Updates from June, 2011
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Top Selling Golf Gift!
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Be Relaxed for Golfing Success
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The key to playing a great round of golf is relaxation.
“Wow, I hardly even felt myself swing.” Have you ever thought or said this to yourself? The reason you said it, is because you were relaxed. Your muscles and your entire body are more apt to perform if you remain relaxed. Being tense will only produce poor shots.
Here is an example of how relaxed muscles work:
Think of a boxer in the ring just prior to the bell. He is shaking his arms and dancing with his feet in an effort to be loose. Try flexing your fist to the point where you can feel your forearm and bicep muscle become tight. Now try to throw a punch. It is near impossible. You cannot generate any muscle speed which produces power. It is the same with a track runner approaching the starting blocks. He is shaking his arms and legs to relieve tension so when the gun goes off, he is quick out of the blocks. A baseball pitcher must be relaxed in order to make a successful pitch. His entire body must work together in a smooth fluid motion whether he is throwing a 90 mph fast ball or a slow breaking pitch. Try taking a baseball and squeezing it, holding it tight with your forearm flexed. Now throw it. More than likely, you will throw it right into the ground in front of you. No control and no speed, all because you were tensed up and had tight muscles.Try flexing your fist to the point where you can feel your forearm and bicep muscle become tight. Now try to throw a punch. It is near impossible. You cannot generate any muscle speed which produces power. It is the same with a track runner approaching the starting blocks. He is shaking his arms and legs to relieve tension so when the gun goes off, he is quick out of the blocks. A baseball pitcher must be relaxed in order to make a successful pitch. His entire body must work together in a smooth fluid motion whether he is throwing a 90 mph fast ball or a slow breaking pitch. Try taking a baseball and squeezing it, holding it tight with your forearm flexed. Now throw it. More than likely, you will throw it right into the ground in front of you. No control and no speed, all because you were tensed up and had tight muscles.
Here is another demonstration of how relaxation can produce not only better swings, but also humor:
Bob Toski, the great teacher of many tour players, was a great player in his day even though he was only about 5′ 4″ inches in height and weighted about 125 pounds. Bob’s philosophy of the golf swing was centered on muscle control and muscle relaxation. Bob had many ways to demonstrate his point. One way was to hold his hand out flat with his palm facing up. He would then place a golf tee standing up in his palm. Then he would have his student knock the tee out of his palm using a closed fist. The tee would only travel a few feet. Then he would repeat the exercise only this time he would knock the tee himself, but only using one flick of his finger. The tee would travel thirty feet or so. His point, muscle control and relaxation produced speed and distance, not big strong flexed muscles. Bob also at times would verbally make his point. One story he would tell was about the first time he gave a lesson to a particular gentlemen. This fellow was about 6′ 8″ tall, weight about 265 pounds and was really built well for a man of his size and age of somewhere around forty years old. After loosening up, the gentleman began to hit some balls. It was like body parts flying all over the place as this huge specimen of a man began swinging the club. He was thrashing, taking deep divots that were sometimes traveling farther than the ball. Lots of energy was being expelled from his giant frame. After five or six shots, Bob called him to a halt. Whoa big fellow. You have got this all wrong. You know the club only weighs about thirteen ounces. The ball weighs less than two ounces. Why are you spending so much energy to move such little mass? Think of watching a brain surgeon performing an operation. The surgeon would not grab his scalpel with a tight grip and go at his patient with violent powerful, uncontrolled maneuvers. Of course not. He would very lightly grip his tool of trade and gingerly, delicately go about performing his task. At that time, his student began laughing out loud. Bob then asked if his story was that funny. The student replied, “Well you see Bob, in my real job, I happen to be a surgeon”.