| |
| |
|
Golf Information |
|
|
|
Putting and My Aching Back!
I am guessing that all of us can relate to the title of this article. I am sure you have bent over for that 4 footer (can't give you that 4 footer, sorry), and felt that lower back feel tired, sore, painful or tight. Regardless of what the word is, you feel it! I also am guessing that some of you have changed to belly putters for the reason that your back hurts when you putt! Even if you are one of those players that has switched to a belly putter because of back pain, that pain is an indicator of something else going on within the body. I am sure we could use the excuse: I am older now and that is just what happens; or maybe we use the "cave man excuse": humans just were meant to walk on two legs! Regardless of what excuse you use, there is a reason and solution to solve those lower back problems. Even if you don't realize it, the lower back that you feel when putting is also affecting the other parts of your game (i.e. driving, long irons, chipping, pitching, etc.) This article has the goal of explaining why your back is sore when you putt and what we can do to help alleviate the problem. Why Does My Lower Back Ache? Well, let me say this to start. If you are in agreement with the "caveman excuse" you are in the ballpark as to why the lower back begins to ache on the 12th or 13th green. Standing upright, which is a specific posture (keep that word "posture" in mind throughout this article), places stress on the lower back. When I say stress, I am talking about the muscles of your lower back working to support your body in a specific position. The same holds true for when you putt. You get behind the ball, line the putt up, look at the line, maybe crouch down, take a few practice putts, and then away you go. In all the actions described above, your lower back is actively working to maintain posture in all those positions. Do this little activity to give you an idea of what your back is doing all the time to support your body. Take your hand and make a fist. Squeeze that fist as hard as you can for one minute, no less, more if you can. Now relax. How do your hand and forearm feel? Pretty tired, huh, maybe stiff. What you just did is exactly what your lower back does all the time. It is constantly contracting to hold your body upright. After time it gets tired and the result is a sore, stiff, and tight lower back. Up to this point we understand that the lower back is involved to a great extent in supporting the body. Now, how about when we move? Have you ever felt that back tighten up when you are getting out of a chair, and then you have to wait a second after you stand up before you start walking? Again, I will guess that the majority of us can answer yes to this question. This an example of a movement where the lower back is already fatigued, but nevertheless the lower back is now involved in moving the body, even though it is fatigued. When you walk, run, bend-over, turn, or rotate, your lower back is involved in the movement. The lower back gets a so-to-speak "double whammy" when it comes to what it does for the body. The lower back is involved in both supporting a position in which you place your body and also in the movement of the body. (If you need an example of how much the lower back works during the day, keep your fist clamped for a day, and see how your forearm feels the next day.) So at this point we know the reasons why our back is sore when we step over that 4 footer for birdie (sorry it is still not a gimme in my book, gotta be inside the leather). It is a twofold reason: number one has to do with posture, and number two with movement. Now that we know why our lower back gets sore or tight, how do we fix it? How to Fix that Aching Lower Back Before we describe ways to fix the lower back let us first give some suggestions to those who already have severe lower back problems. I would first suggest you see your personal physician. Always better safe than sorry. If you are someone who constantly has a sore lower back or you get up every morning with a stiff back, go see your doctor. You never know what might be going on in that lower back area. Quite possibly you may have a problem with a disk, a bone spur, or any number of serious lower back problems. I have seen a lot of these issues in my day, and I will say, number one, it always important to be under the supervision of a physician in such cases, and, number two, if you catch such lower back problems early they are much easier to treat than the ones that linger. So do yourself a favor and go see your physician before things get worse. Now, on to how to help eliminate the lower back that tires on the back nine of your weekly round. We know from above that we are using the back "24-7" so to speak. Golfing requires the lower back to work even harder than normal. This is a result of the rotating, stabilizing, and power production required of the swing. The lower back is getting tired because it is neither strong enough nor does it have enough endurance within its muscles to support the activities you perform on a daily basis! I am betting by now you have a pretty good idea of what to do to rid yourself of that lower back soreness. The lower back must become stronger and increase its endurance capacities. This will increase the durability of the lower back to withstand the stresses placed upon it during your daily activities. Strength can be defined as having enough force production with your muscles to perform a certain activity, and endurance is having enough energy in those muscles to do an activity over and over again. These are simplified definitions, but they work well for what we are talking about. Strength in relation to the lower back has to do with the ability to maintain postures. You must get the lower back strong enough to maintain the postures of the activities you participate in (i.e. golf). Endurance in the lower back is creating enough stored energy in the lower back muscles to do to whatever activity it is that you do over and over again without getting tired (i.e. golf swing). The combination of strengthening the lower back and creating more endurance within these muscles creates the highest probability of the lower back staying healthy for all activities. The next question you probably have is: what are the proper exercises I should perform to get my back in better shape for golf? Take a look at our products at www.bioforcegolf.com for more information on this topic. Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. He has made many of his golf tips, golf instruction and golf swing improvement techniques available to amateur golfers on the website http://www.bioforcegolf.com. Check out his manual and DVD, Your Body & Your Swing, (http://www.bioforcegolf.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=93) on BioForceGolf.com. To contact Sean, you can email him at support@bioforcegolf.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Golf - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Golf Vacation Schools - Choose the Perfect Golf School Vacation for Your Game Golf Schools, like golfers, come in all shapes and sizes. Don't make the mistake of attending any golf vacation school. Golf Swing Technique And How To Improve It There are two approaches to achieving a better golf swing. There is improving your physical capabilities?and improving your golf swing technique. Golf Training Principles That Produce Results Time is a precious commodity when it comes to golf. We need to set aside time for practice, play and training in addition to managing our jobs, our families and other priorities and interests. Why Tiger Woods Golf Swing Technique Is So Effective Golf sensation Tiger Woods' golf swing technique has been the subject of many interesting studies.One thing that has come out very clearly from this leading golfer's style and his golf swing technique is his amazing flexibility and high fitness level which have contribute tremendously to his golf career. How A Golf Fitness Book Can Transform Your Game A golf fitness book that is written to give you ready-made golf fitness programs, exercises, step-by-step instructions and illustrations can quickly transform your golf game.There are so many "so-called" golf fitness books on the market; but when you open them up you see dozens of pictures of golf models sitting on exercise machines in the gym. Quickly Improve Your Golf Swing Do you need some golf swing tips? If you could use a few golf swing tips you have come to the right place.Golf swing tips will help you with confidence as well as improve your game in general. Beginner or Novice Golfers: Start with a Pre-Owned set of Golf Clubs As a beginner or novice golfer, you want to avoid the expense of purchasing a "New" set of golf clubs, and concentrate your efforts on finding a good set of "Used" golf clubs (also know as "Pre-Owned".)Major golf club manufacturers introduce new lines of clubs almost every year. Do You Fear Golf Weight Training Programs In a sport that hardly has any controversies; few issues have come as close to being controversial as golf weight training programs have. More so with amateur and non-professional golfers. How A Golf Stretching Routine Can Impact Your Game Quickly Even as you read this article, golf stretching routines continue to positively revolutionize the games of many golfers around the country and indeed around the world. Golf stretching routines play a major role in helping many golfers achieve consistent and good results on the course with their swing. The Power Of Combining Golf Swing Basics With Exercise When training in good golf swing basics is combined with the right exercise program, the results can be nothing short of miraculous.Take the superb performances witnessed in junior golfers like the Song sisters, Ty Tyron and Michelle Wie. Effective Golf Fitness Equipment Golf fitness equipment is designed to help a golfer build strength in certain muscles so as to improve their golf game and lower their scores.The problem is that there are so many different golf fitness equipment in the market these days that it is difficult to identify the really effective ones and the duds or inappropriate ones. Golf Grub GOLO GOLF GRUB Fuel for the golfer."A good diet can not make an average athlete great, but a poor diet can make a great athlete average. 3 Ways To Maximize On The Effectiveness Of A Golf Instruction Video Golf instruction videos featuring techniques and tips from leading world class players are very common these days.Still there are very few people who can claim to have had their games improved by a golf instruction video. Golf Instruction Is Only Part Of The Equation Golf instruction is critical in understanding the mechanics of the golf swing. I am a firm believer in golf instruction. Learning The Correct Golf Instruction Swing Sequence There are three segments of the golf instruction swing sequence. They are namely the back swing, the down swing and thirdly the impact and follow through. Do You Dream Of A Golf Swing With Power If you are one of those golfers whose idea of a golf swing with power is by making every effort to try and hit the ball as hard as possible, you are guilty of one of the most common mistakes made by poor golfers.Trying to hit the ball as hard as you can will rarely give you golf swing power or the desired long drive. The Secret To Beating Tiger Woods At Golf ? And, Its Correlation To Success In Business! The game of Golf, although difficult to master, can nevertheless be narrowed down to three fundamental disciplines: 1) The Power Game [Driving & Iron Play], 2) The Short Game [Finesse / Shots within 100 Yards] and 3) Putting.Success in golf is largely focused on mastering each skill 'to the best of one's ability' and in so doing, a player's talent or the lack thereof, becomes evident. Golf For Beginners - What Makes A Good Golfer? A good golfer is a golfer who is happy with their own game and willing to listen to advice from experience. A good temperament is needed to play golf, expect bad days it happens everyone from low handicappers to full professionals. Returning Home: Scottish Golf Breaks July 2005 sees the return of the world's greatest golf tournament to its spiritual home on the Scottish East Coast. With the 27th staging of the British Open taking place on the Old Course in 2005, St Andrews has held the event more often than anywhere else which has reinforced its strong reputation as the "Home of Golf". Golf Elbow Or Tennis Elbow - The Tell Tale Signs Many athletes suffer from pain in their elbow that is generally attributed to repetitive stress. Golfers and tennis players are susceptible to conditions that are very similar to each other; they are called golf elbow and tennis elbow.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
