Role of physical training in golf
Edited by Dr. Umberto Miletto
When analyzing any sporting gesture, it is always necessary to take into account that numerous factors are involved, including
- Genetic potential
- Sports technique
- Physical condition (Strength, Endurance, Speed, Flexibility, Coordination skills)
- Psychological factors
All these factors together are decisive for obtaining maximum performance, whatever the sport practiced.
Few also train the other factors that come into play for the improvement of maximum performance.
If little or nothing can be done to modify the genetic background, there is always room to improve one's physical and psychological condition, and I assure you that increasing these factors means improving a lot!
What I am interested in highlighting is how even in golf, muscle strength plays a role too important to be neglected.
Golfers are among the best customers for athletic trainers, because few train to improve the muscle component, so it takes very little to achieve noticeable improvements.
For golfers, in fact, a program of about 8-12 weeks, carried out under the watchful eye of a professional, can lead to increases in strength of over 100%. Higher levels of strength translate into greater power and accuracy of the shot. and less tiredness at the end of the game.
Think you don't need to be stronger? Yet all top-level golfers have their own Personal Trainer and dedicate time to physical preparation.
Strength is that muscular quality that will allow you to excel in any sport! Strength is that basic quality that cannot be overlooked.
Think of a swing ... higher strength levels will allow you to accelerate the club more and make your swing a winner, without running out over the course of the 18 holes.
This is just an example, but a better physical condition will allow you to improve yourself in all shots, not only those that require strength and power, but also those of precision. Not to mention that a good muscle training will also serve to prevent injuries and protect the back from possible trauma.
How to train?
Although health clubs and fitness centers will advise you otherwise, training with free weights and equipment that creates instability are the ones for you.
Nothing will be of use to you to train with guided machines, they are not for golfers!
Machines tend to reduce movement to being guided and to take place on a single plane, which means failing to transfer the strength developed to an activity such as golf, which requires mastery and coordination of gestures and movements on different planes in space.
The "training" must be customized to your real needs.
Barbells, dumbbells, elastics, medicine balls and swiss ball will allow you to create your ideal workout to be carried out in any place (on the pitch, in an equipped area of the club, at home, in your office, in the gym, etc.).
Much importance must be given to the improvement of intermuscular coordination, the ability to make the various muscles involved in the gesture interact in an optimal way, and to the strengthening of the stabilizing muscles, those muscles that stabilize one part of the body, allowing another part of the body (generally the limbs) to exert force. Stabilizers that play an important role in golfing are the abdominals and back muscles. It is therefore important to train these muscles which will allow you to express greater strength and confidence in your movements.
The advice I can give you is:
- Consult a physical preparation professional, with whom you can draw up the training program that best suits your needs, nothing will help you improvise.
- Spend 1 or 2 hours a week on strength training. Concentrate on the muscles involved in golf and on improving the fluency of your gestures.
- Allow a few weeks to pass for your body to adapt to the training loads and thus give you a better performance.
Being physically better also means having greater concentration, better precision in shots and knowing how to minimize mental fatigue.
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