| It happens to all of us. We loose our golf swing, | | | | strong, or powerful enough to swing the golf club |
| make some type of unknown modification in how | | | | properly over a period of time. |
| we swing the club, and everything falls apart. | | | | Keep in mind the golf swing requires certain levels |
| What can we do to prevent our golf swing from | | | | of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and |
| leaving us? | | | | power to swing the golf club correctly. If any one |
| Remember this saying as you continue to read | | | | of these facets within your body is not up to par |
| this article; "Proper Preparation Precedes Success | | | | (no pun intended, but it fits real well doesn't it?), |
| and Confidence". Think about this phrase for a | | | | the swing will suffer. |
| moment and then keep reading. | | | | Often times body impairments causing you to |
| I write about this subject because of an e-mail I | | | | "loose" your swing are not as severe as an injury |
| received from a fellow golfer. The e-mail read: | | | | (they will get that way if ignored), but rather they |
| "Sean, while out practicing I appear to have | | | | are a slight discomfort, muscle pull, or fatigue. |
| injured a muscle(s) in my back just below my left | | | | Which cause compensations to occur in your golf |
| shoulder, and also around the outside of my left | | | | swing. |
| side rib cage. I have tried to continue to play golf | | | | Again, we can go back to the phrase "proper |
| through this injury, hoping it would get better but | | | | preparation precedes success and confidence". |
| I had to stop. Hitting down and through the ball | | | | You must properly prepare your body for the |
| proved to very difficult and I seemed to be pulling | | | | golf swing. This is where golf fitness exercises are |
| out of shots early and topping the ball on my iron | | | | beneficial. |
| shots a lot. | | | | Golf fitness exercises develop the levels of |
| Do you have any golf fitness exercises in your | | | | flexibility, balance, endurance, strength, and power |
| book which will heal the injury and prevent a | | | | within the body to swing the golf club properly. |
| re-occurrence?" | | | | Golf fitness exercises prepare the body to swing |
| Absolutely! I do have golf fitness exercises to help | | | | the golf club just as practice ingrains the |
| you with the prevention of such an injury | | | | mechanics of the golf swing. |
| occurring. | | | | We finally come to the third category, the mental |
| But let's get back onto the topic of this article and | | | | aspect of golf and fitness. Mental blocks, certain |
| that is the loss of our golf swing. | | | | thought processes, or a lack of confidence can |
| "Loosing" your golf swing can occur for a number | | | | directly affect your golf swing. |
| of reasons. Typically, they fall into one of 3 | | | | I have found through my work over the years |
| categories: | | | | with professional athletes the development of a |
| 1) Mechanical | | | | sound mental approach to golf begins with the |
| 2) Physical | | | | body and progresses from this point to swing |
| 3) Mental | | | | mechanics. |
| A loss of your golf swing on the mechanical side | | | | If you develop a strong foundation in your body, |
| of the equation is pretty simple to understand. | | | | it provides you confidence that you can perform |
| Essentially, you have made an adjustment in the | | | | the mechanics of the golf swing correctly. |
| mechanics of your golf swing causing | | | | Once the physical foundation is developed, you |
| compensations to occur. These compensations | | | | can create the optimal swing mechanics on top of |
| result in poor shots and possibly a great deal of | | | | this foundation. Once these two "building blocks" |
| frustration, if you do not know what is happening. | | | | are in place. The mental approach towards the |
| Often times the amateur is completely unaware | | | | game is confident, relaxed, and focused. Again, |
| of the changes they have made wreaking havoc | | | | let's go back to the phrase; "proper preparation |
| on their golf swing. | | | | precedes success and confidence." Confidence in |
| How do you go about solving such a situation? | | | | your golf game can only occur if the physical |
| Through proper instruction from a qualified | | | | foundation and fundamentals of the golf swing are |
| teacher is the first part of this equation. A | | | | in place. |
| qualified teaching pro will be able to diagnose the | | | | To summarize, "loosing" your golf swing can be |
| problem and provide you guidance on how to fix | | | | attributable to essentially 3 different categories. |
| it. | | | | These categories are your golf swing mechanics, |
| The ball is then in your court, meaning you must | | | | your body, and your mental approach to the |
| use this information and go practice (remember, | | | | game. To minimize the possibility of "loosing" your |
| proper preparation precedes success or | | | | golf swing, develop a flexible, strong, and powerful |
| confidence). | | | | body to support your golf swing mechanics. On |
| The second reason for the "loss" of your golf | | | | top of this body, develop an efficient golf swing. |
| swing is a publicized matter, and it is your body. | | | | This will allow your mental approach to be |
| Remember it is your body that swings the golf | | | | focused, relaxed, and confident. |
| club. If your body is unable to swing the golf club | | | | If you are confident in your body's' ability to |
| properly, the ability to swing it without | | | | swing the golf club, the mechanics of your swing |
| compensations will occur. | | | | to execute the shot, the ability to mentally focus |
| The e-mail above is an example of such a | | | | will be much easier. This is what separates good |
| problem. The amateur golfer has incurred an | | | | golf shots from bad golf shots on the golf course. |
| injury as a result of the body not being flexible, | | | | |