So what about this “Matrix” I mentioned in my last blog post?  It started with four spreadsheets that listed every single major fault in the golf swing by segment.  Actually it was eight spreadsheets – there was a list of faults for One Plane and a list of faults for Two Plane.  Seemed simple enough.  But that was just the start.  There were two more spreadsheets listing all of the drills to fix each fault.  Then there were two more spreadsheets detailing all of the ball flight misses for each fault.  And finally, there were two more spreadsheets with all of the contributing faults for each fault.  Sound confusing?  Yep, I thought so too.  Did I mention that there was a video for each fault and each drill?  So if you’re keeping track, at this point I have fourteen giant spreadsheets, a ton of information, and several hundred videos. 

Why would we do all this?

Oh, I forgot to mention the purpose behind all of this.  Several years ago when we sat down and discussed where to go with the Plane Truth, we talked about a lot of potential avenues.  We realized that while there was a tremendous opportunity to help the student player, there was an even more powerful opportunity to help the instructor.  If we could somehow craft a program to help make the instructor or coach a better teacher, we could indirectly help all of that instructor’s students. 

We began developing the concept of the Instructor Certification program.   At that point, we talked about the very successful teaching seminars that Jim had been conducting.   Could these become the foundation for the Certification process?  The answer was no.  Jim’s concern was that many of the attendees at his current seminars were even more confused after the two days than when they started.  It was seemingly too much information to digest.  He simply didn’t want to create a program with the Plane Truth brand behind it if we couldn’t find a way to educate the instructor efficiently and effectively.  The question was simple.  How do you get the instructor to assimilate such a massive amount of information in such a short period of time?

The Information Matrix became the cornerstone of our solution.  After developing a quick prototype from the spreadsheets, we constructed the first version of it for our very first Instructor Certification seminar in Scottsdale in early 2009.  The results were astounding.  After just the first day, we were amazed at how much people understood the information now.  After the second day, almost every instructor passed the 120 question exam on the first try.  Jim’s remark to us at the end of the seminar was telling…it was the first time he felt that the people who were listening to him were actually grasping the concepts.  What was even better was that we had created an online resource that the Certified Instructor could use 24/7 – basically anywhere there is a computer and an internet connection.

So what does it look like?

The easiest way to describe it is to just give you a quick guided tour of some of its features.  So just click on the video player below and have a look…

 

So there you have it.  The version you just saw is officially version 2.0.  We’re already working on enhancements to continue to make it even better and create an even more powerful tool for our instructors.

Is this only for Instructors?

The short answer is yes.  The Plane Truth Information Matrix is only for our Certified Instructors.  Why?  Well, there are a lot of reasons but it boils down to two things.  First, we believe the tool provides them a competitive advantage.  Access to this information makes them better as an instructor.  In turn, it helps them grow their business.  Pretty simple.

The second (and equally important) reason is because in the hands of the student, it could be too much information.  Also, it is difficult for the student to understand the right time to apply the right information.  Remember in the previous blog post where I talked about taking medicine prescribed for someone else?  Well, you can consider the Information Matrix to be the entire pharmacy.  In the hands of a trained instructor, it can be extremely powerful.  If applied incorrectly, however…I think you know how that story ends.  The risk of someone trying to go through every single fault, try every drill, and attempt to incorporate every element of a One Plane or Two Plane swing is frightening.  It would miss the entire point of why we created the Information Matrix in the first place.

So what about the student?

You didn’t think we would leave the student hanging, did you?  To say the student won’t have access isn’t entirely true.  The good news to all of this is that we have created a fantastic new online resource called the Plane Truth Player Profile.  It is based on the Information Matrix and enables the instructor to “prescribe”, if you will, the proper information from the “pharmacy”.  Additionally, there are a bunch of other tools in there to help the student manage his or her progress.  The bad news?  You have to wait until the next blog post to see it….

In my next post, I’ll give you a look at the Plane Truth Player Profile….