Believe it or not, the simple act of a deep breath - when
done properly - instantly releases tension from your body and allows you
to achieve the fluid and effortless swing of the top tour players, with
any golf club in your bag.
Most golfers know that there is a calming benefit to breathing deeply,
and many attempt to do so during stressful situations on the course.
The problem is that almost nobody knows how to take a deep breath.
Most people have learned to breathe in a shallow and ineffective way,
and can gain significant benefits from practicing what is called "diaphragmatic
breathing".
First, a quick test to find out your current situation:
While standing, place your right hand on your chest and your left hand
on your stomach.
Next take a deep breath and notice which direction each of your hands
move.
It is most common to find that your right hand (the one on your chest)
moves upwards, while your left hand (on your stomach) moves inwards towards
your spine.
If this happened to you, it means that you are actually taking a shallow
"chest breath", and only using one-third of your potential breathing
capacity.
This can actually increase tension and stress in your body, especially
in the small muscles of the neck, shoulders and hands. This can cause
you to grip your golf club too tightly and over-swing.
The solution - diaphragmatic breathing.
It's actually quite easy.
Once again, place your right hand on your chest and your left hand on
your stomach.
Now this time as you inhale, keep your right (chest) hand still, and allow
the air to fill up and expand in your stomach (left hand moving away from
the spine).
It is sometimes helpful to imagine your stomach as a balloon, and as you
inhale the air inflates the balloon.
Only after the "abdomen balloon" is filled do you allow the
chest to expand and fill with air.
Hint: Watch small children, as they have not yet "unlearned"
this natural breathing process and can be excellent role models for you.
As you exhale simply allow all tension to release from your body and mind.
Although it may take a small bit of conscious effort in the beginning
to re-learn this breathing pattern, it is well worth it to have this simple
tool at your disposal to instantly alleviate stress and create more freedom
in your swing with every golf club.
Stephen Ladd is a Golf Mental Performance
Coach pioneering breakthrough energy psychology techniques, and the creator
of Renegade Mindset Techniques for Golf. Visit the Renegade
Golf Psychology Performance Center for free reports, videos, newsletters
and an 8 part email mini-tutorial!
|