Negative self-talk can undermine your confidence and lead to cascading consequences. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen
By Dane Anderson
Positive self-talk is one of the most important skills you can use as a disc golfer. When you think constructive and hopeful thoughts, you are more likely to play with confidence rather than doubt and uncertainty. This is not surprising. The first step to cultivating positive self-talk, however, is developing your ability to notice when you are unwittingly employing negative-self talk on the course.
Have you ever been encouraged by a teammate, parent, or coach to “visualize” success? The theory behind such a directive is that the more you can imagine yourself playing the way you want to, the higher the chances are that the image will come to pass in real life. It is reasonable to believe that having mental pictures of ideal performance can provide athletes with a target to aim for during competition. The question is, how do you actually create these pictures whenever or wherever you need to?
Even a momentary lapse of focus on the golf course can lead to trouble. Photo: John Whinery / PDGA Media
By Dane Anderson
On the course there are many distractions that can interfere with a disc golfer’s ability to focus on the shot at hand. Whether it’s chatter from other players, the direction and speed of the wind, or thoughts about the next hole, opportunities to lose concentration right before a shot abound. Our minds synthesize countless pieces of information through the five senses at such a rapid pace, no wonder focusing can be so difficult. Add to these distractions the pressure of an important shot that could put you in the lead, and you have a recipe for potential disaster.
Dealing with a toxic cardmate can be a big distraction if you let it. Photo: PDGA Media / Alyssa Van Lanen
The short answer is, you must accept that you are competing in a sport and you don’t get to handpick who you get to spend all of your time with. Sometimes your competition is not somebody who you would want to go to lunch with afterwards or who you would want to marry your firstborn. That’s just the way it is.
Get your mind right, and the rest of your game will follow. Photo: Alyssa Van Lanen / PDGA Media
Disc golf is, at its core, a mental game. No matter how fit you are physically or how far you can throw the disc, your mindset plays a major role in determining how well you will perform.
And when it comes time for your first tournament, your mental game is tested on a whole new level. New nerves, new stress, and, of course, new ways to screw up. This can all take a toll and can lead to a pretty poor performance in your first tournament.
