Clearing Interference

Many times the way we respond in a given situation is entirely due to the questions we ask ourselves both consciously and subconsciously. If we have a tendency to respond in negative and unproductive ways we can usually eliminate this by simply changing the questions we ask. The questions we ask direct our focus and the results we produce are directly linked to what we focus on. So you might be thinking, “How does this apply to baseball?” In baseball we are judged by our performance which as an athlete is producing an external result. As a result when we don’t perform at the level we think we should we immediately begin searching for an external cause. The questions that I’m routinely asked are the same questions that the athletes are asking themselves, “What’s wrong with my swing?” “What am I doing wrong?” and so on. Our minds tend to immediately go to an external cause for our external failures.

The problem with this is that these questions put us in a negative and unproductive state. It leads us to be constantly thinking about and focusing on “what’s wrong” which then causes us to produce more and more of “what’s wrong”. This of course leads to inconsistent performance not to mention a reduced level of confidence in the athlete.

So how is it that we can rephrase these questions and begin to shift your focus on something more positive and productive? What question can we ask that will really get to the root of the problem and allow us to experience more success? Well, before we get into that it’s important for you to understand how your subconscious mind effects your body. Maybe even more important is how your mechanics are planted into your subconscious mind and what it is that causes mechanical breakdown.

After you are introduced to proper physical mechanics and have time to perform proper repetitions they become stored in our subconscious mind. Often what we refer to as muscle memory is nothing more then proper movements or skills becoming stored into our subconscious. Now the subconscious stores all of our skills that we perform day in and day out without any thought. Walking across a room, the beating of your heart, typing on the computer, and your breathing are all stored here. When you want to execute a skill for example such as getting off the couch and walking across the room the subconscious mind sends your intention to your body and your body performs the skill, usually easily and effortlessly. The very same process takes place when we decide to throw a pitch or swing at a pitch. But if our proper mechanics are stored in the subconscious then what is it that causes so much inconsistency in the execution of our mechanics?

Unfortunately the information being delivered from the subconscious mind to the body can become blocked or somehow distorted by negative thoughts or focusing on the external. Don’t believe me? Well, have you ever see someone have an anxiety attack where they exhibited signs of having a heart attack? Negative or stressful thoughts in their mind created a block between the subconscious mind and their body. As a result they began to show the signs and symptoms of having a heart attack. Now if negative thinking and stress were powerful enough to block the subconscious mind from telling the body to beat the heart (something we never think or worry about) then why couldn’t it cause breakdown or inconsistency in your ability to execute your mechanics? In fact what is commonly referred to as “The Zone” by athletes is nothing more then short lived experiences where there is a complete absence of interrupting thoughts and therefore the information from the subconscious mind is clearly communicated to the body allowing for abnormally high levels of performance.

Unfortunately we think of “The Zone” as fleeting and something that you may only experience once or twice a career. We have the belief that while we are experiencing this state that we are “playing above ourself”. As if this isn’t our true level of performance. The truth is that “The Zone” is our natural state. This is the level of performance we can achieve all the time if we were only aware of how to create this level of performance and what prevents it from happening.

So when an athlete asks themselves “What wrong?” they are unknowingly creating more and more roadblocks, preventing the correct information from going from the subconscious to the body. Over time frustration builds, more and more negative, stressful thoughts are created and ultimately a new movement pattern is stored in the subconscious. Which is what we would call a “bad habit”. At this point even when you have a clear mind you have now created a poor movement pattern or skill for which to call upon and your overall performance is diminished.

So what can you do? The first step involves becoming aware of the questions you are asking yourself when your mechanics breakdown. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong?” consider that your swing or pitching mechanics or whatever are already perfect and that they only way for them to breakdown is that something interfered with your subconscious’ ability to communicate your mechanics to your body. Instead ask yourself, “What interfered?” If you ask this question your focus will be directed more inward and you will find the real culprit of your less than desirable performance. You will begin to notice that maybe your effort levels were too high (trying too hard) or that you weren’t focused and were thinking about something else. Whatever it is, you will find it will be far easier to refocus and allow your mechanics to be executed instead of becoming panicked over the possibility that you have a major mechanical flaw.

“If you make a swing that falls short of perfect (for you) don’t get down on yourself or try to fix your swing. Instead, direct your awareness to reflect on what might have interfered. The basic point is: Don’t change your swing, change your mind.”
~Dr. Joseph Parent
Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game