The Skill Behind the Skill

I’ve always been drawn to the inner world of a human being. How we think, how we feel, how we experience reality. I find it facinating! Even as a teenager, I explored this through different books and movies. I could understand the ideas, but something didn’t fully click.

I had knowledge, but not experience.

That changed years later, when life forced me to slow down. My tendency to overwork led to severe sleep issues and I found myself in a place where I had to look inward. A conversation with a friend opened that door. Who would have guessed that yet again, something so seemingly simple, leads me to something very profound in my life. Soon after, I stepped into a therapy room for the first time, as suggested by my friend. I was extremely scared, but I guess not enough, to keep me from trying to make changes, where I felt I needed to.

That’s where something began to shift. I wasn’t just understanding anymore. I was feeling it, putting it to practice. From there, curiosity became my guide. It’s a word that has taken on a deeper meaning for me. A way of approaching both life and sport. Whenever I face something unknown or uncomfortable, I can return to it: be curious. It doesn't always work right away, depending on the situation, but I´ve found out, the less I judge myself and the more I just notice and make changes when I´m ready, the quicker the awareness and changes happen.

As I´m not focused on perfecting my own skills so much and am eager to share my knowledge it to others, I'm also passionate about connecting these two skills, because nothing is truly separate. Performance on the course is not only physical. It reflects your thoughts, your emotions, your awareness. There is a skill behind the skill: awareness.

The ability to notice:

• your inner dialogue

• your level of presence

• your core beliefs about yourself and life

This is where real consistency is built, but also where true peace and happiness can be found. This understanding is also what I bring into my work. Through clinics and personal trainings, I’ve started introducing simple self-reflection tools, like a Self-Reflection Disc that I put together, inspired by the Wheel of Life. It offers a visual and structured way to explore your game beyond the surface and is ideal starting point to get familiar with self-reflection.

Improvement doesn’t always come from having the right answers, but asking the right questions. Through that you can slowly start to see more clearly, which leads to a different perspective and new way of experiencing certain situations.

• feeling what is actually there

• recognizing what you truly need

• questioning patterns and beliefs
• becoming aware of yourself in the moment

Or you can ask general questions like:

• Where did I feel most confident during my round?
• Where did I hesitate or doubt myself?
• What was I thinking before my throws? Did it affect me?
• How did I feel after mistakes? How did I react?
• Why did I choose that shot?
• Was I committed or just hoping it works?
• What was I feeling in that moment?
• What was I trying to avoid?
• What was I trying to gain?
• What was holding me back?
• What is pushing me forward?
  
  

Sometimes the answers are simple. Sometimes they lead to a belief or understanding that isn’t even directly related to disc golf, yet still affects your game. Don’t overanalyze. The goal is simply to recognize your thought patterns and once you become aware of them, you can choose differently. It’s also important to remember that this is not something you do to judge yourself, but to notice what is there. I’ve also found that vocalizing my thoughts to a person willing to listen can be powerful. What feels complicated in my head often becomes much simpler once I say it out loud.

Self-reflection is not a mental process alone. It’s something you learn through the body and experience - through awareness, through recognizing what is present, how you are feeling. A reminder that has stayed with me comes from The Little Prince: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” To me, the heart represents feeling. When the noise quiets down - expectations, judgments, overthinking - what is essential can finally appear. That’s why it’s invisible. Not because it isn’t there, but because it can only be recognized by you, through your feeling. Noone can tell you what you are feeling, you have to feel it yourself. I believe this is the skill behind the skill and it’s available to all of us.

Lastly, here is a fun bingo chart you can fill out. Enjoy your time on the disc golf course!