CALIBRATION PART TWO:

In my last post, I introduced the mere concept of calibration as a vital key to having strong golf putting and short game skills.  Today, I briefly delve into the "why" of calibration, as a key fundamental.

The best mental picture analogy to explain the importance of calibration is a basketball player swishing 3 point shots from 30-40 feet out.  How do they do that?  Is there a particular "secret" mechanic or technique that is the secret sauce of that swishing skill?.

The answer if you understand calibration is a most emphatic "NO!"  Swishing 3 pointers has very little or even nothing to do with shotmaking skills or aptitude.  There is no secret "flip of the wrist" or anything else when a player makes those shots.  That is becuase when practicing those shots, a great basketball player thinks of nothing having to do with shot making mechanics or technique, because THEY ALREADY HAVE THEIR TECHNIQUE DOWN, OR ELSE ARE WORKING ON IT FOR THAT SOLE PURPOSE.  BUT HAVING IRONED OUT THE MECHANICS THEY TAKE THE NEXT STEP THAT IS A FUNDAMENTAL PART TO BE ADDED TO THEIR TOOLKIT as a separate set of putts with a separate PRACTICING PURPOSE.

What is that separete and key practice component if shotmaking mechanics is not the story?  The answer is that the player is focused solely on visualizing the shot and "dialing in" the feel and hand/eye subconcious hand-eye coordination that cements the marvelous and incredible human radar judgment of the basketball player.  The player practices building up the sense, again subconcious, of how much "umph" and shot speed needed to arc the ball into the net of the basket.  There is no slide ruler involved here.  But there is a building up a "callous" or feel for that specific shot and the practice of that shot is what grooves it out for the player.  There is no substitue of grooving out that shot with key repetitive practice that replicates that swish over and over until the player "gets it".

HOW DOES A PLAYER "GET" THE 3 POINTER?  BY REPETITIVE PRACTICE UNTIL IS IT "DIALED IN".  

HOW DOES A GOLFER "GET" A PUTT TO DO THE SAME?  BY REPETITIVE PRACTICE UNTIL THE PUTT TO BE MADE IS "DIALED IN."  THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR WHAT IS NEEDED TO GROOVE OUT A PARTICULAR PUTT.  BY PARTICULAR PUTT, I MEAN A SPECIFIC 1 FOOTER, A 3 FOOTER OR A 6 FOOTER OR EVEN PERHAPS A 9 FOOTER.  THAT PRECISE PUTT MUST BE GROOVED AND INGRAINED WITHOUT ANY FOCUS ON MECHANICS! All of the focus is on the "feel" of the putt and the "seeing" of that SPECIFIC putt's break.

In the next segment on this key topic, I will explain how "getting" it on the putting green can be achieved, and how you will know if your 3 foot or 6 foot putt is dialed in or calibrated.  Is there a way to know?  The answer is most certainly YES.