There's more to a good game of golf than practicing your swing, buying the latest and state-of-the-art equipment, or even devoting your entire weekends to practicing on the greens. Golf is also about mental preparation?what experts call "Being in the Zone". The best golf players are very skilled at concentration and focus, enough to stay calm under pressure, and make calm decisions even when millions of dollars are at stake.
Mental preparation isn't just a trick of the pros. Even casual golfers, the ones who like to use it for business networking, have to be able to play a good game while keeping track of their business objectives. Exactly how do you "seal the deal" on an important account, chatting casually without looking too desperate for the contract, while deciding what kind of swing and golf club you need for that particular moment? This is especially true when you are playing with particularly talkative people, who could be joking around or asking you all sorts of questions just when you're about to make a crucial move.
There are several books written on the mental game of golf. Most of them are based on actual research on sports psychology, by experts who have studied the styles and moves of golfing champions. After all, all of these people are understood to be good at the game: they would never have made it to the playoffs without that. However, all things being equal, what sets apart a great golfer from a golfing champion? Here are some of their findings.
The first trait is the ability to concentrate, tune out the voices of other players and other background sounds, like the plane flying overhead, the sound of the lawn mower. Concentration lets you focus on your swing whatever your environmental conditions might be. It prevents you from making that age-old excuse for a bad move: "I was distracted!"
Another ability is to tune out internal distractions, meaning the thoughts and emotions which may prevent your ability to really focus on the shot. This includes the insecurity, the fear, the negative thinking. The energy you spend on telling yourself why you can't win the game is taking away from the energy you need to actually win it.
Which brings us to another important trait: stress management. This doesn't just include the sense of pressure and how everything's riding on this one shot'it's also reining in the rush of adrenalin and excitement. Many players will "blow" a good game in the last few holes, because of the "winner's jitters". Some tricks to manage this includes deep breathing.
Another important winning trait is confidence. This isn't arrogance: you have to know what your weaknesses are, and develop your game accordingly. In fact, many pros will tape themselves as they practice their swing, to detect the problem areas. By honestly assessing your game, and working to improve it, you can go to the actual game with real confidence?that you are truly at your best playing level, and that you have what it takes to handle the pressure.
The real process behind digestion is much more complicated and begins as soon as you put the first morsel in your mouth. As soon as the first bite hits your tongue, the mouth is hard at work. The job of your teeth is to break down the food into smaller and smaller pieces until all that is left is a mushy concoction.
While your teeth are breaking the food down, you may notice you are producing more saliva. That saliva has a job as well. Inside the saliva you are producing are enzymes that are going to start breaking down the food into it's componants and begin digestion on some items such as sugars and starches.
The enzyme that does this work is called Lysozyme. It was discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming in 1922. This enzyme working on the food that is in our mouth not only begins the digestion process, but also is a protector. It will destroy bacterial organisms that are found on our food.
The saliva also has a secondary role of making the food softer and wet, so when you swallow, it will not irritate the walls of the esophagus which are extremely delicate.
So what if this process doesn't go as it was designed? While many animals in the animal kingdom can swallow their meals whole, if humans don't chew well and instead swallow large pieces of food, it can lead to a host of digestive and immune problems.
If you don't chew thouroughly and eat too fast, larger chunks of food will make their way down you esophagus, which can inflame your throat, but that is just the beginning of the problem. Next, these larger pieces of food will make your stomach and digestive track work harder to break it down. If it can't, the undigested bits of food can start to rot and decay, in your intestines. The process of fermentation of food inside your body can create bad bacteria that are then battling your body from the inside.
If the foods that you have not chewed well enough are high in carbohydrates, you could begin a yeast growth factory in your digestive tract. Too big of pieces of carbohydrate foods in your system can be a breeding ground for yeast which will begin a fermentation process.
These bacteria and yeast created in the rotting food in your system can also cause inflammation of your intestinal lining and lead to discomfort. Other symptoms this type of reaction in your body, from swallowing too large of pieces of food, are gas, bloating, and indegestion.
Both Philip Nicosia & Brandon H. Masters are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Philip Nicosia has sinced written about articles on various topics from Site Promotion, Site promotion and Phones. is the webmaster of an online resource centr. Philip Nicosia's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.
Brandon H. Masters has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Lose Weight and Detoxification. Brandon H. Masters is a health enthusiast, researcher and veteran of the Natural Products industry. He is devoted to educating others on the benefits of weight management using natural solutions including a balanced diet.. Brandon H. Masters's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.