Better Golf

Creating Super Speed in Golf

Super Speed Golf Swing | Healthy Shoulders | Buffalo NY | Leading Edge Performance
Super Speed Golf Swing | Healthy Shoulders | Buffalo NY | Leading Edge Performance

Creating Super Speed in Golf

What an exciting time in golf as the Masters commence in Augusta this weekend! Who's going to win? Are you placing any bets? Just a little hint... statistically, the longest drivers in the game make up the majority of winners.

You may have noticed some tour players warm-ups have changed recently. Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson have recently added Super Speed Golf Clubs to their bags... and they've added a whole lot of club head speed with it!

Why do we care about speed so much? Well, power is based on force and speed. Increasing power in your swing means increasing distance in your ball flight. Who doesn't want to hit the ball further? The further we hit the ball, the faster we get to the hole.

If you haven't seen Super Speed golf clubs yet, they are pretty cool looking golf shafts that are weighted differently at the end from one to the other. The set I have has three clubs: one is about the same weight as a men's driver (that's what I play), one is a little heavier, and the third is a little lighter than a standard men's driver. The three clubs are swung in specific sets and reps in order to tax the nervous system and fast twitch muscle fibers in a fashion that teaches the body and brain to create more speed over time.

There are many different drills you can do with Super Speed golf clubs too. Some exercises are done from a kneeling position, half kneeling position, and many are done while standing. One of my favorite exercises is the Happy Gilmore running start style swing. It's just funny. Check out Instagram for some cool drills and definitely follow my Instagram and Facebook pages for all kinds of flexibility, mobility, strength, power, and speed drills and exercises.

Marie Hall | Golf Fitness Buffalo | Leading Edge Performance

Author: Marie L Hall

MS, ATC, TPI CGFI MP3, SFMA, FMSC
Golf Fitness Expert, Performance Coach, Functional Movement Specialist

Best Season To Train For Golf

Best Time For Golf Training | Buffalo | Leading Edge Performance
Best Time For Golf Training | Buffalo | Leading Edge Performance

When is the best season to train for golf?

The weather has turned colder over the last few weeks, and we have seen plenty of rain (with flurries in the forecast). I've heard many ask me "when is the best season to train for golf? Is it in the 'off' season?" The better questions is....should there be an off season from training?

He SAID, She SAID

Do the same thing you've always done and it will get you where you've always been. How many places is that applicable in life? Many. It applies to the body too. First, there's the SAID principle: Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand. Simply stated, it means the body adapts to the forces applied to it. Secondly, a rolling stone gathers no moss. Keep moving so you can keep eating grass, not growing it. Also, if we do the same exercises, the same training, the same cardio, your body will stay basically..the same. That's a good plan for maintenance, but what if you're looking to make gains? Strength, power, and increased swing speed allow for longer drives. The person who hits the ball the longest, wins... 80% of the time in the PGA (and hopefully on your home course too). Distance matters, and it's more fun to hit a long ball too!

Seasons of Training

There are times we can best use training sessions to focus on strength gains while still maintaining mobility and flexibility, and there are times we want to focus on speed training and body control. Fall, winter, and the beginning of spring in WNY is a great time to focus on raw strength in key areas, increase your shoulder turn, and improve your hip turn...all while picking up heavy weights. You're not done. Put them down, pick them up, and keep repeating. In the spring and summer months it's important to maintain body control with good core exercises, anti-rotation or resisted rotation exercises, nervous system training, and speed drills.

There may be an off season from golf if you aren't a snow bird, but there shouldn't be an off season from training if you want to keep moving well and enjoying life. Call Marie today to learn more about the best program for your body based on how you move during this season today!

"Better Body, Better Golf, Better Life"

Marie Hall | Golf Fitness Buffalo | Leading Edge Performance

Author: Marie L Hall

MS, ATC, TPI CGFI MP3, SFMA, FMSC
Golf Fitness Expert, Performance Coach, Functional Movement Specialist

How Can I Improve My Hip Turn?

How Can I Improve My Hip Turn? | Gold Fitness Buffalo | Leading Edge Performance
How Can I Improve My Hip Turn? | Gold Fitness Buffalo | Leading Edge Performance

How Can I Improve My Hip Turn

Hip, hip, hooray!!! There's always lots of talk about hips in the sports arena. The greatest athletes in the world are strong and move well from their hips to their shoulders. They have lots of motion and they have lots of great body control in these areas. So if hip movement is so important, how do we maintain it or improve it?

A Brief Anatomy Lesson

Let's talk about the muscles surrounding the joint. We have the hip flexors, quadriceps (front of thigh), hip internal and external rotators, adductors or groin muscles (moves your leg towards the midline of your body). We also have gluteus maximus (my favorite!!), which is the great hip extensor, and glute medius which is an abductor (moves the leg away from the midline of the body). Extensibility or flexibility of each of these muscles has an impact on total joint motion. Research studies have indicated groin or adductors are the first group of muscles to tighten, leading to the loss of motion in the hip turn.....meaning that's an area we should pay attention to! Quads and hip flexors are in a shortened state when seated, which most of the population does a whooollee lot of today mainly due to an occupational hazard: the desk job!

Flexibility Comes From Joints Too

Surrounding each joint in the body is a sheath of connective tissue that makes up the joint capsule. This capsule keeps all the synovial fluid inside the joint, which is our bodies own lube (the natural and organic kind of WD-40). Joint capsules can become tighter and thicker and sometimes need to be mobilized. You can think of this tissue similarly to a thin sheet of leather. It can be stretched out if you put the right pressure on it. Joint capsules can be stretched much like leather has the capability to.

Marie's Favorite Hip Stretches

Since adductors, hip flexors, quads, and glute medius are common areas of tightness, we should keep them stretched. Below, you'll see pictures of each. Remember, stretches should be dynamic during pre-participation warm-ups, but they can be held any other time.

For more information on a flexibility or fitness program, contact Marie.

Marie Hall | Golf Fitness Buffalo | Leading Edge Performance

Author: Marie L Hall

MS, ATC, TPI CGFI MP3, SFMA, FMSC
Golf Fitness Expert, Performance Coach, Functional Movement Specialist

Creating Upper and Lower Body Separation Improves Distance

Creating Upper and Lower Body Separation Improves Distance | Better Golf | Leading Edge Performance
Creating Upper and Lower Body Separation Improves Distance | Better Golf | Leading Edge Performance

Creating Upper and Lower Body Separation

Some instructors and professionals call it the "X-factor" while others like myself refer to kinematic sequencing, but no matter what you call it, creating separation between when your hips turn in your swing and when your shoulders turn in your swing allows your body to create a powerful whip and thereby dramatically improving distance on any club. to say it another way, most golfers are aware you need your shoulders to turn and you need your hips to turn, but the timing of movement of each segment of your body really matters.

How You Can Create Separation

We've talked about exercises you can use to create more mobility and flexibility in the mid and upper back (where your shoulder turn comes from) and there are many exercises available you can use to increase hip mobility and flexibility (I will definitely share more about that in a later post). Mobility exercises should be part of a daily routine in addition to utilizing exercises that help you separate the two areas of your body. Exercises where you're stabilizing the hips and rotating the upper body, or stabilizing the lower body and rotating the hips are two types of exercises that do this.

Upper Body Stabilization and Lower Body Movements

Here's an exercise you can add to your regiment. From a plank position, keep your spine stable (and straight) while you bring one knee towards your opposite elbow. You can alternate knees while holding the plank for 30-60 seconds. You will likely feel this in your core as well.

Lower Body Stable with Upper Body Movements

One of my favorite exercises is the push-up with shoulder turn. After completing a regular push-up, turn your shoulders in one direction while keeping your hips facing square to the floor. Repeat with another push-up and then rotate the shoulders in the other direction.

For a complete and customized program, contact Marie today!

Marie Hall | Golf Fitness Buffalo | Leading Edge Performance

Author: Marie L Hall

MS, ATC, TPI CGFI MP3, SFMA, FMSC
Golf Fitness Expert, Performance Coach, Functional Movement Specialist