Archive for the ‘Golf Swing/Lessons/Practice’ Category

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Fix Your Body To Fix Your Swing

April 12, 2010

Fix your body, Fix your swing”.  This is the title of the Joey Diovisalvi book. Joey is the head strength, conditioning and biomechanics coach at the PGA Tour Academy at TPC Sawgrass and is best known for working with Vijay Singh.  I like this book title as this is what I see every day at Totally Driven.  I have also found that the key to making any lasting swing changes is by fixing the body.  The body is the engine and the secret ingredient that is needed to make permanent changes in the golf swing.  The link between the physical moves required to swing the club is commonly referred to as the “body swing connection”. 

If you workout now, good for you, but what I am talking about is developing the specific physical elements that are specific to the golf swing.  This is referred to  as “Transfer of Training Effect”.  Implementing a general workout is not good enough.  Specific golf training needs to cover mobility, flexibility, stability, balance, strength, and power relative to the golf swing.  Transfer of training effect has been around the industry for awhile.  It makes a lot of sense if you just think about it.  I have my clients work on core strength and power in golf posture.  By doing the traditional core work you think of lying on the ground and doing crunches.  My question to you is where in the golf swing do you get to lie down?  The answer is never, at least that I can think of, so why train in that position?  Yes, there are going to be times where I may lay you down to get you to feel something and then stand you up.  Same concept when you lay on a bench to do a lift of some sort but by lying down you disengage your core, glutes.  As a golfer that is disastrous to disengage your core and glutes.

If you are really serious about making any permanent swing changes you need to have a golf fitness expert evaluate your physical condition and build a program based off your results.  I guarantee you this WILL make a difference in your golf game!

Lynn Anderson

Totally Driven

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Backswing- How Long?

February 17, 2010

During our Totally Driven Distance Improvement Assessments we often see players trying to create a longer swing than their body is capable of.  This often results in an out to in swing path that actually reduces their distance.  This long swing usually results in the player coming out of posture, incorrect sequencing and many other swing flaws.

Why do so many golfers overswing?  Read any golf magazine and you will find tips on increasing shoulder turn to create more distance.  Golfers are just doing what they are told.   This is not a problem if the player is flexible enough to swing to parallel without coming out of posture and over- rotating the hips.

Here are some keys we have found to determine if you have limitations that would prohibit you from getting to parallel in your backswing (effectively).

1.  What is the flexiblity in your thumbs?  Can you do this?

Can you bend to 90 degrees or more?

If your thumb bends to less than 90 degrees you have limited flexibility in your thumb.  If you reach 90 degrees you have good flexibility and over 90 degrees is great.  If you can’t bend your thumb in this manner to 90 degrees or more this will limit the amount of backswing you are capable of.  Thumb flexibility is also a big advantage when trying to create lag in the golf swing.  Here are some exercises to improve thumb flexibility: http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/8114450/hand-stretches-hand-exercises-physioadvisor.htm

2.  Wrist flexibility.   If you can’t bend in this direction close to 90 degrees you have limited wrist flexibility. 

This is the direction the the wrist needs to cock during the golf swing and if you are limited you won’t be able to effectively get to parallel in the backswing.  Here are some exercises to help increase this flexibility.  http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/8113750/wrist-stretches-wrist-flexibility-exercises-ph.htm

Sergio Garcia- Flexible thumb and wrist= lots of lag!

3.  Hip flexibility.  Many players have limited hip flexibility thus making getting to parallel impossible unless you over-rotate your shoulders and take your hips along for the ride.  The problem here is that often the player is now out of position to make a good downswing. 

So if you have limited flexibility in these areas you have choices.   You can learn to shorten your swing (you will probably not lose distance as JB Holmes has shown us) or you can increase your flexibility through some hard work.  Or you can continue overswinging which creates inconsistency, poor mechanics and usually undesirable results.

As always, we’re here to help.

Andy Thompson

www.totallydriven.com

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7 Weeks – 30 More Yards

February 6, 2010

Today we retested one of our students on the launch monitor to see if his driving distance had improved after 7 weeks in our Power Improvement Program.

This particular player is a 2 handicap, but does this mainly by being a good iron player with a solid short game.   When he came in his distance off the tee was the biggest limiting factor for him.  Below are his before and after numbers on the launch monitor:

Ball Speed  Backspin  Launch Angle  Carry Dist  Total Distance   Side Spin

12/7/09

137.6        3089                 8.9 deg               207.0         235.4 yds         R680

2/6/10

145.8       2735                   10.9 deg             236.3         266.8 yds        R491

Obviously, the results after 7 weeks of work are outstanding.   He gained 8.2 MPH ball speed and over 30 yards in total distance while also reducing his sidespin.  So how did this happen?

Number one, we had a dedicated player who puts in the work necessary to improve his game.   Secondly, we determined where his power leaks were and created a plan of attack specific to his needs.

In this particular case when we did the evaluation a number of things stood out.  His major swing flaws were an over the top move with a pronounced slide during his downswing.   On the K-Vest his sequencing was not in the correct order.  Instead of hips leading thorax leading hands, his downswing started with thorax then hips then hands.   His X Factor was 39 and didn’t improve during the swing (we would like to see a higher X Factor that increases during the start of the downswing).  His power testing showed that he lacked power in his legs while his thorax and core strength was good.  He also failed a number of physical Titleist Performance tests that directly correlated with his golf swing flaws.

Titleist Performance Testing

We started this player on a Titleist Performance Institute workout that was specific to his needs.   He was not able to make an efficient swing because his body wouldn’t allow it.   Once his workouts were under way we started working on biomechanical feedback on the K-Vest.  He was in weekly with work in between sessions as we then moved to some drills to  increase speed and improve his swing.  

K-Vest Biomechanical Drills

The results speak for themselves, but the reality is we feel he still has more distance to be gained.  His slide is much improved, but not gone thus his attack angle is improving (as noted by his improved launch and spin numbers and pictures at impact).  Next week we will retest on the K-Vest as well as Power Test in order to further measure progress. 

Could this have been done by just giving this player golf lessons?   It’s doubtful that this much progress would have been made.  This player has worked with some top golf instructors in the past and distance has always been an issue.

The good news is we are only halfway through his program.  We fully believe this player will be hitting the ball consistently 280 yards by the golf season – a full 45 yards improvement!

Andy Thompson, www.totallydriven.com

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Power or Accuracy?

January 21, 2010

At Totally Driven we have recently assessed a number of golfers looking for more distance in their golf games.   It’s been a bit of a suprise to us that we rarely get asked about accuracy from the folks looking for distance. 

We firmly believe that as more distance is developed the player will develop more accuracy as well.   In our Power Improvement Programs we usually start with the basics first by looking at grip, set-up, swing plane etc.  We are finding that many of the players looking for distance are hitting fades or slices with an out to in swing path. 

It’s not just about swinging harder or faster.   We have to get the player swinging more from the inside if they are slicing.  We also need to have the clubface square at impact.   How do we accomplish this and increase distance for our players?   That’s the toughest part.  We need to evaluate where to start first and what the progression will be for each player.   Some need to develop more speed using Tour Tempo and then some of the swing flaws naturally go away.   Others we need to work with on fundamentals first. 

TPI Testing

Titleist Performance Testing

This is where our in depth analysis comes into play during our Distance/Power Assessments.   We look at the player’s equipment, power sources in their legs, core and thorax, physical issues regarding mobility, stability, balance as well as the golf swing.   With the golf swing we dig into sequencing, X-factor, weight shift, grip, swing plane, peak speeds and more.  I really believe we are breaking new ground here, although we have folks like Kelvin Miyahira, Titleist Performance Institute,  Jason Jaynes, K-Vest, John Novosel Sr and John Novosel Jr that are great sources of information for us.   We are doing alot more with players than would be received from typical golf lessons.   In fact, sometimes we partner with teaching professionals by focusing on strictly power elements with the player while leaving golf  instruction and fundamentals to their pro.

So far, everything we’ve experienced or researched has shown us that power and accuracy are not exclusive of each other.  

Andy Thompson/Lynn Anderson

Totally Driven

www.totallydriven.com

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The Secret is in the Dirt

December 31, 2009

I just read a very interesting e-book authored by Mike Maves.  The book is titled “The Secret Is In The Dirt”.   For those of you in the know this is the famous quote Ben Hogan used when referring to what made him so successful.   Known as one of the best ball strikers of all time Hogan has long been alleged to have had a secret to the golf swing that has not been given to anyone else.

Maves says that the secret has been there all along in Hogan’s seminal classic “Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf” written in 1957 and still the all-time best-selling instructional book.  While many articles, blogs, books and forums have been written concerning Hogan’s secret, this new book goes into great detail in not only explaining what the secret is, but why it was there for all to see since 1957.   While Hogan is a focal point there is much in the ebook about Moe Norman, Lee Trevino and others who have also shared some of Hogan’s moves.

The e-book is unique in that it includes many videos to support the text.  As well as being insightful the videos are humorous in their own way as they show the author explaining his theories while hitting balls into a lake.  His dog and the uninformed cameraman add to the story (if you have some patience).

You can find the ebook at this site:  http://www.secretinthedirt.com/ 

Included are two videos with PGA Tour Pro Steve Elkington and the author.  If you are follower of golfwrx forums you will recognize the author as sevam1 who has some enormous followings to his posts there.

Totally Driven has already started experimenting with the conclusions in the book (with positive results).  Next, we will further test the “secret” by using our Pure Balance Force Plate to measure the effects.  

Pure Balance Force Plate

 

(HINT: The secret has alot to do with footwork and how you use it to your best advantage).

Well worth the read and $25!!

Andy Thompson

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K-Vest Results-Tour Pro vs Average Player

December 18, 2009

Totally Driven has had the privledge of working with Justin Smith, a Nationwide Tour Professional.   Justin is mainly working on golf conditioning right now, but we took some time to gather some baseline results by putting him through our Power Assessment.

When comparing Justin to an average of the players who have gone through our Power Assessment we found some interesting differences.  First of all to get an understanding, Justin regularly hits the ball 300 yards and has Ball Speed of over 160 MPH on the launch monitor.  He is however working to improve his golf conditioning, mobility, stability and balance in order to improve on this and his swing in general.  Justin is very aware of his swing issues (we all have them) and what he needs to work on.

When measuring Justin’s power sources, he was fairly balanced between his legs, core and shoulders.   His numbers were just slightly below what we would consider PGA Tour level.   The average player who has been measured at Totally Driven is not balanced at all, meaning one or more of these power areas is deficient.   The players most lacking in distance/power were also quite low when we measured their power sources (up to 50% lower than Justin in some cases).

When we tested Justin on our K-Vest which gives us very detailed 3D information about his swing, more things came to the surface.  Justin’s swing sequenced perfectly with his hips leading the downswing, followed by his thorax and then his arms.  Sixty five % of others who have been tested at Totally Driven had poor sequencing (downswing not in the proper order).  

Kinetic Sequence Example on K-Vest

Poor Sequencing -Hands First

Justin had an “X” Factor of 31 degrees.   This measures the difference between the shoulder turn and the hip turn.   We want the shoulders to turn more than the hips.   The PGA Tour average is an X Factor of 50 degrees, so Justin has some work to do here.   Our average of the others tested was 30 degrees of X Factor.   What we have seen here is that most players are over-rotating the hips (as Justin is doing also) which creates a limited “rubber band effect” because there is less torque being applied.

A more important measurement is how much (if any) the X Factor increases from the top of the backswing during the downswing.   The PGA Tour average is a 13 degree increase.   Justin had a 7 degree increase.   The only players we have had with more than a 5 degree increase were all professionals.   44% of our players tested actually had a decrease in their X Factor during the initial start of the downswing.   These players were not starting their swing with the hips (which increases the rubber band effect).

We also found that Justin had some physical areas that needed improvement.   From Titleist Performance testing and power testing compared to the K-Vest we found that there was a direct correlation from the physical issue to the swing issue.   We found the same thing with virtually every player we tested.   In other words, for most players there is a reason you are swinging the way you swing.   The golf swing is often developed around what your body is capable of.

Justin shared with us after we were done.  “My swing hasn’t changed in the last ten years.  My swing flaws are still there and it’s difficult to make them go away.   I now realize that I need to work on my body first.  It’s too bad the general public doesn’t realize this.   The PGA Pros do.  I now know that the only way to improve my swing positions is to work on my body first.”

More to come..

Andy Thompson and Lynn Anderson

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Best Way to Improve at Golf

December 17, 2009

Most players don’t have a clue as to what needs to be done to improve their game or reduce their handicap.   Even fewer know how to do it or are committed to working on the right things.

We see seven main elements to golfing proficiency.

1.  Properly Fit Equipment

2.  Long Game- Full Swing

3.  Short Game- Chipping/Pitching

4.  Putting

5.  Mental Abilities

6.  Physical Capabilities

7.  Course Management

Of these, it seems that most players gravitate to new equipment as the way to improvement.   Why is this?  Well, advertising is very persuasive.    The latest technology sounds good and after all getting new equipment is easy (other than the cost),exciting and fun.   Unfortunately, most players don’t go through a proper fitting to insure the new clubs are suitable.  

The next thing on the list for most players is working on the full swing.  Again, most players don’t do this correctly either.   Reading the latest golf tip in a golf magazine and working on that or just beating balls is what most people do to improve.   The reality is neither is very effective.  The tips in the golf magazines are usually pretty good, but are they good for you?  With as many ways as there are to successfully hit a golf ball, there is more of a chance that trying a tip would hurt you than help you.   Beating balls is great to enhance motor learning of how you are already swinging.  It’s not a great way to improve (check out our last blog on motor learning to find out why).

The other five elements combined don’t seem to get more than 10% of most people’s focus.  That’s a shame as in our mind, any of the seven elements could be holding you back from becoming a better player.

Here is how we feel golf improvement can best be attained.

1.  Figure out what needs to improve.  You can often just do this yourself or ask you playing partners (they’ll usually know and be quite honest about it if you ask).   The problem is it is very difficult to determine if  a physical issue or equipment issue is holding you back.   Most players focus on the swing (it’s more fun) than golf exercise.  The reality is if you have a physical problem, it almost always will have a direct negative influence on your swing.  In other words, if you don’t fix the physical issue, you’ll likely not improve.  So, best is to have a qualified professional assess your game including physically.

2.  Go after your weakness (whatever it is) with good solid methods and  desire and you will almost assuredly improve.

So, every golfer has their own weakness and their are a number of ways to address the issue (some better than others).   That’s where Totally Driven comes in.   We can help access your game and create solid methods to help you improve.  In many cases we’ll guarantee it!

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Ball Flight Bound

October 5, 2009
K-Vest Instant Feedback at Totally Driven

K-Vest Instant Feedback at Totally Driven

Many golfers have developed a major problem when it comes to improving their golf swing.   Allowing the ball flight of your previous shot to become the impetus for making changes in your next swing.   Think about it.   How many times do you see a golfer hit a poor shot and then dissect their swing verbally or rehearse a new position or swing thought based on that last outcome.

If ball flight is your only evaluation system, you’ll spend most of your time tinkering with your swing.   Let’s face it, most of our shots aren’t perfect, so there’s always room for improvement.

Let’s say you are working on something new, like a takeaway change.  If you hit 50 balls and you hit 25 well, you don’t make changes.  But, had you made a change after every shot you didn’t hit well, you would have made 25 swing changes.   If ball flight is the indicator you’ll be constantly adjusting, not only changing somethings wrong to right, but also changing somethings right to wrong.   This is a never-ending cycle that will not likely result in a swing you can depend on.

Being ball flight bound causes you to lose focus on meaningful swing changes.   Let’s say you are working on that take-away move and you hit a few wild shots as you get started.   Now if you abandon the take-away move you’ll never learn how to make a proper swing.   The best way to learn is to repeat the perfect model until you can consistently repeat it (motor learning), regardless of where the ball goes.

This is why the practice sessions and lessons at Totally Driven are unique and helpful in the learning process.   By using video, K-Vest and Pure Balance you are concentrating on the swing change, not where the ball is going.  Our bays are set up for instant feedback, not of the ball flight, but the swing change you are trying to make.   Try it out for yourself, you’ll see that swing changes come much easier!

Lynn Anderson

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