Week 4 (Practice)

This session I met with my client for 2 hours at the golf course, I also asked my client to bring along 3 fellow golfers that would help take part in the session. The aim of this session was to put the controlled breathing/centring method into practice, to do this effectively I will stage a competition between my client and the three visitors. This will allow my client to practice the new technique in a stage competition environment so their anxiety levels will be high and we will be able to analyse how the controlled breathing effected this. 

In the first round of the game I helped and guided my client through the technique to ensure that they were doing it correctly and had got the correct idea. In the rest of the match I left my client to practice the technique alone. After the session I asked my client a few questions that allowed me to get a good idea on what they felt towards this technique and if it was working. 

• How did you feel after using the technique?

“ I felt much more relaxed and steady after using this technique, my heart rate decreased and I looked at the game with a much more open mindset”

• Did you feel more relaxed than normal?

“Yes, I felt like I had removed the stress that I usually place on myself and just stayed relaxed and thought about the opportunities. By focusing on my centre it removed all the negative thoughts that usually cause me to over think” 

• Did this help with your game plan? Will you be using the technique in real competitions in the future?

“Yes, this technique allowed me to stay open minded during the game allowing my decisions to be more informed allowing me to play better. Therefore I will use it in the future as I feel that it will dramatically improve my anxiety levels during the game” 

These answers give me great confidence of the success that this technique could help my client achieve. By the technique helping them reduce their anxiety it has been shown that in this practice that it is allowing my client to look at the game in a more open mindset, this open mindset could have good benefits during the game as it could allow them to make more risks that could lead to higher reward. During the session I also observed my client when they used the technique and compared it to when she didn’t, by doing this I identified that their swing was more powerful and with less judders therefore it will be more beneficial for their game in the future.