are there any exercises i can do to help my balance?

[Chipper]

lately i've had a bit of a rocking motion. then i try to correct by leaning forward and i slice it a bit or a lean back too much to correct that and pull the ball to the left a little too much. is there anything i can do to help keep body still during the swing (besides a lot of practice of course)?

[sdped1]

Lots of different balance exercises. Probably the best and simplest is just stand on one foot and swing the club. When you get good at it with shoes on try taking them off, it's even tougher.-Steve

[Bauer]

As far as excercising in the gym or at home... anything using an ab/balance ball helps to work the small muscles in the body that help with balance.

[wrx_junki]

Train with Wii Fit!

[TN94z]

-Swing on one of the balance ball things
-Get in your golf posture and then bring one foot up. Stay there for 20 seconds. Once you get this down, do it with your eyes closed. Pros can do this for an average of 20 seconds.


Look on Titleist performance institute...they have a ton of stuff

[HSip]

Yoga can really help with balance

[Mathlete1123]

Practice swinging with your eyes closed.

[CG031]

When I find myself off balance, it's usually from too much 'legs,' or 'lower-body' in my swing. I do a drill where I swing a 7 iron with a soccer, or volley ball between my legs. Works well. I do this for 5-10 minutes, and then i go to the range and try making controlled, smooth swings and the balance usually takes care of itself.

[PhilsRHman]

My girlfriend tricked me into doing yoga/pilates the other night. We found the Excercise On Demand channel and there's a 10 min yoga-core workout. She was like, come on, just 10 min, even you can do that. Now, I'm so out of shape -- 5 foot 6, 220 pounds, but decided to show her up, did the whole 10 min program.

When I say I have a new respect for yoga/pilates, that's an understatement. There are parts of my abs, obliques, etc that I didn't even knew existed. My sides were so sort the night after doing the exercise that i had to get out of bed and take 3 advil in order to sleep since I couldn't move off my side, and basically had to fall out of bed to get up.

The bottom line is, every part of me that hurt felt like it was "golf muscle" and if I can get that part of me in shape it's going to be the No. 1 key to my golf fitness routine. Not only is that that region the engine for your turn, but you can tell it will have a big impact on balance.

[TN94z]

My girlfriend tricked me into doing yoga/pilates the other night. We found the Excercise On Demand channel and there's a 10 min yoga-core workout. She was like, come on, just 10 min, even you can do that. Now, I'm so out of shape -- 5 foot 6, 220 pounds, but decided to show her up, did the whole 10 min program.

Yoga is no joke. I used to think that it was crazy and that anyone can do that. It is tough!! I have a new respect for the people at the upper levels of yoga!

[opie]

This drill from Shawn Clement might help. I also swing with my feet together to work on balance

[iacas]

This drill from Shawn Clement might help. I also swing with my feet together to work on balance

I think that higher handicappers feel that the weight shift is more of a sway, while the lower handicapper think that the weight shift is more about the downward pressure on their knees and feet. There is a weight shift, after all - there's more mass to the right side of your setup's center of gravity, so there's more weight on your right foot at the top than at setup and follow-through. But I think the video shows that the higher handicapper tends to sway to get the "weight shift." And that "weight shift" is a bad term to begin with...

As for balance, I swing barefooted. Or with my feet together. Also, bad balance is often a result of bad tempo. And, perhaps most importantly, if you start with bad balance, you can't possibly finish with good balance - so setup is important too. If your weight is too far towards the toe or heels, for example. If you come way over the top (which throws your shoulders and thus your weight way out towards your toes), you can have bad balance too - you've gotta stay inside your body line, and ideally right over the front part of your ankle(s) through the center of your feet.

[HytrewQasdfg]

Cross leg drill.

Stand on your left foot and cross your right foot in front of the left (leaving the right edge of the right foot on the ground.) Practice full swings.

http://www.thegolfchannel.com/golf-v...225&select4;=17

Of all the drills I've tried, this is the best at teaching balance and the proper weight shift. Try this for a while and you will be swinging inside your feet and still shifting your weight.

[ControlJunkie]

I've been really concentrating hard on having a solid base. When I'm in my stance, basically, the feel I go for in my legs and I guess my entire bottom half is kinda the same feel you have when you're doing squats or deadlifts. It almost feels like you're trying to push your feet through the ground, if that makes sense. This has helped me tremendously with my balance, and it keeps me from shifting my weight wildly. Also, I feel like I get a much better coil, and it keeps me from reverse pivoting.

I think it kinda goes hand in hand with what CG031 said about the volleyball or soccerball between your legs. When doing what I'm talking about, I can really feel my weight on the inside of my knees.

[DavidFehertysBike]

If it hasn't been mentioned already, Yoga and leg and core strenthening can really help with balance.