If you think working out hard at the gym, running on the tracks, and lifting weights are all that you need to do to be the best player at the golf clubs of Dallas, Tampa, California or elsewhere in the USA, then you are making a big mistake. No doubt, golf is an extremely physical sport that requires flexibility of the whole body, but it is also a mental game. You need to focus because a distracted player is bound to have a low performance level. So, if you want to work on that part too, yoga can be of excellent help.
Apart from providing you with psychological strength, yoga can help you build a strong physique. Read on to know how yoga can offer you the ‘complete package’ that can help you boost your performance on the golf course.
Flexibility and Strength
Do you know that yoga can give you more power to swing a golf club than an hour of lifting weights? Surprised?
Well, yoga is not as easy as the experts make it look. Those bunches of stretches can be incredibly difficult and physically taxing to an untrained body. But when practiced under careful supervision, these can do wonders. Yoga enhances flexibility and agility, both of which play crucial role in a golf performance. Your hands and feet must move swiftly while playing this game and yoga can ensure you that ability. It’s a paradox but that’s how it works in golf – you need strength to hit the ball but at the same time your body must relax.
Yoga can help to relax your muscles so that you can put the energy at the right point. The breathing exercises help in the movement of oxygen throughout the body, which makes your swings smooth.
Concentration and Confidence
As already mentioned before, golf is not just a physical game; you need to put yourself together mentally to hit a successful stroke. For instance, if you are playing handicap, the lesser the number of strokes the higher is your score. So, you cannot just do a guesswork here. Moreover, golf is a single man game and every hit needs concentration because there is no one to save your back. Therefore, the pressure is immense. Many players begin their match with great shots but then end up losing due to the lack of focus. This is when yoga comes to the rescue. The exercises help to relax and think clearly, and push away any doubts or negative emotions that evolve while playing. And when you think clear you experience a surge in your confidence level.
Injury Prevention and Improved Posture
You must have experienced that while swinging there is a motion that coils and uncoils the spine over a powerful lower body. Yoga can help you make this movement more flexible through its ‘asanas’ (exercise). It can strengthen the torso and increase your lower body strength. The torso movement exercises can help you to have a strong shoulder and minimize chances of shoulder injuries.
Apart from these, yoga can fix some of the basics of golfing postures.
- Mobility – Mastering this game means you need to have the ability to move muscles and joints at different angles and over a range of motions (ROM), as required. Therefore, flexibility is something you just cannot compromise. Yoga stretches can definitely help there.
- Balance – This is yet another feature, which is significant in this game. Every shot you play must be balanced to get a successful result. Yoga helps to have a control over the grounding energy that is challenged by on-field obstacles like wind, undulating course, fairways and so on.
- Stability – Proper balance can give you the right shot, but if you are not stable, the after-effects of a swing can go wrong. You can even experience injuries due to the external force applied upon the body.
Regular yoga practice can definitely help to improve your performance when you head to your favorite golf club of Dallas, Tampa, California or anywhere else in the world. And what better than a good round of golf to make any day a better day?