Tag: Physiology

How can you improve your structure to play better and safer golf?

Physical training improves structure

How can you improve your structure to play better and safer golf? A quick physiology lesson is at hand.

Earlier, I talk about fascia. More specifically, your body’s fascial system contributes to your flexibility, mobility, posture, and function. Fascia, or connective tissue, is everywhere; it is the net that holds your body together.

Fascia’s main job is to retain your body’s normal shape, providing resistance to various stresses. In order to change your body structure and improve your ability to play golf, you benefit most by following a specific sequence of physical training, called “Release, Reeducate, and Rebuild,” or, “The Story of Gary McCord’s Career”:

Release: First, you must release your connective-tissue restrictions. Specially designed flexibility exercises help reduce tension in the inelastic portion of the fascial system that resists lengthening. You must perform these stretching exercises at low intensity but for a prolonged duration. Many people with significant fascial tightness need to sustain a single flexibility exercise for a minimum of three to five minutes before the layers of fascia begin to relax. A gentle, sustained stretching technique is far more effective than a short-duration, intense stretch because it more effectively and permanently lengthens the tough connective tissue of the body.
Reeducate: As the fascial restrictions are being reduced, you need to reeducate your structure by doing specialized exercises aimed at improving posture, balance, stability, and control. These reeducation exercises help you capitalize on your improved flexibility by teaching you how to feel the positions in which your body is most functional. The goal for each golfer is to develop a new postural identity that produces a posture at address and swing mechanics that are safe, efficient, reproducible, and highly effective.
Rebuild: Last, you undergo a program of rebuilding exercises, or strengthening exercises designed to solidify and then reinforce your physical structure and dynamic swing motion. These exercises can also improve your swing speed for added distance and improve muscular endurance for better swing control and performance toward the end of a round and/or during longer practice sessions.

This is a must for you prospective golfers: Enhance your structure and improve your game!