The Year for Power
Happy New Year everyone! I truly hope you are finding 2016 is off to a great start! We upped the impact of last year's newsletter campaign by sharing videos of the monthly tips through
Facebook. Be sure to follow us there where we will continue to provide these helpful videos to complement our year-long quest for power.
Before getting to the first of these 12 tips, I must state clearly that there is more than one source for power in an effective golf swing. The small muscles in the hands are a power source if they are trained properly for clubface management. The larger muscles in the arms also generate power once they are trained to apply proper pressure to the shaft and the ground. And please don't forget the power of the mind. So for these next 12 months I will do my best to keep all tips devoted to stretches, strengthening exercises and swing drills that will stimulate power in the golf swing.
From time to time I will demonstrate pressure
mapping using a new tool from BodiTrak to gauge the movement of a golfer's center of gravity or center of pressure. From the moment of address, to the top of the backswing, down to impact and all the way through the finish of the swing, pressure mapping clearly identifies how a golfer's weight or pressure moves. The Boditrack pressure map station is now setup in our classroom and will be included in all scoring schools for 2016!
So, how about that tip? Let me begin by addressing our first power move, the pivot. The pivot is the turning or twisting motion of the body with the weight or center of pressure moving. So the pivot involves a weight shift with a turn. The five components of the pivot that I will be focusing on this year include:
- the feet-they support the pivot
- the knees-they provide the flexibility
- the hips-they power the motion
- the shoulders-they provide direction to the arms
- the head-for balance.
Again, expect power stretches, power exercises, and power drills to include all five components of the pivot.
This month I recommend trying "The Ball Toss" to draw your attention to how the energy transfers from one side of the body to the other through the swing. On Facebook I will demonstrate this by tossing a beachball and a physio ball, as well as swinging a weighted club on the BodiTrak. You will clearly be able to see numbers change as the center of pressure is moving. Over the course of the year I will identify what the numbers mean, good and bad!