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.
Swing Faults are Not Really Swing Faults
It sure was a great week at Augusta National and a memorable Sunday. A lengthened Augusta, fast greens, and tough conditions made for a great major. Congrats to Phil and shooting 7 under to win his second green jacket, and second straight major. Three for nine is a pretty good average in the last nine majors if you ask me. It was amazing and really fun to watch in person.
Golfers should understand the concept of flexibility and how it benefits or can hurt their golf swing. I think it is understood the body must be able to draw the club through a long range of motion. In order to achieve this long swing, the body must be flexible.
I've been training professional and amateur athletes for quite some time now. What I find is that many people don't understand the principle of strength and what its role is in the golf swing.
Looking at the definition of strength shines some light on the connection between this principle and the golf swing.
Strength is the ability of your muscular system to produce the required amount of force to maintain the anatomical postures contained within the biomechanical movement being performed.
Simply put for golf, what is your ability to maintain your posture while you are swinging the golf club?
If you are not strong in the areas to maintain your golf posture, you have a limited ability to have an efficient golf swing.
In essence, you will have swing faults. I believe swing faults are really body faults. Body faults lead to swing faults.
You need a golf specific training program to help you develop your body to swing the golf club better.
This is what folks call cross-specific training.
The end result of using a cross-specific training program for golf is a transfer of training effect. Transfer of training effect is the ability of your golf specific training program to have a direct benefit on your performance on the golf course. The majority of generic fitness programs do not address your needs relative to improving flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power for your golf swing.
Bottom line, if you are looking to improve your golf game though golf fitness, then you need to change your fitness routine to be more golf specific.
Previous blog entries:
03/27/06 You can improve balance in your swing
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
