New Year's Resolution

I have been reflecting back over that last year. It has been a mountain and valley year both in the golf game and the professional world.

Over the next year I am looking to update this blog 2 times a month. I would love visitor input for the blogs next month. So this blog is to drive comments. Here are some ideas but you are the great golfers, readers and improving your games.

• Putting


• Decreasing Shoulder Pain


• Accuracy


• Distance (of course)


• Short Game


• Nutrition

Happy New Year and see you in 2010!

Heat it up!

Welcome to December! I was attempting to keep warm after my Thanksgiving dinner talking golf with my father and my uncle. They are both successful businessmen and avid golfers. It was great to gain the perspective of not only family but golf consumers. So I am going to relay that information to you. I would love your comments!

Top four things "golf consumers" look for:

1. Distance: How do I get it? Is it my body? Is it my club? Is it my club head speed?


2. Accuracy: How do I play from the fairway more often? How do I shape a shot?


3. Lower Score: I cant seem to break 100? 90? 80? etc.


4. Less strokes on the putting green: Is it my putter? How are my feet supposed to be? How do I read the green quickly.


5. How do I play with PAIN? You don't have to!

THE ANSWER TO EACH OF THOSE IS ....

In order to play the game you want to play you must practice your game on the course, on the putting green, in your mind and most importantly with your body. On a day to day basis I encourage the avid golfer to visualize their favorite course playing the perfect hole or even if you have enough time the entire round. Your body does what your mind sees.

In order to improve your game your body must be able to do the things the golf swing and game demand. This will keep you out of pain. If you are experiencing pain it is a good idea to find out why your swing hurts. And it is NO EXCUSE to say I am getting older or that has always been there or other such things. Please consult someone and get it fixed so you can enjoy the game pain free. Distance, accuracy and lower scores come hand in hand...they are simply perfecting your swing by perfecting your body with precise and specific golf exercises and golf specific strengthening and flexibility routines.

As for the putting I suggest get specific putting lessons. Attend a workshop or get some lessons.

To the Golf Consumer...what else do you look for?

POWER

How do I add distance this off season? This is the number one question I get asked at the clinic. My questions back are how bad do you want it and are you willing to work for it. You can read endless books, watch endless videos, buy new clubs, buy new balls, even buy a workout plan but if it not personally tailored to you and your work efforts it just wont work!!!

So for those of us who are going to work a little harder to get healthier, stronger, and improve our golf game please read on!

You MUST create POWER.

P: Positives and negatives: You must strength train concentrically and eccentrically. This means control your movements on both the push and return. If possible create a forced negative environment for your muscles. This requires help from a trained professional.

O: Optimism: These few months of work may hurt, may not give the results asap but they will show up if you are consistent for 90 plus days.

W: Will: When everyone else is having that extra eggnog. Have a glass of water.

E: Enthusiasm and Energy: The positive frame of mind must include picking yourself up when you are down, eating right, and doing the perfect workout for YOU to up your energy.

R: Recover: You are going to want to push but take at least a one day rest every week and a recovery week once every four to five weeks. The recovery week is not a do nothing week. It is a light conditioning and heavy on the flexibility week.

Goofy Acronym I know but you need to add it to your plan, not only that you have to work the major muscles groups. The top exercises to get your POWER on are:

1. Squats



2. Cleans



3. Pull ups



4. Bench Press



5. Lunges

Please ask a trained professional how to maximize your golf routine with these exercises.

On a side note you must also work on your balance and core.

Making it Happen

I have been out and about of playing golf over the last several weeks. Spending time at the LPGA event at the Blackhawk country club in Danville, California and working at the specific chiropractic center. I am hoping to play soon but with that being said I just concluded a six month program with an amateur golfer. Here is what happened!!!!
Making It happen

1. Over 110 scores consistently: Now he is shooting in the high 80's and low 90's.
2. No ability to move Pelvis: Rotation has increased from no stability or mobility, to stability with some mobility (basically he is able to actually rotate his pelvis when he had to move his whole body before)
3. Incredibly inflexible in the shoulder joint: Now he is able to touch the wall with out bending his elbow.

Now what does all this mean?
Over the course of 6 months not only did this golfer practice quit a bit he was also able to find his body. More importatnly find how his body was moving and not moving in the golf swing. There is still considerable work to be done but HIO golf fitness is proud to be putting an improved golfer out on the courses.
His friends dont believe how much he has improved. If you or someone you know is looking for results you know where to go!

QUICK POST

Short Entry today

• check out breaking out of your comfort zone
• Come Visit us at the LPGA event at the Black Hawk Counry Club
• have a great week

Larry

Golf Fitness Basics

If you are looking to improve your golf fitness you should consider 5 aspects of fitness. Each is individually important but nonetheless should not be ignored. Golf demands golfers to have basic flexibility, stability, balance, coordination and muscular endurance. If any of these qualities are absent, the golf swing will be inefficient and inconsistent. The golf swings is athletic from stance to follow through. All major muscle groups are used in a specific sequence to allow distance, consistency, and accuracy. The non optimized golfer might hit a few solid shots in a round of golf, but that is chance and not skill.
Without taking it to the basic fitness components, your swing cannot be consistent, nor will it ever have accuracy along with distance.

• Stability: This is your ability to utilize your strength and flexibility. You need have stability have an optimized swing.

• Flexibility: Flexibility is a must to achieve a full backswing and front swing without strain. Lack of flexibility creates strain in your body and ultimately affects your golf swing, depriving your golf swing of club head speed, accuracy, and distance.

• Balance: Balance is your body’s ability to perform all the component of your golf swing while staying on your feet. As you begin to improve stability, flexibility, and strength often times balance training is missed. If you are strong but are falling out of your swing you are losing almost everything you have worked so hard for.

• Coordination: The golf swing requires a particular sequence of motion. This motion must be done over and over again in the same sequence to have lowered scores and consistency.

• Endurance: Having endurance is your body’s ability to maintain all of the above components for an entire round. Not only that when you body has endurance is allows you to maintain the mental aspect of the game a little bit better.

Implementing golf fitness for your golf swing MUST include ALL of the above components and you will get you results!

Driving it home

I was out on the course yesterday with a friend who was playing from the blacks while the rest of us were playing from the blues...not only was he still out driving us he was more consistent. This is the type of person that gets great results from what we do at HIO golf fitness. His game is already great but it is stuck. Adding more yardage to his game, adding more consistency to his game is tough cause it is there already...it is getting the body to be into peak condition and then raising the peak again that is going to get him to drive it home. It is going to be a fun adventure as we travel together with his training. All this being said he is already driving it home.
Now you may be asking what IT is???? It in this case is not the ball, not the swing, not the player, but the program. The program is going to to take his game to the next level.
Lesson one:

1. Get back to the basics
2. Break down the body into individual parts and work from there
3. Add Cardiovascular routine

The basics at HIO Golf Fitness are getting the body to function at its highest potential. The nervous system is the master controller of all movements and if that system is not under par ;)
then the body will not be optimizing. So we are going to be on a strict regiment of checking the nervous system.
Breaking the body down is going to be the most challenging aspect for my friend. His swing and game are already great and taking him back to elementary-seeming body movements is going to seem strange at first but time and time again we see quick improvements. Without checking him and watching him play I know that pelvic tilts and single leg balance are going to be key into his improvements.
Cardiovascular routine: I am going to change his current routine from random and long to quick and effective.
I am looking for to watching the process of DRIVING IT HOME.

One Armed Man and Reversed Spine Angle

Out on the course on Sunday, My father and I were playing with a gentleman who loves golf so much that he played for a significant amount of time without the use of one of his arms. He was so trained to play that way he still just uses one arm to putt.
Watching this man play was like amazing. His body was mobile and stabile. It was the almost the picture perfect swing. The only swing fault he consistently had was reverse spine angle. He was so flexible and so used to using one are with his full swing he contorted his body to create power. As you can imagine one would have to do playing with one arm.
So to make a long story short reverse spine angle typically can create a myriad of issues with power, accuracy, and efficient...let alone the added stress to the spine. "A Reverse Spine Angle is defined as any excessive upper body backward bend or excessive left lateral upper body bend during the backswing." (mytpi.com) According to TPI it is the number one cause of back pain in the golfer.
In order to correct this through fitness the golfer must gain strength with in his core and trunk as well as create proper biomechinaillcay mobile swing.
This is done with Exercises such as

1. Chops
2. Lifts
3. Pelvic Tilts
4. Planks
5. Reverse Crunches
6. Dead Bugs
7. Golf Professional drills (talk to your local golf pro)

As your body begin to work in the proper pattern for the golf swing, distance, accuracy, and consistency will improve.

As for the one armed golfer...keep playing my friend and we will play soon!

45 holes!

I am sitting down for the first time today after a glorious weekend of golf. The weather was perfect and the courses were awesome. My best friend from Whitworth University came down and we hit the greens. We started on a public course on Friday, went to a private course on Saturday and back to 9 hole public course on Sunday.
What did I learn about myself...better yet what did I learn about golf to pass on --> Golf is fun and friends are great!
Okay you all know that already or else you would not be attracted to the sport in the first place. As the British Open was unfolding, we were swinging and enjoying each others company. What I did learn or brought to the forefront of my mind is that professional golfers are so good. I spend some time in the rough and struggled to get a clean shot. Pro's hit into the rough and it is a bummer, or so it seems.
My Top Ten Tips from the Weekend at Boundary Oaks, Green Valley, and Diablo Hills:
10) Bring water if it is not on the course
9) Play at your level don't try to match others (better or worse)
8) Smile (no matter what!!!)
7) Know your clubs
6) If there are several people around the same spot let them put first so you can watch how the green moves
5) Don't rush if have to wait at the next tee box (even if the people behind you are getting impatient)
4) If you are going to play several days in a row, you better warm up first (aka have a conditioning program that compliments your golf swing)
3) Utilize the turn to your advantage (rest, food, beverage, restroom)
2) Eat Nutritious meals to let your body recoup from the rounds.
1) HAVE FUN!

With all that being said get out and play!

What's up with your Friend???

The sun is out, the grass is green, the sky is blue. Your friends are in for a weekend of golf, laughter and fun. Last time you played with this group of guys you won and the other pairing had to pay for the first round of food at the Oakland A's game. (Maybe not your situation, but you can imagine a similar scenario right)

As you approach the first tee, you notice some thing different about Tyler. He has more pep in his step and is more excited than usual about the round of golf. Was it the California burrito he just wolfed down before going into the pro shop or the prospect of a new job??? He volunteers to hit first, he takes a swing, picture perfect the ball goes straight and far. That is when you realize, Tyler must have found a new pain killer for his aches and pains, and been taking lessons to get that swing right????

So you approach your shot and hit the ball nicely but not like Tyler did. So you mockingly say "You must have found the magic formula for your back."

Tyler not one to expose his secrets mid competition, simply smiles and nods.

Throughout then next 17 holes Tyler does not miss a stride with this swing (the two puts help your chances though).

Finally as you return the carts you ask again. This time Tyler tells you about a new fitness program that has been working him through each and every component of his swing and picking his body apart and putting him back together. Not only has this program helps his golf swing, but it has helped him to get into better physical health.

Now the moral of this story: Golf is a great game and fun to play with friends...it is even better to win and be pain free!

Do like Tyler did and make a difference in your body!

That Didn't Feel Right

Have you ever Swung your Golf Club and felt as if you were going to be out of bounds, searching for your ball in an awkward location, or 100 yards shorter than you needed to be, but as you watched the ball fly it went 250 yards and landed right in the middle of the fairway????

I haven't but I can imagine what that would feel like. Only Kidding. I send out an tweet and a facebook to get at some information that you guys wanted to read. So thank you.

Back on topic: THAT DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT?

Why? Our bodies often times work in patterns or habits. We have been designed to be able to remember and reproduce movements. The more we do them the more the body recognizes then and the less brain power and extra energy expenditure there is to get a movement accomplished.

This is the miracle of the nervous system! Our brain has several components and various "areas" of expertise. The ones that helps us remember patterns and movements are a combination of the front of the brain, deep in the middle of the brain and the cerebellum.

So why if I have swung the club thousands of times does my body not feel right, yet the ball goes right, or even worse if my body feels right and the ball ends up in La-La land.

This is because there can be a slight break down in communication between the sum of all parts and this confuses your body and it thinks it is beginning a new pattern. It may be something as simples as the wind blowing or a fly landing on your leg. It may be something that the body corrected naturally such as you were about to go over the top "body feels wrong" and it self corrected to make a beautiful shot. It may be you hit the sweet spot on the club, when you are used to hitting a millimeter off. All of these things seem like small bits but to the brain they are HUGE.

The brain is all about feeling right. When new information is sent it, new information must be processed and sent out. And that could ultimately make you "sense" that you had a bad swing, but in reality it was a new out put from a great input.

The nervous system is capable of amazing things, guard it well. Go out, play well and enjoy the courses of the world!

Hanging Back?!?!?

Have you heard you are Hanging Back in your golf swing?
This is a problem seen in many golfers who are trying to lift the ball and not use the club face to their advantage. It is also seen with golfers who have balance issues or rotation problems...It is often a consequence of early extension and slide.

So what exactly is hanging back?

1. Improper weight shift: Your body is staying with the majority of its weight over the back leg.
   
2. Poor Balance: An inability of your joints and ultimately your brain understanding where your body is throughout the swing path.
3. Inexperience: Often when people begin to golf they don't understand that the clubs have different shapes for a reason and not just to frustrate you. Most beginning golfers think they must consciously life the ball off the turf, which can lead to numerous swing faults.

What can you do Functionally to Improve?

1. Balance: Practice standing with your eyes closed. Be somewhere you can have some support if you are unsteady. Once you can stand with your eyes closed both feet on the ground and stay stable for 30 seconds, open you eyes and try standing on one leg. (Note here according to the Titleist Performance Institute the average professional that they have collected data on can stand for 16 seconds on one leg, eyes closed)
2. Utilize Drills to change weight shift. I have heard golf professionals teach you to push of your back foot as opposed to staying on it. Others drill you by having your actually pick up your feet, which is one of my favorites that I have seen by a local golf professional. Set up five balls and get in a rhythm of hitting the grass in both the front and back swing with appropriate weight changes by picking up your feet...then walk forward hit one ball at a time. It is a fun drill and it really helps hone in on weight shift.
3. Now in the bio mechanical functional approach to improving: IT IS SUPREMELY IMPORTANT to strengthen your core. Often times one simple set of seeming simple exercises can reduce swing faults dramatically as well as decrease chance for injury.

CORE:

• Planks, Side Planks, Reverse Planks: strengthen your entire core in a static plane.
• Chops and Lifts: dynamic movements to improving core.
• Pelvic Tilts: If you do not know how to tilt your pelvis properly your core is not going to be as efficient as it can be.

When you learn to properly shift your weight, have great balance and have amassed and perfected tons of drills. There is one final component to making sure your body and swing can stay coordinated. And that is making sure your head is on straight!

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

When you play the game of golf, you can have good days and you can have bad, you can even see that watching the golf channel. So what can you do to have more good than bad?

Albert Einstein put it well with “The definition of Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” I know that one of the best things that you can do is practice, practice, practice…but have you noticed that many times that can only get you so far. You hit a plateau or level spot and you cannot get any better.

So what do you do? MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

I have had the opportunity to watch golfers train outside of the golf course and the comment to me I hear is how is this going to help my slice or hook. And my response to them is what you have done so far that has worked to correct your ball flight. Has it made a difference?

I have the unique opportunity this upcoming week to combine my knowledge of the biomechanics of the swing and learn to how to efficiently use pilates to improve golf swing and decrease the chance of pain.
HIO Golf Fitness and Hole in One Pilates is combining to put on a spectacular two night event to make the introduce this concept in the bay area. As the week goes on and I learn more and more, I will be blogging and introducing this concept to you!

Directed Blog Post for the day

Check out www.BigForeGolf.com

• Instruction
  
• Living the Dream Blog
• Fitness Tips

Gotta go out and enjoy the sun! :)

USE YOUR TRUNK

As I was growing up playing this that and the other, I was always told the strength comes from the legs. This is mostly a true statement but in golf if your body does not know how to rotate the trunk efficiently your legs become just a pair of appendages.

Three effective ways to improve Rotation:

1. Seated rotation: sit with your feet and knees together, hold a band, tube, or cable machine. Hold the handle between your chest and your belly button and turn. Do three to six sets of 8 to 12. And do the individual sets at three speeds. Slow, Fast and Moderate!


2. Supine 90/90 rotation: This may seem counter-intuitive. Lay on your back bring your hips up to 90 degrees and bend your knees to 90 degrees. Without allowing your shoulders to lift off the groud bring both knees as far as you can to the left and then all the way to the right. The first of 3 to 6 sets should be moderate paced and the next should increase speed.


3. Standing Rotation with tempo/timing: Take a club and swing like a baseball bat in good rythm and timing. A two count is best both directions. Once you have the timing down every five full rotations swing as hard as you can in the direction you would drive the ball. This is a great exercise for both rotation and tempo.

Be sure to exercise with caution! As always consult a professional if you have questions.

Stay tuned for video footage for all exercises!

Is your Head on straight?

When you look in a mirror do you notice that one shoulder is higher than the other, that one ear is lower than the other, that one hair line is not quite level with the other...well is your head on straight?

Of course your head is on straight, but why are you able to see these variations in the mirror. That is your body trying to make you see the world on a level plain. In order for your brain to function and "enjoy" being in your head it needs to get information from your eyes and put them in a level field to tell your body what to do next. Well if you are laking motion in the upper part of your neck, your nervous system can become less than fully optimized, in turn it starts sending compromised signals to your body to adapt, which often leads to a domino effect. That adaption is what makes it appear like your head is not on straight.

Does it make a difference in your golf swing?

YES!!!!!

1. Perceiving the next shot: If your "head is not on straight" or compromised with nervous system optimization the message from your brain to your swing can be alter. Your brain says you need to swing your hybrid with this club head speed in order to land on the back end of the green to sit near today's pin placement. Your body receives the message swing the club and hope it gets off the ground...well not that extreme but you get the point.


2. Perfect angles and arcs: Your body and golf can be thought of in angles and arcs. If your eyes want to be on a level field they will get to 90/90 from the horizon. Your shoulders, hips, legs, and feet may then sit at varying angles for that to occur. When you pull your arms back for a swing it should be in a perfect arc but if the angles from your body are altered your swing must adapt. Now if you are able to optimize nervous system function and get your head on straight, it allows your body to communicate properly and restore itself.

So is your head on straight?

Is Your Hip Getting Around?

By Dr Callaway, DC ATC CSCS CGFI MP2, as seen on bigforegolf.com

When working on improving your swing good hip stability and mobility is crucial.
According to the Titleist performance institute the average touring professional has at least 45 degrees of hip internal rotation and external rotation. Inability to rotate your hips can lead to a number of swing faults as well as various biomechanical and musculature deficiencies.
How do you test to see if you hips are rotating? It is simple! Take two clubs and put them at right angles to one another, stand with one foot next to a shaft and the other rested on the toe. Have a club held along your shoulders, held with your arms crossed, turn your entire body towards the club…did the club in your arms cross the club on the floor?
If no then you need to work on your hip rotation…repeat with the other leg.
Increase your Mobility

1. Lay on your side, squeeze your knees together while lifting your foot towards the ceiling…repeat this 10 to 12 times and then switch sides.*
2. Sit on a chair with your knees together (looks like and M or W), until you feel a stretch in your hips. Hold that for 8 to 12 seconds, relax and repeat two more times.*
   

As your hips become more mobile you can add exercise to strengthen the hip musculature…

*If you have had a hip replacement or pain during these exercise contact your health care professional, prior to doing these exercises.

Golf and Health

CAN GOLF MAKE ME HEALTHY?

The short answer is YES, golf can improve your health!

This is a bold statement to make but what other activity allows you be social, active, enjoy the weather, and challenge you mentally all at once.

1. Social: Whether you are with old friends or meeting new people there is a lot of time to create a conversation on the course. Tell a joke or a story, develop and nourish relationships, HAVE FUN !
2. Active: Even if you ride the in the cart you must walk from the cart to your ball, swing the club, and walk back to the cart. That may not seem like too much activity but it is much more than sitting at home and watching golf on television.
3. Mental: I know the game can be frustrating, difficult, and spiteful ;), but most of the time we play for the pure enjoyment. Relish the fact that you are able to hit the elusive white ball, most of the time, towards its home!

Allow your self time to relax while playing the game, and again HAVE FUN, a smile or laugh at yourself can do wonders for your health.

When you are able to feel like GOLF IS MAKING YOU HEALTHY! You will be able to accept that your body may need a tune up or your nervous system may need to be checked. To have optimal health on and off the golf course it is imperative you takes steps to find the cause of what may be holding you back from OPTIMAL HEALTH!

But all in all Golf can improve your health!!!

Go out, improve your health, enjoy the weather and smile!

What is your reason?

At HIO golf fitness we believe that there are several steps of inefficiencies in the golf swing. The top three are
1) Lack of practice or experience
2) Improper Communication from the brain to the body
3) Biomechanical or muscular imbalances or weakness
The first reason is usually the most common complaint or rational for not taking additional steps to becoming a better golfer. This type of person is willing to spend hundreds of dollars on clubs year in and year out but not willing to dive deeper into a route cause of their swing inefficiencies.
The second reason is a difficult concept to grasp for many people. Some call it the mind body connection, being in the zone, or the psychological aspect of the game. It is the belief of HIO golf fitness that this part not only contains the mental portion of the game but also the brain body connections. The brain talks to ALL cells in the body. As you approach your ball the brain is constantly accumulating data to help you become successful in your next shot. Often times somewhere between seeing the lie of your ball and when you actually take your next swing there is a miscommunication. You may not even know that it is occurring . This usually has come from a trauma or stress in your body that has allowed your system to be maladapted and create inefficient communication. The best way to determine that is to have your nervous system evaluated.
The third reason for swing inefficiencies is muscular or biomechanical imbalances. This can relate to anything from pain to trying to swing in a two plane manner when your body is not able to get itself in that position. These alterations in your body can be detected from a physical screening that can determine the weakness or imbalances.
With the combination of the three inefficiencies corrections HIO golf fitness gets superior results.

Swing Efficiency

If you have talked with me over the last several months or seen me speak to groups of golfers you will have heard the words Swing Efficiency!
This is a word that the Titleist Performance Institute utilizes to describe the optimal swing. Not the optimal swing period, but the optimal swing for an individual.
The analogy that is used is the Golf Swing should be like a whip. Well actually the body should have four whips that build upon each other.
Why a whip? Well would you rather get hit by the crack of a towel or by a limp towel? Which has more speed at contact??? The whip of course.
In the golf swing your body should be a coordinated series of efficient movements, that rocket of each other. The peak or crack of the whip should hit and accelerate the next part of your body. It does not look like a series of individual movements, but a coordinated masterpiece. Yet if the movements are measured they occur in units!
So where do these whips occur the first whip is the pelvis (belt buckle), the second is your torso, the third is your hands, and the fourth is the club head swinging through the ball.
Okay so we have four whips now what?!?!? Well they need to occur one on top of the other in the order I described or else your swing will be inefficient and you body will be continuously correcting itself swing in and swing out!
And of course if you are not cracking the whip you will not be efficient!

Introduction

In all walks of life there aer people that you meet that love the game of golf. You may heard them described as "fanatical," "addicted," "obsessed," or just "crazy about golf." Maybe you know some who daydreams of spending time on the course, hitting the perfect drive or sinking the impossible put. Often times this is the same person that has maintained the same handicap for years and years. Although their scores are consistent, they have a hit a plateau.

Even with their subscriptions to improvement magazines and the gambit of performance enhancing tools they still can make the leap, rather fall to a lower score. The individual falls short of their scoring goals and don't know why....

We look forward to discussing the WHY?