The Golf Sensei, Jamie Leno Zimron

Radical Positivity #1: Lessons From My Father and Pat Croce

2010-02-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows that a positive mind – filled with optimistic outlook and positive perspective – is key to happiness and success. On or off the golf course.

Have you ever thought about what might happen if you decided to be not only more positive, but radically positive??!!

Recently I noticed that every time I ask my dad how he is, he heartily answers: “Great!” It shocks and delights me every time. Six months ago, at age 89 and out riding his bicycle he stopped to answer his cell phone (for real!). He lost his balance, fell and broke his hip. Surgery, rehab and a long winter recovery have ensued for him, along with caring for my mother whose health has sadly been declining.

Yet here is my dear dad, willing to say with gusto that he feels great! No matter what. This morning he gave me a book by Pat Croce, a hugely successful speaker, sports columnist, karate champion and former president of the Philadelphia 76ers. The book is entitled: 110%: 110 Strategies for Feeling Great Every Day.

Mr. Croce writes that “I FEEL GREAT!” has been his signature line for years:

“...sometimes in moments of unbridled joy, sometimes in moments of unendurable pain.
“When we won the NBA lottery I shrieked it. When a paramedic leaned over me on a rain-swept stretch of highway where my bones were scattered like pebbles (after a devastating motorcycle accident), I croaked it….
I thought thoughts that were positive, that could pull me back from the edge of giving up. I told myself that I felt great – even when I didn’t … to make feeling great possible.”

I’m a psychologist, and I know there are all kinds of constructs in our minds and experiences in our lives that make being positive not so simple. Both the conscious and subconscious mind easily toss up reasons against Radical Positivity, all the way from it’s shallow to impossible, or just plain unrealistic.

But what if golfers simply decided to make “I PLAYED GREAT!” our signature line, after every shot and every round?!? What would happen to our mental game, and our scores? Could we re-train our tendencies to negativity? Might new results happen that cause rejoicing and reinforcement of positivity, in our minds and golf games and lives? Are we even willing to give it a committed try and find out?

The truth is, every shot is a great one – whether we liked it or not. And thinking that way definitely ups the chances of making our next swings and shots ones that we’ll call great because we do like them!

Smooth Swinging: Watching The Pros

2010-02-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Ben Crane, who just won at Torrey Pines here in San Diego (and thanks to Farmers Insurance for stepping in as title sponsor). It was a pleasure to watch Ben and all the pros swing, putt and play the game.

Much as the “electricity” of Tiger’s presence is not currently out there on the PGA Tour, it is no less wonderful or inspiring to watch all the pros play. I hope people will keep their interest and support high because every tour player is performing amazing athletic feats, under incredible competitive pressure, every shot, every round, every tournament, all year long.

“They swing so easily!”
“They’re always in balance!”
“They’re so still and smooth when they putt.”
“They always go through the same routine.”
“They never seem to hit it ‘fat’ or chunk it.”
“They’re SO good out of the sand, how do they DO that?”

These are comments I hear whenever students or friends return from watching pros play in-person. I always recommend to people to get out to an LPGA or PGA tournament, play in a pro-am, take playing lessons with your teaching pro.

What's evident by comparison between amateur and professional golfers is the level of the pros’:

a) centered-ness and balance
b) sequence and rhythm
c) timing and tempo
d) acceleration through the ball
e) well-practiced, sharp short game
f) smooth putting stroke and # of putts-per-round
g) mental focus
h) solid fundamentals
i) repeatable pre-shot routine and in-swing motion

So take the hints! Are you one of the many golfers obsessed with the search for the best clubs, or perfect positions and planes in your swing? Have you tried really focusing on the QUALITIES that make for better swings and lower scores??

I call these qualities “KiAi” which simply means the power of unified energy-flow. Relaxed and focused. Harmonious power, as opposed to the brute-force kill-it approach. If you don’t already know how true this is from your own experience, then at least trust the pros!

To comprehend "peaceful power": train your eye as you watch, and your body-mind as you swing and play the game. And check out my KiAi Golf Instructional DVD Series. The results will astound you!

Oh – Make That Oy – Tiger! Part 3

2009-12-19T08:45:00.000-08:00

So how seriously should we be taking Tiger’s “sins and transgressions”? I hear some people being not so bothered, saying what man hasn’t or isn’t or wouldn’t want to be out there playing around like Tiger? While Tiger is allowed to be hu-man, what kind of terrible commentary is this on the state of affairs (pun intended) in our world today?

Other people are thoroughly appalled and outraged at Tiger for betraying his wife and family, not to mention his sponsors and fans and the virtues of golf itself. I for one sincerely hope and pray that he does whatever it takes to get himself back on course. I think we were all better off having his greatness to emulate than his foibles to gossip about. I doubt he can ever fully un-tarnish himself. As terrific as it has been to watch him, now its so hard to see him fall from grace and go from the best to the worst kind of legend.

Tiger’s got more work to do than ever. For starters it's time for some very big cleansing breaths. As the founder of Aikido would say, “True victory is self-victory” and Tiger broke the harmony of the universe. This is where people either become truly great beings, or lose power and cannot ultimately be winners in life. Ai-Ki / Ki-Ai will always be the Way. Centered and clear, physically and spiritually aligned and true.

Oh – Make That Oy – Tiger! Part 2

2009-12-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

Tiger’s in Big T, no doubt about it. In the roughest rough imaginable. Losing strokes left and right and paying enormous prices for swinging so out of control.

Questions questions questions. How could he …? Why in the world would he …? Didn’t he think …? When did he … ? Wasn’t he still a newlywed, with his beautiful bride but bad knee, then doing surgery and rehab and busy with new babies and getting back to top tour form???

Amidst all of that, that Tiger somehow managed to see multiple mistresses, keep it all covered up, and keep on winning golf tournaments seems yet another stupendous feat. Of sorts anyways. Looking back over this past year, Tiger more than once failed to pull off his famous finales or seal the deal on a Sunday or when it mattered most in the majors. He was more “only human” out there than ever before. Commentators and spectators alike all noticed, without ever suspecting the real reasons why.

Pro golfers don’t need to be monks or saints. But they are role models in a game of singular character and integrity. Perhaps Tiger’s godlike status was bound to stumble and crumble. Now that the nature and extent of his distractions are becoming known, perhaps the real wonder is how he managed to play as well as he did. He sure has compiled records…

Inner turmoil and outer turmoil just don’t add up to peak performance. Like golf, life is a constant challenge and practice to keep ourselves in the fair way, shooting straight down the center and in position to make scores we truly can be proud of.

Oh – Make That Oy – Tiger! Part 1

2009-12-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

I’ve always been a huge Tiger Woods fan, even called him “the ultimate KiAi Golfer,” because his level of excellence and self-mastery as a player is just so staggeringly right-on and huge. He has been, to me, one of the greatest examples of realizing one’s potential on the planet that we’ve perhaps ever seen. So I, like so many people right now, am feeling badly shocked and shook up by his car crash and “transgressions.” Who ever expected we’d be so staggered by just how hugely human this almost godlike golf icon has been revealed to be?

I can’t help but be struck by his offense: of all things - cheating. He’s the world’s best golfer, perhaps ever – doesn’t he know the rules?? Cheating is instant DQ. The blackest smudge. The worst of offenses with the worst of penalties. Insta-plunge from fame to infamy. Now we have this ultimate shocker, “squeaky-clean” Tiger messing around and messing up beyond comprehension.

I’m having brain freeze every time I think or hear more about what Tiger’s been up to off the golf course. I know how I’m feeling as one of his deepest admirers. I can hardly bear to think how his wife feels, or what this will mean for his two tiny kids. It’s just so sickening and sad and maddening.

I also hate to imagine what Tiger must be feeling as he beholds his family and the mess he’s made (especially during these holiday and birthday times); when he’s made himself tabloid fodder; when he thinks of his father and his mother; when he looks at Phil, Ernie, Annika and other fellow players; and how he’ll feel when the days come to go out to golf again with all the world looking at him, in front of millions who he’s turned into former fans.

From the highest heights to the very bottom … can the once invincible Tiger restore balance to his world ... much less to the golf world, and to ours??

Help For Charles??

2009-11-28T20:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks go out to a new KiAi Golfer in Los Angeles who found me on Facebook and immediately ordered the KiAi Golf Instructional DVD Package. How nice to find these posts on my “wall”:

“Jamie Sensei, I’m so glad I found you! I just watched your DVDs and what can I say – you’re a genius.” -- “Just watched your DVDs again. I think you’re the only one who may be able to help Charles Barkley!”

What can I say, he said it not me! In all humility, boy would I love a chance to see what the centered principles and integrated mind-body golf practices of KiAi Golf could do for Charles. Mr. LA is not the first to suggest that they believe I could honestly help the big guy.

Charles Barkley may be an extreme case, but golfers generally suffer so much and mostly so needlessly. It is a game and it’s not rocket science. Meaning it should be fun, and its just us humans, using our own brain and body parts together with a golf club and golf ball, out there in splendiferous nature. Nothing is impossible, not even better golf - and for Charles too!

Daily Practice & Indoor Improvement!

2009-11-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

I’d like to congratulate Class A LPGA Pro Marty Mallott on the new indoor golf facility named in her honor at Defiance High School in Ohio . She’s the girls golf coach there, and Executive Director of the Ohio Women’s State Open (where I had the good fortune to win the senior title in 2008). She and her family have outfitted a wonderful center for young players, and community members, to work on their golf regardless of the weather.

I was honored to be in Defiance for the dedication and to conduct a 3-hour indoor KiAi Golf Intensive. Without the seductions of the golf course or seeing shot results, it seems much easier for people to concentrate on what they’re actually doing and feeling as they swing, chip and putt, and to take time for the energetic and fitness aspects of the game.

Having grown up in the Midwest , I’ve noticed that golfers there and in northern climes tend to be the nuttiest of all! Probably because the summers are short and winters long, they really love their golf and savor the prime time they get to play.

With the cold snowy winter months looming, it is so great to have an indoor golf place and practices to do. In Defiance I shared KiAi Golf BLISS Fitness and Swing-Patterning KATA exercises that I designed for people to:

a) practice every day, indoors or out, at home or work, with or without a driving range or golf course

b) be empowered to work on their swing and “golf mind” themselves

c) have ways to get into “the zone” and return when they start “losing it” on the golf course.

Daily practice really is the name of the game, regardless of climate, talent, size, age, gender, etc. In the martial arts we call it conscious regular training. There is no perfect in golf, but training surely is the way to feel more natural, confident and capable. They're defying the winter in Defiance, and its possible for people everywhere to do even a little practice every day. Besides, who wouldn’t want to be swinging and improving, all of the time??!?

Michelle Wie – Doing It Right!

2009-11-19T14:13:00.000-08:00

I am happy to say that I couldn’t be happier to see Michelle Wie win her first LPGA tournament this past week. In one year, she’s gone from a painful feel-bad story to a very instructive feel-good story.

I first saw Michelle play when she was just an eighth-grader and made it to the final pairing with Annika Sorenstam and Carrie Webb at the Kraft Nabisco in Palm Springs . It was evident immediately that she has Tiger-like talent, physique, potential and appeal. What wasn’t Tiger-like has been the path she was on, failing to come up through the ranks of junior and amateur golf and then trying to skip over the LPGA straight onto the PGA tour. Where Tiger had excellent parenting and tutelage, it seemed Michelle was being terribly misguided and ultimately fell off course (literally!).

I believe where Michele Wie went very right was in going to Qualifying School last December. Having exhausted sponsor exemptions and missed every PGA cut (with scores into the 80s), she did what everyone has to do, regardless of their talent or celebrity: she raised herself through the ranks.

Michelle played well and succeeded at Q-School - a huge accomplishment that both prepares and warrants a player getting out on tour. Then she earned her way onto the Solheim Cup team, and was a shining undefeated star. It really warmed my heart not only to see her play so well, but to finally be a girl among the girls, making friends and socializing and enjoying herself as a young woman amongst her peers. Great talent, low scores and lots of money are all wonderful, but there’s no substitute or skipping over camaraderie, acceptance and earning one’s own way in life.

Michelle Wie’s win in Mexico , and the outpouring of love and support coming her way, is to me a story not just of fine golf but of things still being right in the world. Just 1-2 years ago people were shaking their heads in dismay and even disgust as they watched her flounder. Now, from Q-School to weekly LPGA tour play to the Solheim Cup to winning the much-beloved Lorena Ochoa’s event, Michelle has redeemed herself. In the process she has let us all know that people still prefer to be positive, to forgive, and to love their heroines. Integrity is the big winner here!

NO GOLFER LEFT BEHIND!

2009-11-11T06:03:00.000-08:00

What a great time was had by all this past weekend at our GOLF SCHOOL LIKE NO OTHER, co-taught by British PGA Pro Les Bolland and myself. We had a terrific group of eight women and men, ranging from 30-to-60-something and 12-to-30-something in handicap. Plus one of my wonderful junior players, Josh, joined us for a very special day out at La Costa Country Club.

For three full days we got up to go to golf school instead of to work. It was a “total blast,” as our inner-teenagers all agreed! Not only that – and in large measure because of the great fun and focus everyone shared – no golfer was left behind.

At our closing session, as each group came in from the golf course all excited and aglow, we tried to give out a “Most Improved Player/MIP” award. But it was impossible, because every single person had made such big personal gains, and everyone got nominated by everyone else as well as by themselves for MIP!

Les and I both offer holistic approaches to better golf. In our own ways we blend concepts and practices from eastern disciplines of aikido, yoga, meditation, shiatsu, macrobiotics and energy work into our golf instruction.

Through his Swingolf, Les encourages people to open up, let go, let it flow, relax, swing, be happy, be confident, play the game.

Through my KiAi Golf teachings, I create an entire context for the golf swing and game built around form and flow, centering and balance, fitness and focus, connection and consistency, “mechanics and magic.”

It was truly amazing and very fun to watch each person developing the mind-body skills for greater self-mastery, opening up and taking themselves into the unified “zone” and discovering new harmonious capability literally waiting right there!

I wish I could bottle all the smiles and happy energy from this golf school. As Annika Sorenstam once said, “We are not golfers who happen to be people, but people who happen to play golf. We can all get better at whatever level we choose.”

So have no doubt: it’s the whole to the hole!

Golf is not “just a mental game,” or about mechanics or fitness or equipment alone. All of the above are essential – in a simply integrated joyful way. Everybody already has it and can do it. No golfer need ever be left behind!!

A GOLF SCHOOL LIKE NO OTHER!

2009-11-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Wow so many moons and golf shots and life experiences have happened since my first few KiAi Golf blogs months ago.

I got so involved living it all that I just didn’t take the time out to write about it all (am sure you can relate!!)

So here we go, it’s time to swing the pen again …

Today begins A GOLF SCHOOL LIKE NO OTHER! Three days of engaging golf in a total east-west/mind-body/thought-full yet thinking-less immersion into playing better golf.

The Golf Sensei (yours truly) is teaming up with the creator of Swingolf, British PGA Pro Les Bolland, and we’ve got a great group of golfers together for a lot of fun and learning in San Diego. Wish you were here – and promise to keep you posted!

As this “way-cool golf-school” begins I’m reminded of walking Rich Harvest Farms at the LPGA Solheim Cup in August. That golf course is truly a masterpiece. Every single hole is a work of art, from the velvet fairways to rough rough, to constant cavernous bunkers and breaking greens to marshy creeks and reeds keeping manicured magnificence feeling rural and natural, to people and wildlife co-habitating and risk-reward beckoning every decision and shot.

Rich Harvest never lets up, and it never lets down. Never a trace of boredom or disappointment. Perpetual extreme challenge amidst graceful gorgeous balance and delight. A perfection that’s easy and natural, very demanding yet without stress, filling all the air and stretching out in every direction.

So imagine yourself now on a golf course where every hole is a masterpiece. See all your swings feeling "just-right" (what I call "KiAi", all in harmony). And imagine all the moments of your life, without exception or fail and beginning with this one – each and every day, all day long, in every word you say and thought you think and move you make – all becoming masterpieces!

Centered Golf Central

2009-07-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

With blogging and social media all the rage in today’s hot techno-age, its nice to remember that their appeal really comes from a very basic timeless need we all have: just to be in touch!

I’m very fortunate that my days are filled with all kinds of great people, ideas, insights, experiences, events … so it’s great to have a blog to share them with you.

During July-August I’ll be traveling all over Israel, then back to the U.S. East Coast and Midwest. Teaching, competing, giving talks and clinics, also working with our Middle East Aikido Project and PeaceCamp Initiative. My students and friends all say they want to jump into my suitcase, and I'd love to take everyone along.

So please check here for reports from the road, and juicy KiAi Golf tips for you to be in top form this summer. This is Centered Golfing Central, wherever I or you may be. Here’s to a great summer full of great adventures, great golfing and literally all kinds of fun and success!

The 10-Second Rule

2009-06-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

My good friend Dana Bates, of Big Break Hawaii and now Futures Tour fame, once shared “The 10-Second Rule” with a group of LPGA teaching pros. It’s so good that I want to share it with the world – so listen up and promise to practice it!

Here goes: After every golf shot you have 10 seconds to have any emotional reaction you want. Then LET IT GO and MOVE ON!

Whether your shot made you glad, sad or mad, feel it for a maximum of 10 seconds. Moan and groan, throw up your hands, jump for joy, shout and sing … then clear your mind and emotions and turn all your attention to the next shot.

Always remember: The most important shot in golf is … this one!

You can’t do anything about any shot that you’ve already hit. You can only be as clear and prepared as possible to play your current shot. Ten seconds and let it go, that's the rule, so that you’re always playing in the present, this shot. Chances are you’ll start being a lot happier come the 19th hole!

P.S. Dana and I were just winners together! She won our LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals Western Sectional Championship, and I took the senior title. Jamie Leno Zimron, 'The Golf Sensei' wins Senior Division Title.

Jack & Tiger on “The Mental Game”

2009-06-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, the world’s all-time greatest golfers, are known for their exceptional mental power and control. Mastery is not of the game but of the self. Here are two thoughts from these two legendary masters that are so choice that I think everyone should memorize them. They speak for themselves:

Jack: “I’m not good enough to get mad.”

Tiger: “I developed my mental game early. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of you developing yours now.”

Whoa! That ought to stop of us all in our tracks. The mental game is a matter of self-mastery, of your thoughts and your feelings, all along the way. Be determined, like Jack and Tiger, to gain more and more mastery of your mental game. Find out how to stop your mind and emotions from ambushing your golf (or life!). No one can do it for you but you – and you’ve got the power!

Centered Contact...

2009-06-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

Centered Contact is the bottom-line crux of a good golf shot. To reach your desired distance and direction, you’ve got to get the “sweet spot,” or vibrational center, of the club face striking the golf ball. For most golfers, centered contact is only a random occurrence. They sometimes hit fine sweet shots, then are shocked by nasty shots, inconsistency and blow-up holes.

Its really not so bewildering. Think about it: If you get centered at address, develop a swing that is properly sequenced and centered, and maintain centered balance from address to follow-through … your chances for Centered Contact go way up! That means your percentage of conscious, consistent, quality shots goes way up – and your scores go down.

Just as one plus one equals two, Centered + Centered = Centered Shots. Being and staying centered is probably the single most powerful thing you can do to improve your swing and scores. Make it your mantra and see what happens - on and off the golf course.

Better Golf: You Are The Answer!

2009-06-05T11:46:00.001-07:00

OK. You’re here. Congratulations! That means you’re already on your way to “waking up” from the insanities and morasses most golfers seem to flounder around in. Don’t you want to be different? Try some new things that actually make good common sense and work?!?

It’s only fair to let you know who you’re listening to here. I’m a Class A LPGA Pro known as “The Golf Sensei.” (www.kiaigolf.com) “Sensei (“sen-say”) is the Japanese word used in martial arts for “Teacher with a capital T” or a “master instructor.” I’m a 5th Degree Aikido Black Belt, plus a sports psychologist, plus a bodyworker-healer and mind-body fitness trainer.

Combining all that with golf (I started playing at age 7 and was a state and national junior golf champ) allows me to bring all of you some pretty cool ways to actually get better at this way-cool game!

The billion dollar question everyone wants to know is: "How can I play and score better?" The Golf Sensei is here to tell you that you are the answer, and everything you need is already inside of you!

YOU are the real key to improving your golf.

Sounds simple and obvious and in a way it is. But if you’re like most people, you’d sooner try out the next tip or buy a new club or eat some new magic bar than spend more time mastering your own body and mind.

Here’s the facts folks:
We all need to raise our physical fitness: strength, flexibility, coordination, technique.
And our mental fitness: focus, calm, clarity, positivity, knowledge.

This is the missing, guaranteed link to better golfing, that will definitely lead to lower their scores and becoming a consistently better player.

A little better physical and mental fitness goes a long way when it comes to genuinely swinging, putting and scoring better. Trust today’s top tour players. Trust me, The Golf Sensei. Get yourself even a taste of what Tiger’s got. If you’re nodding your head as you’re reading this, you are already well on your way to truly better golf.

Hello Golfers of The World!

2009-06-05T11:41:00.001-07:00

My name is Jamie Leno Zimron. I'm a class A LPGA Teaching Pro and 5th Degree Aikido Black Belt based in southern California. Welcome to what I intend to be the most interesting and helpful golf blog you'll find out here in the cyberlinks.

Why? Because face it, for all the fantastic advances in technology, 24-7 golf on TV, endless tips, every imaginable golf gizmo and gadget under the sunshine ... even USGA stats show golf handicaps going down by only a fraction at best. Most golfers just are not getting better at any greater rate, or feeling any less frustrated, than they ever have before. And despite the golf industry’s well-placed focus on “Growing The Game,” the entry-attrition rate of people playing golf has basically stayed the same through the years and even fallen with the economic recession.

My point is this: THERE IS A MISSING LINK IN OUR APPROACH TO IMPROVEMENT ON THE LINKS. Sorry to mix metaphors, but we’re somehow missing the boat! It shouldn’t be news to anyone that we need to come at golf from fresh perspectives.

Here’s where this blog comes in: to honestly bring you practical new ways to see and enjoy the game and actually play better golf. It’s what my “r-evolutionary” east-west approach to instruction, is all about. I call it KiAi Golf, or Centered Golfing. (www.kiaigolf.com)

You are guaranteed to find insights and information to make immediate positive differences in your swing, game and scores. This isn’t marketing hype. It’s “the real things” you need that have been missing, culled from the best of martial arts, psychology, fitness, and peak performance training. KiAi Golf is integrated and holistic, based on time-tested wisdom and the latest leading-edge research and knowledge.

So welcome and stay tuned.
You’ve got nothing to lose but strokes!!