[Hennybogan]

I think HB answered how it relates to golf in his post above. Read for example about the five programming routines in Chapter 14.

Need more? Still some doubts about the yellow book? Ok, I'll give it a shot.

So: At some point we need to hand it over to non-emotional execution.

The English word I was searching for is cerebellum , i.e.

Someone might comment that a little extra thinking about how we can help the cerebellum can not hurt, even though it seems to be in conflict with 14-0.



Even though all that sounds good, one question may remain. WHY? Why will conscious thoughts hurt?

Here's something. It may or may not be scientifically proved, but it sounds good (at least to me) and may be enough as a motivation for why we should leave it to the cerebellum, the Computer, the brain or whatever god-like function there is that does it:

Using the brain to outsmart the cerebellum would probably cause a distribution of fresh blood to other parts of the brain, leaving the cerebellum with less. Less blood to the cerebellum will not help it. So it seems perfectly logical to - during the shot - if anything - focus on shutting down all conscious brain activity while flooding the cerebellum with read hot steaming oxygen filled blood.



And:

Alex,

Here's a quote from a book called: On the Sweet Spot Stalking the Effortless Present by Dr. Richard Keefe. page195

"The brain imaging results from the study indicated that the prefrontal cortex became less active as the finger sequence became automatic. Several other studies have found the same thing, that prefrontal regions become less involved in a task as it becomes learned and engrained. As the subjects engrain the task, the halting sensations of the anterior cingulate are also minimized, and the person can initiate the movement without hesitation, without analysis, without what is experienced as thought. As the activity of the prefrontal, analytical regions diminishes, other regions become more active. The motor regions, which are responsible for the actions, become more active, as do the premotor regions and the supplementary motor area, which are involved in the immediate preparation to take action. As subjects learn to engrain the sequence of finger movements and rely on an internal rhythm to act, the energy devoted to the very specific act of preparing each movement heightens, and this energy is centered on the regions that generate the movement, not the ones that monitor them to see whether or not they're acceptable."

Dr. Richard Keefe is a clinical psychologist and neuroscience researcher and the Director of Sport Psychology at Duke University (from the jacket).

It is a complicated read. I've just been through it once. Keefe has studied the brain (MRI studies with rhythmic finger movements similar to piano playing--golfers don't fit in the machine) in order to understand what is going on when the athlete is "in the zone," so they can more easily enter The Effortless Present.

"These studies also suggest that if a task becomes fully learned and engrained into memory, the cerebellum will grow more active. It may be that the cerebellum becomes more active when a person has to work less at analyzing when or how to make a movement. Most studies suggest that the cerebellum is more involved in carrying out an action than it is in making decisions about when or how to act; the role of the cerebellum may be particularly strong in any sequence of actions that has a timed, rhythmic component to it."

The book suggests that we will be more successful if we allow the areas of the brain that control motor function do their jobs without interference from the analytical areas. It assumes alot, namely that our patterns are fully learned and engrained. That's why we practice. And we study because we want to engrain the correct movements. What if don't have these learned patterns. Good question. I do think that it is important to understand what is ideal some we can work towards it.

We also have to learn to switch the areas we are using. As we must use the analytical areas to help the define the shot we are then suppossed to trust to the motor function areas.

HB