Using Sound to Improve Your Swing

If I asked students who take my golf lessons how critical good rhythm is to a good swing, most would agree that it's important, but not the most important factor. Many weekend golfers would probably agree with this assessment. But a new device developed by a professor at Yale reveals that good rhythm is more important to chopping strokes off your golf handicap than many think.

bob Grober, a professor of applied physics at Yale university-and a one-handicapper- recently invented a device for translating the rhythm of a swing into sound. Here's how it works: A small wireless transmitter inserted into the butt end of a club detects the club's movement. The signal produced is transmitted to an iPod-sized unit attached to the player's waist. The auditory signal is relayed to a set of lightweight headphones and the sound manifests itself as a pleasing organ-like tone when the player swings.

If your clubhead is decelerating through impact, your transition from backswing to downswing is too abrupt, or your mechanics are way out of sync, Grober's device tells you through sound. The faster the club travels, the louder the volume and the pitch. The idea is to make the loudest sound at impact, not before. Grober's device also registers how fast the club is moving on the downswing, and gives you a start-to-finish speed profile. It's a handy tool for serious golfers.

Swing Profiles

Using this device, Grober was able to isolate three distinct speed profiles among golfers. Golfers with high golf handicaps (20+) are cursed with lousy rhythm. They're like dancers who have two left feet, always tripping over themselves. Golfers with golf handicaps from 20 to 5-intermediate golfers- tend to complete their swings too quickly. The loudest sound comes just before impact.

Then there are golfers with golf handicaps below 5. Let's call them tour players. They also tend to rush their swings but to a much lesser degree than intermediate golfers. Like the intermediate golfers, these players create the loudest sounds just before impact, but they do it much less often than with the intermediate golfers. More often than not, their loudest sound comes right at impact, which explains why they hit the ball so well.

improving Rhythm

The best swing according to Grober contains a brief period when the club is hardly moving at all while the lower body begins to clear out. Unfortunately, weekend golfers tend to hurry the transition from backswing to downswing. That disrupts the player's rhythm and throws off his or her swing at impact. So the loudest sound comes just before, not at, impact.

The professor's device doesn't tell us anything new about swinging a golf club. It just reaffirms what we've suspected all along regarding the rhythm of the swing: That it's one of the keys to hitting a ball well, if not the key. So how can you take advantage of this information?

First, relax your hands at address. If they're tense or tight, the rest of your body will be tense. Whenever Johnny Bench, the great baseball player, wanted to hit the ball for distance, the first thing he did was lighten up on his grip. That relaxed his hands and his arms and body.

Second, work on swinging to a beat. Pace yourself when you practice. Think of your swing as a one-two motion. One is your backswing. Two is your downswing. You can even say something like "one-two" during the swing. "Back and through," "low and slow," or "turn and turn" also work.

Third, practice swinging with your eyes closed. By swinging with your eyes closed, you can feel the weight of the club and sense its speed gradually accelerating from the top of your swing all the way through to a controlled finish. Once you've mastered that, re-create the swing on the course. If successful, you'll see your consistency improve and your bad shots diminish.

Most golf instruction sessions focus on the mechanics of the swing, not the "intangibles," like rhythm and tempo. But as professor Grober's device reveals through analysis of sound, the intangibles are just important as good mechanics, if not more important. If you want to become more consistent and cut your golf handicap down to size, focus on improving both the mechanics and the intangibles.

Jack Moorehouse is the author of the best-selling book "How To Break 80 And Shoot Like The Pros." He is NOT a golf pro, rather a working man that has helped thousands of golfers from all seven continents lower their handicap immediately. He has a free weekly newsletter with the latest golf tips, golf lessons and golf instruction.

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Lipovarin Review: How Well Does It Work?

Lipovarin Review

Since the ban on ephedra based products in April 2003 many ephedra free fat burners have hit the weight loss market with mixed success. A few of these new "ephedra alternative" weight loss products have performed a pretty decent job of burning fat and supplying a boost of energy while others have not been nearly as effective.

Lipovarin is one of the more popular over-the-counter ephedra free weight loss supplements on the market today. The product claims to be a powerful thermogenic weight loss compound that is also capable of suppressing one's appetite. Accompanying those effects is the claim that it can boost energy and elevate one's emotional mood.

As I have said in the past in reviewing nutritional products, for a product to have any real potential it MUST contain efficacious ingredients and they must be included in a high enough amount to prove potentially worthwhile. More importantly, product claims should always be supported by the inclusion of ingredients that have clinical research behind them. Too often products contain a concoction of ingredients that have no clinical proof as to their actual efficacy in responding to a physical condition. I will tell you that Lipovarin probably contains the highest grade quality of ingredients that I have ever analyzed in a weight loss product.

Let's take a close look at the Lipovarin formula. I will try and analyze each ingredient and see how important it is in delivering safe and effective weight loss:

1) Advantra Z (385mg) is a patent pending brand of citrus aurantium used in the clinical research studies that have demonstrated its safe and effective calorie burning properties. Unlike ephedrine or ma huang based products, Advantra Z stimulates only the metabolism boosting Beta 3 receptors, so there are no undesirable effects on your nervous system, heart rate or blood pressure levels. In fact, clinical results indicate Advantra Z is more thermogenic than ephedrine, without any of the associated side effects. I am extremely impressed by the inclusion of this ingredient in the Lipovarin product.

To read more on the structure/function claims on Advantra Z follow this link: http://www.winltdusa.com/about/infocenter/healthnews/articles/advantrafunction.htm

2) 7-Keto is a naturally occurring breakdown product of DHEA that has DHEA activity, but cannot be converted to testosterone or estrogen in the body. research suggests that 7-Keto DHEA may increase fat-burning enzyme activity and support healthy thyroid function. 7-Keto may increase the levels of a thyroid hormone called triiodothyronine (T3) levels in the body, which are linked to resting metabolism. Increases in fat-burning enzyme activity may increase body metabolic rate and promote weight loss without stimulating the nervous system or changing caloric intake.

To read more on the clinical results of 7-Keto follow this link: http://www.humaneticscorp.com/ittrium/servlet/visit?path=A24x0x1y1xb9x1x72y1xbex1x65

3) Green Tea extract (150mg) is an ingredient that has so much positive clinical support backing it as a weight loss compound. I am a big fan of green tea because it reaches beyond weight loss and into other health defense areas. As it relates to weight loss, it has been shown effectively increase one's metabolism by as much as 4-6% This "speeding up" of one's metabolism can easily lead to the reduction in overall body mass, i.e., weight loss.

4) Serotain (295 mg) is a proprietary blend of Griffonia simplicifolia extract and other natural ingredients that contain 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), which enhances endogenous serotonin levels. The most widely studied effects of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, have been on the central nervous system. According to Richard Borne, Ph.D., faculty at the University of mississippi School of Pharmacy, the functions of serotonin are numerous and appear to involve control of appetite, sleep, memory, temperature regulation, mood and behavior. What I really like about the inclusion of this ingredient in this ingredient is that dieting is hard enough without being a nervous wreck. Serotain supports your weight-loss program by enhancing your mood in a natural way.

5) Metabromine (350mg) is a derivative of the cacao tree, (cacao tree produces the seeds used in making cocoa, chocolate, and cocoa butter), and provides the appetite suppression and energy boost without the jitters some consumers used to get when they took ephedra-based products. It's a rather unique appetite ingredient that performs in similar fashion as Hoodia Gordonii. It definitely has some very real potential.

5) Caffeine (200mg), which speeds metabolism, is the most-active ingredient in many "diet pills." Caffeine breaks down fat, freeing fatty acids which are immediately burned. Conversion of fat to energy is about 30 percent more efficient when caffeine is consumed prior to exercise.

6) Glucuronolactone (300 mg) detoxifies the body by speeding up the elimination of harmful substances, both endogenic (toxins within or made by the body) and exogenic (external toxins such as radiation, or pollution that penetrate the body from the outside). Supplementing with glucuronolactone, aids the transportation of amino acids during amino acid metabolism.

7) Taurine (200 mg) helps to emulsify dietary lipids in the intestine, promoting digestion. Taurine also regulates heartbeat and maintains cell membrane stability. Taurine has protective effects upon the human brain and is often used to boost brain function and cognitive abilities.

8) L-Carnitine (15mg) is a water-soluble, B-vitamin-like nutrient that the body uses to turn fat into energy. With carnitine's help, fat levels decrease in the blood and weight loss is easier. New research continues to pour in to support the idea that l-carnitine should be an every day, health supporting nutrient that we all take as regularly as vitamin C.

Here is the bottom-line on Lipovarin--it is as complete a weight loss product as you will find on the market today. I am extremely impressed by both the weight loss components and the powerful energy boosting components of the product. In the future I would like to see a little bit more clinical data on the efficacy of the Metabromine ingredient (appetite suppressant) contained in the formula. Overall, I highly recommend Lipovarin as a weight loss product!

Peter is a health & fitness enthusiast and writer. He is in the process of completing his new book titled "Extend Your life Beyond Today." In the book he examines the link between nutritional supplements and human life extension.

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Golf Sets - What Do I Really Need As A Beginner?

When you start playing golf in beginning then you have to take all equipments related to it. The best thing is that you can take only the most required articles in beginning. Possession of right fittings assures you easy success in game and also makes playing game simple. For the achievement of goals it is important to have the right set.

You should always keep your golf sets separate from others because this is a game where you can not share your equipments with anyone. As a beginner you need the following sets which are required for playing.

golf Clubs

first of all you need to collect and include clubs in your kit. There are four types of clubs i.e. woods, irons, putters and hybrids.

woods golf clubs are very long with shafts measuring about 40 to 47 inches. These clubs have large heads and spherical shape. wood clubs are most suitable for working on situations which necessitate hitting off the tee. When you are supposed to take a definite carries or drive then you should always keep wood club in your golf set.

Wedges golf clubs comes with loft of more than 44 and this special feature makes it different from other clubs.

Another category of clubs is putters which are basically used on green grounds. Putters club has low loft and short shaft which combines well the features of accuracy and skillful touch.

Next is irons golf clubs which are most resourceful as well as easy to handle. Some golfers prefer to make do in this game by using only an iron. These are rather short than woods clubs and comes in shafts measurement of 36 to 40 inches. For using the irons clubs you need to possess relative expertise and sufficient amount of accuracy.

players can take with them maximum fourteen assorted clubs in their golf sets. This kit consist of all different clubs as 2 wedges, one putter and three woods.

golf Balls

This is second most important equipment in your golf set. Standard diameter of balls are 42.67 mm. Balls are made generally from synthetic materials. Most important feature of these balls is its dimple which creates smoothness. The sleek finish of balls affects the spin and curve of ball. Material of them affects the ultimate results of this game, such as ball with harder material results in longer distance and softer material ball require more spin.

Although there are some more things like bags, cleats and tees but these above mentioned tools are most required in your set when you are going to begin playing golf.

My name is Rob Gutenheim and I am playing golf since 20 years with a handicap of 5. I wrote several articles about golf, you will find more about my work at : http://www.jrgolfequipment.com/

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