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How To Get Rid Of Tension In Your Golf Swing
Sean Cochran
I think we have all been there. You are staring down a long
par 4 from the tee box. The fairway is lined with trees on
both sides. The landing area is "tight" and hitting 3 wood
or iron is not an option, the hole is too long.
You pull out driver and tee up the ball, knowing to win the
skin with your buddy you have to land this tee shot in the
fairway. You take a few practice swings, address the ball,
look down the fairway (it looks a little tighter than before),
begin your backswing, and bang!
Your body tightens up. You hold onto the club and hook it
into the tress. You think to yourself that bogey will now
be a good score. You are upset at yourself and watch as your
playing partner swings a smooth driver that lands the ball
on the left side of the fairway.
You begin to grudgingly walk towards your ball, hoping you
will find it, saying a few things under your breath, and questioning
your swing mechanics.
What just happened? A situation that most of us have encountered
at some time in our golfing career. We take some smooth practice
swings, but when the ball is before us and we have to execute
the shot we "tighten up" and hit a chunky, thin, or fat shot.
We have allowed tension to seep into our golf swing. We all
know that the swing is a free-flowing movement that requires
your body to be loose.
Dean Reinmuth, one of Golf Digest's top instructors, speaks
extensively about this term in his book. He discusses how
a swing needs to be free and flowing. This allows for the
club to travel on the correct swing path and develop club
head speed. Muscle tension will impede and ruin your swing.
If your muscles are tight, how will you be able to swing a
club in a free-flowing manner? You will not be able to do
so. If you are gripping the club with a Hulk Hogan "sleeper
hold," how are you going to swing the club freely? You can't.
If you are unable to "feel" the club head, how are you going
to swing the club freely? Again, the answer is you will be
unable to do so.
If you have your doubts, give it a try. Head out to the range,
purchase a bucket of balls and go at it! Warm up with a few
wedges and then grab your 7-iron. Hit a few half shots and
let's begin the experiment. First off, take the club and grip
it as hard as you can. Now, attempt to hit the ball. What
happened? I am guessing not a good outcome. One more time
with our experiment, grab the 7-iron and address the ball.
Now, when hitting the ball your thought should be: "I am going
to hit this ball as hard as I possibly can." Go ahead, try
to hit the ball. What happened? Again, I am guessing the outcome
was not good. What happened in both of these situations? You
developed "tension" in your swing, and it impeded your hitting
the ball solidly.
Next question: how do you develop a smooth, free-flowing swing
that is tension-free? Quite a few aspects are part of this
equation. Developing proper swing mechanics is part of the
answer. The swing is an intricate movement that is the "blending"
of a series of movements into one free-flowing movement. In
order to develop a "tension-free swing" you must develop your
swing. This is a process that takes time, proper instruction,
and practice.
Additionally, you must develop the proper mental confidence
in your game. The example in the beginning of this article
is a prime example. If you are not mentally confident in your
swing, what do you think is going to happen on the tee box?
Your body reacts to your mind and "tightens up," resulting
in a poor swing.
How do you develop the mental side of the game? This is again
done through the development of your swing, practice, and
playing. As your game develops, confidence in your swing will
develop. It is a give and take, so to speak. As your golf
swing improves, so will the mental aspect of your game.
Finally, we must discuss the body. Yes, the body has an effect
on a "tension-free" swing as well. Follow the logic, for muscles
to be loose and free-flowing, they must be flexible. Being
"tight" and not flexible puts you in a state of tension even
before you get to the first tee! If you do not believe me,
go to the gym and do 10 sets of heavy bench presses and then
go to the range. See how well or poorly you hit that bucket
of balls!
If your body is not flexible, you will not be able to perform
the free-flowing movements of the swing. The body needs to
be flexible for a tension-free swing. If you are inflexible,
the ability to even develop your swing mechanics to a point
where they are free-flowing will be impossible.
Bottom line is you need to develop your flexibility around
your swing.
How do you go about doing this? The implementation of golf-specific
flexibility exercises into a training program will do the
trick.
The swing and the mind work together to develop a tension-free
swing. You cannot develop one without the other. A comprehensive
approach is required when developing a tension-free swing.
Working only on your swing mechanics will not work if your
body is inflexible. Doing only flexibility exercises will
not do the trick if your swing mechanics are incorrect. And
focusing only on the mental side of the game will not work
if your swing is a mess, and your body is as well.
A tension-free swing allows for great shots from all over
the course. Developing this type of swing takes time and effort.
You must train the body, the swing, and the mind. This is
the ticket to your "tension-free swing".
Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness
instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly
with 2005 PGA & 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. He has
made many of his golf tips, golf instruction and golf swing
improvement techniques available to amateur golfers on the
website www.bioforcegolf.com.
To contact Sean, you can email him at support@bioforcegolf.com.
Article Source:
http://www.articledashboard.com
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