stephenjm

I coach a number of sports and what has always struck me as odd is how different golfers and racket sport players approach their games. The tennis, squash and badminton players I know would all have a knock-up before starting. At the basic level this is to get their muscles warm to help prevent injury and to get the feeling for the court and environment. As they get better they realise that it is an opportunity to play each of the shots they would expect to use in a game. On the other hand the majority of golfers that I know do very little in terms of preparation - most of them will have a few practise swings before the first tee. Very few would do as I would prescribe: A gentle warm -up of the muscles first. Then hitting some drives, followed by shots will all of the clubs in your bag that you expect to use and then lastly onto putting practise. What's your experience and opinion?

I'm sure eBay/Paypal will sort this out for you. There are effectively the same company and they want to ensure the eBay network is a safe place for buying. Just be nice but firm with them and don't take "no" for an answer. I normally explain what the result is that I want and then demand to speak to the person who can make that happen. Us Brits aren;t great at that sort of thing but it generally works (apart from anything involving Sky TV)

They're getting close to success but I think they now need to build a team

Not an Arsenal fan but I'd like to see them win one of the big ones: Premier League or Champions League just to show that Arsene Wenger's approach can bring success (& you don't need to spend big). I think they could do with a couple of big buys though

I know the Liverpool fans love Kenny but I don't see him as being the 'saviour' you need. For the last 5 or 6 seasons Liverpool have been beating the big teams and losing to the smaller ones. Their problem has been scraping to a barely acceptable finish. My wife is a Liverpool fan and I've been giving her the same message for years: Firstly, you need to decide where you want to be competing. If the answer is for the Premier League title and therefore a genuine top 3 club then you need a proven top manager: Mourinho, Scolari, Wenger (although he's won nothing for 6 years), Ferguson etc and you need to demand success and not give too much time. You also need to focus on the title you want to win, e.g. The Premier League and forget the rest (even the Champions League) - yes it will need investment but Benitez invested plenty. I don't believe Kenny will bring the regular success that the fans want so desparately.

Swiss balls are all about core strength and stability - so definitely in the same class as pilates. Not so great for calorie burning but it's amazing what a positive impact core strength can have to all aspects of your life (and sport). The other great thing about the ball is that you can start off with simple exercises, e.g. sitting on the ball, slowly raising one leg and trying to keep the ball still and balanced, and progress to the harder ones. The top skiers can stand on the ball and do squats!

I'm 43, been playing for 26 years now (off and on)

Welcome to the forum! I'm a fellow newbie - joined just yesterday.

I'm a sports coach. SPlit my time between golf, tennis badminton and general fitness. Never was good enough at a single sport to turn pro so I ended up coaching a variety!

Hi Casey Welcome to the forum! It's great to see someone so young who recognises the need for consistency rather than just trying ot hit the ball further! Consistency and accuracy are the key to reducing your handicap (along with a great short game of course)! Stephen

Hi Chris Welcome to the forum - I hope you find heaps of useful information to help you improve / enjoy this great (sometimes frustrating) game Stephen

Hi Everyone I found this forum using tapatalk in my iPhone - didn't show up on Google! I live in Winchester in the UK and currently have a handicap of 4.3 Don't get to play as much as I would like (but then who does)? Looking forward to some interesting discussions! Stephen