Golf Flow

for the time span. Note that each step is really two steps—one cycle of tension and relaxation for each set of opposing muscles.
    Do the entire sequence once a day until you feel that you are able to control your muscle tension.
    Be careful. If you have problems with pulled muscles, broken bones, or any medical contraindication for physical activities, consult your doctor first.
Hands . The fists are tensed; relaxed. The fingers are extended; relaxed.
Biceps and triceps . The biceps are tensed (make a muscle, but shake your hands to make sure that you’re not tensing them into a fist); relaxed (drop your arms to the chair). The triceps are tensed (try to bend your arms the wrong way); relaxed (drop them).
Shoulders . Pull them back (careful with this one); relax them. Push the shoulders forward (hunch); relax.
Neck (lateral) . With your shoulders straight and relaxed, turn your head slowly to the right, as far as you can; relax. Turn to the left; relax.
Neck (forward) . Dig your chin into your chest; relax. (Bringing the head back is not recommended because you could break your neck.)
Mouth . Open your mouth as far as possible; relax. Bring your lips together or purse them as tightly as possible; relax.
Tongue (extended and retracted) . With your mouth open, extend your tongue as far as possible; relax (let it sit in the bottom of your mouth). Bring it back into your throat as far as possible; relax.
Tongue (roof and floor) . Dig your tongue into the roof of your mouth; relax. Dig it into the bottom of your mouth; relax.
Eyes . Open your eyes as wide as possible (furrow your brow); relax. Close your eyes tightly (squint); relax. Make sure that you completely relax the eyes, forehead, and nose after each of the tensings.
Breathing . Take as deep a breath as possible and then take in a little more; let it out and breathe normally for 15 seconds. Let all the breath in your lungs out and then let out a little more; inhale and breathe normally for 15 seconds.
Back . With your shoulders resting on the back of the chair, push your body forward so that your back is arched; relax. Be careful with this one or don’t do it at all.
Buttocks . Tense your buttocks tightly and raise your pelvis slightly off the chair; relax. Dig your buttocks into the chair; relax.
Thighs . Extend your legs and raise them about 6 inches (15 cm) off the floor or the footrest but don’t tense the abdominal muscles; relax. Dig your feet (heels) into the floor or footrest; relax.
Abdomen . Pull in your abdomen as far as possible; relax completely. Push out your abdomen or tense it as if you were preparing for a punch in the gut; relax.
Calves and feet . Point your toes (without raising your legs); relax. Point your feet up as far as possible (beware of cramps; if you get them or feel them coming on, shake them loose); relax.
Toes . With your legs relaxed, dig your toes into the floor; relax. Bend your toes up as far as possible; relax.
    Now just relax for a while.
    At first, go through the entire sequence and keep to a schedule of doing the exercises daily. Eventually, your will become so in tune with your body that you can gradually reduce it to twice weekly. As the days of practice progress, you may wish to skip the steps that do not appear to be a problem for you. After you’ve become an expert on your tension areas (after several weeks), you can focus mainly on those problem areas. I typically go through the full sequence with my golfers about once per month to maintain good body awareness and to prevent tension buildup. My golfers are frequently amazed how quickly they lose that body awareness if they aren’t diligent about our sessions. These exercises will not eliminate tension, but when it arises, you will know it immediately, and you will be able to “tense–relax” it away or even simply wish it away.

Chapter 24
Emphasize Rhythm, Not Mechanics
    Other than the transformation of time, perhaps the most prevalently reported experience that a golfer feels in the flow zone is a sense of perfect rhythm. The word
rhythm
came up repeatedly with every golfer I asked to describe flow.
    When searching for the precise words to describe their flow state, golfers nearly always default to saying “perfect rhythm.” Those of you who have been in flow know exactly what they mean. Playing in perfect rhythm has a signature: With relatively low tension levels, you move in rhythm. You don’t find yourself rushing to catch up with your thoughts, or