Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Hit Straight Drives
A lot of golfers really battle to hit straight drives and getting off to a good start is such a confidence booster. There is nothing better than a good drive at the start of a round of golf. You will have a great day if you can hit straight drives off every tee.
The secret to straight driving is technique and confidence. If you have ever hit a straight drive then you can do it again. Its in there somewhere and all you have to do is find it and repeat it time and time again.
many a bad tee shot is the result of tension especially on the first tee of an important round or when there is a crowd around. The result is the player gets tense and so the whole body, starting from the grip and going right through the arms, legs and torso, is overcome with tension. The result can be embarrassing and shake a players confidence.
Remember when playing that the woods are a little bit longer than the irons and therefore a slightly flatter swing plane is required (dont adjust for this because of this article!). In many cases pulling out the driver is a habit and is sometimes not even required. If you have a 350 meter/yard hole you can probably easy take two six irons to get there. Why make it more difficult by playing a driver?
A very good way of grooving the swing and getting confidence to hit straight drives regularly is to practice with a shortened back swing. When you go to the range shorten your back swing to 75%. Make sure you accelerate evenly through the ball and make a full follow through.
As you do this more and more at practice your big muscles will groove themselves to perform the same when you go back to a full swing. Try it youll be amazed at the results. You may even find that with a shortened back swing the loss in distance (if any) is so negligible that with the extra accuracy it is not worth worrying about.
Standing on the first tee knowing that you will be in play after your tee shot is a huge confidence booster. No-one ever worries about who plays the second shot first yet we all want to smack the longest drive. funny thing the ego (intended for the men out there ladies dont seem to worry about this too much).
Give it a try I guarantee you will hit straight drives more often than you do at the moment.
As a qualified EGTF golf professional teacher I get great pleasure in helping people improve their game. Why not head over to Better Golfing and take up my challenge to reduce your golf handicap by 25% within 6 weeks?
Video Of Yoga Poses
Are You Willing To Follow Eight Yoga Exercises For the Lower Back?
exercises FOR BACK RELIEF
Many people believe that rest is best for a painful back, but actually, what your back really needs when it’s hurt is exercise. Regular exercise relieves back pain by strengthening and stretching the muscles that support the spine and helps to prevent future injury. This is a use it or lose it situation: the more you rest, the weaker your back gets, even if it is hurt. Studies have actually shown that you can heal your back pain faster and get back to your regular activities with just two days of rest. This article will focus on yoga exercises. Remember to contact your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
A good, regular yoga practice will go far in relieving the stress and tension that sometimes cause mild back pain, and in fact, studies have shown that yoga is the number one most effective exercise for relieving back pain. However, not all yoga poses relieve back pain, and some can in fact aggravate existing pain, so it is important to know which poses will be most helpful in relieving back pain. It is best to do these exercises under the supervision of a certified yoga instructor, and if you encounter any problems with these poses, you should consult an expert. Even just one or two sessions with a yoga instructor can help, as an instructor will help you with your form and posture during poses. Here are some of the best yoga poses for relieving back pain. Each pose should be held from five to ten seconds, depending upon your level of comfort, and should be done on a mat or other soft, supportive surface.
CORPSE: Lie flat on your back in a relaxed position, arms resting at your sides, palms down, and legs lying naturally, with knees turned out slightly. If it hurts your back to have your knees turned outward, do this pose with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Breathe in and out for a few seconds while allowing any tension to leave the body.
CAT stretch: Start out on your hands and knees with a flat back. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with fingers spread. Knees should be directly under the hips. Head is held loosely so that you are looking at the floor between your hands. Inhale, and as you exhale, arch your back toward the ceiling, tuck your chin in to your chest so that you are looking at your navel, and tuck your tailbone underneath. Hold, then release back into your original position.
WIND-RELEASING pose: Lie flat on your back as in Corpse pose. As you inhale, bend your knee, place your hands right below the knee, and draw your leg towards your chest. Your left leg should remain flat on the floor. Exhale and bring your forehead up to touch your knee. Inhale, and then as you exhale, return to your original position. Repeat with the other leg.
SAGE TWIST: Warning for this pose—it involves twisting your back, so you should take particular care not to twist too far or you risk aggravating any existing back pain. This should be a gentle stretch; twist just as far as is comfortable. Sit on the floor with both legs out in front of you. Bend your right knee, lift your right leg over your left, and place your right foot on the floor next to your left knee. sitting with spine straight, place your left elbow on the right side of your right knee. Bend your left arm so that your left fingertips are touching your right hip, while at the same time, twisting to look over your right shoulder. This is where you need to be careful not to twist too far. Hold for a few seconds, release, and repeat on the opposite side.
PALM TREE: stand with feet facing forward, arms at your sides, weight distributed evenly on both feet. Raise both arms over your head, interlock your fingers, and turn your hands so that your palms are facing upward. Next, place your palms on your head and turn your head so that you are looking slightly upward. stretch your arms upwards, and at the same time, come up onto your toes if you can do so without pain. stretch your entire body upward and hold, if you can. Some people have difficulty balancing during this pose, so just do the stretching part if you need to.
FISH POSE: Lie on your back with knees bent and arms at your side. Arch your back as far as you comfortably can and raise it off the ground by pushing the floor with your elbows. If you can, tilt your head backwards and rest the crown of your head on the floor. Breathe deeply from the diaphragm and hold pose for one minute if you can.
LOCUST: Lie face down with arms at the side, palms down, and elbows slightly bent with fingers pointing towards the feet. Raise your legs and thighs as high off the ground as possible without causing your back any pain. Hold for one second and repeat up to twelve times. This can be a vigorous exercise so you must take care to strain already injured muscles.
BENDING FORWARD posture: stand up straight with feet together and arms hanging loosely along your sides. Breathe in deeply and raise your arms straight above your head. While breathing out, bend forward and touch your toes if you can. If you can’t reach your toes, grab hold of your ankles or calves. To complete the pose, you should touch your head to your knees, but this may be too difficult for many who suffer from lower back pain. Your movements during this pose should be smooth, not jerky.
Written by Shelley Hitz, Licensed Physical Therapist and Certified NASM Personal trainer. Sign up for her free Exercise Advice journal at http://www.abs-exercise-advice.com/journal.html or read more about yoga poses at her website http://www.abs-exercise-advice.com/free-yoga-exercises-online.html. Get your free unbelievable abs ball workout here!
Power Yoga PilatesA Water Filter Drinking Countertop System Can Purifiy Your Kitchen and Bathroom's Water Supply
Choosing a water filter drinking countertop system is a good option for those who want to ensure that the water they drink and cook with is as clean and pure as possible. Although a whole house filtration system is more thorough, a point of use filter can also remove additional sediment from pipes.
There are many types of systems to choose from on the market today. Many of these systems are designed to filter out minerals, chlorine, and fluoride. These systems range in price, and you will pay more for a higher performance system. However, you must take into consideration the price of your health as well.
Before looking at the types of water filter drinking countertop systems, you should look closely at the effects of tap water on the human body. Chlorine is an important factor in water health. This is because the chlorine will actually dissipate into the air through steam, creating chloroform gas. These gases are speculated to be one of the main causes of the increase in asthma patients.
Another consideration is minerals. Minerals are actually good for your body. They occur organically throughout nature. Minerals such as calcium strengthen the teeth and bones, and minerals such as zinc boost the immune system. Getting a countertop drinking filter that removes these healthful minerals is actually not in your best interests.
Finally, there are more harmful things in your tap water than chlorine and an overabundance of fluoride (which can damage teeth). There are many volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and trihalomethanes (THMs) in tap water that can affect your health. These chemicals can actually interact with medications rendering them useless or making you ill.
The less expensive counter top drinking filter will filter out minerals, chlorine, and fluoride, using reverse osmosis. These filters will run water through a membrane, or filter, at a high pressure. The end result is a lower pressure for your water faucet, and a loss of organic minerals such as calcium that are actually good for your body. Additionally, many of the harmful organic compounds and synthetic chemicals found in most tap water will remain.
Some of the less expensive water filter systems will use single carbon based filters. These filters will clean your tap water of chlorine, VOCs and THMs. However, the performance of these single filter systems is also questionable, as they tend to filter out less of the VOCs and THMs than multi-stage filtration systems.
The best counter top drinking filter that you can get for your family is a dual carbon based filter. After all, it only makes sense that water run through two filters will be cleaner than water run through one filter. These filters will get more of the VOCs and THMs out of your tap water. In fact, the average filter of this type removes up to ninety seven percent of these harmful chemicals.
When choosing a water filter drinking countertop system, it is also important to consider filter duration and cost. Most often, the less expensive systems will actually cost more in filters. This is due to the fact that the filters are not designed to last more than one month, and often cost as much or more than the system itself.
In the end, any countertop drinking filter is better than none. When you look at the dangers of drinking tap, you cannot turn your back on the benefits of drinking purified or filtered water. However, the better your filtration system is, the healthier you and your family will be. How can you put a price tag on that?
Martin Spencer is a health researcher who has been studying water filtration for over 25 years. He is a regular contributor to Water Treatment Guide, a site dedicated to various methods of treating and purifying water. Learn about water filter drinking countertop systems on our site.
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