You’ve probably had the occasional student
protest after a few lessons with a statement like, “I seem to hit
the ball a lot better when I don’t think about the things you are
teaching me!” I’ve had this happen many times, and at that point I
usually take
a few minutes to explain about the process of learning a new
technique.
It doesn’t seem to matter whether it is a sport,
a new job function, or virtually any new activity. Change or
learning can be difficult. The first thing I typically point out is
that change, especially positive change, doesn’t happen without some
thought! And, they probably wouldn’t be taking lessons unless they
recognized they needed to make some changes. if their learning is
successful, when they’re done they won’t have to think too much!
here’s why:
STAGE 1:
UNCONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE
one day, you watch someone doing something, like golf, and think to
yourself, “That sure looks like fun, i think i’ll give it a try.” at
that point, you are in Stage one of learning the activity, which is
called unconsciously incompetent. what happens? you typically
discover that the activity is more difficult than it looks, and you
fail to do it as well as you would like. you’ve found out that
you’re not good at the activity, you just didn’t know it at that
time!
STAGE 2:
CONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE
So, now you’ve given it a try, maybe several times, and you’ve
become very aware that you aren’t all that good at it. This is the
consciously incompetent stage, when you start to turn down
invitations to participate in the activity to avoid embarrassment.
For most people, this is the time they start to buy instruction
books, tapes, and sign up for lessons.
This is the “thinking” time, when you start to
learn techniques that will help you master the activity, and move
you to the next stage.
STAGE 3:
CONSCIOUS COMPETENCE
This is the stage of learning that is the toughest, because you have
to be very aware of how you are executing the activity. it’s the
time when practice is extremely important, as you train your body
and mind to work together in new ways to produce the results you
want. it’s also the stage where feedback, both positive and
negative, is required to fine-tune the new techniques you are
learning.
With lots of work, thinking, and refinement, you
can reach Stage Three, being consciously competent in the new
activity. as long as you take your time and think about it, you
start feeling like, “I’m pretty good at this.” In golf, this is when
we feel like we have to concentrate on 50 swing thoughts to execute
an acceptable golf shot. however, our real goal is to get to Stage
Four.
STAGE 4:
UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE
Stage Three can be satisfying, but it can also be quite tiring,
since we always seem to be “working on our game” instead of just
enjoying it. people that are truly good at an activity spend most of
their time in Stage Four, the unconsciously competent stage. This is
especially true when they are competing, such as in a golf
tournament. This ultimate stage of learning is when you can
concentrate on the results of the activity, instead of the process
of the activity.
For example, in golf, when you are playing well,
you might focus on the target and selection of the proper club to
reach the target, but you don’t think through the mechanics of the
swing to produce the result. you’ve done that during practice in
Stage Three, and now it “just happens” when you need it, without
thinking it through in detail.
So, where do the better players spend their time?
moving back and forth between Stage Three and Stage Four. when the
pros are playing tournament golf, in what the commentators often
refer to as “being in the zone,” they’re not thinking much about
technique or mechanics. They’re just playing the game as
unconsciously competent professionals. however, almost all the
touring pros have a “swing coach” that they trust, and may spend
time with between tournaments. when they spend time with their coach
working on their game, they are living in the consciously competent
stage. They focus on implementing improvements or eliminating flaws,
and practice with feedback from their coach so they can move back to
Stage Four to compete. you’ve often heard the comment that they now
“trust their new swing” when they are playing successfully with the
changes they’ve implemented in Stage Three.
Learning a new activity or changing old habits is
difficult. From my experience, golf is one of the toughest sports at
which to become good. But, if you and your student are aware of
where he or she is in the process of learning, you can help ease the
frustration, and in turn increase the enjoyment of this great game.
and, when you think about it, that’s the primary reason we all
participate in this great profession.
