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Friday, April 4, 2008

Muscle Coordination For Good Golf Swings

There are many ways to improving your golf game from going to a golf school, training under a professional instructor, and so on. But in the end true success is only going to come from diligently practicing what you learn. The old saying about practice making for perfection is so true when it comes to golf. Every golfer knows that one of the most frustrating things is for their game to go off. Playing bad golf can be seriously annoying. Even those players that undergo extensive training and years of practice often find themselves wishing that the efforts they have put in had yielded better results. There are very few golfers that are not constantly working with golf swing techniques to find that touch of perfection.

You must always remember that there is a lot more to the game than just golf swing techniques. Your mind set and attitude, especially when you are on the course, will greatly determine the sort of game you play that day. Confidence is a paramount requirement in golf along with clear thinking and the ability to handle pressure. You must be positive in your approach and be sure of yourself that you are going to play a good game because that is what you always do. The most important thing to remember when practicing your golf swing techniques is to visualize where you wish the ball to land.

Once you have hit the ball you have to go into the follow through. You should not think that hitting the ball is the end of the stroke. You must continue curving your body towards the left. The best way to practice golf swing techniques is to pick one particular spot on the course; this could be the fairway or the green, and then practice hitting the ball onto that spot. When you swing for the stroke then make sure to use the muscles in your trunk and legs.

Getting into the habit of using good golf swing techniques is one of the most important things for an amateur or starting golfer. It is only by using the right technique will there be the sort of improvement in the game that is so desirable. This is why every golfer is working so hard on perfecting the golf swing. You must know that there are several muscles in your body that must work in perfect coordination to get the swing just right. Right from the hells up to the shoulder, neck, and head the muscles must move in rhythm throughout the swing if your shot is to go as expected.

Muscle coordination is so important that even if you have the swing technique down pat you will not get the stroke right because your muscles are not working as they should.

Sandra Stammberger owns and operates http://www.golfswingtechniques.com

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Lower Back Injuries in Golf

I always like to say it is much easier to prevent an injury from occurring than rehabilitating from one. The next few articles will discuss common injuries from the golf swing and how a golf fitness program can assist in the prevention of such injuries. Probably one of the most common injuries, and one as amateurs we are well aware of is to the lower back. Research indicates that one out two recreational golfers will incur a lower back injury at some point during their playing career.

Why is the lower back so often injured during the game of golf? Research studies have provided us some keys as to why this is the case. The golf swing is typically broken down into phases (address, backswing, downswing, follow through), and the sum of these phases is the full swing.

Each phase of the swing can be performed either efficiently or inefficiently. A professional is more likely to perform each phase of the golf swing more efficiently than that of the amateur. As a result the professionals swing has more efficient mechanics from start to finish, requiring lesser amounts of activity from the muscles to execute.

An amateur or less skilled golfer is more likely to have less efficient mechanics. To compensate for these improper mechanics the golfer will attempt to generate extra force from specific muscles than the amateur. Causing these muscles to work much harder to execute the golf swing.

Research from Hosea indicated in certain situations amateurs may develop up to 80% more peak torque in their lumbar spine (i.e. lower back) than a professional, muscles required to generate greater amounts of force are at a much higher risk of overuse injury.

Additionally, Hosea found professional golfers generate 34% more clubhead speed than the amateur, yet amateurs were producing spinal forces 50 to 80% higher, and 50% more trunk muscle activity than the professional.

All of this research points to the first reason as to why the lower back is commonly injured in the amateur golfer. Inefficient golf swing mechanics cause the muscles of the lower back to work harder to generate torque in the swing. Over time these muscles will become fatigued from the trauma caused by inefficient mechanics. Increasing dramatically the possibility of an overuse injury to the lower back.

How can the amateur take the first step in the prevention of a lower back injury? First and foremost is the development of more efficient swing mechanics. This can only be done through proper instruction and practice. If you are finding yourself in the category of a candidate for a lower back injury, my first suggestions is begin developing a more efficient golf swing.

Sean Cochran

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly working with professional golfers, most notable PGA and Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean Cochran and his golf fitness exercises and training programs go to http://www.seancochran.com

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