In an article by Golf Digest, they investigate why putting so difficult for so many golfers. As I suspected, the problem isn't the mechanics of the stroke. Our bodies have little trouble learning how to hold a putter and hit the ball. The difficulty lies in using your eyes to detect the right information about distance and direction at the right time, then using your mind to relay that information so you can consistently make the ball go in the hole.


Iris by Ran at flickr.com

A scientist at the University of Calgary, Canada, is getting impressive results from testing and training players' vision, using eye-tracking and motion analysis technology to do so. Professor Joan Vickers, a specialist in kinesiology -- the study of anatomy and body movement -- has been researching the role of gaze and attention in sport for more than 20 years.

She has been developing the "Quiet Eye" technique since the early 1980s, in an effort to understand how vision can control and guide the body's movements.

The technique is a measure of visual focus, recorded with a variety of technologies, which, according to Vickers, gives an athlete insight into their actions. The "Quiet Eye" is based on key elements of data, which Vickers compiles during her research -- what the athlete sees and when, and for how long.

The first is the optimal location of the eyes' focus in space. For example, the best place on which to focus in golf is the back of the ball, while in basketball it is the front of the hoop. The precision of the quiet eye location often mirrors the precision required to perform well in a sport. In golf, precision of movement and precision of focus are paramount.

The second is the when the eyes begin to focus. The timing of focus is crucial, and varies depending on the sport.

The third is when the players' gaze leaves the "optimal location." In golf putting, for example, it has to stay on the back of the ball through the stroke and dwell for 200 or 300m on the green, after contact. Most golfers do not do this consistently.

The final quality is the duration of the quiet eye's period. It's about their ability to maintain a single focus even as all the motor activity is going on.

Vickers research backs up my philosophy that most golfers have plenty of physical ability and don't need to dwell on the mechanics of the swing or putting stroke, but simply improve their concentration and focus.

Trust your artful eyes. As this article states, "your hands are controlled by your brain, which gets valuable information about what to do from your eyes. As you putt, your brain needs to organize more than 100 billion neurons. These neural networks are informed by your gaze, and control your hands, arms and body as the stroke is performed. These networks will stay organized for only a short period of time; a window of opportunity opens that must be used when it is at its most optimal."

Article: The Quiet Eye, Dr. Joan N. Vickers, Jan. 2004

Labels: Articles, Concentration, Disciplines