Learning Style is Important When Learning New Golf Skills

HOW WE TAKE IN INFORMATION AS INDIVIDUALS IS SO IMPORTANT TO OUR SUCCESS WHEN LEARNING NEW SKILLS…

The actual vocabulary we use is so important when it comes to the internal conversations we have or what I call our ‘self-talk’. The words we choose to use can have a profound impact on our self-esteem and achievements. It can also affect how we take information from others, especially when we are learning new skills.

When we speak, we communicate in channels abbreviated as VHF – Visual, Hearing, and Feeling. If you listen for the kind of words that a person uses when they are talking, they are providing you with an indication of whether they are thinking in pictures, sounds or feelings. The same is true of you and your internal language.

These phrases indicate that a ‘visual’ person is speaking:

“I see what you mean.”

“It looks good to me!”

This is the typical language used by an ‘auditory’ or ‘hearing’ person:

“I hear what you are saying.”

“That sounds good. Tell me more.”

This is a ‘feeling’ or ‘kinaesthetic’ person talking:

“I’m going with my gut instinct on this.”

“I have a good feeling about it. I want to really get a grip on this idea.”

Visual, auditory and kinaesthetic are all learning styles.

Some prefer to watch a demonstration; others want to listen in order to learn; whereas kinaesthetic people want to actually physically carry out an activity in order to learn how it feels.

If you have an understanding of how you learn, then when someone is trying to demonstrate a task to you, and you know you are not predisposed to take in information visually, you can ask to get involved and actually try the task.

If the Golf Professional uses visual language, this may in fact be an alien language to you. For instance, ‘watch me and how I am swinging the club’ may not have as much  relevance as his describing where you should be feeling the movement (i.e. which part of the body). The right communication is so important, and if you know you need to actually ‘feel’ how something should happen then speak up and get your Pro to describe which muscles or parts of your body should be feeling what.

Visual

Typically, people who are in a visual mode stand or sit with their heads up and/or their bodies erect with their eyes up, and will be breathing from the top of their lungs. They often sit forward or on the edge of their chair.

Visual people tend to be more organised, neat, well-groomed and orderly. More deliberate, more appearance-oriented and sometimes quieter and are usually good spellers. Visual people memorise by seeing pictures and are less likely to be distracted by noise. Often they have trouble remembering verbal instruction and would rather read than be read to.

A visual person will be interested in how someone looks at them and will respond to being taken places and bought things. They tend to use words like ‘see you later’, ‘I want to look at it’, ‘Show me’, ‘Focus’, ‘Watch it’, ‘be clear’, ‘foggy’, ‘picture that’, ‘notice’ and ‘it appears that…’

Hearing (Auditory)

Someone who is auditory will move their eyes sideways and also down to the right. They breathe from the middle of their chest. Auditory people typically talk to themselves and are easily distracted by noise. They often move their lips when they are mentally saying words. They can repeat things back to you easily. Auditory people may find maths and writing more difficult and spoken language easier. They like music and learn by listening. They memorise by steps, procedures and sequences. An auditory person is often interested in being told how they’re doing, and they respond to a certain set of words and phrases like:

‘listen’, ‘talk to’, ‘said’, ‘speak’, ‘sounds like’, ‘hear’ and ‘good to talk to you’.

Feeling (Kinaesthetic)

Kinaesthetic will typically breathe from the bottom of their lungs so you’ll see their stomach go in and out as they breathe. Their posture is often more slumped over and they often move and talk very slooooooowly.

People who are really in touch with their feelings will typically check in with how they feel regularly in order to ‘get a feel’ for what they are doing. They respond to physical rewards and touching. They also stand close to people and touch them.

Kinaesthetic people are often physically-orientated people such as athletes and manual workers. They may move a lot and they memorise by ‘doing’, or walking through something. They use words like: ‘feelings’, ‘get in touch’, ‘hold’, ‘grasp’ and ‘handle’.

MY FIRST RULE is all about helping you to get to know yourself. It is your responsibility to take the steps to understand what makes you tick in order for you to get the best out of life and to gain clarity on what works for you and what doesn’t when it comes to your game golf. If you truly want to achieve the success you seek in any area of life including golf, then a great FIRST STEP is to understand how you take in information most effectively. This way it will help you ‘fast-track’ your way to learning what you need to in order to make the CHANGES to achieve the success you seek on and off the golf course.

So next time you are having some instruction and you are finding it difficult to understand how a skill is being taught to you, then speak up and tell your Coach how to deliver the information the best way for you. The Coach is there to help and he or she will be only too glad to explain in a way that will help you to move on; if they don’t then change coaches!

It is all about communicating – both externally and internally.