Unless you live in a warm climate and are lucky to golf all season long, springtime means tee time; a time to dust off the irons and get your body ready for 18 holes of swings, putts and chip shots.
Smacking the ball at high speed plus staying calm and focused during a crucial putt all take a certain amount of skill and practice to master. Power, torque, flexibility, and concentration are all key components in the game of golf, and yoga can help.
The following yoga suggestions will help your golf game. Designed to give you an advantage prior to golf season, these pointers will also teach you how you can loosen up before the game, stay calm and centered while on the putting green, and enjoy a revitalizing stretch before heading to the clubhouse.
Pre-season Preparation
When using yoga for golf specific training, poses that twist your spine will be the most effective. Revolved crescent lunge and chair pose, and seated and supine twists are all beneficial to gain the spinal flexibility and torque needed to smack the ball down the fairway.
While it is important to keep your abdominal muscles in top form, strengthening the muscles of the low back will give you the endurance needed to play a full round. Do poses and exercises that are performed lying on the floor, belly down, such as locust pose, half cobra, and superman.
Pre-game Warm Up
Avoid shanking the ball by stretching your shoulders and torso before you tee off. Poses such as downward dog, reversed plank pose, and side bends such as triangle and extended side angle pose will loosen and relax your upper body. Put some power into your swing by releasing unnecessary tension and tightness.
Putting Green Practice
Rhythmic breathing along with some simple balancing poses will help you zero in on the task at hand without falling victim to distraction. Tree pose, warrior three and the coincidentally named eagle pose may not guarantee you’ll score a two under par, but they will at least help you stay calm in the midst of pressure on the putting green.
Post-Game Stretch
Playing 18 holes of golf is no easy task. Your lower back is bound to take a beating after chasing that little while ball around for four hours. Give yourself a reprieve from back pain before hitting the clubhouse by simply folding forward with your knees bent and reach for your toes. This standing forward bend pose will lengthen your tired back muscles so you can have more energy to gad about your next hole in one.
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