Indy Golf Coach

By: Tracy Chapman,
TPI Golf Fitness Specialist

I started to write a post on my StrengthCoach.com website explaining my response to a thread about Tabata intervals.  I probably was a little short with my answer because I thought the question was phrased poorly and loaded with assumptions. The writer took offense and responded “I’m just trying to learn”.

I went on to explain to him that the intelligent people in our industry are fighting a war of sorts.  Because we are constantly battling misinformation, half-truths, lies and out right stupidity we can often come across as impatient. The enemy has many names, Crossfit, P90X, Insanity, Bar Method, Tracey Anderson and so many others. A new enemy constantly appears on the horizon and they all have the same theme. The enemies simply ignore science and empirical evidence and replace it with marketing. They ignore common sense and replace it with marketing. They prey on the uniformed.

Our job as fitness professionals, personal trainers or strength and conditioning coaches is to continually try to keep the pendulum in the center and use our common sense. One of my favorite quotes comes from Benjamin Franklin is:

“common sense is not very common”

This can be combined with another great quote:

” a little knowledge is dangerous”

We exist in a fitness world overpopulated by people with a little knowledge and too little common sense. The resultant combination of a little knowledge and a lack of common sense is the foolish programming that we are forced to battle against. What the smart people do in this industry is make the client feel and look better while at the same time keeping the client healthy and safe. Is that too much to ask?

The only thing that makes me feel better is that we are succeeding. Our business at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning has nearly doubled in 4 years. This is due to a great program and a great staff that delivers consistent, reproducible results. Microgyms ( think opposite of the Big Box, lots of equipment, no instruction) are thriving all over America. Keep it up, don’t sell out. Don’t throw up a Crossfit sign or any other sign for its marketing value. Continue to deliver great programming and great results.

To your success,

Mike Boyle

SET UP FOR SUCCESS

By Tracy Chapman, TPI Golf Fitness Specialist

Sit up straight. Pull your shoulders back. Stick out your chest. Bring your head back.

This is not your mother speaking. It’s your teaching professional.  There is general agreement among teaching professionals that most, if not all, of a golfer’s inconsistent swing motions are in some way caused by incorrect posture at address.  Poor set-up posture also contributes to physical stress.

The most common mistake is bending from the wrong place.  Most golfers tend to bend from their waist and/or mid-back rather than from their hips. This interferes with a safe and consistently effective golf swing in three primary ways:

• It prevents ideal balance.
• It limits a complete turn.
• It reduces optimal swing motion along the swing plane.

When a golfer bends too much from the mid-back (thoracic spine) at address, the center of gravity moves excessively to the heels.  The initial positioning greatly affects both static balance during the address position as well as dynamic balance throughout the entire swing.  The golfer must make compensations or adjustments wherever possible to maintain balance during the swing.  This challenges the out-of-balance golfer’s ability to consistently move his hands and club in the proper swing plane.  Also, the lack of rotational ability in the spine forces an excessive amount of leg and hip turn during the backswing.  This often leads to a reverse pivot on the backswing and a lateral sliding motion during the downswing.

It’s one thing to know what the proper posture at address is; but a totally different thing to be able to achieve a spine angle that is straight with an appropriate amount of bend from the hips and knees.

To correct a postural problem at address, golfers need two essential things.  First, they need to understand how to initiate the proper sequence of body motions to achieve ideal setup posture.  Second, they must have the necessary combination of flexibility, strength, and control to coordinate their body into the ideal setup position and maintain it swing after swing.

Club Behind The Spine Drill

Here is a simple drill to get a perfect address position every time.  Please consult with your professional instructor, however, before practicing this drill to determine whether this postural technique is consistent with what he believes is right for you.

Stand tall and place a golf club behind your back with the clubface pressed against your tailbone and your head against the grip of the club. Next, bend forward in such a way that the club shaft stays pressed against your belt line.  Bend forward enough for the shoulders to get in line with your toes.  (PGA Tour players have a forward bend of  35-45 degrees) This will allow for your arms to hang freely straight down from your shoulders and ensure that you are bending from your hips.

If you use this club behind the spine method to practice arriving at an ideal address posture, it could not only help your game but it could also help with sound body mechanics in everyday life.

This helpful posture-building exercise can help improve your ability to achieve a better posture at address.  Remember, however, please consult with your physician before attempting any exercise program.

 If you have any questions about golf injuries, posture, or other physical performance factors related to golf, please feel free to contact Body Balance for Performance at 317.816.91355 or visit www.indianapolis.fitgolf.com.