Search
Related Links




 

 

Informative Articles

2005 World Series of Poker -- Complete Report
Over 29,000 poker players came to Las Vegas from 40 different countries all over the earth to play in the 2005 World Series of Poker tournament events. This generated a total net prize pool of over $103,000,000 dollars, more than twice the total...

Free Exercise Tips: Learn Do's and Dont's Of Exercising!
Just working out is not enough. One has to be careful while exercising. There are some common mistakes that can easily be avoided. Here are a few of these common mistakes that most people make. Some Do's and Dont's while Exercising. Not...

Increasing Flexibility…Not Stretching… is the Fastest Way to a Better Golf Swing
Flexibility is quite often a misunderstood principle, but most of us know it is important to golf. Before we discuss flexibility and its relevance to golf we need to start with: “What in the #$%#%$#% is flexibility anyways?” It is a simple...

Lottery, More Than Just Gambling
A lottery is a popular form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize. There are some states where lottery is forbidden but others endorse it to the extend of organizing a national lottery. Lotteries date back to the period of...

Offshore Sport Betting with your Cellphone
Offshore sport betting with a mobile device like a cellphone or PDA now allows a sports fan to place a bet anytime, anywhere in the world. Imagine that you are at a game and your favorite team is hot and scoring fast. You already have a bet that...

 
Swimming vs. Golf

Recently, I have taken up golf, and I can’t help but notice the similarities between learning golf and learning swimming. Both are finesse sports that require large amounts of concentration and practice to get right, and it is unnecessary (and ill-advised) to gain great amounts of strength to make major improvements in either sport. Let’s look at some specific ways golf is like swimming:

1.It Starts with Head Position. In golf, you must keep your head still and look straight at the ball while you swing in order to make contact. In swimming, you must keep your head still and look straight down at the bottom of the pool while you rotate in order to get the most out of your stroke.

2.Concentration is Key. The moment you start thinking about more than one thing when you are about to hit the ball is the moment that something goes wrong. If I get 2 tips on my golf swing and I think about both of them the next time I tee up, I tend to have an underwhelming result! The same goes for doing the swimming drills. As a coach, if I give a swimmer several things to think about, inevitably, nothing will go right. The idea is to concentrate on one aspect, practice it, master it, and move on.

3.The Fewer Strokes, The Better. When improving your score in golf, you want to take fewer strokes to get the ball in the hole. To improve your swim (especially open water), you want to


take fewer strokes per length, in order to utilize your energy for the entire swim or triathlon.

4.Follow Through is Important. When you hit the ball, it is important that you follow through all the way with your club. In freestyle swimming, to get the most out of your stroke, you must extend your arm and glide.

5.Power Comes from the Core. Your arms and legs themselves do not need to be incredibly powerful to have success in either sport. With both sports, the power comes from the core- abdominal muscles, lower back, and hips. Legs are used more for stabilization than to propel you forward in swimming. Legs in golf are also used more for stabilization, rather than for more powerful strokes.

Both sports can also be frustrating, but with practice, patience, and persistence, swimming and golf can both present you with a meditative-like form of exercise that I have found to be both fulfilling and fun!


About the Author
Kevin coaches masters and triathlete swimmers in San Diego, CA. He operates the website www.TriSwimCoach.com, a resource for future or current triathletes needing help with the swim. The site features a free email newsletter offering tips and articles on triathlon swimming. Kevin has also written an electronic book titled “The Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming” which is sold on his website www.triswimcoach.com in downloadable form.

Sign up for PayPal and start accepting credit card payments instantly.