Attention: Weekend Golf Warriors
Jun
12
Written by:
Friday, June 12, 2009
Keep your head up! Backswing and follow through. Nice shot! That’s what you hope to say to yourself as you complete your swing. You want your golf swing to be effortless and smooth. However, as a weekend golfer, you often find your muscles are tight when you step out onto the course. Part of that tightness may result from sitting down most of the day. Other factors that may be involved are old injuries, arthritis, and the aging process.
Did you know you can get great results from a hybrid? I mean a hybrid massage, not a golf club. Just as a hybrid golf club, a mixture of an iron and a wood is valuable for better distance control and accuracy, a hybrid massage, a mixture of massage techniques, is valuable in improving your range of motion while also reducing pain. For example, a hybrid massage may combine deep tissue, trigger point, Swedish massage, and passive stretching techniques. The slow stroke of deep pressure massage works deeply into the muscles and tissues and relieves pain. The focused pressure in trigger point techniques increases your circulation and releases knots of muscle tension. Swedish techniques also relieve tension and relax your entire body. Passive stretching is when the massage therapist moves your muscles and is great to improve your flexibility, and it feels good too.
You know that stretching is important and probably have some sort of warm-up routine. However, I suspect you are not warming up long enough because you are anxious to get out there and play. It is very important to stretch your muscles to reduce the risk of injury. My weekend golf warrior often complains of shoulder pain. The shoulder is at risk during golf simply due to that repetitive swinging motion. Your swing can cause your muscle tissue to break down and become less flexible. Stretching your shoulders will elongate your muscles and improve your range of motion. Being more flexible will help you to hit farther with less risk of injuring yourself. Think about it. Your golf swing has a very long range of motion, doesn't it?
Final thoughts - hybrid massage = increased range of motion + reduced pain = more fluid golf swing. Nice shot!