Two weeks ago Lydia Ko shot a 62 on the final round of the ANA Inspiration 2021 LPGA tournament. When asked about that round she shared three things that helped her tie the course 18 hole record.
- ” I stayed patient.”
- “No matter what the situation was’ , she said, ‘ I was just focusing on the shot in front of me.”
- “I was hitting every shot with conviction and at the end of the day that’s all you can do.”
We often mistake things like patience, focus and conviction for character traits or qualities that are just a part of someone’s make up. But, the truth is they are skills that we can develop just like swinging a golf club or playing the piano. And, just like playing golf or making music they grow with practice.
In my coaching with athletes and clients we approach these things as skills and capacities we can develop, make them part of our training sessions and look for opportunities to use them in the world outside of sport. Technical skill matters but more often than not, it’s these skills that help us open up our potential. Is there a skill you want to develop like focus or patience or compassion and what would it look like to practice that a little every day?
And when it comes to practicing remember Ms. Ko’s lesson; be patient, focus on the shot in front of you, hit it with conviction. That’s all we can do and that’s what makes the difference.
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FLOW STRETCH AND MOVEMENT 