The concept of practice phases as it pertains to golf was presented by Adam Young in his book "The Practice Manual: The Ultimate Guide for Golfers" (copyright 2015 by Adam Young). Section 2 "Five Phase Training" goes into depth about the five different phases of golf training. "My Golf" allows for practice topics (and tasks) to be categorized into one of the phases so that you may have another dimension available to you to decide on what kind of practice to focus on during your sessions. They can also help you come up with ways on how to create alternate versions of existing practice topics in order to have them apply to a different phase.
The definitions of the phases below are brief, to give you a general sense of what they entail. For the most complete understanding of them, it is recommended that you obtain a copy of "The Practice Manual" and refer to it for the minute details.
Also visit https://www.adamyounggolf.com/ for more information. Adam Young and his intellectual properties are not in any way affiliated with "My Golf: Practice, Play & Plan".
Technical
Goal: get into better positions.
Topics assigned to the Technical phase focus on subjects that are mainly about improving motor skills (or swing mechanics) so that you can improve your ball striking. Most times, technical subjects require the assistance of a professional golf coach to assist in evaluating if you are making the right movements and progressing toward the desired change. However, it is still your responsibility to take time to practice these new moves, so keeping track of them in the app is important.
Experimental
Goal: move variables around at will.
Topics assigned to the Experimental phase involve the execution of movement patterns for the sake of exploration and discovery. The movements performed are sometimes not needed during course play but they help create fundamental understanding of many aspects of the golf swing and the physics involved with it.
The type of experimental practice that is composed of movement that you would virtually never do on the course is called differential. Examples of differential experimental practice are intentionally trying to hit a ball on the hozel or on the front edge of the toe on the golf club. Other examples include intentionally hooking or slicing the ball while in flight.
A type of experimental practice that could end up being used on the course is by practicing something that you normally would never do, perhaps because you simply do not know how to do it yet or have very little experience having done it. This is called variable experimental practice. Examples include altering your swing path to attempt fade or draw shots; or changing the ball position at address to experiment with different ball flight trajectories.
Calibration
Goal: create skill stability.
Topics assigned to the Calibration phase primarily involves structured block practice in order to reliably achieve desired impact variables so that your skills can be stable with your current skill level. It is with these kinds of topics where you can identify areas of strength and concern so that you can determine what other kinds of practice that you should focus on for maintenance of the strengths and improvements on the weaknesses.
Performance
Goal: identify what works best for you.
Topics assigned to the Performance phase focus on maximizing your on-course performance with whatever skills you currently have at the state that they currently are in order to get the best results. Topics in this phase involve a lot of testing of what helps you execute your shots better (such as with breathing or a particular swing thought), consistency identification, course strategy, and statistical analysis.
Routine
Goal: eliminate all distractions and focus on the now.
Topics assigned to the Routine phase focus on maximizing your ability to gain access to your motor skills completely unhindered. Ideally, you train to get into an autonomous flow state where everything you do feels effortless. You practice your different routines -- or work to make changes to them -- in order to maximize your consistency, rhythm, and reduce your conscious thinking during shot execution.
In "The Practice Manual", this phase is called Transference. 'My Golf' calls it Routine since that word is more prevalent and easier to remember.
Comments
0 comments
Article is closed for comments.