As the Masters Tournament approaches the weekend each shot counts more and more. Add that pressure to the numerous water hazards and the opportunity to throw up large numbers becomes the norm rather than the exception. No player is immune to this anxiety but how they handle it decides the victor.

Even seasoned professionals wear their mental state on their sleave so to speak. Often times lost with their snazzy outfits and space age equipment is their posture. The two biggest tells can be found in their head position and their shoulder height.

When faced with anxiety and stress the body automatically resorts to preprogrammed fight or flight responses. Due to social practices in golf, running away or fighting is not appropriate so other channels for release must be found. Socially acceptable channels most often revolve around tensing up and releasing the emotional stress throughout the body.

As your favorite players make their way around the final 36 holes pay special attention first to their chin. As the body tenses due to stress it is a natural reaction to conceal the jugular by lowering the chin. This response effects the spine angle and results in players blocking the ball sending it to the right for right-handed players. The second area of focus is the shoulders. Again, as the body tenses their is a natural reaction to flex the trapezoidal muscles and raise the shoulders. This keeps the arms from moving freely and allows the body to move faster than the hands sending the ball to the left for right-handed players.

So as you watch golf’s greatest, look for how they hold their pressure. And when you hit the links be aware of the tension in your body. If you relax and have fun then you will play better and have more fun.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 11th, 2008 at 6:05 pm and is filed under Competition, Emotions, Golf. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.