Balance Your Checkbook and Golf Swing

Written by Sean Cochran


We all search for it. Balance in our daily lives. Balance while riding a bike. Politicians are always debating a balanced budget in Washington, and most of us could use a little balance in our checkbooks. Balance is a term used in golf quite often as well. It’s a “buzzword” and almost a cliché when it comes torepparttar golf swing. I am sure you have heard numerous times from swing coaches that “you have to stay balanced when swinging your club.” Others phrases that I hear when we talk about golf and balance arerepparttar 149593 following: “When it comes to a sand shot, dig your feet intorepparttar 149594 stand so you can stay balanced,” “Ifrepparttar 149595 ball is on an uphill lie and above your feet, make sure you swing throughrepparttar 149596 ball, and stayed balanced,” and “Stay balanced when hittingrepparttar 149597 driver and get torepparttar 149598 finish position in perfect balance.” The list could go on and on, and I am sure all of you could probably add torepparttar 149599 short list above.

Two questions always arise in my mind when I hearrepparttar 149600 word balance in association with golf: 1) what does balance exactly mean, and 2) how do I create balance in my golf swing? I am guessing quite a few of you have these same questions, or similar ones, when you talk aboutrepparttar 149601 subject of balance in relation torepparttar 149602 golf swing.

I am going to answer both of these questions. We will first define balance and its relation torepparttar 149603 golf swing. Secondly, we will discuss how you developrepparttar 149604 balance capacities of your body in relation torepparttar 149605 golf swing. So without further ado let’s get started.

What is Balance?

This is a really great question andrepparttar 149606 perfect way to begin. So let’s hear it! What isrepparttar 149607 definition of balance? Think about it for a minute and then write down a couple of your answers. I understand that this is notrepparttar 149608 easiest question to answer (trust me, I have asked it plenty of times), and it is okay if you are not able to create a good working definition of balance (that’s part of what we are going to do with this article). Okay, time is up, what did you write down?

Well, let me tell you some ofrepparttar 149609 replies I have received for this question and we will take if from there. Here are just a few that I hear: “head over your belly button between your feet,” “swinging a club onrepparttar 149610 correct path,” “knowing where your body is in space,” and “kinesthetic awareness.” All of these answers are somewhat correct, but none of them gives us a good sound understanding of what balance really means.

The definition of balance is simplyrepparttar 149611 ability to control your body during movement. Sounds pretty simple, does it not? It really is when you think about it, but let’s break this definition down so we understand it completely. Starting withrepparttar 149612 first portion ofrepparttar 149613 definition: “the ability to control” means what? Well, it is probably easiest to imagine what “out of control” looks like. Takerepparttar 149614 mental image of a racecar crashing intorepparttar 149615 wall. We could describerepparttar 149616 car as out of control. Now takerepparttar 149617 flip side of this, and what would this car look like if it were in control? It would probably zoom aroundrepparttar 149618 track without hitting anything. The body isrepparttar 149619 same; if your body is out of control it will, in a sense, crash or fall over. Ifrepparttar 149620 body is in control, then it performs whatever movement you are asking of it without “crashing.” Takerepparttar 149621 example of a toddler running. Sometimes they get going so quickly that they get out of control and fall over. Other times they stay in control and are able to run.

Moving ontorepparttar 149622 second part ofrepparttar 149623 definition: “your body.” Pretty easy concept to understand, don’t you think? Your body includes your torso, head, arms, legs, and anything attached torepparttar 149624 arms or legs, like a golf club. Up to this point we can put togetherrepparttar 149625 first two parts ofrepparttar 149626 definition and summarize it as:repparttar 149627 body (including your arms, legs, torso, head, and golf club) must be under control. Let us addrepparttar 149628 final part ofrepparttar 149629 definition intorepparttar 149630 mix to complete our understanding.

The final piece ofrepparttar 149631 definition is: “during movement.” This simply means anything your body is doing. It can be walking, running, throwing a baseball, or, in our world, swinging a golf club. Swinging a golf club is “our movement” when discussing this definition. We are now atrepparttar 149632 point to putrepparttar 149633 whole definition together. Let us userepparttar 149634 example of a golf swing to createrepparttar 149635 connection we are looking for in terms ofrepparttar 149636 definition.

Becoming an Ageless Golfer

Written by Sean Cochran


It happens to all of us, even though we do not want to admit it. The reality is we all get older. Some of you may already know what I am talking about, and others may have yet to experiencerepparttar phenomenon of aging. Those of you who are reading this article and are no longer “spring chickens” get my drift. Even if you are one ofrepparttar 149592 lucky ones, still young, let me fill you in on what happens asrepparttar 149593 body gets a few miles on it.

Probablyrepparttar 149594 biggest thing that we all dislike when we creep into our thirties and forties isrepparttar 149595 extra poundage (i.e. weight) we tend to put on. (It is also a lot harder to take off when we get older.) Unfortunately, because our metabolism slows down, we are unable to pound down a burger, fries, and a couple of cokes withoutrepparttar 149596 bathroom scale hitting “tilt” a few days later. In my mind, that probably isrepparttar 149597 most difficult adjustment we have to make: an adjustment in our nutrition intake as we age.

The second most noticeable difference as we age, especially forrepparttar 149598 more active individual, is it becomes a little more difficult to get out of bed. The back is a little sore,repparttar 149599 knees are a little creaky, and, if you workout,repparttar 149600 soreness does not go away as quickly. This is a result of a few things that happen to our bodies when we get older. Number one is we lose a percentage of our muscle mass on a yearly basis. Afterrepparttar 149601 age of 25 (don’t quote me onrepparttar 149602 specifics, but I believe) about 1% of your muscle mass is lost per year. Makes sense now why we get a little sorer and getting out of bed is more difficult. We simply do not have as much muscle to dorepparttar 149603 work.

I could go on and on withrepparttar 149604 depressing facts of aging, but let us look at just one more before moving on. As you get older you become less flexible. It takes you a lot longer to “limber up” for any sporting activity: golf, tennis, or a pick up game of basketball. Less flexibility predisposes you to experience more difficulty with certain movements: touching your toes, rotating during a golf swing, or even reaching down to pick something up offrepparttar 149605 ground. Why does this occur? Our bodies, as a result of wear and tear, become more “tight” and “wound up” as we get older.

So there you have it! Some ofrepparttar 149606 great things to look forward to as you get older (kidding of course). So if you’re in your twenties and you’re reading this article, “enjoy it while it lasts,” becauserepparttar 149607 road gets a little more difficult to travel as you get older. But, if you’re beyond your twenties, I am sure you can relate torepparttar 149608 general results of aging in relation to your golf game. Quite simply, extra pounds decrease your stamina (and may affect your swing plane). Less muscle equals less distance offrepparttar 149609 tee, and decreased flexibility tends to makerepparttar 149610 turn inrepparttar 149611 golf swing much harder to perform. An unfortunate situation, butrepparttar 149612 good news is that we can slow downrepparttar 149613 aging process and limitrepparttar 149614 effects of aging on your golf game.

Slowing Downrepparttar 149615 Aging Process forrepparttar 149616 Golf Swing

I have given you a little “carrot of information” that we can slow downrepparttar 149617 aging process. How do we do it? It is actually quite simple and only requires a little time out of each day (15-20 minutes) and a little discipline. Sounds pretty easy when you think of allrepparttar 149618 benefits you stand to gain. What we are going to do is provide you some answers on how to slow downrepparttar 149619 aging process. Remember we can’t stoprepparttar 149620 aging process, but we can sure slow it down. The benefits of slowing downrepparttar 149621 aging process are evident when you see guys in their 50’s winning tour events. It just takes a little time, some knowledge, and discipline. If you are saying, “I don’t haverepparttar 149622 time,” let me ask you one question: How would you like to feel 10 years younger right now and hitrepparttar 149623 ball farther then you did in your twenties? I imaginerepparttar 149624 answer to both of those questions would be a resounding yes!

Let us start withrepparttar 149625 first topic that we described when you get older,repparttar 149626 additional pounds. Unfortunately, as you age your metabolism slows down. For those of you who are unfamiliar withrepparttar 149627 word metabolism, think of it as your own internal furnace. It isrepparttar 149628 rate at which you burn fuel (food is fuel torepparttar 149629 human body). When we are younger we tend have faster metabolisms, and as we get older they slow down. (I know it is a bummer.) Well, let me tell you, there are activities to speed that metabolism back up. The way to do it is by performing some fitness activities. If you are active and participate in some type of structured activity your body will burn more fuel and elevate its metabolism during this time. In addition, if these activities are resistance-training activities (i.e. weights, tubing, light dumbbells, body weight), then over time you will build some muscle. The great thing about that isrepparttar 149630 more muscle you haverepparttar 149631 higher your metabolism will be allrepparttar 149632 time (translation: you will burn more fuel all day and night). A secondary benefit of such activities will be greater stamina onrepparttar 149633 course. So rather than “spraying your shots” around onrepparttar 149634 back nine because you’re tired, you can have pinpoint accuracy going intorepparttar 149635 18th.

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