The Birth of a Tiger

If you’ve followed my blogs over the last couple of months you know that the theme is getting rid of acute episodes of stress through simple, yet extremely powerful tools, including The Attitude Adjustment Routine, the Breath of Life, and exercise. However, The Peak is more than just surviving stress. It’s about flourishing regardless of the situation so that you can experience the fullness and bounty of Life.

When I was a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the Sport Psychology department I was presented with what I was told Sport Scientists considered the most powerful tool available to athletes. Sometime later I realized that this tool not only served athletes, it served anyone who chose to use it. However I didn’t understand the impact that this simple tool could have until a metaphysical experience during a round of golf in Myrtle Beach a short time after my graduation in 1993. As an introduction to this amazing gift available to us all I would like to share that experience with you here. It’s also from the prologue of my book, Kingdom of the Tiger: A Golfer’s Guide to Playing in The Zone. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I did.

Myrtle Beach was unusually warm that December morning. I woke with great anticipation, eagerly waiting to play golf. Besides the pleasant weather, I had played exceptionally well the day before and so was looking forward to playing Tiger’s Eye for the first time. I practiced at the range and putting green before proceeding to the first tee about five minutes before my tee time – where I found four groups waiting to tee off.

My heart sank! It was going to be a l-o-n-g, s-l-o-w day. I hate slow play! I never play well when I have to wait between shots. My tempo, rhythm, and concentration are severely affected. As I waited, I heard the groups ahead also grumble about the delay. Their grumbling grew to a fevered pitch as each golfer hit poor tee shots to start their rounds. Listening to this, my agitation continued to grow; my body became tense. I expected to play poorly.
Not only was the slow play cause for concern, but the extra time between shots also gave me time to think. I don’t normally play well on unfamiliar courses. I struggle with each hole, indecisive about how to play them which leads to more indecision and poor club selection. This indecision affects my attention. My mind wanders to many things having nothing to do with good play.

All the positive energy I felt earlier vanished, replaced with anger and frustration. My body felt tense and weak. My once positive mood had turned sour. My mind was cluttered with negative and extraneous thoughts. It was going to be a lousy day.

Finally the group directly ahead of us teed off and headed down the fairway. Since I would tee off first, I walked to the tee box and teed my ball. I then began pacing back and forth across the tee box. With each pass my eyes glared at the ball and then darted to the golfers in the fairway. Without realizing it I picked out a target in the middle of the fairway where I wanted my ball to land. As I continued pacing, the image of a big cat stalking its prey entered my consciousness. The scene became more vivid. I saw a tiger stalking its prey. After all, this was Tiger’s Eye. I was also born in the Year of the Tiger as per Chinese Astrology and my family and friends referred to me as “Tony the Tiger” growing up because I liked eating Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes so much.

The tiger in my mind was deaf and blind to everything but the animal it hunted. Its eyes never left its prey even though chaos and confusion abounded as a stampeding heard of animals tried to elude what would come next. Instinctively the tiger knew that if it did not maintain visual contact with its prey the hunt would be lost. The tiger was also oblivious to the threat and fear that surround any dangerous activity. You see, hunting can be dangerous, even for the hunter.

My “mental movie” of a hunting tiger continued. As it prepared to strike I could see the tiger’s strong supple body move gracefully, its movements powerful and quick, yet somehow controlled. The time was right. The tiger sprang into action, instinctively responding to every move of the animal it hunted – darting left, right, stopping, starting. No matter what the animal did the tiger moved in unison. It was more like a dance of the wild.

It was my turn to tee off. My predator instincts took over. I now saw myself as that tiger. I stood behind the ball, my eyes glued to my distant target – my prey. The rest of the golf course with its many hazards disappeared. As I moved into address, my body felt strong and agile, yet somehow relaxed. My mind’s eye was focused on the distant target even though my eyes remain fixed on the ball. My swing was powerful, swift not hard, controlled yet effortless. My actions were instinctive. An unconscious force guided the club through the ball, launching it toward my target.

Success!!! The ball flew straight and long, landing in the middle of the fairway right where I intended. Exhilarated, I forgot about the anger of having to wait, the frustration of slow play, the indecision created by playing a new course for the first time. I now had a goal, a single-mindedness to attack the golf course using the same predator-like ritual on each and every shot. While I desperately wanted to play well, score became unimportant. I was not threatened by poor play or distracted by things that normally challenge my performance. I wanted to see what would happen if I were to play golf the way a tiger hunts. My confidence soared as each shot found its target, making it easier and easier to sink deep into the role of the tiger. I was the tiger! It turned out to be one of the best rounds in my life.

That day “The Power of the Tiger” was born in me. Finally I learned what it was like to play in The Zone. The Zone is just a term used for being in the moment and focused on the task at hand so that there is nothing else but now. The account you just read was real: it was a life-transforming event. Even though I had been trained in visualization/imagery techniques and had used them extensively in my work, that experience helped me fully understand the incredible power of these simple natural techniques. I literally saw, heard, felt, smelled, and tasted the experience.

Could you taste the salty Myrtle Beach air and feel its warmth? Could you hear the golfers grumble ahead of me about the unexpected delay and their poor tee shots? Could you feel my frustration, disappointment, confusion, and anger as I suddenly came upon four groups of golfers still waiting to tee off? Could you sense how I took on the focus of a tiger just before it sprang into action? Could you feel my exhilaration when I successfully hit my tee shot down the middle of the fairway? Could you smell the prey as the tiger closed in for the attack? If so, you are well on your way to harnessing what many would consider the most powerful psychological tool available to humankind.

You can use your imagination to get out of stress. You can use it to realize all of your goals and dreams. You can use it to put you in touch with a world unseen by our physical eyes and connect you with the source of all that is. You can use it for anything you want.