There is one thing all kids do better than adults: learn. Their brains are in a prime state of learning from the moment they are born. Think about it: they have to learn how to crawl, walk, talk, interact, and learn the “rules of the road” in this world with zero prior knowledge or experience. If you study child development and motor learning it’s absolutely fascinating what they are able to accomplish!!
So what makes them so great at learning? Well, for one, their brains and nervous system are built for learning. They build thousands of new connections almost hourly in an effort to figure out how they can or need to interact with the world around them. In an ideal environment, they are largely void of the fear of “surviving” as their needs are met by parents and/or other caregivers (teachers, family members, etc). They learn to experience the world, adults primarily learn to survive. As a part of this, kids learn to experiment and “try new things”, revisiting old ideas that didn’t work before or creating new possibilities that have yet to be explored.
So how do we learn like a child without “getting into the weeds” of YouTube videos and the thousands of different opinions about what you should or shouldn’t do?
First: Learn to be aware of your body. Avoid general terms and phrases like “cover the ball”, “keeping your head down”, “releasing the club”, etc. and actually pay attention to what you are feeling! Your “feels” should be uniquely yours and not match anyone else who plays this beautiful game.
Second: Don’t be afraid to exaggerate the movement you are working on. The goal is to LEARN. When you learn where too far is in the other direction your awareness of the exact correct movement is heightened. FYI…to make your best golf swing it’ll likely feel far more exaggerated than you would imagine!
If you want to change your body, change your swing, and lower your scores, become a childlike learner! You can do it!! Don’t miss out on the positive impacts this has on your game and life!
SIDE NOTE: The attached image is from work I did with an inner-city school in Birmingham, Restoration Academy! I learned so much from teaching these kids! Sidebar, in the deep poverty in their area, they have had a 100% graduation rate for more than 15 years, and EVERY one of these kids has been accepted and received a scholarship at a 2 or 4-year college. If you are in a non-profit or support a non-profit I HIGHLY suggest you check out how they do what they do! They’re breaking the mold, and there’s so much we can learn about teaching, training, leadership, charitable work, etc from their organization!
