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14 Habits For A Happier You and I
Many people exercise, play sports, or know someone who does. Having done so almost my entire life, I have a few pearls of wisdom. To gain an advantage, focus on a full body workout. In sports your base (waist down) are more important than your upper...

Choosing the Right Scooter For Your Situation!
Scooters are extremely versatile, functional and cheap. They can be the ingredient that will improve the quality of life in many situations. If you are searching for some new excitement in your life the adrenalin rush you are going to experience...

Churning The Kern - Rafting California's Sierra
Churning The Kern in California’s Sierra Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Read this entire feature FREE with photos at: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/sports02/raft/kern/kern.html There I was, peering down...

Golf Club Swing Weights
A golf club's swing weight helps the player to be able to feel the club head hit the ball. This helps each of the clubs to have the same feel for continuity purposes. Low lofted iron head's, such as a 3-iron, have a much lower weight than a higher...

The Degradation of Fitness Science: One Example
In an article by a well known "functional/core exercise" proponent, there is an attempt to affiliate the concepts of microscopic life of the amoeba with human cellular processes, and "functional training" when the author claims: "Movement, survival...

 
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.

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