We are pleased to announce that Sean Cochran, a nationally renowned golf fitness instructor and the personal golf fitness trainer to 2005 PGA Champion Phil Mickelson, has joined PGA.com as a fitness advisor. Cochran, who also has served as strength and conditioning coach for the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres major league baseball teams, will write a weekly fitness blog that will appear exclusively on PGA.com. He'll update it a couple of times a week, telling you about how to achieve better fitness, life on the road -- and in the gym -- with Lefty, plus answer your questions about fitness and how it can help you play better golf. More of Cochran's articles and his acclaimed fitness aids are available at his web site, www.bioforcegolf.com.
You can improve balance in your swing
Stephen Ames had a fabulous Sunday to cap off a great week of golf at the Player's Championship this week. It concluded with some sunny weather, but the wind was not kind. The wind picked up over the weekend, Saturday to be exact, and definitely blew a few golf balls into the water on the "Island Green" at the 17th. I walked the course over the weekend, and saw some great shots from tough lies and stances. It got me thinking about the great balance these tour players have within their swings. It also raised the question in my mind: does the amateur really understand balance in relation to the golf swing?
It is referenced as an essential component of a successful swing. Often times balance is a component solely connected to swing mechanics. In reality, there is much more to it, and a lot of it has to do with your body.
Look at the definition of balance. It is the ability to maintain control of the body during any physical activity. When we talk about balance in the golf swing, it is the ability of the body to maintain the proper postural alignments and center of gravities required to successfully execute the golf swing. Understanding the definition of balance, we can see where your body and the ability of your body to balance directly affects the success of your golf swing.
Balance in connection with your body has two physical components working together to allow for either efficient or inefficient balance within the golf swing. These two physical components are your muscles and nerves. These systems working together allow for postural alignments, center of gravities, weight transfer and spine angles to be maintained during all phases of the swing.
Keep these two sub-systems of the body in mind. If I have an inefficient nervous system and a weak muscular system, the ability to maintain balance during the swing will be compromised. In order to improve your balance capacities, you have to develop these two physical components of the body. The first is to improve strength in the muscular system and the second is to create greater efficiency within the nervous system.
The development of your muscular and nervous system for improved balance within your swing is achieved through the utilization of golf specific fitness exercises. These types of exercises develop both your nervous and muscular systems cross-specifically to the golf swing. Utilizing these types of balance training exercises over time will improve the balancing capacities within your golf swing.
So if you are finding that postural sway, poor weight transfer, or changes in spine angle occur within your swing, some golf fitness exercises to improve your balance might be just what you need.
Previous blog entries:
03/24/06 Improve Your Flexibility and See Results in Your Swing
03/20/06 Your Body is the Foundation of Improving Your Golf Swing
