Flexibility V Power

[TonybullPT]

Ever wondered why some days you can hit the ball like Rory McIlroy but others you are more like Rory Bremner? ( Sorry Rory, I have no idea if you play or not)

Or maybe some days you can play pain free with no discomfort playing your best round for some time, then the following weekend your old injury comes back to haunt you, you lose half a dozen balls, and you feel like giving up on the game you love?

There are two issues here.

The first one is that golf is a very dynamic and powerful game, which is why we love it.

When we connect sweetly with the ball, it sails high into the bright blue sky, and lands directly where we intended it to, it gives us an amazing feeling.

In fact there are very few feelings like it.

And the second is that the average golfers body cannot always move in the way it needs to, to deal with the amount of power that our swing creates.

It lacks flexibility specifically for the golf swing.

And this creates problems.

Its like have a very powerful car engine with really crappy brakes.

You can generate lots of power, but if the body ( brakes) can’t deal with that power, then we often have a problem.

You see many of us have the power.

We have the ability to hit the ball a long way.

But why can’t we do it on a regular basis with accuracy, or why can’t we do it without our bodies being in pain?

The answer to that lies in improving flexibility.

GOLF SPECIFIC FLEXIBILITY.

The ability of our body to move well, with ease and efficiency, within the framework of your golf swing.

Look at Rory ( McIlroy not Bremner).

PS. Rory Bremner is a British comedian for those across the pond not familiar with his work. :-)

Look at the amount of rotation in his back swing and followthrough.

He moves like a dream.

Amazingly flexible, great balance, moves gracefully, he is an athlete.

Thats what we all need to be.

Athletes.

If we can improve our flexibility, our ability to move, to control our balance during the swing…

Then we can finally begin to utilise all of that power that we have.

Hit the shots that we dream of, more often, with more accuracy, and without pain or discomfort.

You see, most golfers think, how can I improve my distance, how can I generate more power?

You already have all the power that you need.

What you don’t have is the flexibility, the balance, the ability of your body to move like an athlete.

The ability of your body to be able to control that power ( better brakes) so that you can utilise that power.

Once you have that, you can say hello to the new Rory ( thats McIlroy not Bremner) and goodbye to the old Rory ( thats Bremner not McIlroy).

[SavvySwede]

I was waiting for the sales pitch at the end of this post but was delightfully surprised. Good motivation to get back on that flexibility program.

[Lihu]

First of all, I've never hit the ball like Rory McIlroy before.

Second, I think flexibility with power is better. I think I would also put flexibility on the top of the list for me, and workout some normally unused muscles to prevent injury.

Different people have different builds, where some need more flexibility and some need more power. Some just need better coordination.

Our needs are all different.

[FireDragon76]

I've been watching some of the materials by Ron Sisson and one of the things he discusses is getting beyond the "hit instinct.".   I've heard that term but never really understood what that meant until I watched one of his videos, and I think I'm only now just starting to realize what that feels like.

[TonybullPT]

SavvySwede,

I work with golfers, but also I love to debate and try and understand as much as I can about this wonderful game.

I'm not trying to sell anything, just love to talk golf.

Lihu,

I absolutely agree with you 100 percent. Although I rarely come across many people who need more power and dont need more flexibility.

To me, flexibility is power. If you increase your range, you increase the ability to generate more power.

Its like having a Ferrari car and I give you 100 yards to accelerate as fast as you can to see how much speed ( power) you can generate.

We see whats on the clock.

Then I give you 200 yards to accelerate and see how fast you can go!

Guess what??

You can generate more speed!!

Not only that you, you also dont have to push the car to its absolute limits, so its also has PREhabilitation advantages also.

I'm not saying that increased ROM/ flexibility/mobility is the be all and end all of all conditioning programs for golfers, but it certainly can go a long way to increasing power output and creating a " buffer zone" around their swing so the chances of being injured due to performing at end range all of the time is reduced.

I see flexibility as the foundations of the " movement " component of a golfer. Once we have good movement, we layer on power! :-)

FireDragon,

I like Ron Sissons, a great coach. However, my area of expertise is all about movement. I teach nothing about hitting the ball. With my clients my sole job is to get their body moving as well as possible, so that the coach can really get to work implementing the skill aspect of hitting the ball!

Thanks for all of you comments.

Very nice chatting to you all! :-)

[saevel25]

To me, flexibility is power. If you increase your range, you increase the ability to generate more power.

Its like having a Ferrari car and I give you 100 yards to accelerate as fast as you can to see how much speed ( power) you can generate.

Tip, push the little quote button at the bottom of the post and you get a nice looking box above. It also helps split up text so people can focus on responses you say to them.

Flexibility is Flexibility, it isn't power. You still need muscle strength to produce power. Inflexibility can inhibit power, but it doesn't produce power. A better analogy would be taking a Ferrari and putting on a governor so you can't go over 60 mph.

That being said, I am not saying that building muscle will inhibit flexibility, you can have both. I would agree that in the modern era. The age of the desk job, less manual labor, people are more inflexible than they are less powerful. Given that, a general exercise routine will help increase both. Still there is nothing wrong with just improving flexibility as well.

[TonybullPT]

Saevel25, Thanks for the tip re the box quote thing.

However, I disagree with what you say re flexibility.

Quote:

Flexibility is Flexibility, it isn't power.

We often get all these bio-motor abilities mixed up.

We separate strength from power from flexibility from co-ordination to anything else....

But really they are all just components of movement.

Which is what the golf swing is right....its just a movement.

That movement consists of many different " abilities" of the human body to perform that swing.

Flexibility, power, strength, co-ordination, balance, etc.

But do you really think that you can influence one without influencing the rest?

Its very, very difficult.

The only time you can influence say flexibility without influencing power is if you , for example, give someone a hamstring stretch and have them lying on their back. However, this kind of stretch is so far removed from the function of the golf swing and how the hamstrings actually work in the golf swing, that it therefore becomes a pointless exercise and it doesn't work.

Think about this.....what is power? How do other sports express power? How does golf express power?

What does it look like?

Does a powerful serve in tennis look like an tiny movement , only bringing the arm back a little bit , or do they really coil up, take their arm back as far as it will go and unleash with an incredible amount of power?

What about a kick in soccer ( football to me but soccer to you.... ......if a player wants to kick the ball hard does his " backswing" of his kicking leg go back a small distance or a long distance?

What about throwing?

Try and throw an object a long way, generating as much power as you can to provide that distance ( sounds kind of like another game not too far from our hearts), with a really tiny little arm movement ( this could be someone who is " inflexible") compared to a massive lengthening and wind-up of the arms and body and then unleash!!

All I'm saying, is that we cannot separate these bio-motor abilities, but we can use them to make us more powerful, be able to hit the ball further and in all likelihood, have less injuries.

We can use one to influence another .

We can use flexibility to influence power!

[saevel25]

Flexibility, power, strength, co-ordination, balance, etc.

But do you really think that you can influence one without influencing the rest?

Its very, very difficult.

I would say you can with some of them more-so then the others.

Like a person who just does basic yoga could gain a lot of flexibility with out overall improving their strength significantly. Lets say they can get their Flexibility 8 out of 10, but their strength only remains 4 out of 10.

A person who lifts weights and performs sets with full range of motion, example would be doing a deep squat. They would get flexibility maybe 6 out of 10 for those muscles they work out, but their strength would be 8 out of 10 as well.

I would say lifting weights properly has a higher tendency to increase overall flexibility in a person who started out in a stationary lifestyle. If a person does not have the muscle mass then they will not produce speed and power. Given I think the benefits from working out, especially weight lifting will not give a person overly significant gains. Look at Rory, he was chubby when he first got on tour. He got into shape, started to really work out. He always had the flexibility and abnormal speed from his hips. He's averaging 5-10 yards further off the tee.

Of course coordination and balance increase with all of these because you are actually using muscles and developing muscle memory in how to perform each action in it's proper motion.

Think about this.....what is power? How do other sports express power? How does golf express power?

What does it look like?

Does a powerful serve in tennis look like an tiny movement , only bringing the arm back a little bit , or do they really coil up, take their arm back as far as it will go and unleash with an incredible amount of power?

Power can be taught through proper sequence in the golf swing. At least that is what I take from what you are asking here. The prime example would be pushing off the ground.

That is how it works in other sports. Pitcher throwing a baseball pushed with his back foot. Football players explode into a sprint by pressing into the ground. Tennis server will bend at the knees and hips and explode up.

For golf it is similar, it is in par that vertical movement, but also how fast the hips turn and how fast the arm moves. Proper sequencing is huge when it comes to maximizing power, so it has a technique to it as well.

All I'm saying, is that we cannot separate these bio-motor abilities, but we can use them to make us more powerful, be able to hit the ball further and in all likelihood, have less injuries.

We can use one to influence another .

We can use flexibility to influence power!

Sure we can, when it comes to training. Given some of them are linked, but when it comes to developing the highest levels in each, you can certainly put priority in one or the other.

Again you must have power to use power. All you are saying is that you are allowing the person to just use the power they have. If they are a weak person then improving flexibility will have little effect.

[TonybullPT]

Well thanks for the replies to everyone, especially Saevel25.

I could go through your last reply and pick out all the bits that I dont agree with, but I dont really see the point of that.

Except this one....:-)

Quote:

Again you must have power to use power. All you are saying is that you are allowing the person to just use the power they have. If they are a weak person then improving flexibility will have little effect.

I dont think I ever said that I would just allow a person to use the power that they have!!!!

The whole point of what I wrote is that , in my humble opinion, I see far more average golfers, who would benefit far more from increasing their ability to move specifically in the golf swing ( lets call it flexibility ) than just trying to increase their " power" or " strength".

I think that a lot of average golfers want to hit the ball further, and they want to do some " sexy stuff" in the gym to increase their power or strength because they believe it will do so.

My point is that I think they are missing a massive trick, because if they increase their range of motion, their flexibility specific to the golf swing, then the vast majority of them will hit the ball further.

Anyway, I've spent far too long on replies so thanks for the informative and interesting responses.

Tony