The body language we display on the golf course may influence our performance. Amy Cuddy, a Harvard professor and social psychologist has extensively researched the effects of posture, and has suggested that body language can effect our thoughts, feelings, and physiology.
Cuddy found that when you adopt a ‘high power pose’, it can increase your sense of power. There are many psychological benefits associated with an enhanced sense of power, such as an increase in positivity, optimism, enthusiasm, and confidence. All mental aspects that are considered advantageous for optimal performance in sport.
High Power Pose Stance: is described as being open and relaxed, bigger, i.e. where you take up more space
Weak Power Pose Stance: is described as closed and guarded, slouching, essentially taking up less space.
Take control of your body language on the golf course and strike a high power pose. Times to implement your power poses, could be:
Warm-up: especially important for golfers who get nervous and stressed before a round. Get to the tee 5-10 minutes early and strike a pose.
Pre-shot routine: get yourself in the best mental state with a high power pose as you stand behind the ball preparing for your shot. A power position is where you will appear tall, and opened up, and make yourself big - build this into your routine.
After a poor shot: the tendency after a mistake is to feel sad and exhibit a weak power pose. Make a consciously change to your body language by ensuring you adopt a power pose.
Take control and act confident through your body language - ‘fake it till you become it’. This would mean acting confident through your body language. You may not consciously feel any change but if you were hooked up to a measuring device, it would likely show a positive physiological response.
Give it a try. You might not notice any impact on your performance as any change may be very small. E.g. would you notice a 1% improvement in your performance? But what have you got to lose?
To learn more about the effects that posture can have on your hormones, click on the image below to take you to the Ted Talk youtube channel, and view Amy Cuddy's TED Talk on the "How body language may shape who you are", which has been viewed around 50 million times!
Comments