The main goals of most golfers are to get more distance with your clubs and to lower their score. Yoga can benefit a golfer by increasing strength, flexibility, stability, and balance.
As a collegiate athlete, I practiced yoga during the time I played competitive golf and noticed an increased distance of about 5 to 8 yards with each of my clubs. I also found that my yoga experiences allowed me to be more focused during competition which had a positive impact on my game. Yoga can be a valuable discipline to work into your exercise routine; it is almost guaranteed to improve your overall athletic ability and help your golf game. Listed below are three poses that will benefit a golfer’s game.
· Tree Pose
§ Standing up you will place your weight on your right leg and place your left foot on your calf or thigh depending on your capability. Raise hands about your head and breathe.
§ Benefit: The golfer will gain better balance for their stance, during the swing, and with their finish.
· Plank Pose
§ Start on your hands and knees. Hands flat on the ground with your shoulders over your wrist you will walk your feet back till your body forms a straight line. Your arms will be extended. Try not to poke your butt high into the air and the opposite not letting your back sagging.
§ Benefit: This will help the golfer get strength in the core which will lead to an increase in distance.
· Downward Facing Dog
§ Start on your hands and knees. Lift your knees away from the ground and keep knees slightly bent. Pressing your heels into the ground. Your body will be in a v shape with your butt high in the air.
§ Benefit: This will help the golfer stretch out those tight hamstrings from all of the walking on the course.
Stability plays a huge role in athletics, especially in golf. The ability to resist rotation is crucial and must be mastered prior to creating rotation. Many trainers, athletes, and coaches forget this important aspect of training and often times gets neglected in athletic development especially at the high school level. The ability to stabilize the torso during movement allows for the generation of torque and a strong torso limits the amount of energy lost during the movement. The torso is designed as a linkage between the arms and legs. A great deal of power and energy is transmitted through the torso. Yoga is also a great recovery tool and can be used to correct movement deficiencies through the re-education of the nervous and muscular system.
ReplyDeleteSuggesting on doing yoga was one of the first things that my golf instructor told me after my first lesson on the green. I’ve been practicing for just a few weeks and I’ve already seen a good deal of improvement on keeping my balance during a swing. I definitely recommend it to anyone new to golf or to anyone looking to improve his game.
ReplyDeleteIve always struggled with flexibility while playing golf. In 2007 I ruptured a disc in my lower back and since then my swing has been out of shape no matter how much stretching I do before hand. I always subconsciously lift up from my stance as I am coming out of my backswing to compensate for the pain I feel in my back. Ive never considered yoga but I might try it now!
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