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Yoga for Golfers June 2006 What can practicing yoga do for you? It can give you peak performance on the range. As well as any other sports you practice, and not to mention peak performance on the job, in your relationships and every other aspect of your life. From athletes to musicians to movie starts to corporate execs, these days everyone is doing YOGA. Just a few famous athletes who have used yoga to improve their game: Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, Lakers basketball star, practiced yoga throughout his career. As a matter of fact, the entire Lakers team practices yoga together regularly as part of their training regime. Tennis pro John Mac Enroe used yoga near the end of his career to help him squeeze a few more years out of his competitive game. Hundreds of Olympic athletes use yoga as a part of their conditioning. Football players, baseball players, wind surfers, golfers, all types of athletes are using yoga to enhance their sports abilities. Yoga is a powerful activity that has become popular with men for its ability to help deepen concentration, increase strength, stamina, flexibility and develop better physical fitness. Not to mention its effects on the nervous system and its ability to decrease stress and back pain. A relaxed mind and body equates to a relaxed game. Athletes may differ in many ways, but one thing links all who play - everyone wants to improve their game. As a golfer, perhaps you buy better clubs, you practice more, you invest in lessons and yet still, your handicap remains exactly that: a handicap. You are fatigued at the end of the round and angered by bunkered shots, nervous at crucial putts and cursing the fairway for being unfair! How come your game is only moderately better after all these years? How do the pros keep their cool? One of the great misconceptions about the game of golf is that it is not an athleticevent. Let's set the record straight, golf is an athletic sport and can be extremely physically demanding and can lead to injury. Therefore, in order to improve your game you must also improve your physical condition. Expensive clubs and practice is simply not enough. Just think about your average round. You will walk about 4 to 5 miles, take over 100 practice and actual swings, lean over 40 to 50 putts and bend down 40 to 50 times. The other consideration is focus. There is always a degree of mental discipline needed for success in sport. Those at the top of any profession share the ability to concentrate and remain calm under pressure. Tiger Woods is said to visualise every shot before stepping up to the ball. So, here's the news: yoga can benefit your golf game. Not only can yoga work the areas of your body most impacted by golf, it enables you to be fully present, focused and consciously aware. It may also help you to let go of outcomes and find a new level of enjoyment in your game (just take a look around you next time your at the clubhouse and how many people are complaining and berating themselves for a "terrible round".) So what are some of the physical and mental abilities that yoga can help you achieve? * Flexibility. Yoga works on increasing flexibility of muscles. This will increase your range of motion in the golf swing and can reduce swing faults caused by short, tight muscles, producing more club head speed. * Strength. By engaging the muscles and using the force of gravity and ones' own body weight to build strength, Yoga increases endurance and develops long, lean muscles. Strength is increased without inhibiting the swing with bulky muscles. * Balance. Fundamental to the practice of yoga is balancing postures. As the body ages the nerve endings in the spine deteriorate and this affects our balance and ability to comprehend the body's position in space (known as proprioception.) To maintain a reliable golf swing your must have balance in your stance and throughout the entire swing. * Core Strength. For longevity in the sport it is vital to strengthen your core, that is, the abdominal and back muscles. These muscles help you stay balanced, to hit the ball longer and with less fatigue. Doing yoga also has the added benefit of reducing weight around the mid section. * Breath Awareness. This one is extremely important. How do you breathe when you take your swing? Attention to the breath is what makes yoga yoga and not just stretching. The quality of your breath relates directly to the quality of the posture and the quietness of the mind. By practicing long, slow, deep breaths during yoga you can also bring that tool to your golf game to aid in the competitive stress and nerves and to enhance the tempo and fluidity of your swing. Quick Tip: don't hold your breath when taking a swing! Blood leaves the brain and hands when you hold your breath! * Injury reduction. Practicing yoga keeps the muscles pliant (especially in the neck and shoulders) and the bones and joints lubricated. * Comfort. Yoga makes you feel more comfortable in your body. It relieves back pain and muscle spasms and makes you feel light. * Focus. Awareness is fostered during yoga and meditation is a key component of the practice. The harnessing of the mind into one-pointed focus is what separates the best from the rest. If you are looking to lower your handicap and are serious about improving your game, incorporate some yoga into your life. Your game will never be the same. For an in-depth look at men and yoga, check out this interesting read: Real Men Do Yoga- 21 star athletes reveal their secrets for strength, flexibility and peak performance by john Capouya |
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