I’ve discovered that in the pursuit of a better golf swing, you tend to be open to all sorts of ideas: video, special clubs, Jedi mind tricks… all of it seems like a good idea if you can ensure a drive over 300 yards. If you search the On-Demand feature of your cable provider you can get various tips and I check them out once a week or so. Most of the time they're generic tips about keeping your elbow straight or your head down, but you get the occasional helpful hint.
The other day I was watching a feature on the golf channel about how many of the young players (Sergio, Villegas, and AK just to name a couple) on the PGA Tour have taken up yoga as a way to add flexibility and thus, power to their swings. And today I found “Yoga for Golfers” On-Demand so, in a moment of weakness, I gave it a whirl. Overall, it was nothing too profound, even if I did feel like an idiot trying this in my room. Mostly, it just felt like stretching before a workout, only with no workout coming after. I came away with three things stuck in my head:
1. I’m not very flexible, especially my ankles. In one position, called “Downward Facing Dog” (not as much fun as it sounds); you basically form two sides of a triangle with the floor as the third side. While doing this, you’re supposed to have your feet flat to the floor. Well, mine don’t even come close. I hardly think my ankles are the reason my drives get no lift, but at least I've got another excuse at my disposal.
2. Yoga instructors are creepy people. I don’t know if it’s for effect or supposed to be calming but the near-whisper bothers the hell out of me. Also, the constant half-smile is more un-nerving than anything else. Makes me think that at any point the instructor is going to lose it and say something along the lines of: “Alright, deep, cleansing breaths. There, feel better? I know I did after I killed that guy.”
3. Everything in Yoga has to have a name to it. For example: stand straight up, shoulders back, puff your chest out, legs together, arms at your side. What would you call that? Standing at attention, right? No, my friends, that’s the “Mountain Pose.” Now, sit down, space your legs shoulder length apart, place your elbows on your legs, just above the knee, bring your hands in front of your face, palms facing in and lean your face forward, until your forehead is resting in your palms. That pose is called the “I can’t believe I tried this shit.”
I think I may have the wrong mindset for Yoga. It’s supposed to be a relaxing way to burn calories and add flexibility, but when I workout I’m more the ‘get riled up and lift heavy things, before going to lift different heavy things’ mentality. It’s a very ‘what are we doing next’ kind of pace, which is not how Yoga rolls. That being said, I could use all the help I can get. So, I’m going to try it a couple time and head to the driving range. If my drive improves I may just invest in a yoga mat - probably cheaper than specialty clubs anyway.
