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Proprioception Training for Golf

doug — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:01:57 +0000

Proprioception is a term you might not know but it’s one you may want to get familiar with if you’re serious about improving your golf game. Here’s why.

Funny, I have heard about proprioception before but never paid much attention to it. But I was reminded of it watching the Sean Foley video in our video spot in our right hand column. (Note: the video I mentioned has been moved from this column but you can now check it out here: Sean Foley Proprioception Drill)

He mentions a balance drill and referenced the importance of proprioception and how it’s harder than you think. You’ll have to watch the vid to see the exact drill

What exactly is proprioception and what the heck does that have to do with golf? Well, proprioception is all about balance. Here is the Wikipedia definition below:

Proprioception – from Latin proprius,meaning “one’s own” and perception, is the sense of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement.[1] It is distinguished from exteroception, by which we perceive the outside world, and interoception, by which we perceive pain, hunger, etc., and the movement of internal organs.

So this refers to the relative positioning of your limbs in space. It’s about Kinesthetic awareness, or the innate ability to know where your body parts are in 3-dimensional space.

Balance is so important to almost every sport I’m somewhat surprised you don’t hear more about golf balance training. You certainly hear about it’s importance and we know it’s important but very little about practicing balance.

To some degree I always thought you either have balance or you don’t. I mentioned this in a post I did a couple years back called, Alternative Golf Power Using Martial Arts – about my previous life as an Aikido practitioner.

In Aikido you become very sensitive to balance very fast. Aikido all about balance – that is, maintaining yours and disrupting your opponents – and you train to maintain a strong, stable center, where your power is generated from.

Somehow, however, it’s not often discussed in terms of training. So is there anything we can do to improve our balance or proprioception? and how do we know we are improving it?

From a overall observation you are either “in balance” or your not, right? Not necessarily. For example, are you “off balance” a majority of times when you swing? that could be a clue. If so, try the drill Sean Foley mentions in the video off to the right.

Of course, you’ll have to monitor it. I have heard of athletes keeping a kind of balance journal because you have to *know* when you are off balance and are there certain patterns this is happening in your golf game. Is it primarily with your driver? your irons? your putting? (yes, you CAN have balance issues in putting, too!)

To improve your golf balance there are many things you can do but one of the best is a Yoga program. Even if you incorporate a few yoga balance postures – you’ll be well on your way to developing consistent proprioception integrity (hey, I just made that up but it does sound somewhat official and, dare I say, accurate)

Some other resources you might be interested to help build and improve your proprioception are listed below:

Check out the: The Bosu Ball – Professional Balance Trainer

Gray Cook is one of the most sought after strength coaches in the world. He trains some of the top athletes in the world, including Michelle Wie, Dustin Johnson and many others. This is a cool product. I know. I have it: Athletic Body in Balance Book/DVD Package

Jason Glass Performance Labs

These are great for balance and swinging a club while standing on: 16″ Fitter First® Wobble Board

Lab Rats, Peanut Butter and Your Best Golf Game – Ever!

doug — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 15:04:02 +0000

In my opinion, today’s mainstream golf teacher is very one-dimensional and can only help players wishing to improve in a very limited way. I know a lot of pros will highly disagree with this view but hear me out.

I’m not saying it’s they’re fault, per say, but a LOT more goes into playing excellent golf than trying to flatten someone’s golf swing or having them line up square.

What if you go to a golf lesson and the instructor wants to to complete a fuller turn but come to find out your body cannot get into that position easily? it might be more of a biomechanics issue than a swing issue. If you don’t have that knowledge how can you assess it.

What if you typically have excellent front nines but in the middle of the round you never fail to produce a number of double-bogeys? Well, could be any number of things including proper nutrition. Did you (or do you) have on a regular basis a couple of sugar coated cider donuts and a large coffee before your typical round? Uhhhh, maybe a peanut butter protein bar and a banana might be a better choice. Maybe that’s your answer (or certainly part of it)

What if you just cannot shake the dreaded banana-slice despite seeing your golf pro repeatedly? Maybe your golf clubs need to be custom-fitted to your unique swing speed and style. I don’t think once, in all the lessons I have taken in the past fews years that any pro has even looked at my equipment. I mean, it might be as easy as changing the weights slightly on your driver.

What is just went through a trying divorce and you’re trying to compete at the highest level? What if you have “unfinished business” that you need to take of to set your mind (and body) free to play your best golf ever? (and coincidentally, have your best LIFE ever!)

I mean who’s looking at the big picture? Who is looking at YOU as an individual golfer who has strengths, weaknesses, challenges, hopes, goals, etc.

What I truly think is missing is a new kind of golf professional. Someone that has a more holistic view of the game. That can assess at a “big picture” level.

What has lead me to this conclusion? Well, I have happily been the Tim Ferris of the The 4-Hour Bodyfor golf. I’ve allowed myself to be a laboratory rat for all sorts of golf experimentation. From getting biomechanically assessed to seeing a sports nutritionist to testing and practicing the latest golf fitness routines to getting custom-fitted for golf equipment to consulting with a sports psychologist and more.

And the more I have explored the more I have found such a big “disconnect” between all these professionals. One has no idea what the other one is doing. They all work in their own silos. You have to piece this all together but if you had someone who had at least a knowledge about this information could really propel your game to (I believe) unheard of levels.

See, it’s the compounded power of all these that make a difference. It’s not just one thing. It’s all of these often small changes working synergistically that produce HUGE improvements in your golf game.

This is big. Really big. 2 years ago a wrote a post about Jon Fitzgerald’s wonderful film, called : Best Golf Film of The Year: The Back Nine.Go find and watch that film. The film is about Jon’s quest to become a pro and shows you ALL the various dimensions he explored trying to get the most out of his game – from fitness to mechanics to state of the art equipment and more. It really shows the type of professionals he had to employ to get the most out of his game.

Sure, you could go out and hire each of these specific knowledge professionals separately but for the average golfer or even the serious amateur it is just not time or cost-effective. So what’s one to do if you want to make a serious commitment to your game?

My answer is: I don’t know. It’s missing. John and I (of GolfDashBlog) have been fooling around with trying to come up with a thorough assessment process to help diagnose some of the issues we’ve seen and how to identify certain patterns in golfers who are seeking excellence in their golf game and who want that extra edge. Patterns that would be unique to YOU. Nothing canned or generic. It would never work that way.

Nothing is really finalized at this point but I’m curious if I’ve totally lost my gourd or if others are interested in hearing more. Let me know.

How to Create Explosive Golf Rotational Power in Your Swing

doug — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:56:25 +0000

Understanding how rotational golf power works and how it is the foundation for hitting a golf ball farther and more accurately is the (I believe) missing key to creating a more powerful golf swing. Because who doesn’t want to hit a golf ball 30 yards longer?

As a lot of you know John and I have done a number of posts on golf and fitness. It’s an area of extreme interest for us and one that we are happy to share with our fellow golfers.

Not sure if you are familiar with myTPI but if you’re not, you better get familiar with it. It’s one of the best golf resources on the web. Period. Here’s how they describe themselves:

MyTPI.com is the largest collection of golf-specific health and fitness information from the world’s leading experts in the game. This site is brought to you by the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) – the leaders in elite player development.

Doesn’t cost a dime (although I believe you can get a subscription if you are a trainer and want to get TPI certification) and, as I said, the videos and articles are cutting-edge in improving your game.

Now the video above is the beginning of a series called “Rotational Golf Power” via the Performance lab and hosted by the world-class golf fitness expert, Jason Glass. I will tell you I got more out of these 5 or so videos in making crystal clear how we actually generate power in the golf swing.

There are a number of exercises I have never seen and really simple, graphic explanations on how the body NEEDS to work to produce this power.

I have been struggling quite a bit with my golf power this year and this series is just what I was looking for. But I would absolutely recommend everyone who reads the GolfDash blog to check out this series. It’s that good.

And let me know what you think. They are all about 10 minutes or so in length so you can watch them all in a half hour or so. I also like how each video reinforces the others.

Should You Swing a Weighted Golf Club?

doug — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:06:25 +0000

Swinging a weighted golf club is supposed to loosen your muscles, increase flexibility, add swing speed, increase distance and also tone/build muscle. But does it really?

I have always been on the fence about this ever since I read an article long ago about Hall of Fame baseball player Stan Musial who never swung a weighted or multiple bats because he felt they altered his feel and therefore timing.

I just took it for granted that swinging a heavier bat/club was nothing but beneficial. It was just one of those things that was so common that it didn’t enter the realm of my consciousness to question it but somehow the Musial connection always stayed with me.

A lot of this new science recently came to light again from an ESPN show called, Sports Science, which has some real interesting content and often surprising discoveries. Well worth looking into.

They ended up doing a little experiment: A PGA tour golfer first hit a few drives after his usual warm up and they measured his golf driving distance. The pro then did additional swings swinging two clubs and hit more drives and the distance was measured.

After swinging the heavy club the golfer said that his regular club felt much lighter and he was positive he was swinging the golf club measurably faster.

The results – don’t confuse feel with real. The golfer lost a tad bit of club head speed, but nearly 30 yards in carry because he couldn’t hit the ball on the center of the golf club. He impaired his feel and ability to swing a regular golf club.

Swinging a heavier club teaches a person how to swing a heavier club, not swing a regular golf club. The body has to compensate and use different muscle to swing the heavier club which does not translate back to swinging a normally weighted golf club.

Their conclusion: No benefit in warming up with a weight club and swinging a weighted club is counter-productive and should not be done.

This is sort of what I initially alluded to in referencing Musial, which is, in my opinion, you lose feel, which is paramount in architecting a smooth golf swing. I do think it’s something to be aware of if you do train with a a weighted club like the Momentus.

Oddly enough, as golf is all about precision, it’s the same type of thing that I feel about Tiger and lifting heavy weights. Sure, it puts on muscle but at what cost. You really end up confusing your fast and slow twitch muscle fibers.

You just have to be careful how your training and really understand the science (and the latest science) in order to obtain maximum benefit from your training.

Developing Rotational Golf Power

doug — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 23:15:22 +0000

I’ve been putting a lot of time into getting my core into shape before the new golf season. Exercising the core is critical if you want to increase your golf power.

To that end, I just ordered a GoFit Medicine Ballfrom Amazon. Note: It’s the kind that bounces and you can throw against the wall! I’m planning on doing a lot of rotational exercises that are featured in Core Performance Golfby Mark Verstegen.

I will keep you up-to-date on the progress of my training. I have never done a lot of these exercises but really looking forward to seeing what impact they might bring to my game.

The video above is just one good example of an exercise that I will be doing. Of course, there are many others but you get the idea. Have fun and don’t get to dizzy!

Neck Strength and the Golf Swing

doug — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 16:43:13 +0000

Not sure about you but I have never really given the neck much thought in terms of exercise in developing a sound golf swing. But due to my recent golf mechanical assessment, I have realized just how important the neck is is a number of ways. We’ll look at some of those in today’s piece and also include a number of exercises*

This is straight from the latest edition of, The Golf Biomechanics Manual, by Paul Chek, of the well known C.HE.K. Institute.

“The neck is often overlooked as a key link in golf performance. The importance of this vital link exists in the fact that the head carries instruments vital to golf success, such as the eyes and the balance mechanism in the inner ear. The point at which the head attached to the neck, the upper cervical spine, is well known to provide a great majority of the information needed by the brain to sense movement. The movement sense is called Proprioception**”

It’s funny, I was speaking with my GolfDash partner John and sort of humorously remarked that I have never done any “thoughtful” neck exercises. Sure I’ve stretched it from side to side and front to back just to get out the tension but certainly not in any structured sort of way. So this is all new to me, too.

I picked up a lot of information from the above book and also from my certified CHEK instructor, Becky, whom I mentioned in both these posts: My Golf Biomechanics Assessment Revealed and Off to the Biomechanics Doctor

Now it’s important to not only keep the neck flexible but also strengthen it as well. I bet (and this is just a hunch) that *most* average golfers tend to have weak neck muscles and this is absolutely critical as the more your head protrudes from your neck the more you have your candle apple (your head) leaning way out over your stick (your body)

This can cause all types of swing mechanical problems. Tight shoulders and neck that can lead to a tight torso, tight jaw, tightness in the arms and hands and eventually tightness into the legs and ankles. Remember, we want everything in alignment.

These neck problems are (not just for golfers) seeming to become more and more prevalent nowadays. Could be the result of many things but inactivity is a big one. I also work in the IT space for my day job and am often guilty of sticking my head to close to the screen on a regular basis. This causes imbalance and weakness.

As far as a total neck stretching and strengthening program I recommend you get the Golf Biomechanics Manual mentioned above. It’s very thorough and has a number of exercise that include both flexibility and strengthening. I included a pic of one of the strengthening exercises below.

What you are going to do is hold gentle (I repeat GENTLE) pressure on Swiss Ball (a 45cm Swiss Ball is recommended) for NO MORE than 30 seconds. Do one set from the side (Side Neck Flexion) One set with Rotation. Start from the side position and gently rotate your neck so it’s now slightly behind apex of the ball (see 1st image in the set of 3 below).

You’ll also do Neck Extension which is placing your back of the head against the ball and gently assume pressure for up to 30 seconds. And finally Neck Flexion in which you place your forehead against the ball. Use one (or both hands) to grasp trim around the doorway (see pic #3) and pull yourself into the ball. Make sure to keep your alignment!

Now another way to do these exercises above which my biomechanics instructor showed be is to lean into a towel on the wall with your head against the wall. It takes a slight amount getting used to it but you can do it by leaning your forehead into the wall (with your feet about 3 feet away) then the back of your head and finally each side. I have been doing these and have noticed the difference in beginning strength to current strength and it’s pretty amazing. The neck can be strengthening quite quickly!

I was going to include a number of flexibility stretches but found an excellent YouTube video that shares some excellent neck strengthening and flexibility exercises that are very much “in alignment” with the Golf Biomechanics Manual. A good way to test your new found neck strength is to hold a dowel on your back and back sure it goes from your butt to your head in one line and even hold it (while in your golf posture) for 30 seconds. Try to do it in front of a mirror so you can really begin to “feel” what good posture is.

Finally, one note of caution. The neck is a complex juncture so be gentle with it. It’s not like doing bicep curls or bench presses where you can really dig deep for the last couple of reps. You want emphasize posture, alignment and gentle pressure. The neck will strengthen (and quite quickly) but you need to give it time. It won’t happen in one session.

*GolfDash Blog cannot provide medical advice or assume responsibility when sharing information on exercise. Please use caution when doing these exercises and understand you assume risk when attempting to do certain exercises. Please discuss with your doctor or physician any new exercise program before you begin.

**Proprioception is the awareness of posture, movement and changes in equilibrium and the knowledge of position, weight and the resistance of objects in relation to the body.

Here’s a few other online resources I came upon regarding Neck Strength:

Neck Strengthening Exercises
4 Ways to Strengthen Anterior Neck Muscles
Neck Pain
How to fix neck pain

My Golf Biomechanics Assessment Revealed

doug — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:32:44 +0000

As I mentioned in my last post, Off to the Golf Biomechanics Doctor, I had my first Golf Biomechanics Assessment in Boston this past weekend and, man, was it an eye-opener! It completely changed my view of exactly how critical biomechanics are to a solid, repeatable golf swing.

Not knowing exactly what to expect was part of the excitement in doing a test but I did have a *general* idea of what some of those test were because I purchased the Golf Biomechanic’s Manual (make sure you get the latest edition) from the C.H.E.K. Institute (I see they have it on Amazon but it’s the older edition)

Once I arrived at the Beacon Street location in Boston, my assessor, Becky, welcomed me and we proceeded to go upstairs to give me a brief lay of the land. She then escorted me to a room that looked like something from a serial killers torture-chamber.

There were clamps, and calipers, masks, scales, headphones, assorted measuring apparatus – all sorts of strange looking (to me anyway) testing equipment. I thought, “What am I getting into here!”

Anyway, after a brief questionnaire about issues, goals of my golf game, Becky proceeded to lay out a “bird’s eye” of the importance of golf biomechanics to one’s golf game. Stated simply: you need to understand what you are up against and what may be your strengths and weaknesses in terms of biomechanics.

Golf, being all about stability and precision and if, you the golfer, have biomechanics flaws/limitations, it is fair to say, you will be making compensations somewhere in your swing. As I mentioned in the last article, I have found it virtually impossible to assess yourself.

For example, I thought I had fairly decent flexibility – as I work on it on a regular basis but my tests showed different. I also thought I had relatively good posture but found it was comprised in one critical area.

One of the tests (and there were probably around 20-25 or so tests) was to put on headphones (so I couldn’t hear) and a blindfold (so I could not see) then I was asked to turn my head 3 times to each side and then return it to center. Part 2 of the test was to march in place until Becky told me to stop. She explained this ahead of time and the queue to move on the the next part of the test was a slight tap on the shoulder.

When I finished (and removed the headphones and blindfold) I thought “big deal, what was that all about?” and she proceeded to tell me that after she tapped me after marching in place I actually ended up about 2 feet to my right! And I thought I was marching in PLACE! and it also appeared when she told me to rotate my head back to center, my center was actually an inch or so to the right!

Really fascinating stuff. I also found I have rather weak lower abs (again new to me) really tight calf muscles, and my head (probably due to my day IT job) tends to sit much too far forward than is optimal for correct postural alignment in the golf swing (This deserves a complete post as it is that important)

So I was then given specific exercises to help “remedy” these weaker areas. Of course, this is the foundation. Assessment, then remedy weaker areas then build additional flexibility, strength and power on the base. Otherwise you are building on a “un-aligned” and weak foundation.

An added bonus was that Becky also video taped me doing the corrective exercises while talking into the video cam to make sure they were being performed properly. I should be receiving them and some additional information in a few more days.

All in all, I thought it was a terrific golf biomechanics assessment. It lasted about 90 minutes. The most important thing now is I have a plan to address the weak areas and am already working on the corrective exercises. I mean I have a certain neck exercise and I have NEVER exercised my neck directly I think in my entire life (and it’s not easy!)

I would definitely recommend an assessment for anyone looking to optimize his or her golf game. Whether or not it will translate into lower scores is another question altogether but working with a strong, flexible, and aligned machine is certainly better than working with a un-aligned, inflexible and weak one.

FYI: I will be sharing some of my specific golf exercises in upcoming weeks so stay tuned.

Picture above: Becky, My C.H.E.K. Certified Golf Biomechanics Expert. She can be contacted via email at: boston776@yahoo.com. And she was super nice and super knowledgeable. Highly recommend her!

Off to the Golf Biomechanics Doctor

doug — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 23:22:21 +0000

So I’m off to get my golf biomechanics assessment this coming weekend in Boston. I have been harping on golf biomechanics for some time and actually believe we’re one of the few golf blogs that focus on this often misunderstood area of golf conditioning. The last article being More on Golf Mechanics a few weeks ago.

I’m pretty excited as I have never had one before although I do have a clue where possible troublesome areas are but without a professional doing a complete diagnostic assessment I have found it *almost* impossible to assess yourself.

Another reason I made an appointment is that I really have a sneaking suspicion that golf biomechanics is really THE new frontier of golf. You can spend hundreds of dollars on cool new equipment but if your body won’t co-operate or has certain impingement then new equipment will NOT solve your problems. It might make you feel better but it won’t improve your game.

Often, when I get a lesson I can grasp it and see it mentally but when I try to put my body in certain positions that I used to be able to achieve I know there is a biomechanical problem. And I’m not going to buy the fact that I’m getting older.

Part of the issue is that it’s hard to find a qualified, affordable golf exercise science experts for us recreational players. It just doesn’t exist. I have recently thought that we really need a new kind of golf expert.

One that can assess swing mechanics (like a PGA pro) golf biomechanics and mental coach all thrown into one. Yeah, maybe a lot to ask but there really needs to be some kind of *holistic* 3D view of a golfer.
Right now everything seems very segmented. Anyway, that is the challenge I have been finding lately.

I am going to document everything and give a complete review of what my assessment revealed and what solutions will be presented to address them. I should have it up a few days after I return.

More on Golf Biomechanics

doug — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 19:40:12 +0000

In our ongoing conversation on golf biomechanics here at the GolfDashBlog I asked golf biomechanics expert Becky Jonas (from Boston, MA) a few questions (and she was glad to oblige). I was particularly impressed that she was a certified C.H.E.K. golf biomechanics professional. To find out more about the world renowned fitness experts, go here: CHEK Institute.

Note: I will be off to see Becky next month to receive a full golf biomechanics assessment. I have been doing a lot of research on biomechanics and it really does seem to be the “hidden key” to many of golf’s maladies. But we have been continually brainwashed into believing the super new, Tintanium/Chromium Oxide/Blue Nitrate head will solve all our problems. Sorry to disappoint you but they won’t.

I’ve heard stories where golfers (after going through a CHEK program) gained 30+ yards with 20 year old drivers – go figure.

I will be documenting everything here at the blog in our quest to give you the most cutting-edge golf information and commentary we can find. Enjoy the interview.

1. What are golf biomechanics and how important are they in relation to a consistent golf swing?

Bio-mechanics simply describe the mechanical movement of your body as you move through life. It describes the physical response from muscles, tissues, bone structure and the Central Nervous System upon request. Pertaining to Golf, bio-mechanics are important.

As we have experienced, the tiniest change in our address position, hip, shoulder or head rotation, grip on the club, control of the club in both back swing and follow through, can mean the difference between right up the fairway or shanked into the woods.

And the important part of a solid fitness program is to ensure that the mechanics of the subtle movements we make are executed in the manner we intended.

2. New equipment or a biomechanics assessment (and what exactly is a golf biomechanics assessment)?

The problem with overusing equipment is that when you are golfing, or playing almost any sport (other than Nascar perhaps) the equipment isn’t there when you are playing the sport. Train the way you want to perform. If you use equipment while training, you train your body to perform well with the use of that equipment.

A biomechanical assessment assesses the golfers swing by focusing on the dynamic and static posture, which is crucial to a golfer’s ability to select the right address position for his/her body and goals and to be able to maintain it as he/she moves through the swing.

An assessment of flexibility, stability, strength and power is also done. These are all major parts of a golfer’s ability to produce a good, consistent shot. If a golfer lacks flexibility, the swing will be off, as the golfer won’t even be able to move through the ranges of motion his/her body wants to.

Or, and this is quite common, to get the movement, a compensatory muscle will be used which will create an injury to one or more muscles and joints over time. Without adequate stability, a golfer’s ability to hold the right position to ensure an accurate shot.

Not only that, but due to the high velocity movement of 75% of the game of golf, poor stability in golfers will lead to joint injuries over time, as the pressure placed on the joints intensifies with high speeds, such as a golf swing. Golf, despite what some people say, requires a lot of strength.

Without good strength and stamina, not only will a golfer’s ability to hit the ball hard and strong be affected, but also, his/her ability to keep up with those who choose to rely on a cart less and their bodies more. And let’s face it, with all those high velocity, forceful rotations the body does in a single round of golf, it’s no question why power is so important to the sport.

Many of us have experienced a decrease in our distance as we have lost strength over time. And a loss in distance means an increase in strokes, and an increase in strokes can not only challenge us mentally as players, but can change our handicaps, making it a different game entirely!

3. What do you see as the biggest cause of injuries among amateur golfers?

In my opinion, the biggest cause of injury in amateur golfers is exactly what I have talked about above. Golf is a sport that should be taken seriously. It requires training time in the gym, good rest and good nutrition. Pro-golfers train regularly, just like pro-football players or any other sport.

4. Can you give an example of how a biomechanical weakness can cause havoc with your golf swing

Biomechanical weakness can effect a golfer’s swing in many ways. For example, if a golfer has instability in an ankle (from a previous injury, natural hyper/hypo-mobility, or even improper footwear), as the golfer swings the club and tries to force generate power from the ground, through the ankles, knees, hips, trunk, shoulders and head, the unstable ankle will default that power generation to other muscles, because it is not stable enough to support the power of the movement under load.

This will signal other muscles to “pick up the slack” and that can lead to unnecessary stress on the body, potentially causing pain. To avoid pain, the body may seek a different route to achieve the brain’s attempted goal, but will fall short because, let’s face it, a wrench is a tool, but it can’t do what pliers do.

However, you won’t feel pain necessarily, but you won’t get the shot you want either. Correcting the imbalance could be the difference between hitting the ball right onto the green, and wedging it out of the sand.

5. What is the biomechanical secret to creating more golf power (and distance)?

The biomechanical secret to creating more power in any sport is to train like you want to perform. Without power training, your body’s only exposure to those types of demands are those it encounters in a round.

If you want to increase your power and distance, train the muscles that perform power movements and keep your body strong enough, agile enough and able enough to perform them. Supplement your training with rest, optimal nutrition, adequate hydration and good thoughts!

Becky can be reached via email at: boston776 AT yahoo.com

Her credentials are here:

Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiology (CHEK) Practitioner I
Holistic Lifestyle Coach II
CHEK Golf Biomechanic
STOTT Pilates Instructor
National Academy of Sports Medicine Performance Enhancement Specialist (NASM PES)
American College of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (ACSM CPT)

Quick Nine: Interview with Golf Fitness Pro Katherine Roberts

doug — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:24:34 +0000

I have always been a fan of Katherine Roberts and her golf fitness expertise. I reviewed the excellent movie, The Back Nine (by Jon Fitzgerald) a few weeks back (Best Golf Film of the Year: The Back Nine) and Katherine was featured very prominently in it.

Katherine is as much a terrific personal and motivational coach (as you’ll see in the movie) as a world-class golf and sports fitness guru.

She just has such a nice, simple way of communicating that it is very refreshing and after seeing the movie I knew I wanted to feature her on our GolfDash Blog.

We caught Katherine in between her many projects to discuss a little about fitness and golf.

1. GolfDashBlog: How can Yoga for Golfershelp the average golfer?

Katherine: Every golfer can benefit from a yoga program designed specifically for golfers. What do you need physically to play your best golf?

For most we can improve dramatically with more flexibility. Yoga also helps you develop more strength, balance, core stability and perhaps most importantly the ability to quiet the mind!

When I travel the world teaching I ask golfers what they are looking for. By far the first answer is more distance but the second is they want the ability to “quiet their minds” and to focus.

You know the saying, “Golf is 90% mental and 10% psychological”! Yoga teaches you breathing, which helps you focus, control your emotions and keep tension out of your body – a huge contributor to common swing flaws.

2. GolfDashBlog: “I really have no idea where to start and have limited time, can you give me a few simple suggestions that can get me started”?

Katherine: Here is my philosophy – Adherence to a fitness program is more important than duration of the program. I always ask my students this question, “What is a realistic amount of time you have five days a week to devote to your golf fitness program”? The second question I ask is to define three to five goals and areas of the body and game that need the most attention.

Once you establish your time considerations and goals pick ten exercises – five for more flexibility and five for more strength.

3. GolfDashBlog: What is “typically” the most problematic physical issue for golfers?

Katherine:I don’t like to make generalizations but typically most men can benefit from more flexibility and most women can benefit from building more strength.

4. GolfDashBlog: How can we substantially improve our golf power and distance?

Katherine:Focusing on flexibility in the torso and the ability to generate power from the lower body as well as proper sequencing can help you generate more power.

5. GolfDashBlog: How can we learn to relax our body to help us play better, effortless golf

Katherine:The breath is a mirror to what is happening in the body and mind. The fastest way to relax the body is to take long, cleansing breaths, inhaling and exhaling for a slow count of four. Imagine the tension leaving your body, specifically your forearms.

6. GolfDashBlog: Tell us about your new book “Swing Flaws and Fitness Fixes”

Katherine: The book is a compellation of over a decade of golf specific conditioning as well as over two decades as a fitness professional.

Because I feel it is critical to combine fitness, equipment and PGA instruction for maximum benefits I asked Hank Haney to help me with the book. We look at the most common swing flaws, explain the physical correlations to these flaws, Hanks provides his thoughts as it relates to the swing and I complete the lessons with a series of simple, effective exercises.

If you’re like most golfers, you’ve probably invested substantial sums of money into new balls, cutting-edge clubs, and professional swing instruction in an effort to improve your game. But what prevents you from playing your best probably isn’t your equipment or even your swing; it’s your fitness.

Here is a little intro about it:

In Swing Flaws and Fitness Fixes, renowned golf fitness expert Katherine Roberts outlines a precise combination of flexibility and golf-specific conditioning that will get any golfer in shape to play their best. The book begins with a breakdown of the muscles utilized in the golf swing, along with tests to let you measure your baseline fitness.

Roberts then takes you through the most common swing flaws in golf–from the “reverse pivot” to the “chicken wing”–with swing analysis by legendary instructor Hank Haney. Roberts will help you overcome the physical deficiencies that cause most swing problems with simple and effective exercises that require no fancy equipment.

Finally, Roberts details her game-changing Flex-Fit Method for better overall golf fitness, which will give you more power in your game, flexibility to prevent injuries, and the stamina to stay strong through all eighteen holes.

Guaranteed to give you an edge on the course, Swing Flaws and Fitness Fixes is an innovative new approach that will remake your body and your golf game.

Get the book here: Swing Flaws and Fitness Fixes: Fix Your Swing by Putting Flexibility, Strength, and Stamina in Your Golf Bag

7. GolfDashBlog: Give us a couple secret fitness tips that only the pros know

Katherine:First and foremost the pros work on their golf fitness and warm-up before they play. Secondly they train specifically for the sport. The golf swing is an explosive movement, from a static position. Physically it is very complicated movement, requiring a balance of strength and flexibility. The pros train specifically for the sport versus general fitness conditioning.

8. GolfDashBlog: Any particulate fitness products you like and would recommend to our readers?

Katherine:If you are a golfer who learns from reading books I genuinely feel that my new book is revolutionary and offers golf specific training as well as additional tips for building a healthy back, core, the best tips for recovery and rest and how vision effects your game!

If you learn more effectively from a DVD check out the More Power and Distance and Lower Your Score DVDs on my website @ www.KRFlexFit.com

9. GolfDashBlog: How can we use the power of our minds to help us play more efficiently and effectively?

Katherine:Most elite athletes, use the power of their mind and visualization to reach peak performance. You don’t need to have a “meditation” practice or be some sort of “guru” to access the power of your mind. Begin on the practice tee. Visualize your swing, the flight and trajectory of the ball, visualize it landing, rolling and stopping exactly where you want it to go.

Personally when I get to the golf course I go directly to the putting green and begin my visualization process. I seem to play better when I practice this way.

About Katherine Roberts:

Katherine Roberts is Founder and President of Katherine Roberts Yoga for Golfers. Roberts’ unique approach to golf conditioning is a hybrid of western biomechanical research and eastern mind/body conditioning for performance, and her work has been profiled by USA TODAY, Golf Magazine, Golf for Women, Golf Week and US Airways Magazine.

As a fitness expert and a regular contributor for The Golf Channel, she has appeared on The Turn, The Big Break, Your Game Night, How Low Can you Go and Game ON! Katherine’s new golf fitness series airs on The Golf Channel in summer 2008.

Katherine is the producer of nine DVDs and author of the ground-breaking book Yoga for Golfers (McGraw-Hill). Her second book Swing Flaws and Fitness Solutions will be published in early 2009. Roberts is dedicated to helping people achieve maximum performance and balance both on and off the course.