Alright {!firstname_fix} are you ready to ditch the tension from your swing?
 
Week 2 of the challenge starts now!
 
This time around we're focusing on the ability to make tension free swings.  A tension free swing makes for better shot making, more consistent performance, and even more distance!  Here's your Work Book to track your progress for this week.
 
Practice #1: Think Box/ Play Box
 
Tension manifests itself in many different ways.  If we think about it chronologically, the first place it shows up in your journey as a golfer is with bad decisions, which a lot of times really the product of indecision.  For most people that's the indecision about which shot, club, or target should be picked.  This results in taking more time over the ball, and the longer we spend over the ball, the more the tension builds.
 
These situations tend to occur for people more while they're actually playing, so you may consider trying this during a practice but it can certainly be done on a driving range as well.
 
The Think Box/Play Box idea comes from Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilsson, both multi time Golf Digest Top 50 teachers.  When practicing, and even more importantly while playing, this drill helps you commit to your shots - a major weakness of most amateurs.
 
Here's how it works.  While behind the ball picking your target you are in the Think Box.  Here you can analyze and visualize your shot, but once you've left the Think Box and transition into the Play Box (standing over the ball) you have to be 100% committed to the shot you've chosen.  No more changing your mind.
 
Think of it like occupying two actual physical boxes (hence the name!).  Check out this picture for a more clear representation.















There's two ways to measure your progress here.  The first one is the more basic of the two.  Simply tracking whether or not you stayed committed to your shot.  
 
It's pretty straight forward if you're actually on the course.  Just think about the last shot and check to see if you stayed committed to your target and swing.  The easiest way to track this is just add that line on your scorecard, I like to call it EXECUTE.  Did I execute my Think Box plan?
 
If you're on the driving range I would track this 10 shots at a time.

Pre-select 10 different targets
On each shot add the Think Box & Play Box to your pre-shot routine
Track to see if you stayed committed and executed the plan with each shot

I think it's important to mention here that when I ask if you're staying committed, I'm not asking if you hit your target, or if the shot was even good.  I'm asking Did you stay committed to your Think Box plan?
 

Did you waffle on your club decision?
Did you change your target midway through your pre-shot routine?

If you answered yes to either of these questions (or anything similar) then you didn't execute the plan.  Work on going through your whole routine, making an achievable plan, and executing it!
 
Another way you can do some really solid self analysis is to weigh your expectation vs the outcome on these 10 shots.  If you are finding that your expectation never matches up with the outcome it's probably time to start picking more conservative targets more in line with your abilities.
 
Practice #2: The Tension Scale
 
A huge key to several different areas of golf is awareness.  Whether it's reading the breeze to see how much extra club you should take, or being aware that you are getting upset about a shot and not letting it bleed into later swings and potentially into later holes.
 
The specific spot we're talking about today is, you guessed it, TENSION!
 
Lot's of people don't realize that they may be gripping the club really hard, I mean white knuckling it.  One way to test this is the exercise from Iain Highfield, Director of Mental Training at Bishops Gate Golf Academy.
 
The Tension Scale is a 0-10 scale measuring the tension in your hands, arms, and body.  A 0 on the Tension Scale is super loose, barel