Body Language
When most people think of “body language”, they think of what they are communicating to others. Although this is something to be considered, your body language is actually another “controller” of your internal state.
Research shows that body language and facial expressions influence our brain chemistry and hormone levels which can make us feel differently.
When we adopt strong, confident postures (shoulders back, chest out, eyes up), we not only show others that we are feeling confident, but we trick our brains into producing feel good chemicals called endorphins. Contrarily, when we are in weaker postures, we tell others and ourselves that we are feeling weak. Our brains trigger the production of cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone”.
If this is true, then those times when you can tell that someone is playing poorly by their body language – when their head has dropped and they are looking down with hunched shoulders, they are actually weakening their chances of turning it around.
Author James Clear tells us that a study was done between Harvard and Columbia Universities which had 42 people adopt different body postures, and afterwards, their hormone levels were tested.
The results showed that those with the more “high-power” postures (standing up, back straight, shoulders back), had much higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of cortisol i.e., those people felt more confident, powerful, and less stressed. Conversely, those people that adopted “low-power” postures (slumped over, hunched shoulders, looking down etc.), had higher levels of cortisol, lower levels of testosterone and they felt less confident.
The same thing works for facial expressions. Actors use facial expressions to create feelings within themselves and make a performance more authentic. E.g., Frowning can make you feel concerned and worried by itself. Smiling can immediately lighten your mood and make you feel happier. This is where the expression, “put on your game face” comes from – look as if you are confident, focused and determined and it sends messages to the brain to say that you are. What do your facial expressions say about how you want to feel on the golf course?
Someone who is watching you should never be able to tell that you are playing poorly by your body language and your facial expressions. If they can, you are further weakening your performance state.
Use body language and facial expressions to keep your internal state as consistent as possible. Think of the top players in the men’s game such as Rory, Brooks Koepka, and Justin Rose, to name a few, and notice their demeanor and posture as they walk the fairways. It’s now just an automatic part of their player persona which helps them look and feel more confident, no matter how they are playing.
Make it part of your performance process to walk and look the way you want to feel.
Check out Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk, which you can find in the resources section of the module.
The Alter Ego Effect
Another way that we can use imagination, body language and anchoring to achieve our best mental, emotional, and physical state is through developing an “Alter Ego”.
Who are you when you play your best golf? What characteristics and attributes do you have? Who is the player that you want to be in practice and on the golf course?
In his book, “The Alter Ego Effect”, Todd Herman describes how helping his clients find their “Alter Ego” allows them to be the best version of themselves in whatever it is they are doing. So, what is an “Alter Ego”, and how can it help you play better golf? Let’s take a look.
What is an “Alter Ego”?
We all play different roles in our lives, which require us to access different sides of ourselves. E.g., You might be one way with your family, one way at work and another way when you’re on the golf course. With your family, you might be fun and loving, and on the golf course, you might be more serious, focused and competitive. Being the loving, family person on the course probably won’t help you play your best golf.
Todd Herman tells us that the Alter Ego Effect is about identifying the role that we want to play and creating an embodiment of it i.e., your “Alter Ego”, which we can then use as a vehicle to bring out those qualities when we are performing.
For example, if you were to give a speech, would you want to be confident, authoritative, have good posture, positive facial expressions, and eye contact with the audience? Or would you rather be timid, fearful, and looking down at the ground with your shoulders hunched? Obviously, you would want to be in the role of the first person I described, as that would be more conducive to a better and more successful speech. Think of a person who “embodies” those qualities of good public speaking such as Tony Robbins.
“Act as if” to make you feel like you are
Another way to think about the Alter Ego effect, would be a junior golfer imagining themselves as one of their idols while playing. If you played junior golf, I’m sure you did this. By pretending you are a golfer that embodies those qualities of a champion, you can activate those same qualities from within you. But let’s not be naïve, acting as if you are Brooks Koepka or Nelly Korda, isn’t going to give you their technical skills. The Alter Ego effect is not about “faking it till you make it” and pretending to have skills that you don’t, it’s about activating an internal state. By “acting as if” you are your Alter Ego, you can “feel like you are”, which can allow you to access your best skills with less inhibition and deal with challenges better. E.g., thinking about how Tiger Woods would deal with a setback can help you deal with it more effectively.
Think about how actors get into the character they are playing. By using their imagination, body language and facial expressions, they can create the authentic feelings felt by the character that they are portraying. By getting into the character of your powerful Alter Ego, you can do the same.
To do this, you will need to explore your Alter Ego in detail and know how they would behave in different situations, what their attitudes and beliefs are, and what makes them great. E.g. how would Tiger Woods handle a bad shot or double bogey?
Detaching you as a player from you as a person
Having an Alter Ego to maximize performance is not a new concept, especially in sports. Soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimovic “becomes” a Lion. Kobe Bryant became “The Black Mamba”. Many boxers become their Alter Ego in the ring. Sugar Ray Leonard once said that if “Ray Leonard” showed up for the fight he would lose, but “Sugar Ray Leonard” was invincible, as if they were two different people. I believe that having a separate persona for yourself as an athlete or player can explain why the top sports men and women, such as Ibrahimovic, Roger Federer and Serena Williams, have had such long and successful careers. Whatever is going on in their personal lives doesn’t matter as they are able to flip a switch to become their Alter Ego, which allows them to perform consistently at the highest level.
Additionally, when you detach your performer self from your actual self, it means you are less self-conscious and don’t take your performance as personally. Because you are a performer when you are on the course, not your everyday self, you eliminate a lot of the doubt and fear that your everyday self would feel before and during a round.
Finding your Alter Ego
Ahead of your next round of golf, decide upon the player you want to show up? Create a vision of the player you want to be and describe him or her. You can go back to your values list or player philosophy to help you with this e.g., they are confident, focused, tough, excited, positive, optimistic, fun, having strong body language, etc. Some players I’ve worked with have found it helpful to have alter egos for different parts of the game.
Next, find an Alter Ego which embodies those qualities. Some examples are:
- A model player or sports person e.g., Collin Morikawa, Tiger Woods, Lexi Thompson, Michael Jordan or Lebron James.
- An animal that embodies the strengths you would like to have on the golf course e.g. A lion, snake, bulldog, hawk, etc.
- A fictional character
- A combination of words and that person/animal e.g. “I’m a relentless, mentally tough Rory McIlroy.
Activating Your Alter Ego
Once you have defined your Alter Ego and who or what that is, we need to activate it. You can also think of this as “putting your game face on”. Like with the NLP triggers, you need an action to transition into your Alter Ego, like Clark Kent would go into the telephone booth to become Superman. Todd Herman tells us that it works best when it’s a physical action, such as putting on your cap, your shirt, your golf shoes or glove.
Make it part of your pre round ritual to activate your Alter Ego and get into the role. By doing this, you’ll be able to create a performance state more conducive to confidence, freedom, and success.
