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About
The Golf Matrix
Golf is a game of co-ordination and skill. Efficient co-ordination
of multiple linked joints is needed to achieve a smooth and
effective swing path. Each body component can affect the swing
path to some extent. By analysing which components may be adversely
influencing the swing, it is possible to identify and correct
movement faults that cause pain or limit the efficient or effective
swing.
The swing can become painless, smoother, physically easier and
more powerful.
Sometimes hooking, slicing and other problems related to technique
are not easily corrected, even with professional instruction.
Often underlying muscle imbalances can make it difficult to
hit the ball correctly even if a golf professional tells you
what you are doing wrong. There may be inherent subtle
problems with the way you move.
There are 4 basic problems that can contribute to a
lack of control of the clubface and swing plane:
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Lack
of basic skill (failure) |
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Structural
(or pathology) problems |
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Function
problems related to Muscle Imbalance |
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Functional
problems related to 're-active' Over-Correction |
Many of the problems of the golf swing are related to poor rotation
control and co-ordination. In the body there are several
natural 'rotation co-ordination' stress points where problems
of adaptation and compensation always make themselves felt.
They may become the site of injury and pain, but often they
just sit in the background interfering with movement control
and you may be toatally unaware of them. These 'rotation
co-ordination stress points' are easliy identified and easily
corrected.
Many of these 'weak links' develop as compensation for restrictions
of rotation or weight shift somewhere else in the body.
The restrictions are usually non-painful and we compensate for
them so well that we are normally totally unaware of them.
Again they are easy to find if we know where and how to look
for them. Some restrictions are primary and always force
compensation . Some are secondary and compensation is not always
present.
consequence of imbalance between stability and mobility
muscles or uncontrolled rotation is:
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altered
swing path and ball flight |
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reduced
power and distance |
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injury |
The Golf Matrix course shows how to identify which of the 4
basic problems of swing control may be present and details a
series of simple movement tests to correct muscle imbalance
and rotation control problems. These tests of control
andtests of range find and correct these movement faults improve
control and co-ordination of the golf swing.
benefits of correcting movement faults associated with
the golf swing are:
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Pain
and injury management |
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Prevention
of recurrence of overuse injuries |
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Improvement
in techniques an swing consistency |
By improving control in this way it will
make it easier to assimilate skills taught by the golf professional,
thus improving perfrormance. This in turn can help to
reduce the golfer's handicap by making the correct swing more
consistent.
Gary Nicol, golf coach on the European circuit said, “Most
of the faults in golf are due to the hand and arm moving in
the wrong direction and everything else has to adapt and compensate”.
We must retrain the co-ordination of the hand, arm and shoulder,
spine and hips and then find and correct any ‘weak links’
that have been forced to adapt and compensate. This is precisely
what stability and muscle balance assessment and retraining
does so well. You don’t have to swing hard if you swing
smoothly. Good golfers make the big shots look effortless. Many
people have pointed out that the real power of the golf swing
comes from controlled and co-ordinated rotation of the body
driving the club.
Muscle Imbalance
Muscles work together in groups to perform all movements. Some
muscles are more suited to a stability or control role, while
other muscles are more suited to a mobility or power role. These
muscles must co-ordinate together appropriately to integrate
precision and power into a golf swing. The stability muscles
are vital for controlling the trunk along with the pelvic and
shoulder girdles to provide posture, control, balance and smooth
co-ordination. They provide a stable base to swing from and
control the swing. The mobilising muscles provide the acceleration
and rapid movement to power the swing.
The golf swing is the most complex and precise skill in any
sport. It is a lopsided activity, which means that more attention
has to be paid to the prevention of developing imbalances. If
certain joints lack mobility in range or specific muscles lack
control of movement, the body needs to compensate to achieve
the desired swing path. When most golfers are asked what will
improve their swing or handicap, they talk about mental strategies
and practice, practice, practice. With increased practice however,
any minor imbalances are re-enforced over and over. By addressing
these flexibility and control issues with specific retraining
exercises, the golf swing is easier to achieve without compensation.
Golf is a challenging and competitive sport, but unlike other
sports, the type of training that most of us do to prepare for
the game appears to follow different rules to most other sports.
Training for football, rugby and even racquet sports all use
routine drills that may not even seem relevant to the sport,
but provide skills that are the ‘building blocks’
of more complex movements. These exercises improve skill and
train the muscles, which give a physical edge. …So why
don’t we do this for golf?
These flexibility and control problems can be corrected by doing
simple retraining exercises. The changes become integrated automatically
into your swing and allow the body to feel ‘normal’.
This means that there is less to think about during play. Trying
to change or correct your swing by conscious correction requires
concentration and thinking about too many things at the same
time. It may even initially hinder your game. It is also more
difficult and time consuming to change your technique or grip
as this initially feels very un-natural. For technique changes
to begin to feel natural, it can take up to a year and a half,
if you are practicing regularly.
Technique and Performance Faults
When a Golf Pro gives instruction to a student, the change will
usually feel un-natural. Some think that it will feel this way
for up to a year and a half even if play is regular. Sometimes
hooking, slicing and other problems related to technique are
not easily corrected, even with professional instruction. Often
underlying muscle imbalances can make it difficult to hit the
ball correctly even if a golf professional tells you what you
are doing wrong. Even with the world's best coaching, if you
have a movement imbalance problem underlying a swing fault,
you may understand what you are doing wrong; you may know what
to do to make it better, but it does not happen.
Many performance and technique faults develop as compensation
for restrictions of rotation or uncontrolled weight shift somewhere
else in the body. The restrictions are usually non-painful and
we compensate for them so well that we are normally totally
unaware of them. Many of the compensations in the golf swing
are related to poor rotation control and co-ordination. In the
body there are several natural ‘rotation co-ordination’
stress points where problems of adaptation and compensation
always make themselves felt.
Some restrictions are primary and always force compensation
to occur. Some are secondary and compensation is not always
necessary. Because we are forced to compensate for the primary
restrictions, changing grip or stance can be used to compensate
for the compensation, but this often presents as inconsistency
back on the golf course. However, altering grip and stance (with
advice and instruction from a golf pro) often achieves a good
end result if the restriction is secondary.
Specific programmes have been designed to address specific problems
such as slicing, hooking, topping the ball, hitting the ball
fat and others. Within these categories there are tests, which
relate to each problem. For example, a slice may be caused primarily
by over-rotation of the trunk, which may lead to a steeper swing
angle. By exercising the correct muscles to better control this
rotation, improvements will be incorporated into the way the
body moves, often within 6 weeks of beginning the exercise programme.
Pain
Pain in golf affects the performance and enjoyment of thousands
of golfers in every country each day. The golfer experiences
injuries at a greater rate than most people realise. A survey
of 226 Professional Golfers found an incidence of injury to
be 88.5%, with women losing an average of 3 weeks per year and
men an average of 9 weeks per year from the tour (McCarroll
& Gioe 1982). They also reported that 57% of amateur golfers
suffered from chronic injuries. The most commonly injured regions
were the back, elbows, knees and shoulders. Of over 1000 amateur
golfers surveyed, 62% suffered an injury with an average of
5 weeks lost per year (McCarroll et al 1990). Batt’s (1993)
study revealed that 42% of a group of 193 amateur golfers had
pre-existing injuries or degenerative conditions that were aggravated
by golf.
The message is this: The aches and pains
that golfers seem prone to suffer, significantly interfere with
the enjoyment of the game! All these golfers hate losing precious
weeks of play.
Many of the compensations in the golf swing are related to poor
rotation control and co-ordination. In the body there are several
natural ‘rotation co-ordination’ stress points where
problems of adaptation and compensation always make themselves
felt. They may become the site of injury and pain. These ‘rotation
co-ordination stress points’ are easily identified and
easily corrected.
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