4 R's of Performance Cycles

Sports psychologist Dr. Ravizza has helped thousands of athletes by coming up with a system called the 4 R's of Performance Cycles - Recognition, Release, Refocus, and Ready. You can use it to quickly recover from mistakes on the course as well.

First, you recognize the blown performance. That happens instantly. You can see where the shot went. We're talking about recognizing where you are emotionally after the poor shot has been hit. What happens to your body in terms of heart rate, blood pressure, or muscle tension? What happens in terms of your thoughts? Do you lose focus? Do you start doubting yourself? What happens to your behavior - do you slow down or speed up? These are all great questions to quickly recognize where you are emotionally.

Next, you have to release your emotions. How do you let go of the bad shot or putt that just happened? The release may be picking up another ball out of your bag, saying a favorite power word or phrase that gets you back on track, and putting the ball back in your pocket. You may want to grip your club very hard, squeeze and release to blow off some steam. The bad shot is over. Nothing can be done. Look at a spot on the horizon to get your mind ready to get back into action.

Now, ask yourself, what do I need to do right now? What's my plan? Once I have my plan, I need to commit to it. If I'm going to hit a 5 iron the next shot, I need to commit to using that club and then focus on the target. Once I have my plan, it's time to get ready to hit the next shot. How do you know that you are ready to hit the next shot? Breathe. Inhale, exhale. It's called taking a few trusting breaths. Now, I'm committed to the club I'm going to hit. Inhale, exhale once again. Do your pre-shot routine and then execute. It's that simple.

Next excerpt -- Book excerpt three from the Golf Tip Section
after Chapter 9: Ultimate Golf Psychology

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Success Principle