Breathe in, breathe out. Don't freak out.
One common thing I see in many golfers is the inability to relax. In order for our muscles to work most effectively, as any athlete will tell you, we must relax.
Look at any sprinter, gymnast, or swimmer while they are competing. You will see them shaking their arms and shoulders, stretching their muscles, and doing anything to shake out any stress or tension they have.
You will also see things like this with professional golfers, some will waggle the club or pull up their left sleeve before they step in to hit the ball.
Tension in the muscles anatomically shortens our muscles which in golf can lead to disasters. Think about the golf swing as a rubber band. When we turn back to strike a golf shot we are pulling the rubber band, and as we return back to the ball we are releasing the rubber band. If we slowly release the rubber band rather than just letting go, the snap back to its normal shape will not have the same force. For those of you who want to increase distance, and make solid contact this is of the utmost importance.
I realize that most of us are not finely tuned athletes, golfers, gymnasts, or swimmers. However I do believe that the best thought when doing athletic things is no thought, the second best thought is to prime ourselves for action by relaxing first.
In your next round of golf even if you only have time for 9 holes or even 3 holes, I challenge you to let yourself relax on each shot.
If you are having a difficult time relaxing, imagine warm liquid wax flowing through you.
