May 21, 2003

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Amazing New 3-Video, Golf School-in-a-Box INSTANTLY Gives You Pro-Level Power & Accuracy...WITHOUT Years of Practice
Finally - Learn What The Big-Bux Equipment Companies Don\'t Want You To Know About Power, Distance, Accuracy And .Instantly Vaporizing A Chronic Slice With Two, SIMPLE \"No-Brainier\" Exercises That Will Destroy Your Slice Forever - No Matter What Brand Clubs You Play
www.thinkandreachpar.com


Special Notice

If you have a topic you would like to have discussed or more information on, just send me an email and let me know. Richard@thinkandreachpar.com

If you like this newsletter, I would appreciate it if you would forward a copy to your friends and ask them to subscribe. It\'s a free gift!!


Got a call last week from a gentleman in Texas that lost his right arm when he was 5 years old in an automobile accident. He is 25 now and plays golf. He addresses the ball on the right side but hits it on the back stroke. He is driving the ball about 280 yards, has a handicap of 95. (one arm, hitting the ball on the backstroke and has a handicap of 95) The problem is that he has trouble addressing the ball squarely using only one arm. If any of you know where he could get some help, or anything that might help him, I would appreciate you letting me know. Thanks

Also received this email from a lady that is working on a school project; if you can help her, I am sure she will appreciate it.

Here are the questions:
1. On the course, what would make your experience in playing golf more enjoyable?
2. Would you want to have a \'digital golf journal mobile system\' that is able to record a progression of your swing style, keep your previous scores and to be able to get access online with personalized homepage to share your scores with your friends? Please add any of your suggestions to this question.

Michelle Chew email address djaja78@hotmail.com

Coming Soon:
\"Coming Soon... the new thinkandreachpar web site will
have a link that, believe it or not, shows you what a
swing looks like over email. This link will also tell
you how you can send your own swing and get it
analyzed by a certified instructor for much less cost
than an ordinary lesson. We may be one of the first
to offer this. The first 3 people who can guess who
is swinging in the sample swing, can get a swing
analysis free of charge. Keep an eye out for the
updated web site.\"


Quote of the week:

\"Everybody builds a dream in their lifetime. Your either going to
build your dream, or somebody else\'s. So build your own!\"

Christopher LaBrec

Golf Quote of the week:

When you struggle with the putter, it gets to the rest of your game. It\'s an extra strain on your self to try to squeeze that ball in the hole.
Ben Crenshaw


Comments from subscribers:

I would like to respond to a note writer by Mr. Jerry Teal from Canton Texas. I am in total agreement with him. I don\'t say that there should be a circus going on but lets face it on the pro tour their are a bunch of premodonas. I know there is a lot of money on the line.

I doubt if their is one pro on tour could play with the group I play with. There is talking and movement. I doesn\'t bother any of us. There should be some fun that goes along with the game too.
John W.


Richard, I received your Body Golf School in a box videos about three weeks ago. Doing as you said, I watched the slice busing video three times then I went to the driving range to practice. I could not believe it. I have played twice in the past week and my handicap in down by 9 strokes. My slice is completely gone. Thank you for being honest with me. John Jacobs, Houston, TX

Thank you John for taking my advice and purchasing the videos.
Richard

Tired of your friends laughing at you? The Body Golf Full Swing
video will teach you the pro\'s secrets. Eliminate your swing flaws,
learn the secret to accuracy, and ball control. Increase your
flexibility, strength, health and perfect your swing . . . all in
one video. Eliminate your slice for good. Just 3 minutes per day!!
For more information go to: www.thinkandreachpar.com









I am interested in exercise and fitness to help improve my golf. I sure hope you are to. I have asked this lady who is a professional in yoga and exercise to write two articles for us. Please study them, and if you think they are worthwhile, please let me know. The first is this week and then another next week. I hope you enjoy them.


Cross train the brain:
Yoga Improves Golfers Physical and Mental Game
By Sharon N. Daugherty
Ó2003, Writetospeak Communications

Remember how surprised people were years ago, when some professional football players revealed that they studied ballet under real instructors? We all understood when it was explained that classical dance contributes to their grace and finesse on the football field. Around that same time, female athletes started looking more muscular, contributing to their lean and mean advantage on the tracks, courts, and in the fields of sport. Suddenly, cross training became more popular among amateur athletes, as the message got out that training in many areas could affect their performance in their sport of choice.

Now, we are discovering a whole new level of cross training, one that integrates mind and body wellness, and gives athletes a brand new competitive edge. The cross training sport of choice? Yoga. The sport that perhaps benefits the most from this ancient Eastern practice? Golf.

A little piece of history to get you going
Yoga is the oldest physical discipline in existence. Though it is thought to be at least five thousand years old, the exact origins of yoga are unknown. The earliest evidence of yoga practice can be traced back to about 3000 B.C. The original purpose of the exercises was to bring stability and relaxation so practitioners could prepare for meditation, which required great discipline in order to sit still and remain alert for long periods of time.

Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning union or joining. It is really a very general term that encompasses many different disciplines, from the purely physical to the purely spiritual - and everything in between. Practicing yoga can be as helpful to a professional golfer as lifting weights is to a football player-it promotes those conditions that make you a better player, by offering balance, flexibility, concentration, and focus.

Entirely holistic, the practice is based upon the belief that there is a true connection between the mind and body, and that through breathing, meditation, and the specific postures, or asanas, you can unify your mind with your body, bringing you to a higher state of physical and emotional well being. Practitioners of yoga experience this feeling in all areas of their lives. To that end, a sport such as golf that requires such high levels of concentration, calm focus, and clear thinking, along with physical ability, would be a great beneficiary of the effects of yoga practice.
Practicing yoga is not synonymous with practicing a religion. Because of its history, many people associate yoga with the Hindu faith. Although it is widely practiced in that part of the world, yoga is a physical and psychological discipline that combines the learning and practice of asanas (poses), pramayama (breathing), and meditation. It does not espouse a religious doctrine, and practicing yoga does not indicate a conversion from your own religious affiliation.
One breath at a time
Your breath is the foundation of your life. Every minute of the day, whether awake or asleep, active or relaxing, we are breathing. Unlike food and water, there is no number of days that a human being can survive without breathing. Breath is life. And as a practice that seeks to integrate the different levels of one\'s life, yoga grounds itself in teaching the importance of respecting and using each breath.

When you prepare to hit the ball, you are probably more focused that you are at any other time of day, in any other place you have been. And when there is a stillness in the air, and concentration is key, your breath becomes more evident than ever. You seem to not only be aware that you are breathing, but you can hear your breath, the frequency of it, and how deep it is. And it is common practice, almost instinct, for a person in deep concentration to take a deep breath before performing an act. In doing this, you are already observing a basic principal of yoga, as you allow your breath to calm you, focus you, and guide you in your physical movements.

Let\'s get metaphysical
Fluidity and range of motion within the body are factors that are as important to golfers as they are to professional figure skaters. As the golfer\'s upper body swings widely from side to side, their lower body is performing much smaller motions. This causes many different processes to take place in the musculoskeletal system, and opens up the possibility for a wide range of injuries.

The poses in yoga are each designed to allow the muscles to become more fluid, and to explore the boundaries of their range. One does not practice with the goal of pushing past these boundaries to the point of pain, but rather to discover how the mind can work with the body to reach higher levels of existence and performance.

To achieve a better, more even stroke with less risk of hyperextension or repetitive strain injuries, a golfer may hold poses for a longer period on the weaker side of the body, allowing it to meet the level of strength and agility as the stronger side of the body. In addition, poses that strengthen the lower back and legs allow for greater concentration ability in the larger muscle groups, which bear more weight, particularly when bending and holding weight-bearing poses prior to swinging the club.

The combination of breathing and asanas address the specific needs of the practitioner. An individual may have internal physical or emotional stressors that prevent that person from feeling balanced. Tensions from other areas of one\'s life can affect the concentration level, and the intensity of the game can heighten anxiety. By introducing the techniques of yoga, golfers can become highly skilled at managing physical and emotional issues, which had previously impaired their ability to perform at the top of their game.

Concentrated poses designed to promote strength, flexibility and range of motion in specific areas of the body, combined with focused breathing, and relaxed, clear, positive thoughts, can put anyone \"in the zone,\" whether on the mediation floor or the golf course.



Richard\'s Thoughts:

Teaching 6-8 Year olds to Play Golf

When selecting a set of clubs for your youngster starting out I would recommend a good set of junior clubs. If you would like to cut down a set, I would use women\'s clubs, as they are usually a little lighter. One brand that works very well is Cobra. You could start with something like a 9-iron, 6-iron, 3-wood and putter.

When you get started, just make sure the child has fun. This is mandatory…they have to have fun.

I personally don\'t think it is necessary to give kids golf lessons at a young age. If you try to make them too perfect, they won\'t have fun and they won\'t want to play.

Engage them in games around the green, such as chipping and putting contests with family members. The short game gives them a feel for the force of the club without a lot of body work. Make sure they understand the \"game\" is getting the ball in the hole.

Here are a couple other tips:

1. Make sure they deep the right hand under the left hand but don\'t worry about developing a perfect grip.
2. When they are ready to work on control, try putting two tees in the ground about five inches apart. Place a ball between the tees and have the kids hit it so their clubhead swings between the tees and brushes the ground as they make contact.

3. Let them start by swinging hard and having fun. You can help kids get a feel for good swing movement by having them swing while on their knees or sitting on an inverted driving range bucket. This will make them move sensitive to the club. The drill will take the overactive body out of the swing and they use the hands and arms correctly.

4. When they swing, have them hold their finish for a second and make sure they always keep both feet on the ground.

5. Let them try to see how many times they can bounce a ball off the face of the wedge. This helps teach feel for the club and ball, gets the arms relaxed and helps with eye-hand coordination.

6. Make sure they are having fun…and you will too!!

If anyone has any recommendations or tips for teaching youngsters to play this game of ours, I would appreciate you sending them to me, and I will publish them.

Until next week…good golfing.

Dr Richard Myers
www.thinkandreachpar.com
www.bodygolf.com

100 Gilderbrook Rd
Greenville, SC 29615

865.675.0038





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