How to get better at Golf - according to Science

[dennispullhook]

Hi there,

 

recently I discovered this very interesting podcast from a neuro scientist called Andrew Huberman about the brain and how it works. Yesterday there was a new episode about faster learning and I tried to adapted some of his ideas to Golf: 

 

The whole thing is based on the idea that the brain of grown ups is only learning new stuff when it is in a certain state. And you have to trick yourself to get in this kind of state. It has a lot to do with chemicals and certain behaviours which help to release this stuff inside your brain. To sum it up: You need a high level of frustration doing something wrong before your brain is going to chance. 

 

Some of it is not new. I've already read about them in books like "The Practice Manual", "Inner Game Golf" or "Every Shot must have a Purpos". But the important role of errors, frustration, focus and dopamin was new to me.

 

I tried to adapt the key points of this podcast to a learning session in Golf. Here are my thoughts, what do you think?

 

How to get better at Golf

(according to Andrew Huberman)

 

1. If you’re older than 25 find small things you need to change or get better at. For example: Pitching from 30 yards. Make better contact. Hit a straight push. Lower your hands at impact. Stick exclusive to ONE issue. Only young peoples brains are able to learn different things at once.
2. You have to know what you are doing wrong and there must be a system in your exercise to monitor your errors. If you train 30 meter pitches, there must be a target. If you try to hit the sweet spot, use foot spray on your clubface to recognise bad hits. If you try to hit a push, set yourself a target window for the ballflight with 2 gates your ball has to pass. If you want lower hands at impact, use a pool noodle. This sounds needles to say but it is very important, because you brain wouldn't learn anything if it doesn't register errors.
3. You have to know what went wrong and how to correct it. For some movements you just could trust your motor system. But for complex things like ballflight you must know the right cause (e.g. Clubface or Swingpath). If you don’t know what your are doing wrong the brain could not learn. 
4. Find your best learning window. If you are older than 25 there is a high chance you only have a 30-minute-window per day. For most people it is easier to learn at 10 am than at 4 pm.
5. Before practice set yourself in a learning state. The optimal state for your brain to learn is a combination of awareness, alert, curiosity, high focus and high plasticity. Without plasticity in your brain there is no learning! The brain needs certain chemicals for plasticity. These chemicals are only being released when the brain realises there is something wrong and it has to chance. The best way to do that is an exercise for 7 to 30 minutes which involves a lot of balance, errors and frustration to prepare yourself for the main practice exercise! For example try to juggle three golf balls while standing on one foot. Or try hitting balls standing on one foot with a left-handed club (if you’re right-handed). But only if you are not good at this! If you are good at this it will have no effect on the plasticity of your brain. Or try hitting a golf ball on one foot with a left-handed club if you’re right handed.
6. Now do your actual exercise and trust the fact, that the motor system of your body mostly corrects itself. Set a high stake for your exercise with a high amount of frustration and good reward. For example: If you don’t manage to hit 10 out of 10 pitches into a certain target do it all over again until you do. Or practice with a friend and every single pitch is a nearest-to-the-pin contest with a few bucks at stake. You brain only gets better at this if your practice involves frustration and reward. Every shot must have a purpose! Your brain must experience the wrong and right movement pattern and high awareness, high focus and high commitment in these moments maximise your learning effect.
7. Have a good sleep that night.

 

(Please excuse my writing - english is not my native language.)

[milesgiles]

i dont disagree, although think most of that is fairly obvious, but is there any evidence for number 5? not poo pooing it but the brain needs certain chemicals for plasticity?

[Sean2]

Your English is just fine. 🙂

 

I wonder what he would say about someone like me who is 65 years old? I don't know how much plasticity my brain has, but some have opined I have a vacuum up there, lol.

[dennispullhook]

I believe his point was that the brain has only constant plasticity until the age of 25. After this it needs much more effort to get in a state of plasticity. But once you there you could learn as much as kid. 

 

And Number 5 are just conclusions from studies. Personally I don't know if it will work. But I'll guess I give it a try 😉

Edited February 16, 2021 by dennispullhook

[TheDeanAbides]

This can be summed up much easier. Make learning fun. If you treat it like your sucky job you're going to create both resistance and attachment to outcomes to find your dopamine fix. This is why kids are so great at learning (before adults screw with them and make learning tedious and repetitive). 

[tm3]

Interesting stuff.  Thanks for posting it!

 

In #6 it says

 

> Your brain must experience the wrong and right movement<

 

This contradicts what I have read about practicing and learning a musical instrument.  The oft-repeated doctrine in that realm is that one should practice in such a way that prevents making any mistakes at all.  This usually translates into playing the notes extremely slowly at first and gradually speeding up, always staying mistake free.  The explanation for this practice is that any mistake is "learned" by the brain just as well as any success and the brain cannot differentiate so making mistakes is kind of a one step forward, two steps back thing.

 

I don't know if the above has been substantiated by any research or if it is just passed along like a lot of golf "truisms" (hold the lag, fire the hips, etc.).

 

I also don't see how it could be applied to golf -- no mistakes?  Ha!

[Warrior42111]

1 hour ago, milesgiles said:

i dont disagree, although think most of that is fairly obvious, but is there any evidence for number 5? not poo pooing it but the brain needs certain chemicals for plasticity?

maybe it's the wording, but I read it as humans learn best through failure, which tends to be true. So if you are open or willing to fail the brain will be in a learning mode more so then at other state.

 

My guess is when trying to learn something new the brain releases different chemicals into the nueroreceptors

[SirFuego]

2 hours ago, milesgiles said:

i dont disagree, although think most of that is fairly obvious, but is there any evidence for number 5? not poo pooing it but the brain needs certain chemicals for plasticity?

Regardless if the legitmacy of the science behind #5, it really just boils down to keep "challenging your brain".  You look at how quickly a child can get "good" at something physical compared to an adult (assuming of course that "something" doesn't require adult-level strength) in the same time period and it's obvious that something is changing as you age that makes it more difficult for an adult to adapt. 

 

My unscientific theory is that an adult brain is "trained" with years and years of experiences.  Any "new" thing they try is driven by these experiences so it creates certain inhibitions that might restrict learning the "proper" way to do something.  A child, on the other hand, doesn't have those experiences, so when they are doing something wrong -- their brain will actually let them fix it if they are told the correct thing to do.  Not to mention that an adult tries to do something new as a "challenge", whereas a kid tries something new because it's "fun".  The result is that an adult might try to think critically about solving it.  A child will just "do" it -- they might fail spectacularly in doing so, but they don't care because it's fun.  Eventually the figure out how to do it, while the adult is trying to think their way through it.

 

Those of course are generalizations, but the bottom line is if you treat your brain like a muscle, constant challenging it with new stimulus is a good way to keep it "healthy" and "ready to learn".  I think it also keeps your ego in check because you get used to failing at things, so it helps to make new things more "fun" and thus more adaptable to learning.

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by SirFuego

[lefthack]

4 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

This can be summed up much easier. Make learning fun. If you treat it like your sucky job you're going to create both resistance and attachment to outcomes to find your dopamine fix. This is why kids are so great at learning (before adults screw with them and make learning tedious and repetitive). 

 

I stopped keeping score years ago because I used to stress about my scores. Why? I'm not a pro. My golf score has literally ZERO impact on my life.

 

I play golf because I enjoy the mix of science, skill, ability, and luck that goes into getting this ball into that cup downrange. I also play more than one ball in case that shot could have been better.

 

I continue to improve because I enjoy the process. Maybe it helps that I don't totally suck at it.

 

But I think #5 is a good one because frame of mind has a lot to do with Golf in general.

[dennispullhook]

4 hours ago, tm3 said:

Interesting stuff.  Thanks for posting it!

 

In #6 it says

 

> Your brain must experience the wrong and right movement<

 

This contradicts what I have read about practicing and learning a musical instrument.  The oft-repeated doctrine in that realm is that one should practice in such a way that prevents making any mistakes at all.  This usually translates into playing the notes extremely slowly at first and gradually speeding up, always staying mistake free.  The explanation for this practice is that any mistake is "learned" by the brain just as well as any success and the brain cannot differentiate so making mistakes is kind of a one step forward, two steps back thing.

 

I don't know if the above has been substantiated by any research or if it is just passed along like a lot of golf "truisms" (hold the lag, fire the hips, etc.).

 

I also don't see how it could be applied to golf -- no mistakes?  Ha!

Its just the learning from their studies. My english is not good enough to sum it up. But it was about grapping things with your hands with prism glasses which told the brain false positions of the objects.

[dennispullhook]

4 hours ago, Warrior42111 said:

maybe it's the wording, but I read it as humans learn best through failure, which tends to be true. So if you are open or willing to fail the brain will be in a learning mode more so then at other state.

 

My guess is when trying to learn something new the brain releases different chemicals into the nueroreceptors

Yes I understand it this way too

[glk]

Not failure but in learning motion research has been done on the benefits to learning new motion patterns by errorful training  - that is intentionally doing motion incorrect as well as correct.   In golf an example would be to take the club away too inside, then too outside, then just right (Goldilocks drill).  Or if practicing distance control say 50 yards, hit one 55 then 45 then 50.   This doesn’t work for learn math, lol

[golfsticks]

9 hours ago, tm3 said:

 Your brain must experience the wrong and right movement

 

This contradicts what I have read about practicing and learning a musical instrument.  The oft-repeated doctrine in that realm is that one should practice in such a way that prevents making any mistakes at all. 

 

I don't know if the above has been substantiated by any research or if it is just passed along like a lot of golf "truisms" (hold the lag, fire the hips, etc.).

 

I also don't see how it could be applied to golf -- no mistakes? 

 

There is merit practicing 'mistakes'.  When I  practice a few balls are sent onto flight patterns some label 'errors'.  A slice is only an error when unannounced but a predictable, and strategic,  shot otherwise.

 

 

 

 

[dennispullhook]

There is another aspect to this. IF the science behind that is correct and IF I'm understanding it correctly, it could prove that you're NOT getting better at Golf (when you're older than 25) just by:

1. Hitting balls meaningless on the range
2. Playing just for fun without competition
3. Doing drills without rewards

 

[dennispullhook]

17 hours ago, Sean2 said:

Your English is just fine. 🙂

 

I wonder what he would say about someone like me who is 65 years old? I don't know how much plasticity my brain has, but some have opined I have a vacuum up there, lol.

Thank you 😊 I'm 56 and I'll guess there is not so much difference in our brains 😉 But seriously: If I understand him correctly we are fine as long as we are don't get comfortable while practicing. For example: Just repeating the motion itself won't teach us anything. We have to combine each drill with errors and rewards. And the stronger the frustration & exhilaration the better the learning.

[Jimjam651]

Theres a really good podcast hosted by Scott Fawcett, Lou Stagner & Mark Crossfield featuring Adam Young that goes in to this sort of stuff and how it applies to golf

 

Crossfield probably isn't everyone's cup of tea but Adam Young is a really interesting guy & it may help clarify some of the questions in here about the OP's video

 

 

[Jimjam651]

2 hours ago, dennispullhook said:

Thank you 😊 I'm 56 and I'll guess there is not so much difference in our brains 😉 But seriously: If I understand him correctly we are fine as long as we are don't get comfortable while practicing. For example: Just repeating the motion itself won't teach us anything. We have to combine each drill with errors and rewards. And the stronger the frustration & exhilaration the better the learning.

 

I think you've understood it correctly.  

 

Our brains stop learning after performing the same task a few times in a row, so it needs to be changed up. 

 

In practice it's probably enough just to change the target & club every couple of balls, as long as the focus & intent is there.

 

 

[Sean2]

7 hours ago, dennispullhook said:

Thank you 😊 I'm 56 and I'll guess there is not so much difference in our brains 😉 But seriously: If I understand him correctly we are fine as long as we are don't get comfortable while practicing. For example: Just repeating the motion itself won't teach us anything. We have to combine each drill with errors and rewards. And the stronger the frustration & exhilaration the better the learning.

I would suggest to Mr. Huberman that golf is a game of errors and rewards, even on the range. Not many of us can consistently hit good shots, so I am not sure I understand combining drills with errors and rewards. In and of itself golf can be a game of frustration...and exhilaration when we hit that golf shot flush. So I am not really sure where he is going with this. I am probably not understanding what he is saying. 😑

[NickPL]

5 hours ago, Jimjam651 said:

Theres a really good podcast hosted by Scott Fawcett, Lou Stagner & Mark Crossfield featuring Adam Young that goes in to this sort of stuff and how it applies to golf

 

Crossfield probably isn't everyone's cup of tea but Adam Young is a really interesting guy & it may help clarify some of the questions in here about the OP's video

 

 

Adam Young seems to have been the first golf instructor to REALLY dive into motor learning research and tailor his golf instruction around it. I've gone through his "Strike Plan" that dives into drills that teach you to practice the extremes of ball flight, face strike, ground strike, etc in an attempt to teach full control of the golf swing. To have total control of a movement pattern, you need to have mastery of not only the "ideal" movement pattern but also the extremes.

[tm3]

9 minutes ago, NickPL said:

Adam Young seems to have been the first golf instructor to REALLY dive into motor learning research and tailor his golf instruction around it. I've gone through his "Strike Plan" that dives into drills that teach you to practice the extremes of ball flight, face strike, ground strike, etc in an attempt to teach full control of the golf swing. To have total control of a movement pattern, you need to have mastery of not only the "ideal" movement pattern but also the extremes.

 

Did you find it significantly helpful?

[NickPL]

5 minutes ago, tm3 said:

 

Did you find it significantly helpful?

I do feel it was helpful for me to really get a feel for face control at impact. I've had it for a couple years now, the first year I went through all of the videos and drills in sequential order then circling back to the ones I struggled with most or felt were most beneficial to me. Now, I try to go through those most beneficial ones a few times at the start of the golf season, and I've noticed that I pickup where I left off the season before much more quickly than starting from scratch (not scratch as in handicap, far from that!). But for reference I play off of a 7 right now and it's plenty beneficial for my skill level.

Edited February 17, 2021 by NickPL

[NickPL]

6 minutes ago, tm3 said:

 

Did you find it significantly helpful?

It's also great because 90% of it are drills you can do at home in your garage or outside in your backyard. There are some drills that require use of a sand bunker but otherwise all of the drills are pretty accessible without having to leave your house.

[Jimjam651]

17 minutes ago, NickPL said:

Adam Young seems to have been the first golf instructor to REALLY dive into motor learning research and tailor his golf instruction around it. I've gone through his "Strike Plan" that dives into drills that teach you to practice the extremes of ball flight, face strike, ground strike, etc in an attempt to teach full control of the golf swing. To have total control of a movement pattern, you need to have mastery of not only the "ideal" movement pattern but also the extremes.

 

Yeah he is good, comes across really well on podcasts & social media. 

 

He's just started his own podcast with Jon Sherman called 'The Sweet Spot' that I recommend as well (I've deep dived in to podcasts during our current lockdown in the UK).

 

I've ordered his book, The Practice Manual, which is well thought of so looking forward to having a read of that!

[tm3]

15 minutes ago, NickPL said:

I do feel it was helpful for me to really get a feel for face control at impact. I've had it for a couple years now, the first year I went through all of the videos and drills in sequential order then circling back to the ones I struggled with most or felt were most beneficial to me. Now, I try to go through those most beneficial ones a few times at the start of the golf season, and I've noticed that I pickup where I left off the season before much more quickly than starting from scratch (not scratch as in handicap, far from that!). But for reference I play off of a 7 right now and it's plenty beneficial for my skill level.

 

12 minutes ago, NickPL said:

It's also great because 90% of it are drills you can do at home in your garage or outside in your backyard. There are some drills that require use of a sand bunker but otherwise all of the drills are pretty accessible without having to leave your house.

 

Interesting, thanks!  Kind of reminds me of how a scratch player I knew said that he was taught by his dad.  During every range session he worked on intentionally hitting slices and hooks eventually fine tuning into fades and draws and he believes that this clubface control work was the most important training for golf that he ever did.

[SNIPERBBB]

So simply...Low hanging fruit and the law of diminishing returns...

[glk]

Iain Highfield has tons of good stuff on learning and performing.   see game like training site.     youtube site   instagram too.

 

Spacing, Variability, Challenge.

 

Also important to have learning aids that make you do the work - he who does the work, does the learning.

 

 

Sample from new book   How_to_practice_golf_-_Download_.pdf

 

 

[phizzy30]

Number 4 and 7 really speak to me.  I workout out early in the morning and go hit a bucket of balls around 10 am.  It's when I have the most clarity and energy.  I cannot stress how important sleep is.  Not only for mood, but memory and better functioning.  As for the practicing what you are trying to accomplish; this is all done on the range for me.  Currently working on hitting a fade on command w/one of my buddies who is a + handicap.  I concentrate on getting to my left side/clearing my hips quickly and having my left shoulder open slightly on the downswing.  My stock shot is the draw and I'm very comfortable keeping my left shoulder closed, doing the opposite to hit that fade is still difficult to process.  I believe once I can consistently do so, it will help me me lower my handicap significantly. 

[Warrior42111]

1 hour ago, phizzy30 said:

Number 4 and 7 really speak to me.  I workout out early in the morning and go hit a bucket of balls around 10 am.  It's when I have the most clarity and energy.  I cannot stress how important sleep is.  Not only for mood, but memory and better functioning.  As for the practicing what you are trying to accomplish; this is all done on the range for me.  Currently working on hitting a fade on command w/one of my buddies who is a + handicap.  I concentrate on getting to my left side/clearing my hips quickly and having my left shoulder open slightly on the downswing.  My stock shot is the draw and I'm very comfortable keeping my left shoulder closed, doing the opposite to hit that fade is still difficult to process.  I believe once I can consistently do so, it will help me me lower my handicap significantly. 

Just curious what your workouts involved? Before work at home it use to be work, gym,and hoping to get back to the last two parts later this year. I find they are great for my mood and energy levels, but it seemed more often than not because my muscles were so I tired I'd only get 20-30 swings in then my timing went haywire from what I assumed was muscle fatigue.

[phizzy30]

I should've been more specific.  My workouts start at 3 to 4am.  I get in a 1 hour nap after my post workout snack so my muscles recoup a bit so I'm ready to go to the range later on.  I'm a personal trainer so my schedule isn't set in stone and offers some flexibility.  As far as my workouts, I do some strength training but focus mainly on flexibility, mobility, speed training and balance.  Right now because of covid I workout at home 4 to 5 days a week but will be going back to the gym as soon as phase 3 happens which will be sometime next month. 

[golfarb1]

The good news

The older brain is more “plastic” than previously thought

 

The bad news

Learning new  motor skills is not just about practicing new movements ;it is avoiding reverting back to the current incorrect INGRAINED movements.To avoid going backwards, over exaggerating the correct movement is often required .