Dr. Yessis Sports Training Blog

Most golf players believe that you swing the arms through a great range of motion in the downswing. In reality, however, the arms go through a very short range of motion with independent action. Most of the range of motion seen is created by hip and shoulder rotation.

Because the arms and shoulder girdle are connected, in order to move the arms through a full range of motion, you must move the shoulders and vice versa. In other words, when the hands are held together you create a “single” arm which greatly limits their ability to move through a great range of motion. Read more… »

The wrist break must be forceful in order to speed up and/or maintain clubhead speed. If you do not do this, you will not have timely rotation of the arms to square the ball to the target. As a result, the clubface will remain open and your chances of hitting a slice are enhanced.

To strengthen the muscles involved you should do the ulna flexion exercise. This exercise is best done with the Strength bar so that you can go through the full range of motion in a very dynamic manner. In addition to gaining strength in the muscles involved you can also develop the ability to have a more explosive wrist break.

For more information on this topic, see Explosive Golf. For visual demonstrtion of this and other exercises specific to the golf swing see the Explosive Golf DVD

To swing pain free and to hold the normal curvature of the spine during the swing, you should strengthen the muscles involved with the back raise exercise. This is the only exercise that strengthens the lower back muscles through the full range of motion.

By doing the back raise you will also find that you may eliminate back problems or not create any more back problems than you typically experience. As an added bonus this exercise will help give you good posture allowing you to do many daily tasks with less effort and pain-free.

For more information on this topic, see Explosive Golf. For visual demonstrtion of this and other exercises specific to the golf swing see the Explosive Golf DVD

To develop the ability to hold the neutral spine position and trunk angle during the swing, you should do the good morning exercise. As an added bonus you will develop greater strength of the lower back muscles and greater strength and flexibility of the hamstring muscles.

For more information on this topic, see Explosive Golf. For visual demonstrtion of this and other exercises specific to the golf swing see the Explosive Golf DVD

To increase the force of shoulder rotation, do the reverse trunk twist exercise. Not only do you strengthen the abdominal rotational muscles in this exercise, but you also increase your midsection flexibility.

For more information on this topic, see Explosive Golf. For visual demonstrtion of this and other exercises specific to the golf swing see the Explosive Golf DVD

The golf swing is usually thought of as a very complex skill. Because of this to date there has been not been a complete analysis of what is involved in the swing and how each body action contributes to the total swing technique.

It is possible to find some analyses of specific actions in the scientific literature but nothing of this nature has appeared in the popular literature. This includes popular golf magazines and books written by professional golfers. Read more… »

According to various golf pros, the most important part of the swing is the first few feet from address to about halfway back. They state that by stopping at this position, you can check to see if your hands are swinging the club back properly, i.e., with the toe of the clubhead pointing at the sky.

This of course is effective movement of the club on the take-away as it allows for the wrist cocking action and continuation of the backswing. Without the arm rotation to get the toe of the club pointing upward, a full backswing is not possible. Thus it can be said that the first part of the backswing is most important for taking a full backswing, but is this the key to an effective swing or hit? Read more… »

One of the most common recommendations given to golfers is to rotate the arms on the backswing. There are even many devices now available that teach you to rotate the arms as you take the backswing. These are correct recommendations that also fail to bring out that you cannot take a full backswing without rotating the arms.

If you did not rotate the arms on the backswing you’d only be able to raise the arms to about chest level. And, it would feel very uncomfortable and put you in a more or less cramped position. You can easily verify this by trying to take a full backswing holding your arms in exactly the same position as they are in the stance. Read more… »

After 52 years, Gary Player, a well known professional golfer, has decided that his appearance in the Masters tournament this year will be his last. Gary as most of you may know, is an avid fitness buff and has been well-known over the years for his great physical condition.

He stated that “I’m exercising profusely, but it’s very difficult at 73 to build strength. The golf course is so long. It is just so long. I mean, I’m hitting a wood to almost every single hole.” This shows that exercising to be in shape is not the key to hitting the ball a long distance. This, however, is possible even at 73. I and many golfers that I have worked with can attest to this. Read more… »

Many professional golfers and athletes in other sports are turning to physical fitness to improve their games. This is done in the belief that greater fitness will translate to hitting the ball further and harder, throwing further and harder, running faster and so on. Very few, however, are doing specialized strength and flexibility exercises that duplicate the joint actions seen in execution of the game skills.

Most athletes do general fitness type exercises to get the body stronger and more fit cardiovascularly. This helps improve your game especially when playing in the latter half of the game, but not to the extent that specialized strength exercises can benefit you. Read more… »

Teaching pros often advocate a change in your basic stance in order to accommodate a greater body turn on either the backswing or downswing. For example, to get a greater back swing it is recommended that you step backward with the rear foot to allow for a greater hip and shoulder turn to the rear.

If you have difficulty getting the hips through on the downswing it is often recommended that you step backward somewhat with the forward foot (closest to the hole) to get the hips more open and to allow them to turn more in the downswing. Read more… »

Your spine angle, the angle formed by your spine and legs at address is reported to be the key to consistency in the swing. According to Jim Flick, one of Golf Magazines top ten greatest teachers, “. . . if this angle changes during your swing you have to compensate with your hands to square the clubface at impact. That’s a complex way to play.”

Not answered however, is how the spine angle determines whether your clubface is square. You can change the spine angle by lowering or raising the trunk, but in each of these different positions you can still maintain a square clubface whether it be at address or at impact.
Read more… »

In a recent article by a top teaching pro, it was brought out that the hands should remain vertical or perpendicular to the ground when the hands are below the waist. This equates to a square club face. To show the action of the hands, the pro illustrated hand positioning with ping pong paddles.

One picture showed the hands waist high and the paddle face vertical in the backswing. Another picture showed a vertical paddle face (same position) in the follow-through.

It is simple to pull the paddles through in a sideward plane to keep the face vertical at all times, but this does not happen in the golf swing. In the swing, the club head moves in an arc of a circle downward so that the club face is not always facing the target. Read more… »

In a feature article on a top female golfer in Golf Magazine, it was brought out that she works out five days a week when not playing tournaments and three to four times a week during tournament weeks. She is quoted as saying that, “I’d like to dispel the myth that heavy weights are bad for golfers.”

Heavy weights in themselves are not bad for golfers and other athletes. They are needed for additional strength. However, how you work out and the results of the workouts when using heavy weights can make a major difference in your performance and looks. A picture of this female player left no doubt in your mind that she was pumping iron. Read more… »

One of the most common recommendations given to golfers is to rotate the arms on the backswing. There are even many devices now available that teach you to rotate the arms as you take the back swing. What is almost always omitted in these recommendations and device explanations is that you cannot take a full backswing without rotating the arms. Read more… »

Athletes and especially golfers experience back pain quite often in their playing career. In fact, of all the injuries that occur to golfers, the low back is involved most often. In other sports such as baseball, football and basketball low back problems rank in the top three to five. Sometimes the injury forces the player to quit playing.

Because there are several major reasons for these problems, it is difficult to give a simple solution for prevention that applies to everyone. However, of all the causes three stand out: improper technique, inadequate flexibility and inadequate levels of strength of the muscles as they function in performance of the skill, swing, kick, throw, etc. Read more… »

To have a powerful and effective swing golfers need strength explosive power and flexibility. These factors are related to: 1) Your ability to maintain a stable body address position; 2) The development of active flexibility; 3) Increased clubhead speed; 4) Development of a muscular feel for the swing; 5) Preventing injury while ensuring maximum distance and accuracy; 6) Developing confidence in your capabilities.

To attain these outcomes you must do specialized strength explosive power and flexibility exercises that duplicate the key actions of the swing. In this way the special exercises can enhance and improve your swing in a shorter period of time than if you doubled your playing time!

Before going into some of exercises that are specific to golf, it is important to differentiate between general and specialized strength exercises. General physical exercises are those exercises that are not directly related to the specific actions of the golf swing. They are used for overall body conditioning, i.e., strengthening the muscles and increasing your functional potential. Read more… »

Most golf instructors will tell you to bend over from the hips when assuming your stance. It is usually taken for granted that you know how to do this.

However, in my work with recreational, semi- and professional golfers, I am continually amazed at how many do not have the ability to bend over from the hips. Most bend over from the waist and create a rounded back position in the stance. Some bend over from the hips and the waist simultaneously. Read more… »

BENDING FROM THE HIPS IS A LEARNED SKILL

Most golf instructors will tell you to bend over from the hips when assuming your stance. It is usually taken for granted that you wil know how to do this. However, in my work with recreational, semi- and professional golfers, I am continually amazed at how many do not have the ability to bend over from the hips. Most bend over from the waist and create a rounded back position in the stance. Some bend over from the hips and the waist simultaneously.

When I correct their stance, some golfers find it difficult if not impossible, to bend from the hips while maintaining the normal curvature in the spine. It often takes many repeated efforts before they understand what is invloved and what it feels like to bend over from the hips and still maintain good spine position. Read more… »