Get Some Balance In Your Life

I have just come back from a round of golf with one of my clients on what was a beautiful autumn morning. (Yes it’s a tough way to run ones life) I was quietly enjoying a cuppa, thinking about a discussion we had on the 6th hole regarding his balance, and it occurred to me that many people discount the importance of balance. It may not be so much discounted as “not thought about” so I “thought” that I would write a few lines in order to convey the benefits of being “in balance”.

Did you know that when you make a swing in an attempt to send a golf ball to a target or in some people’s cases, just try and hit it, there are well over 100 muscles at work?  If all of these muscles are to do what you are asking of them, namely send a beautiful shot to a target, they have to work in harmony with each other so the swing can be executed smoothly. The bio-mechanics of this are truly amazing in their complexity and yet your unconscious can do it effortlessly, if it’s allowed to.

 If you want your Golfing Bio-Machine to run smoothly then the one imperative is perfect balance.  Even small imbalances mean that your muscles have to deal with the imbalance rather than working with each other to produce a smooth and powerful swing.

Remember that as your brain is constantly working to keep you in balance, it puts a high priority on stopping you from falling over and anytime it is doing that you can know that a big part of its focus is taken away from the job of swinging freely and sending ball to your chosen destination.

Well balanced golfers move smoothly and with seeming ease. Ernie Els and Fred Couples are wonderful examples of this.  Golf swings which are unencumbered by compensations for loss of balance create great rhythm, timing and club head speed.  Have you ever wondered how some golfers manage to hit the ball a mile with no apparent effort?

Your balance can be an illusive little creature, coming and going from day to day and even during the course of a round. In fact you can even be perfectly balanced on one swing and wobbling around like a drunken sailor the next so it helps to be aware of drills to keep your balance in check.

There are two types of balance to be aware of; Static and dynamic. Static balance would be in the setup position, ready to swing away. Dynamic balance being whilst you are moving, like when you are walking, you are in dynamic balance, I would hope. Watch a hopelessly drunk fellow dynamically moving down the street in what he thinks is walking and you have a good example of a dynamically unbalanced movement and an unconscious mind desperately trying to remain upright, against all the odds.

Remember that you can be statically well balanced but with no chance of being dynamically balanced if you move. For example stand on one leg and get yourself in perfect static balance, then suddenly have a nice powerful swing at your ball. Whoops, dynamic balance not so good.

 

The golf swing starts from a relatively static state and it is important to feel not only well balanced in that position but also athletically well balanced to make the big dynamic, athletic move which is the golf swing.

The golf swing, once underway, happens very quickly which means that you have no conscious hope what-so-ever of controlling all those muscles to make a good swing, let alone correct any imbalances. If you lose balance during the second or two that it takes to make the full swing, your reflexes (instincts) will take over and the whole mission of your mind becomes primarily one of maintaining balance with a secondary consideration to actually hitting the golf ball.

Any Bio-mechanical function that is away from natural will mean a need to make compensations, so setup the body in a poor posture and the body doesn't work right and it has to make lots of compensations with strains and tension in all the wrong places at all the wrong times.

We can all understand this but what many people are failing to realise is that imbalance during your golf swing is going to require your mind to make the very compensations you are trying to avoid.

So where do you start?

Good posture and setup is vital and your centre of gravity will be set properly with good posture and balance so take some time to get this right, you must have a good foundation. Get some photo’s of professionals and start copying them, using a mirror works really well or ask a professional to work with you on posture, setup and balance.  

Make sure you have a feeling of great balance in the setup position and knowing (feeling) that you are able to make a well balanced dynamic move when you swing. Weight distribution on your feet is very important and I personally recommend a 50/50 distribution between the heels and balls of the feet.

Feedback your feelings of balance from your swing. Become aware of balance, awareness is the first stage of learning.

Hold your finish position for at least 3 seconds or you can hold your finish until the ball lands and notice where your balance is (or isn't) and what compensations you are making in order to try and “Hold” the finish without falling over.

What positions are your feet in when you are in the finish position? Has the target foot moved out of it’s setup position? Are you balanced on the toes of your non-target foot? Continue to give yourself feedback until you feel in control throughout the swing and can hold a full balanced finish position with no need to make compensations. Again, you can copy a professional finish position but try to choose a golfer who matches up with you as much as possible in build and age. I don’t recommend my senior golfers emulate Tiger Woods.

Do you want your un-conscious mind to be fully focused on sending the ball to your target? Do you want it to be able to co-ordinate your entire body in a smooth flowing move that feels effortless and yet powerful? Do you want to hit the ball straighter and further with less effort?

Get some balance and rhythm in your golf and help your mind to focus on sending the ball to your target because good golf is a balance between techniques and using your mind properly to achieve more than you may believe.

Warm Regards,

Mark Wright

Golf Coach and Psychologist

ALSSportsGOLF

Author Mark Wright - www.golfmindshop.com

 

Copyright Mark Wright 2009

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