- Do you frequently experience a pull or a slice?
- Do you often feel “stuck’ or “trapped” on your downswing?
- Do you ever experience back, elbow, shoulder, or neck pain after playing a round of golf?
I know this can be very frustrating!
So why is this happening? Well, it could be you need some instruction on what to do with your body and the club. Who couldn’t use some help there? It could be that your clubs don’t fit you properly. It also could be you need to put some more time into practice. But did you consider that it could be you?
“Your swing is developed around your physical abilities and limitations.”
Well, what does that mean? Let’s say you are getting good instruction, you had your clubs fitted properly and you practice your little heart out but you still are struggling to play the way you’d like to play, then it’s time to look at the person holding the club.
How your body moves and how that affects the golf swing is known as the Body-Swing Connection.
Most amateur golfers that struggle with power and consistency do so because they don’t have the physical prerequisites necessary to get into and maintain a position to deliver a powerful and consistent golf swing.
What All Good Ball Strikers Have In Common
Regardless of style, all good ball strikers generate speed and transfer energy throughout their bodies to the ball in the same sequence. The most efficient sequence of how they get this speed to the club head is called the “Kinematic Sequence”.
All great ball strikers begin generating speed from their lower body and transfer that speed through the torso into their lead arm and then into the club. What that means is that the hips start the downswing, the trunk/torso begins to rotate, and next the shoulder/arm starts to fire carrying that energy into the club.
What style they use to complete this task is completely unique to each player.
The same sequence used to initiate force from the top of the backswing to impact is used to decelerate the body after impact. In other words, the lower body begins to slow down first, then the torso, then the lead arm, and the club shaft.
What Causes Efficiency Breakdowns?
Without the ability to initiate the downswing with the lower body, a player can easily dominate the downswing with the upper body, forcing the swing to come over the top or cast.
A good Kinematic Sequence requires the following physical factors:
- The ability to separate movements of the lower body from the upper body (disassociation). The ability to separate the lower body from the upper body allows the upper body to lead in the backswing and the lower body to lead the downswing. (Reduced spinal and hip mobility causes limited pelvis-to-thorax separation.)
- Core stability to help maintain posture and thorax stability is essential. Any loss in posture can force the torso and arms to fire first in transition.
- Good balance on each leg, especially the lead side, is paramount for proper weight shift. Limited weight shift towards the lead leg can reduce the lower body’s contribution to generating power during the swing. Therefore, players who do not have adequate single-leg balance will try to produce power from their upper body by chopping down or throwing the club over the top.
Brett’s Bottom Line:
Style doesn’t matter-efficiency does! To be a good golfer it’s paramount to develop a good Kinematic Sequence. The ability to transfer energy efficiently throughout your body.
A good Kinematic Sequence is the key to power, consistency, and accuracy.
While lessons, practice, and good equipment are also necessary components – they are mute if you can’t get into position to swing the club in the right sequence.
Regardless of what your goals are on the golf course, unless you address your physical needs you are not maximizing your chances of success.
Identifying and improving upon physical restrictions is the key to unlocking your true playing potential.
“When your body doesn’t work the way it needs to, to play golf the way you want to – come to see the guru. I can help you play golf better!”_Brett Cohen
P.S.
Hey, let’s face it. The biomechanics of the golf swing – is complicated. Functional anatomy of the human body – complicated. Put them together. Well, you get the point. That’s why after taking my first Level 1 Certification in 2010 I will be repeating it for the 5th time on Monday, May 7th & Tuesday,
May 8th revisiting my Level 1 material with Dr. Greg Rose, Dave Phillips, Lance Gill, and Jason Glass. (The BIG Guns).
These are the guys that have been testing and training the tour players for 2 decades!
Don’t try to figure it out on your own when there’s an expert waiting to help you. All you have to do is call (917) 596-8485. Let’s get you started improving every day.
