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