| |
| |
|
Golf Information |
|
|
|
Getting to the Core of the Problem with Your Golf Game
How do you fix it? Well, there's no magic core strength pill or patch. It takes some good, old-fashioned flexibility training and exercise. Now, I'm not talking about hitting the gym every day of the week and pumping iron like some of those puffed up body builders. This is simple stuff you can do right in your home or office; just minutes a day, maybe 15 to 20 minutes, that's it. I already do my sit-ups every day! Different types of core exercises exist. Many of you are probably familiar with exercises such as the sit-up, which is an exercise that can be used to train the core. If you have read any of our other articles, read our manual Your Body and Your Swing or watched the DVD, you are well aware of what the word core means and its relation to the golf swing. Let us do a quick review for your benefit and introduce the types of core exercises to perform for a better golf swing. The core is an anatomical region of the body. It can generally be defined as the region of your body between the hips and chest. It encompasses numerous muscle groups on the front, side, and backside of the body. In general the core consists of the muscles that make up your abdominals, lower back, obliques, and hips. The core region is important to the golf swing for many reasons. The core is essentially called the "engine" of the body. It is the area that "drives" the body for most any human movement including your golf swing. It is primarily responsible for the capacities of: balance, stability, and power development within the body. For these capacities to occur efficiently it is necessary to train the core for improved performance. Core Training for the Golfer Many of us correlate core training to only the abdominal section of the body. In order to develop the core correctly, we must train all areas of the core equally. This means to address the obliques, hips, and lower back with the same number of exercises and repetitions as you do for the commonly trained abdominal region. A quick note from experience: More times than not, most golfers have "imbalances" in the core region. This means that certain muscles or muscle groups are weaker than others. To improve your performance on the golf course, you need to have a balanced core for optimal strength, endurance and power. Keeping this thought in mind, many times the lower back region is "weaker" than the abdominals (an imbalanced core). Picture the golfer picking up his ball from the cup. We've all seen them, creaking as they go down, maybe a quiet groan as if no one hears it. If this is the case, additional attention/exercises are needed for the lower back to bring it "up to speed," so to speak, in level with the abdominals. Moving forward, knowing that we must train the entire core and create balance between all the muscles, it is time to discuss what type of exercises to utilize in training the core region. To develop the core region for golf you will want to perform exercises in the following categories: stability (balance), strength, endurance, and power. All four of these categories are necessary for an optimal swing. Leaving one of the categories listed above out of your training program is like building a boat with a hole in it. It won't work! Let us define the differing training categories of a "golf specific core program" to help you better understand the purpose behind each category. The categories of core training that are incorporated in golf training are: 1) stability (balance) training, 2) strength training, 3) endurance training, and 4) power training. Balance and Stability Stabilization exercises are exercises that give the body the ability to have better balance. A large portion of your balance capability is directly related to the core region of the body. If you are unable to maintain your balance throughout the golf swing, the efficiency of the swing, contact with the ball, and club head speed will suffer. For example, when you swing your driver and are not able to maintain that perfect "finished position" of swing, the problem may be related to your balance capacities throughout the entire swing. Balance training develops the integration of your neural and muscular systems, your brain and your body. Improvement in the functioning of these two systems of the body and integration of these two systems will result in a better swing. Follow the logic and it will all make sense. If you improve the ability of your body to balance, then the ability to maintain balance within your golf swing will become easier. Strength The golf swing requires that certain body parts remain in a stable position while other body parts are moving. To perform a powerful golf swing, the body must have the strength and flexibility to perform these actions simultaneously. In order to perform the above activity it is required to develop the strength parameters of the core. If you have a weak core then the ability to maintain a posture, keep a posture, and perform this over a period of time will be compromised. To repeat, the core region of the body is involved in the stabilization process of the body. To improve this capacity, we must train the body to be more efficient at stabilizing itself during the golf swing. Strength exercises develop and improve this capacity within your body for the purpose of improving your golf swing. Endurance The golf swing is a repetitive movement performed by the body. You are doing the same activity over and over. An efficient golf swing and good scores require that you perform the same swing on the 18th hole as you do on the 1st hole. If you are unable to do this then the mechanics of your swing will suffer, as will your scores. To eliminate this situation it is necessary to develop the endurance capacities of the core region. Endurance exercises allow the body to perform the same activity over and over without getting fatigued. As a result of the golf swing being a repetitive athletic movement, endurance training will enhance the ability to maintain your optimal swing mechanics over an extended period of time. Power Power Exercises are geared towards improving the power outputs of the body. Training for power gives you the opportunity to hit the ball farther. The core region of the body is directly related to torque development in the golf swing. Power can also be defined as torque (rotational power) when discussing the golf swing. In order to create high amounts of club head speed, your body has to create large amounts of torque. If you want to create greater power in your golf swing you must include power exercises in your core training program. If you are really serious about improving your game, start at the core of the problem! In this article we have described the core and how to train the core specifically for the improvement of your golf game. A few points to keep in mind from this article: 1) the core is a region of the body that includes all muscles from your hips to your chest, 2) you must develop the capacities of stability, strength, endurance, and power within the core for a benefit in your game, and 3) the development of the core must be balanced in terms of all muscles involved and in all the training components (equal amounts of stability, strength, endurance, and power) within the core. For more information of golf specific training please look at our website www.BioForceGolf.com Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. He has made many of his golf tips, golf instruction and golf swing improvement techniques available to amateur golfers on the website http://www.bioforcegolf.com. Check out his manual and DVD, Your Body & Your Swing, (http://www.bioforcegolf.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=93 ) on BioForceGolf.com. To contact Sean, you can email him at support@bioforcegolf.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Golf - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
3 Easy Changes to Shave Strokes from Your Golf Game Here are 3 easy golf tips that will immediately give you a better swing and improve your hitting! It did for me almost instantly once I got the feel of it.I went from hitting maybe one fairway per round and not being able to hit my driver to hitting the vast majority of fairways off the tee while still enjoying the extra distance of using my driver. Do You Know These Benefits Of Golf Schools? Benefits of Golf Schools are many particularly for the beginners who want to learn and excel in this sport. A number of Golf Schools and training institutes are available all around. Gifts: Giving To The Beginner Golfer It's golf season again! And you might be looking for a gift to give to someone who's just starting off in golf. So, here are some suggestions. Play Exclusive Las Vegas Golf Courses - The Not-So-Secret Secret Experience the luxury of tour-class caddies. Play the private golf courses that celebrities and touring pros play. Golf Core Exercises For More Power Golf core exercises. You hear that phrase quite often on the television by the commentators referring to the area a lot of the touring pros focus on to improve their power output and prevent low back injuries. Wanna Play More Consistent Golf? Learn and Apply 10 Proven Techniques Golf Professionals Use For the past seven years I have been researching what are the most important things great golfers do when playing their best golf. Being an instructor at the San Diego Golf Academy, I was exposed to many golfers, both amateur and professional. What You Should Know About Plyometrics And How It Will Help You Get Longer Drives One of the main problems for golfers is power. Yep, good old power. Choosing a Golf Swing Training Aid Golf swing training aid clubs are a great way to learn how to swing your golf club correctly and more powerfully. There are many different kinds of training aid clubs available on the market and many different professional golfers endorse them. Golfing Products And What You Need To Know Before Purchasing In recent years, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of golfing products available in the market. Most notably golfing products that are supposed to dramatically improve one's game, virtually overnight. Quickly Improve Your Golf Swing Do you need some golf swing tips? If you could use a few golf swing tips you have come to the right place.Golf swing tips will help you with confidence as well as improve your game in general. A Golf Exercise Program Will Leave Your Playing Partners In Envy It's no secret that a golf exercise program can put you heads and tails above your playing partners and competitors. Why do you think all the Pro's are doing it?Golf is no longer just the leisure game it used to be. Your Golf Swing Is Good Enough If you watch the Golf Channel or read any of the magazines and books on golf, it will be very hard for you to miss the basic theme that "There is a perfect swing and you will do the most for your game by trying to get it". Even when you watch a tournament on TV, you see the commentators participate in this conspiracy by showing us frame-by-frame analysis of the pro and critiquing his/her every move. Essential Information on Choosing the Best Golf Clubs to Suit Your Game Most golfers, whether a beginner or a pro, struggle when trying to decide which golf club to buy. The buying process becomes easier when the consumer has a good understanding of the types of golf clubs available and their specific use. How Golf Training Can Transform Your Game Golf training has been brought to the masses thanks to Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam, Larry Nelson and now by the Number One player in the world?Vijay Singh. Vijay is a golf training machine. Golf Fitness DVD: Improve Your Game In Your Living Room Plugging in a golf fitness dvd is a great alternative to relying on yourself for motivation and consistency. The dvd craze has caught on with golfers of all ages and abilities. Golf Elbow Or Tennis Elbow - The Tell Tale Signs Many athletes suffer from pain in their elbow that is generally attributed to repetitive stress. Golfers and tennis players are susceptible to conditions that are very similar to each other; they are called golf elbow and tennis elbow. Senior Golfers Can Still Play Great Golf. Do You Want To Know How? If you're a senior golfer?don't give up and don't give into the perception that's it's all downhill from here.No way!You have a lot of GREAT golf years ahead of you, but you need to take a different approach to your golf improvement. Golf Tips: The Simple Secret to Solving the Slice The slice is a shot which usually starts off slightly to the left, then swerves to the right in the air. The slice is a common fault that occurs in many beginners game and has to be one of the most frustrating things that can happen to a golfer. 3 Things You Must Check Before Buying Used Titlist Golf Clubs To Avoid Regrets Used Titlist golf clubs are great golf clubs even if its used. They usually retain their quality longer. Fire da Bum! In the early 50s, long before we were desensitized by today's special effects, there was a movie called "The Thing". This black and white flicker took place on the North Pole.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
