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The Body IS the Mind

“THE BODY IS THE MIND” is a phrase I heard Deepak Chopra say a while back while we were involved in a seminar at La Costa Resort & Spa. Although I’ve known that for a long time, I’ve never quite put it that way; instead saying, ‘Your Posture is a Reflection of what’s going on/on the Inside’.  Regardless, I think Deepak’s interpretation is more provocative.

“THE BODY IS THE MIND” is a phrase I heard Deepak Chopra say a while back while we were involved in a seminar at La Costa Resort & Spa. Although I’ve known that for a long time, I’ve never quite put it that way; instead saying, ‘Your Posture is a Reflection of what’s going on/on the Inside’.  Regardless, I think Deepak’s interpretation is more provocative.

So many people think that the mind and body are two different entities, but I’m firmly convinced that they’re the same; and I especially have noticed that so many people (especially seniors) fail to take care of their ‘Bodies’ because they don’t think that their bodies DIRECTLY AFFECT their minds.  On this note, if you’ve ever gone into an assisted living home (and I’ve been to a lot of them), I doubt that you’ve seen many ‘if any’ functional bodies in there (and I can assure you, that I sure haven’t).

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve ‘accumulated’ more and more friends, many of whom many are now in their eighties.  There’s NO DOUBT that the ones that have maintained healthy bodies, have maintained healthy minds; and, the ones who haven’t taken ‘proper’ care of their bodies, have noticed a definite deterioration of their mental capacity. 

Having said all of this, I’m sure many people are thinking, “Well, I’ll just start working out more consistently” (and, that’s great!), but make sure that you’re doing the Right Exercises for ‘You’, and especially ones that help you maintain good posture.  For example, if a person is hunched over (The Turtle Look) and do exercises that put them in a forward/ bent over position – such as Rowing Machines, Stationary Bikes, etc., they’ll often end up Strengthening their Dysfunction; So, if you’re going to do exercises like the ones I’ve just mentioned, make sure you do some proper Flexibility and Posture Restoration Exercises to bring you back into ‘Neutral’.  Being in ‘Neutral’ works with Gravity and allows the Blood, Oxygen, and Neutron Flow to flow freely throughout our body and up into your brain.  Being Bent Over definitely inhibits blood and oxygen flow and starves the brain of it’s vital nutrients.

In closing, I highly suggest that you ‘keep moving’ so that you’ll be around ‘On and Off’ the course for decades to come.

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The Pectoralis Stretch

Do This Simple Stretch Throughout the Day to Open up Your Chest

In the golf swing, the upper part of the spine and chest rotates approximately 60% more than the lower spine.  In the illustration here, you can see what is happening as the FRONT upper chest muscles EXPAND, and the BACK MUSCLES contract (or shorten).

Be sure to leave a comment for Roger below

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Is it Dangerous to Land on the Outside of Your Left Foot?

By now, you’ve probably seen a lot of golfers – including Tour Players, land on the outside of their left feet when they move down into the ball.  The question is…

Is this dangerous?

The answer to that question is…

YES! 

In fact, it’s usually just a matter of time before some part of the linkage of muscles on the left side of the body will finally wear down and injuries will ‘pop up’. i.e. you can bet that there’s going to be an accident down the road somewhere on the left side involving either the left shoulder, left knee, left ankle, the Achilles tendon, etc.

THE QUESTION IS WHY DO MANY GOLFERS LAND THAT WAY?

Although there’s not one direct answer, the reality is that in the majority of cases, golfers have too strong and dominant right hips ‘and right sides’ that over power the weaker and less stable left sides. Then when they move powerfully into the front foot, the left side often doesn’t hold up and the foot, knee, ankle, etc., will eventually give out.  Eventually the repetitive friction that’s placed on the muscles of the left side eventually wear the joint down – just like the wheel of a car that’s out of alignment will finally wear the rubber out.

To elaborate further, it’s best to ‘LAND FLAT ON THE LEFT FOOT’ rather than come down on the OUTSIDE of it.

The answer is to:
a).  Keep the muscles on ‘Both Sides of the body Balanced, and
b). Do some Bi lateral exercises – like making left handed golf swings to keep the muscles balanced.

(In an upcoming newsletter, I’m going to show you an exercise that will help you attain balance and stabilize that left side).

But for now, try doing the easy to do exercises on the Slant Board, – which will go a long way to keep your body Balanced!

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Your Body is the Dumping Ground of Your Mind

Spending a lifetime in the golf world, I’ve been blessed to have associated with thousands of Super Successful People from all walks of life; not to mention, have worked with hundreds of GREAT golfers and professional athletes.

I’ve been asked all the time what many of them are like? And, I usually respond by saying that whatever you do, don’t get in the way of an athlete’s vision and their targets, because if you do, their eyes and focus will burn a hole through you! In other words, their minds have a singleness of focus that’s incredible (and I find this to be true of all successful people no matter what the vocation).

Despite the fact that all great players they come in all shapes and sizes, and all have their own way of swinging a golf club, their minds are Hyper Focused on the target.  On the other hand, higher handicappers aren’t anywhere near as focused on the target as the pros and consequently, they end  up “Playing Swing” and not “Playing Golf”.

Whatever you do, understand that:
 

HOW YOU PROGRAM YOUR MIND ON THE UPCOMING SHOT – WILL DETERMINE YOUR GOLF SWING – NOT NECESSARILY THE OTHER WAY AROUND!

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The Power of Passion – Let NOTHING Get in the Way of Stopping You From Achieving Your Goals

Over decades, I’ve been incredibly blessed to have known many of the most successful people in the world  – and in many cases, of all time. This includes Hall of Fame athletes from virtually every sport, business icons, amazingly successful artists, and very talented lay people. 

As Ben Hogan walked to the practice tee before a round, a reporter began to ask him a question. Hogan put up his hand and said,
“Not now, I’ve already started my round.”

Over decades, I’ve been incredibly blessed to have known many of the most successful people in the world  – and in many cases, of all time. This includes Hall of Fame athletes from virtually every sport, business icons, amazingly successful artists, and very talented lay people. 

One thing I’ve noticed is that they ALL have an incredible ability to focus on their chosen vocation, career, or pastime, and especially they all BELIEVE that there’s NOTHING they can’t accomplish (i.e., they let NOTHING get in the way of stopping them from achieving their goals!). However, there are many areas of their lives where they’re not very good and are actually terrible in their ability to do certain things. I’ve come to believe that the difference between what they do well – and what they do poorly – is simply PASSION!

As an example, I’ll never forget the first time I spent considerable time with Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill in 2004.  At the end of the 3rd day, I was reviewing the fitness programs I had put together for him and said (like I always do) that I’d like him to do some goal setting.  He said , “what kind of goals?”  I said, “how about we set two goals:  The first being that you make the cut in the U.S. Senior Open, and the second that you win the most skins in the next Senior Skins Game on TV”.  He looked at me and said, “Why are you setting the goals so low?”  I replied, “Well, I want to be realistic and don’t want to set a goal like winning the Masters!”  At that point, he walked right up to me – eye to eye – poked a finger in my chest, and with those beady brown eyes of his said, “Rog, I sincerely believe that if I can get another 50 yards on my tee shots, that I can compete at Augusta!”  AT THE TIME HE HAD JUST TURNED 74 YEARS OLD!, and I can tell you with certainty, he was dead serious!!  My reaction was ‘Wow’ he really believes that –  THAT’S  why he’s so successful!

Since then, I’ve paid more attention to how other successful people look at things – and, it’s irrefutable to me  that the difference  is in ATTITUDE!  ALL successful people have a passion and a belief for what they do!

My advice is; that when you go out to play golf, set a goal on EVERY shot.  Where do I want this ball to go?  What type of shot do I want to hit?  What’s the smart play?  Ad infinitum.  In other words, set goals – be passionate – and don’t let ANYTHING STOP YOU!!

More free articles from Roger can be found at fredericksgolf.com.

In my Video Library at www.fredericksgolf.com I also have many other drills
that will help you master golf’s TRUE FUNDAMENTALS!

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The Mystery of Tiger’s Knee Problems is No Mystery

For years, I’ve been hearing different theories from golf pros and physical trainers on why Tiger’s had 4 knee surgeries – and now has just undergone back surgery.

For years, I’ve been hearing different theories from golf pros and physical trainers on why Tiger’s had 4 knee surgeries – and now has just undergone back surgery. Some of the common ‘theories’ are “He just swings too hard” – “He drops down too much into the shot forcing his leg to straighten too violently” -“His grip is too weak” – “His swing has gotten too flat making him slide” – ad nauseum.

BUT,

SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG BECAUSE THERE ARE LEGIONS OF GREAT PLAYERS WHO SWING JUST AS HARD AS HIM BUT DON’T HAVE THE PROBLEMS HE HAS!

SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG BECAUSE THERE ARE LEGIONS OF GREAT PLAYERS WHO SWING JUST AS HARD AS HIM BUT DON'T HAVE THE PROBLEMS HE HAS!

In fact, Ben Hogan (Pictured on Left) almost lost his life in a head on collision with a bus on foggy night and ended up having knee surgery – BUT, never had the subsequent problems that Tiger’s had!

Anyone who looks at Tiger sees (on the outside) a finely sculpted and chiseled athlete. But, the truth is that Tiger has hit virtually millions of golf balls since he was a toddler which has created neural patterns perfecting his right to left side swing motion. However, the danger to that is the internal muscles of his body – particularly the Ilio Psoas, has become extremely dominant over his left side. In layman’s terms, his entire right side and especially his right shoulder have simply gotten to the point where they overpower the less stable and ‘proportionally ‘weaker’ left side. This has made him VERY IMBALANCED! Consequently, when he swings, the tremendous amount of linear and sheer forces- applied along with the massive contracting and expanding of his muscles (reciprocal inhibition) force his Left Side to ‘Give Out’. In other words, his right side simply overpowers his left which is then unable to stabilize these forces. The result is a ‘jumping’ out of his left foot, knee, and hip – which equals tremendous friction on his joints – hence surgery(s).

So, what does he do about it? Workout obsessively with the Navy Seals, do very powerful strengthening protocols, etc. In other words, I feel he’s ‘Strengthening his Dysfunction’ or ‘Putting a Ferrari Engine on an ‘internally’ bent frame. Although Hogan probably hit more balls than Tiger, he didn’t do the maniacal training that Tiger does, and a s a result, avoided further surgeries and still was the greatest ball striker in the world – even well into his senior years!

In my view, Tiger (and everyone else for that matter) needs to back off and get their bodies back into ‘neutral’ and musculoskeletal balance. Then, he needs to begin reversing the neural patterns to further enhance is balance.

My advice is: Relax the Body – Then, Stretch the Body – and ‘Then’ Strengthen.

I recommend poses in my new book ‘The Flexible Golf Swing’ on restoring balance to the musculoskeletal system – which are: The Static Back, Supine Groin Stretches, and Air Bench. And, any of the Slant Board Routines in my Posture DVD’s will also GREATLY help balancing your muscles.

And, that’s no stretch.

Roger

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The Greatest Game Of All

Of all of golf’s many attributes, I think the greatest of them all is the incredible number of fascinating people that we meet, and play the game.  In my case, and because I’ve made the game my profession, I’ve been extremely blessed with meeting virtually thousands of people from all walks of life, from the common person, to some of sports all time superstars.

One of my most memorable moments came one day when I was playing golf with NBA legend, Michael Jordan, arguably one of sports greatest icons.  Walking off the tee of # 11 at Bel Air Country Club, Michael was 3 under par and playing great – and was in an even greater mood.  He turned to me and said, “Ya know Roger, I just wish I had started this game when I was a kid, I really think that if I started young enough, I would’ve had a good chance to make it to the PGA Tour”.   Somewhat surprised, I asked him, ‘Let’s say that “if” you would’ve started the game that young, and “if” you had gotten good enough for the tour; what sport would you have played, basketball, or golf?”  He looked at me for a second, thought about it, and then replied, “Ooh, that’s a tough question man, I don’t really know”.

Think about it.  Here’s one of the most acclaimed Super Stars of all time, and he wasn’t sure if he would’ve hypothetically traded his phenomenal career for that of a career in golf!  To me, that says it all about this game; and is another reason that we should keep ourselves fit so that we can play it for a lifetime.

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Are Your Swing Faults “Just” Habits?

To date, I don’t think anybody’s ever achieved a perfect golf swing. Although a few have come close, (Snead and Els come to mind); even they have some slight nuances that they fought for a lifetime.

To date, I don’t think anybody’s ever achieved a perfect golf swing. Although a few have come close, (Snead and Els come to mind); even they have some slight nuances that they fought for a lifetime. The truth is however, that the overwhelming vast majority of golfers have some swing faults, certainly some more than others.

The next question that must be asked is; what is a fault? To answer that, let’s take a look at what most consider to be a typical swing fault – The Flying Right Elbow (for right handers of course) For years (and even today), the flying right elbow is considered “taboo” for a lot of teachers and players. The truth of the matter is that there were a LOT of great players who had “flying elbows” (Jack Nicklaus for one), but there are also great players with neutral elbows, some with elbows close to their sides, etc. So therefore, are flying elbows bad? The answer lies in the fact that flying elbows are great for some people (like Jack Nicklaus) and bad for others. In the case of the flying elbow, one simply has to check out the functioning of the shoulder blades and the muscles that control them (rhomboids and traps) to find out if your elbow is out of balance or not. In other words, a person who is stocky and tight in their chest and back is more likely to be a candidate for a flying elbow. Although we’re only talking about one aspect of the swing here, the fact remains that virtually all swing faults are really “symptoms” of each individual persons’ anatomical function.

Unfortunately, many golfers are trying to achieve positions in their golf swing that they physically “can’t do”, simply because the muscle function of “‘their” bodies won’t allow them to do it. Understanding the basic functioning of your muscles will certainly allow you to practice on the things that are right for YOU.

Do you know WHY you do WHAT you do in your swing?

As a Fredericks Golf Member you have exclusive access to Flexibility Programs for Common Swing Faults videos.

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Golf And Other Sports

While growing up as a youngster, golf was definitely considered a sissy sport. Over time, research has proven that this is FAR from the truth. Professional golfers possess “Tree Trunks” for legs, and on average, possess greater upper trunk flexibility than NBA basketball players!

While growing up as a youngster, golf was definitely considered a sissy sport. Over time, research has proven that this is FAR from the truth. Professional golfers possess “Tree Trunks” for legs, and on average, possess greater upper trunk flexibility than NBA basketball players! Although at first glance, the golf swing may not look very athletic, the fact remains that it IS! (maybe it’s because we’re dressed in such nice slacks, instead of wearing a tank top, or a helmet?)

To elaborate on this, even more similarities are revealed when computerized motion analysis, reveal that the golf swing motions are nearly identical to that of hitting a baseball, throwing a baseball, hitting a tennis ball, etc; and especially the timing sequences of all of them are remarkably similar! If it requires fitness programs to best maximize the performance of other sports motions, why would golf be any different?

I have yet to meet a person, who after embarking on a “proper” fitness program, didn’t improve their golf game (not to mention their overall health). I highly recommend that golfers train for golf as if they were training for another sport. You’ll be amazed.

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Better Posture = Feeling Better

It has become irrefutable to me, that proper posture is the #1 most important aspect of musculeo skeletal health than any other. 

If there is one thing that gets more and more re-enforced into my brain year after year, it’s that the body has ONE design, and ONE design only, in which to operate from; and the more that people get out of this design, the more ailments they are prone to have.  Nature gave us one blueprint in which to operate from and that is, (From the side view), the Ear should be on top of the Hip joint, the Hip joint should be on top of the Knee, and the Knee should be on top of the ankle.  In other words, these joints are designed to stack on top of one another.  Along these lines, the next LAW of nature, is that muscles were designed to move joints, n

ot the other way around, and when these muscles get too imbalanced, they cause the joints to get out of it’s design, thus creating unbalanced load forces on the joints.

The reason that the vast majority of our population has so many aches and pains is simply because we live in a culture that in one sense – is not natural!  Instead of hunting and gathering, walking and moving in a multitude of directions, we instead sit and lean forward, whether driving a car, sitting at our desks, watching TV, ad infinitum.  Sitting down too much, is literally the #1 musculeo skeletal problem in our culture, simply because the hip muscles do too much work holding our torsos up, while the legs do too little work.  The result is that our hip muscles don’t work in sync with our legs. In time, the over use of our hip muscles begin to dominate our pelvis and eventually move it out of position.  Once the pelvis gets out of position, every single joint in the body is affected and in turn, the joints get too much friction, or pressure placed upon them.  When that happens, we’ll begin to see back problems, hip problems, knee problems, shoulder problems,  etc.  Simply by recognizing a persons posture, one can begin to eradicate the pressure placed upon the joints be doing the proper sequenced exercises (usually beginning with stretching) which will return balance to the body.

Whether it’s analyzing a golf swing, or prescribing a “custom” fitness program, restoring a person to proper posture is the key. 

How’s your posture?  How are your ailments?

What’s Your Posture Type?

Find out with our Free Posture Test!

Posture moderates and affects every physiologic condition in the human body, from Respiratory, Digestive, Cardiovascular, Musculoskeletal, even Hormones!