"“When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur. When you improve conditioning a little each day, eventually you have a big improvement in conditioning. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Don’t look for the big, quick improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That’s the only way it happens — and when it happens, it lasts.”" ~ John Wooden
Greasing The Groove
Known by my student's as the good 'ole GTG.
GTG has become a critical ingredient to my Consistency Cocktail. Student's like Jeremy (to the right) have used this principle to improve faster than they could ever imagine.
If you are struggling with consistency, this may be the MOST IMPORTANT lesson you will ever read.
With winter coming up... the weather may not be good enough to practice or play outside consistently.
That doesn't mean you can't work on your game all winter long. And, wouldn't it be nice to be able to jump out and play when a warm spell hits without worrying about your swing?
No problem, if you employ the technique I'll teach you later in this article.
Today, I want to teach you the INSANELY SIMPLE 'grooving technique' Rich and I use to help our students become Single Digit Handicappers… and we recently added a new Single Digit Handicapper to the family that I introduced above... Jeremy Stultz.
Jeremy slashed his handicap in half… and to be honest, I fully expect him to be around a 3 or 4 in a matter of months.
He's taken action… Jeremy applied the ingredients of the Consistency Cocktail that we teach inside my Single Digit Blueprint.
I am asked all the time, "What makes the Single Digit Blueprint different?" Well, it all comes down to trust.
Trusting your own swing… trusting your own game… and not depending on tip of the day pro's or quick fixes to 'cure' your broken game.
And I think trust really comes down to having a reliable, and repeatable swing… which creates self-confidence.
Almost every golfer I've ever spoken to wants a 'grooved' swing… and I think deep down, this is why every golfer wants a grooved swing.
And I think we can all agree that trusting your game results in better shots and ultimately lower scores. Trust erases all doubt in your mind.
- Grooved = repeatable.
- Repeatable = dependable.
- Dependable = confidence.
- Confidence = trust.
- Trust = Self-confidence.
Trust gives you freedom to plan your shots instead of worrying about the results.
My experience tells me that not many golfers have trust in their game.
If you know where the ball is going to land, you will aim better, score better, and enjoy the game more.
Simple.
Well, not really…
Acquiring a grooved swing takes time, energy, and patience… and you need to know what you are doing.
Pounding ball after ball at the range is
probably grooving the WRONG THINGS.
How has that process worked for you by the way?
This is where having a plan in place allows you to focus on the right things to groove.
If you want to groove the perfect chipping stroke, putting stroke, driver swing… you need reps.
Further, you need PERFECT reps. This ensures you are training your mind to control your body properly. The only way to do this is through a method I have stolen from the Russian Spetsnaz… the Russian special forces.
And Special Forces may seem a ridiculous place to find a breakthrough for golf.. But not really… they do tough things and are asked to often do the impossible and be dependable… and that's where dependability becomes 'mental' more than physical.
Let me explain.
The golf swing is a chain reaction. One event after the other. Get it right and the ball goes where you wish it to.
Fire off any link before its ready in your swing chain, and disaster strikes.
That's why it is so important to develop the proper neural pathways using Greasing the Groove.
After all, the nervous system controls your body. The nervous system sends signals to your muscle fibers to contract. The more often you use these neural pathways the better your technique becomes. The stronger you become.
As the signals become more frequent, the better you become… the more efficient you become… and the stronger you become.
What we are doing is creating a neurological groove. The more we do it, the deeper this groove becomes. It becomes easier, it becomes repeatable… and more efficient.
I don't care what swing style you use…
it's irrelevant.
You can use Greasing the Groove to groove ANY golf swing or movement… David Ledbetter's "A Swing", Moe Norman's "Single Plane"… Ben Hogan... or Nick Faldo's flowing and powerful modern swing.
It doesn't matter.
And I think that's what makes us here at Golf Aggressive unique in that we don't care what swing style you use. We only care that you get better.
How Does GTG Work?
I learned Greasing the Groove from a Russian Special forces trainer named Pavel Tsatsouline. Pavel learned GTG from the Hebbian Rule… and by applying it to the special forces he trained.
Pavel uses the Hebbian Rule aka Greasing The Groove to make his athletes stronger without using more weight to do so.
Basically, the more often you do something the better the BRAIN becomes at performing this task. The brain actually becomes stronger. The brain becomes hardwired to perform that task.
Remember Charles Barkley and that awful swing? His wiring was hardwired to the point it almost couldn't be undone.
"Muscle failure is more than unnecessary – it is counterproductive! Neuroscientists have known for half a century that if you stimulate a neural pathway, say the bench press groove, and the outcome is positive, future benching will be easier, thanks to the so-called Hebbian rule. The groove has been 'greased'. Next time the same amount of mental effort will result in a heavier bench. This is training to success! The opposite is also true. If your body fails to perform your brain's command, the groove will get 'rusty'. You are pushing as hard as usual, but the muscles contract weaker then before! To paraphrase powerlifting champ Dr. Terry Todd, if you are training to failure, you are training to fail." ~ Pavel Tsatsouline
Ok, so how does this all apply to you?
Well, I've got a few rules on using Greasing the Groove for the golf swing that I've developed after working with my students:
Rule #1
Perfect Practice
In order to 'practice perfect' we need to remove 'hitting' from the equation.
We can groove anything... a chipping stroke, putting stroke, driver swing, your setup and alignment... even your pre-shot routine (PSR).
We groove by doing the motion we wish to perfect in slow motion. This allows us to visually inspect and feel what we are grooving. We are programming your neural pathways.
We practice the movement over and over again and make the movement easier and easier, until it's as easy as getting in your car and driving away.
When's the last time you really thought about how hard to tap a brake pedal? It's been awhile hasn't it? That's because your brain pathways are GROOVED and GREASED by years of practice.
Effective? HELL YEAH!
Rule #2
RANDOM AND FREQUENT
To get the best results from Greasing the Groove, the sessions need to be short, random, and frequent.
Ideally, you will want to perform your Greasing the Groove movements roughly 15 minutes total each day. This time will be spread out over the course of the day.
Another way is to do GtG on the hour, every hour. Not only will this give you a break from work… it will also prepare you for the frequent breaks we find ourselves in during a round of golf. You will be able to snap right into your game by doing random practice.
Rule #3
SET A REPS GOAL
Rich and I usually have our golfers station a club next to their recliner or desk at their office… or both. When you get stand up or sit down, you will perform 5-10 Greasing the Groove movements.
The movements can be anything really… grip, setup and alignment, posture, the takeaway, etc. You only do the movement up to a stopping point. You won't perform the entire swing. Again, we are working on programming the mind in a chain reaction.
If your goal is 500 grooves and you perform 100 per day randomly, you can expect to have that particular movement grooved in about 5 days… although more is always better and serious golfers will want to up this to 1,000 reps.
You might be thinking, "That's a lot of reps and time." Well it is, but is it really?
How long have you struggled with your swing and your game? How many hours do you spend at the range without significant and lasting results?
I think when you compare my grooving technique against what you've been doing… my way will be superior and worth a try.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Right before the season is the perfect time to start grooving.
Rule #4
AVOID LONG PRACTICE SESSIONS
Once you hit 500 reps of GTG in your home or office, it's time to hit the practice tee.
Again, you are going to aim for 500 reps of Perfect Practice while hitting a golf ball.
Greasing the Groove works off Perfect Practice. So if your mind begins to wander, your body is tired, or you just aren't feeling it… stop your practice session.
We don't want to groove any bad habits here.
And lastly, I want you to focus on what the Perfect Movement feels like… and if you aren't sure how to perform a takeaway… or don't think your grip is right… you need to hit up your PGA Professional to make sure you are on the right path.
Next, I'll teach something your competition is ignoring. Click here and I'll show you how to mentally prepare yourself so you can gain even more consistency ...
Click Here to learn how to mentally prepare so You'll CONSISTENTLY get better, session after session!
Fairways and greens,
Chris
