Review Of Body Awareness
<Continued from this lesson>
In this earlier lesson I had you do the following test.
Stand at attention with feet shoulder width apart AND firm like a wooden soldier.
- Do you feel comfortable?
- Do you feel in balance?
- Do you have work stress to stand rigid for 5 seconds?
- Do you feel ready to move abruptly or explosively with NO flailing body parts?
This step helps you become aware of an upper limit of being in maximum control of your body while still being able to do some movement in this strict and tight control. You will need to be aware of this for some golf swing decisions when playing.
There were other tests of being in sloppy posture to firm posture. (You may want to review that lesson on body awareness.)
Posture Test
- Stand at attention with feet shoulder width apart AND firm like a wooden soldier.
- Left arm straight out from your breast bone with thumb up
- Reach right hand out and grab your left thumb
- Drop arms until your triceps rest on front curve of your ribs
- Keeping back and neck "straight" bend at your hip joints (do not lower your eyes or chin to help this bend at your hips. Try bending a little and various angles to about 45 degrees.)
- Bend at your knees until you feel muscles above your knee working to prevent you from falling (like getting ready to sit on a chair)
- Firm your body in your new postion
Did you keep your body firm as you did the above steps?
Do you feel comfortable?
Do you feel in balance?
Do you have work stress to stand rigid for 5 seconds?
Do you feel ready to move abruptly or explosively with NO flailing body parts?
Do not remain in this posture for more than 5 seconds (approximately) each time you do this. Your back may not be strong enough for prolonged practice of this posture.
When standing you can observe, in a mirror, that almost all of your body mass is in front of your spine. Go to a mirror and get into the above posture position.
Three things to notice:
- Your body mass did not go anywhere – relative to your spine
- Your body mass will now feel like it is "hanging" slightly beneath your spine
- Your arms and hands are now farther forward of your spine
While in this golf posture practice putting your hands on your opposite shoulders – WITHOUT losing posture.
Seems easy enough. It can be hard to do and keep posture IF you are thinking of other things – like where is the flag, am I lined up correct, where's my grocery list?
The next few training lessons will have you placing your hands on opposite shoulders and you will be using THE WALL station to help you get the first 1 or 2 inches of this movement correct.
<Continued with this lesson>