CHAPTER 10

THE IMPROVEMENT PROCESS （进阶提高）

10.1 First Comes Understanding (理解)

Before you can improve your putting and become the best you can be, your must be fully understand the 15 building blocks of the putting game, then understand your personal performance in each block. Most golfers try to work on their putting strokes with little or no feedback, while many others work with bad or inaccurate feedback.

Accurate knowledge and understanding of what you’re doing, both right wrong, will make our physical learning easier. Your can look inward to your common stroke faults and problems, weaknesses and strengths, abilities and inabilities, and understand what you need to change and what not to change to improve.

为了让自己的推杆有所提高，必须充分理解我在前面提到的15个推杆模块，还要了解自己在每一个模块中的表现。许多球手没有养成数据积累和分析的习惯，而有一些则是在不精确甚至错误的信息反馈中调整自己的推杆。

知道自己在做什么？哪些是对的，哪些是错的，只有在这样的基础上，我们的动作调整才有意义。看到自己惯常的错误和问题、弱项；知道自己的实力、能力和障碍，才能知道自己正真需要的是什么。

10.2 Second Comes Measurement (测试)

We measure how well every student lag putts from long distances; we measure their ability to aim their putter-face and the orientation of the flow-lines of their body in the address position; we measure their stroke paths, face angle rotation, impact patterns, and ability to read greens; we use laser breams, slow-motion and stop-action video, and specially designed skill tests to measure what they need to improve. There are some things we can’t measure in schools and clinics, statistics only the golfer can keep track of. For example, it’s particularly informative to analyze one’s missed-putt pattern to see if there is a favorite way of missing (miss preference).

We quantify misses by breaking them into nice categories or zones, and keeping a record of them over time. Once you know if there is a pattern and, if so, which one, it becomes easier do deal with whatever is causing it.

每一个来我们学校的学员，我们要测试他的远距离控制三推的能力；杆面瞄准和身体瞄准的能力；挥杆路径和杆面角的变化；击球方式；果岭阅读能力。我们用各种仪器和设计的技能测试方法来测试每一个学员他们需要提高的方面。但是有一些测试，在我们这里没法做，如每个人的推杆统计数据，只有每个球手自己能收集全，数据是非常有意义的，能分析每个人的惯性失误。

我们把失误分成九种，球员们如果能把每一次失误都记录下来，就能看到是否有一种惯性失误，具体是哪一种，分析引起的原因，由此，就能针对性地从根源上去解决问题。

10.3 Third Is Analysis（分析）

The purpose of measuring and testing your putting abilities is to allow accurate analysis of your putting game, followed by a diagnosis of what you need to do to improve it without making mistakes. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of that phrase, “without making mistakes”. The essence of good teaching is properly analyzing and correcting the student’s problems without causing other problems in the process.

测试和测验的目的是为了分析，分析的目的是为了找出一个不至于以错纠错的改进方案。我非常强调“不要制造新的错误”。一个好教练在于能正确地分析并纠正学生的错误,并且不会在纠错的过程中制造新的错误。

Before you conclude your analysis, you must form a strong commitment to improve, and determine how much time you have to spend on it. In figuring the time, allow for your level of discipline and faithfulness (to follow the practice regimen you prescribe). And your must decide what kind of a stroke you will commit to developing. Without a commitment to spend time on improvement, there will be no long-term success.

I don’t want to discourage you, I do want you to appreciate that it’s far easier to improve your putting if you have a knowledge instructor by your side as you practice. Without a trained set of eyes watching you, it’s up to you to learn what needs to change and what can be left alone. Then, once you know what to work on, you have to work carefully and accurately with feedback. This usually is the most difficult part of learning to putt better – deciding what to leave alone, what to improve, and how to improve it.

You need realistic expectations for your improvement. It usually doesn’t happen overnight. Don’t get impatient and don’t demand instant gratification.

在分析得出结论之前，球员必须有改善推杆技术的强烈愿望，结合自己的自律和执着，以及改进的方案，估算需要投入多少时间来完成动作的改进，而且必须知道到自己改的方向和目标。如果没有以上的决心和投入，那么动作的反复是不可避免的。

如果在练习时身边有一个专业的训练有素的教练指导，这对提高推杆是非常好的，当然通过自己的努力也是可以做到的，自己要辨识问题的性质，决定当下着手的要点。一旦自己确立了努力的目标，那么一定要认真地对待推杆数据中的反馈信息，以此决定自己的努力方向和办法，这往往是最难的。

推杆技术的稳定和提高不会一蹴而就，没有速效药，我们需要的是耐心和坚持。

10.4 Fourth, Find Your Prescription for Improvement (找到适合自己的改进方法)

Most golfers don’t have a clue of what is required. They don’t know how to practice properly. They don’t realize that the key to learning is immediate, accurate, and reliable feedback. They don’t realize that their brain can internalize fantastic amounts of information if it is presented in an organized and accurate fashion. And they don’t realize how important it is to keep inaccurate information out of the process.

许多球手并不知道他们需要什么,他们不太清楚怎样才是正确的练习，他们不知道学习的关键是及时准确可靠的反馈。人的大脑能储存大量有序和准确的信息，但是，错误的信息也同样能在大脑占一席之地。

10.5 Fifth: Do It!（行动）

It takes 10000 proper repetitions to begin to form a proper habit, and 20000 to ingrain and own it.

Bad practice is worse than no practice. Grooving bad strokes ingrains bad putting habits, and ensure poor putting over the long haul.

You also must practice in the proper place working on our setup, alignment, aim, and stroke mechanics should be done indoors with learning aids and feedback devices. Don’t practice these fundamentals outdoors on real putting greens if there is no feedback for learning about them on these greens. And when you are working on a particular aspect of your stroke mechanics, seeing the ball roll on an unknown and unknowable surface can be a serious distraction.

10000次的正确重复，习惯开始形成，20000次的正确重复，动作成了第二本能。错误的练习比不练习更糟糕，一旦形成了错误的挥杆，养成了错误的习惯，那就麻烦了。

我们还要选择正确的练习场所，我们的站位站姿，身体瞄准，杆面瞄准，推杆动作应该在室内进行，在辅助器械的帮助下，及时获得反馈。不要在真实果岭上练习这些内容，因为那里可能没有反馈的设备。如果你在练习动作的某一部分，球推出去了，但是球滚动的结果并不能告诉你什么，这样的练习效果将会很低。

As for real feel and touch, the only place to practice them is on putting greens. Schedule your putting practice time so initially you practice about 80 percent of the time indoors with feedback devices, 20 percent outdoors on the putting green. About three months, go 50-50 indoors and outdoors.

Before you practice, know what you are trying to change, how it will look and feel when you do it right, and have the feedback to monitor your progress. And before you work too long on your own, get periodic checkups with a knowledgeable professional. He or she can catch bad practice results before they become habit.

对于真实的感觉和触觉， 那就需要在真实的果岭。计划好室内与真实果岭的练习时间，刚开始的时候，80%的时间在室内，以便及时获得反馈；20%的时间在真实果岭，三个月后，大概是五五分。

一定要知道自己需要改进什么，如果自己做对了，那么有什么视觉和感觉上的变化。一定要非常注重反馈信息来确保自己的进步。最好在自己练习了一段时间后，请一个专业经验丰富的教练做阶段评估。教练能在错误固化成习惯前发现它们。