In November 2004 I qualified as a Master Sports Practitioner of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming)

NLP is many things -
In teaching, communication is everything and NLP is a huge aid to effective communication. If you want to manage your thoughts, NLP provides you with the tools. It can also be described as - "The study of excellence that can be replicated".
So NLP is pretty powerful stuff.

It is beyond any shadow of a doubt that for players to fulfil their potential, it is absolutely imperative to improve not only technique but the mind also.

Tiger Woods has the best mind in golf. This is what he has to say -

"My creative mind is my greatest weapon. It is a kind of inner vision that enables me to see things that others might not, like a certain way to play a shot. The psychology of golf can be complicated as it does entail mental toughness, self-confidence, conquering inner demons, instant recall of past successes and being able to purge failures. It is the game within the game. I developed my mental strength early, I cannot overemphasise the importance of YOU developing yours NOW!"

What the NLP Certification has given me is a set of applicable tools and training that can be incorporated into my existing coaching format to allow the player to have both a trained brain and a trained swing.

Historically, mental training has fallen into two areas; discussion on the subject in a very general way in a group setting or recognising that a player needs some 'help' and recommending that they see a sports psychologist, a reactive mindset as opposed to a developmental one.

This is a bit like sitting in a room talking about what you should do in the golf swing and never going to the range or waiting until the player suffers a serious muscle tear and then recommending a stretching programme!

Players should have the understanding that mental skills can be developed and improved upon and that they are part of training as opposed to being something to consider if they feel it might help when things are not going to plan.

SWING-ONLY coaching is not enough for ANY level of golfer. Key to big changes in performance is for every golfer to also learn some basic mental skills that will help them make the most of their swing technique.

If you would like to develop your mental skills please contact me -

Email: mailto:trainedbrain@gillianstewart.com
Telephone: 07801 930034