Covid-19 got you stuck at home? Still thinking about golf? 

I know I am! If you’re reading this you have been forced into physical isolation but that doesn’t mean we have to be in social isolation. As golfers we still can come together in community here on-line. It’s all we can do. 

If you want to be strong and resisilient enough to take on whatever comes your way you have to be physically fit first. By doing that you are prepared for whatever may come. So you need to eat well, get adaquates amount of sleep, stay hydrated and of course move.. move well and move often, every day! Don’t know what you should be doing? I’m here to help. 

“Now, more than ever it’s key to maintain and improve your physical fitness and overall well being.”

I have created a daily productivity schedule that allows for two workouts a day. One in the morming and one in the afternoon. Even though we can’t be in the gym there’s plenty of things we can do at home with little or no equipment at all.

One of the tools I have at my disposal to help golfers stay strong is my TPI Pro account. TPI Pro allows me to create a custom golf workout for any golfer depending on what they need, what equipment they have, and how much time they can dedicate to each workout. 

If you are a current golf fitness client I have been doing this for you all along. If you are not a current golf fitness client I am offereing this service to you at half off my normal in person training rate. I can post your program on a calendar for an indefinite amount of time and change it at any time. All you have to do is let me know what you need.

Maybe I can’t work with you 1 on 1 right now but I can still create great programs for you to do on your own and give you motivation prior to and answer any questions along the way as well as follow up with you on a daily or weekly basis to see how you are doing. We can even schedule live video sessions using FaceTime, Zoom or WhatsApp.

There are over 600 exercises and golf drills to chose from and the programs are customized to your needs. 

 

 Brett’s Bottom Line: 

I want you to know that I’m here for you. At NY Golf Fitness Guru I’m trying to spread as much strength and service to the golf community as I can in this somber time. While I can no longer train people in-person I can stil create personal training strategies to help you achieve your fitness and wellness goals. 

We’re all in this together, on behalf of NY Golf Fitness Guru, I’m wishing you the very best. 

Today, March 21st is the first day of Spring and Spring typically signals the unofficial beginning of the 2020 golf season here in the Northeast part of the country. But unlike any time in history the World is on pause due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

By executive order we’ve all been told to stay home and away from others by our local and federal governments and with good reason. Know one knows how this virus will manifest, and how long it will take to see the cases flatline and eventaully get back to some sense of normalcy. 

As much as we’d all like to be back in the gym and out on the course we’re stuck at home – alone. 

So rather than focusing on what we can’t do right now, let’s focus on what we can do – so that when we do get a chance to play golf again we are in the best possible positon to play golf a high level.

 #1: Work on Improving Your Flexibility/Mobility 

Having worked with hundreds of golfers over the years it is with 100% certainty I can say the golfers with the lower handicaps have more flexibility and mobility than those with less range of motion in all the places we need to have it. Where do you need mobility? As shown in the model below we need mobility at the following segments: The Big Toe (Not shown), Ankle, Hip, Thoracic Spine, Shoulder, Wrist. 

Tissue density or the tightness of our muscles is one of the biggest restricting factors we have when it comes to playing golf at a high level and the f irst step to improving flexibilty and mobiltiy is to improve the soft tissue quality of our muscles and fascia.  We start to do that by applying pressure or massage to the body using special tools designed for the job. 

I have been using massage tools like these made by Rad Roller since 2007. In 2018 I was one of the first ever to take and complete the RAD GOLF MOBILITY CERTIFICATION.

As well as the RAD MOBILITY 1 and MOBILITY 2 courses on-line and in person. 

My recommendation: 

• Spend 10-20 minutes performing self-massage (SMR). This can be a few minutes in the morning and a few minutes to close out the day.
• This will help to increase blood flow, improve muscle balance and posture, reduce boht physical and mental stress. 

Need a RAD MOBILITY Tool? Click the link below and get what you need. Not sure what you need? Ask me and I’ll guide you. 

https://lddy.no/fwt2

Start With Your Feet

Most golfers are focused on their hands when they should really be focused on their feet.

Through the use of force pressure mapping experiments such as those done by BodiTrak Sports we know the feet have a far greater influence on the flight of the ball than the hands do.

Most people are going to have a lot of problems with that inner arch and towards the BIG TOE and we need that to be able to move in those segments for life, sport, and especially golf.

We are going to start from the feet and work from the ground up. We don’t want to roll the feet, but rather put pressure on various points and hold them until we get a release. Follow these guidelines from Dr. Emily Splichal, a NYC based podiatrist and human movement specialist. 

#2: Improve Mobiltity and Stability Simultaneously With Stick Mobility 

I purchased my Stick Mobility equipment and golf mobility course a full year ago. And it’s only because I have been stuck home this past week that I’m able to finally get into the course and put the tool into practice. 

The course was co-created and is co-taught by PGA Tour Pro Coach Ben Shear. I’ve been using the tool for a week now and believe it to be the most valuable tool I’ve ever used for improving mobility, stability and body awareness all at the same time.  

If you go back and look at the Mobility/Stability model above you will see that above and below every mobile segment is a stable segment. Having mobility and not being able to control that mobility in a standing functional positions and patterns is meaningless. By using StickMobility we can create tension into the ground and/or the stick (which is flexibile). This engages key stabilizers in the body and provides the nervous system with feedback as to where your body is in space. This is essential because to truly own our movements we need to be able to perform them in a standing dynamic patterns. I will be using this tool with all of my golf clients when we are allowed back into the gym. 

Using StickMobility Will: 

• Allow you to get your body into positions you were not able to without the sticks.
• Once you own those positions it will help you have a more consisten, efficient and effective golf swing.
• Help you reduce the risk of injuries. 
• Allow you to hit the ball further.

 #3: Work On Your Swing Mechanics

If you are stuck indoors the best tool I know of for practicing your swing is the Twitch Trainer.

“The Twitch Trainer and their progressive conditioning program, Twitch Movements, are specifically designed to reprogram a wavering rotational sequence. Awakening the athlete within. The result; a fluid, repeatable, powerful golf swing.”_ Ryan Steenberg (inventor of the Twitch Trainer)

 

Because the device is a soft fabric it’s very safe to use indoors and the instructional videos are free on their website and begin with improving function of key stabilizers on the ground, followed by a series of standing patterns that will improve and increase mobility in your T-spine and hips. The two most important mobile segments for golfers. 

Later into the program Ryan takes you through swing patterns that are similar if not the same as those used in the SuperSpeed Golf System. While the Twitch trainer is not an overspeed training system like SSG, by working on these patterns and swinging the device in both directions you will see improved coordination and increases in speed as a result. Give it a try. It’s a lot of fun and a perfect tool to use indoors. 

 #4: Add Speed To Your Swing

By far, the best system for adding speed to your swing is by using the SuperSpeed Golf System. Just before the virus broke worldwide I was able to attend a SuperSpeed Live workshop in NJ. In fact, I was the ONLY golf performance specialist on the east coast to attend. In the three weeks prior to the live event I completed my 3 levels of SSG certification.  

 

If you can get outside you should be using this system and get your swing speed moving in the right direction. If you are interested in getting started and don’t know how, just ask me. I will get you full directions and tracking sheets to measure your progress. Don’t have a set of SuperSpeed Clubs yet. Order them now by clicking this link. https://superspeedgolf.com/ref/bcohen/

#5: Take An On-line Golf Lesson

My friend Steve Pietsch (the teaching pro over at Premier Indoor Golf) is offering online lessons via the skillestapp. The app is free to download and is really an amazing tool! So you can still have a professional golf coach do what coaches are supposed to doing. Watch you, advise you, guide you to get you to where you want to go-faster than if you were to go it alone. Email: STEPHEN@PREMIERINDOORGOLF.COM 

#6: Work With Me From The Comfort Of Your Home

Hey guys, there’s still plenty we can do from home. My clients already have documents that lay out a series of exercises for flexibility, mobility and stability at their fingertips. I can also create custom workouts using my TPI Pro Site which will give you both a written and video version of the exercise. I can certainly create exercise programs that do not require equipment. Easy-peasy! You just have to ask. 

Need accountability and guidance? I’m here for you. We can arrange for a face-time or skype lesson which will only count as half an in-person lesson. 2 for 1, what’s better than that!  

Brett’s Bottom Line: 

I believe that self-care and movement is absolutely vital at a time like this. Our lives may be on pause, but our bodies don’t have to be! I know that being quarantined at home makes this a bit challenging and limiting. Which is why I am commited to offereing FREE resourcs to help you stay active and reduce both physical and mental stress.

We’ve got to help each other through this. Even though distance is keeping us apart, it’s distance that will keep us together and alive when we reach the other end of this.

After this is over I look forward to seeing you all once again. 

In the meantime STAY CONNECTED via text, phone or my social media platforms. 

I’m here to help. Let’s stay active while we’re stuck.

FOCUS ON YOUR HEALTH

In this article I am not going to give you more directions on how long you should wash your hands for or how to make homemade sanitizing gel. We’ve all heard enough of that! 

But what I am going to tell you is that your best defense against this or any other virus is to become an in hospitable host to any sickness or disease. 

Number 1- MAKE YOUR BED YOUR BUSINESS

Everyone I know loves sleep. No one I know gets enough of it. If you want to be a healthy human you have to make sleep a priority. 

Let’s get right down to brass tacks. Sleep is the #1 way to naturally strengthen your immune system.

When we sleep, our bodies repair and restore vital systems that help keep us alive. This includes muscular, skeletal, and cellular repair during our REM stages of sleep. If we are not getting adequate REM sleep, our bodies will not recover and we will be more susceptible to illness.

A consistent lack of sleep will disrupt hormonal balance in the body and depress the immune system. And the last thing we need right now is a depressed immune system!  Too little sleep over time can put you at greater risk for obesity, heart disease, and diabetes (all diseases). Or another way of saying a body that’s not at ease.

Research by Dr. Aric Prather  out of UC San Francisco on another type of Coronavirus – the common cold – demonstrated that “people who sleep six hours a night or less are four times more likely to catch a cold when exposed to the virus, compared to those who spend more than seven hours a night in slumber land.”

Tips on Getting A Good Nights Sleep: 

• Avoid/Limit caffeine after 2 p.m.-Caffeine has a half-life of about six hours. That means  if you have a coffee after 3 p.m., you’ll still have half the milligrams of that coffee drink floating around in your blood stream at 9 p.m. (when you’re supposed to be winding down and getting ready for bed). This will surely disrupt the first sleep cycle which occurs betwen 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. (the time when the immune system is repairing itself). 
• Avoid These Other Stimulants-including nicotine, sugar and exposure to artificial light and electromagnetic pollution. Electromagnetic pollution is coming out of the electrical outlets in your wall, and all the plugged in appliances in your home. Not much you can do about that these days. BUT, you can limit or eliminate exposure to artificial light. Start to turn down the lights in your home an hour before bed time and shut off the TV, computer, I-Pad and cell phone as well. Constant exposure to light signals the brain that it’s time to wake-up. Get in a habit of shutting things down and spend the last 30 minutes of your day winding down. Roll, stretch, meditate. These all have a parasympathetic effect (repair and recover). 
• Entrain Your Brain-Your brain doesn’t know the difference between a Monday and a Saturday. When we were younger we could get away with staying up late on Friday or Saturday nights and get back to normal rather quickly. Not so much anymore. Your body does best on a consistent rhythm so aim to get to bed around the same time every night-no matter what!

Number 2- DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

I have been teaching and preaching the important of proper hydration since becoming a CHEK trained Holistic Lifestyle Coach back in 2003! We had to read these books by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. (You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty and Your Bodies Many Cries For Water).

Here’s a quick summary. 

• The amount of water you should drink is half your body weight in ounces per day/minimum. In other words, if you weigh 150lbs. you need to be drinking at least 75 ounces of water per day. 
• You should start your day with up to 25% of that amount upon waking.
• Water energizes you because it improves digestion and elimination, flushing out toxins, junk and fat.
• Water is one of the primary ways to neutralize free radicals in your body. 
• Water improves mental clarity and memory.
• Water makes up 70% of your fascia and muscle. If you don’t have enough water in your tissues, you can rest assure that your fascia won’t be healthy. If you want to be more flexible you need to drink more water.
• Water helps to carry oxygen to your body cells, which results in properly functioning systems. It also works in removing toxins from the body, so drinking more of it could help prevent toxins from building up and having a negative impact on your immune system.
• Water carries nutrtients and oxygetn to your cells and regulates body temperature. 
• Proper hydration helps to normalize cortisol levels (the body’s stress hormone).

Number 3-MAKE MOVEMENT YOUR MEDICINE

As a society we simply don’t move enough! Most of us do not purposefully build physical activity into our day. Technology has robbed us of our natural inclination to move and it seems to be getting worse and worse. (Heck, it’s why I have a job in the first place). Do you think there were any personal trainers 100 years ago? I don’t think so. To get from place to place, to mow the lawn, to do the laundry, to get food, we were moving.

If you want to be a healthy person you need to move, to exercise. It’s that simple.. Things that don’t move die.

When a stream stops running, the oxygen to the living organisms gets cut off and everything in it chokes to death and dies.

“If you are not moving, you’re dying!”

This doesn’t mean that you need to spend hours and hours in the gym every day. You just need to move, and you need to find a way to do that on a regular basis. That means you need to spend some time each day and week covering the most important aspects of movement as it relates to your health and longevity. Your movement commitment should include elements of the following.

• cardiovascular(aerobic and anaerobic) 
• strength training to maintain muscle mass and to allow you to continue to do the things you need to do, want to do, and like to do easier and better 
• flexibility and balance training that utilize multiple muscle groups and cross multiple joints in order to challenge the nervous system

Daily movement will help to prevent injury, recover more quickly, and improve your resilience to disease. 

Number 4-EAT NUTRIENT-DENSE FOODS 

 

This should shock any of you but nutrient dense foods (regardless of whether it’s plant or animal) comes from nutrient dense soils. In order for soil to be nutrient dense it needs to have a plentiful amount of microorganisms living in it. That means the soil needs to be organic (not have been fertilized with chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides) which destroys the microorganisms in the soil, the plants that grow out of them, the animals that eat those plants and the humans that eat those plants and animals.

It’s a closed cycle.

The more chemicals and toxins we are exposed to, the worse our health becomes. 

Basic rules for eating: 

• chose organic
• eat local and seasonal foods
• avoid packaged and processed foods
• if it packaged and has more than 4 ingredients you probably shouldn’t be eating it
• if there are words on the label you cannot pronounce-don’t eat it
• unless you are a vegetarian your meat sources should be hormone free/free range
• eat mostly plants
• not too much

Number 5-MINIMIZE STRESS

We can’t live without stress nor should we aim to eliminate it. Life will be stressful and if it doesn’t show up in one area of your life it will surely show up in another. The problem is continued stress without recovery. The main stress hormone (cortisol) is directly tied to nerve cells in the brain, the hippocampus.

Stress comes in many forms:

• physical stress (too much or too little exercise)
• chemical stress (having to detoxify ourselves from agricultural chemicals and/or prescription medication)
• electromagnetic stress (higher than ever these days with the constant bombardment of extremely low frequency pollution being omited by out electronic devices)
• nutritional stress (eating too much, eating too late, not eating enough, consuming too many foods that contain artificial ingredients, preservatives, colorings and so on)
• thermal stress (too cold/too hot for extended periods of time) Humans enjoy 72 degree temperatures for a reason.
• physic or mental stress (*often referred to as “stinkin thinking” the easiest way to reduce or eliminate this is to limit your exposure to the media (TV and newspapers) as well as social media outlets, which help to spread hysteria of the Covid-19 virus faster than the virus can spread itself. 

 Brett’s Bottom Line: 

Your health is your job. You can’t outsource it to anyone else. While there are certain precautions we can and should be taking to avoid contracting the Corona virus or any virus for that matter, the best way is to stay as healthy as possible.

The healthier you are the less likely you will become infected with something that can make you sick. Is it guaranteed? No, no one is bullet proof, but these strategies will make you bullet resistant. 

 

If you’ve watched the tour players over the last 3 – 4 years you’ve seen these! They are SuperSpeed Clubs

Has this ever happened to you? You go take a golf lesson and the pro shows you what you look like at after impact and then an image of a PGA or LPGA professional after impact and says, “Hey ____, I’d like you to move your body the lead side more like____.” ​​

Not shifting your weight correctly onto your lead side in the downswing is a swing characteristic defined as Hanging Back by the way. And this is just an example of the point I’m about to make. The result of hanging back is often accompanied by premature release of the wrist angles, as the player is trying to advance the club with their arms rather than with the correct weight shift and pivot.

Know Before You Go

In order to get the most of the vast amount of golf knowledge your pro has and for them to help you get the most out of your lesson it’s crucial that your instructor knows what you’re physically capable of so that when you start looking at your golf swing—you don’t try to make changes that you just won’t be able to make. We don’t want to try to make a change that CAN’T happen. That would be and is extremely frustrating! 

How Do You Know?

The Titlelist Performance Institute has developed a simple process that those of us educated by TPI use to assess what you’re capable of doing physically as it relates to a mechanically correct golf swing. That process is known as the Level 1 Screen. The screen tells us how your body relates to your golf swing. This is what we call The Body-Swing Connection. In other words, if you can’t do ‘A’ you will likely reproduce ‘B’, ‘C’, or ‘D’ in your golf shot.

In the video  you can get some insite to how the process is used on the best in the game.

Is your golf swing is the way it is because of the way your body is moving? Are you struggling with a particular shot or club because how your body is moving? The only way to know that for sure is to perform a physical screen to see what physical attributes you might be struggling with so we know what’s holding you back from doing the things you want to do with the club. 

 Stop Banging Your Head Against A Wall!

If you are taking golf lessons and practicing but feel like you’re not progressing as fast as you’d like it’s likely that your own body is holding you back. Eliminate the frustration and get screened to find out what you can and cannot do and then decide if you want to try to change your body so you can change your swing.

Bretts Bottom Line:

Physical limitations WILL show up in your golf swing.

“If I could give just one piece of advice to golfers of all levels, it’s to be physically assessed by a competent professional. A well-trained professional can identify key areas of weakness or imbalance and develop a highly effective exercise or rehabilitation program. It’s no guarantee that you’ll remain injury free, as the golf swing puts incredible forces on the body, but it puts the odds in your favor.” – Dr. Greg Rose, Titleist Performance Institute

Give me a call. (917) 596-8485. Let’s Get Started. It’s time to take charge of your game!