By Alicia Baker
It doesn’t matter what your favorite sport is, chances are there is room for improvement.
Unless you happen to be the number one in the world, there are probably some changes you could make to improve your game. So what should you be doing differently? Well, that depends on the sport. To help you out, we have put together some top expert tips for some of the most popular sports. There is no better feeling than finally mastering that game.
Why not make it your mission this year to be the best you can be? Without further ado, here’s what you need to be doing.
Baseball
Depending on your usual position in the game, there are some different ways you can improve your baseball game. We will focus mostly on batting here – it’s all about that swing! The main thing that most people want to work on when it comes to batting is the power of their swing. That makes perfect sense. After all, more power in the swing means you are giving yourself more of a fighting chance to get that home run.
One of the best pieces of advice here is: take a slight step forward as you start to swing. The trick (and the difficult part) is to keep your weight as balanced as possible as you do this. That might sound like a contradiction, but after a few swings, you’ll get the idea. The second most important aspect of the swing is to remember to keep your hands close to your body at all times.
This is a sure way of putting as much power as you possibly can into the swinging action itself – and that means more torque. Also, make sure that you keep your hands around chest height. Otherwise, you might run the risk of hitting the ball straight into the ground. And if that happens, the best agree: there’s no way you’re going anywhere.
Finally, the one thing that most people forget: the follow-through. A swing without a follow-through is hardly a swing at all. Usually, it is what makes all the difference.
Golf
Once again, we’re looking at the swing. The main difference here is that, with golf, you’re not just looking for sheer power. You also want to be a bit clever about it. When it comes to your golf swing, you need to put a lot of attention into the entire process – not just the swing itself. We need to start with the grip you have on the club. There are a lot of different grips in golf, and they each have their benefits and their downsides. But there are some basic things they have in common.
Firstly, it is imperative that all the pressure on the grip is coming from the last three fingers. It seems like a small detail, but believe me – it makes a world of difference. The forefinger and the thumb should both stay well away. However, it doesn’t matter how good your grip is if you don’t have it aligned with the club in the proper way.
You know you are gripping it correctly, in the right alignment, if you have those telltale straight lines along your arms. Otherwise, you need to shift something around. The best way to test it, of course, is to give it a swing and see. Then, it’s a matter of getting some good quality advice from the pros: https://atthetee.com/golf-swing-tips-2/
Basketball
Enough of the swings – what about something a little different? In basketball, it’s all about that money shot. So how can you go about improving your shooting game?
First things first: one of the quickest improvements on your shot can be made by simply locating your target a little earlier. Get the rim in alignment just a half second earlier, and your brain will have a little more time to unconsciously work out the shot. It might sound far-fetched, but this is coming from the professionals.
You also need to make sure that you finish it off with your wrist as relaxed as possible. Why? If you follow-through with your wrist locked into place, it is much less likely that the ball will end up where you thought it would.
However, the main deal with basketball is how psychological the game is. This is something all the pros will tell you. The best tip for when you want to improve your score record is this: stop thinking about it! If you are focused too hard on it, or worrying about it, then it will show. You’ve got to relax and let go of it to a certain degree.
After that, you will probably find your game improving immediately.