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Tom's Featured Tip: More Power For More Distance
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Tom's Featured Tip: More Power For More Distance
For simplicity, all advice on actual swings or drills is provided from a right handed perspective.
This newsletter applies to all skill levels and ages. I'm addressing strength and power training today, so I have to say "Do not embark on any exercise regimen or weight training regimen without permission from your health care professional."
Aging and senior golfers should take particular note of todays newsletter, because maintaining or developing more power should be a primary consideration in your training for golf.
In golf, length matters. Skill levels being equal, there's a direct correlation between longer drives and lower scoring.
Of course technique and properly fitted equipment are also involved with hitting the ball farther, but in this issue I'm going to address training for physical power to add to your proper technique and well fitted equipment.
In my research, I came across an interesting video on The Athletic Continuum - When To Train What.
Here's the synopsis.
- pre-pubescent years - general athletic development, long term athletic development.
- age 7-9 ( maybe earlier for females) is the speed development window, when speed development pays its
highest dividends; running, jumping, sprinting, changing direction, etc
- puberty through the beginning of your senior years is the strength development window. Prime time for building strength,
The ability to build strength diminishes as we grow older but it doesn't disappear. It just takes more work.
A golf example would be someone who plays at a high level and wants to get on the senior tour. At age 50, you're going to build
muscle at a much slower rate than when you 17 or 18 years old.
- Senior years, the power diminishment window. Our body starts to tighten up a bit, our muscles lose some elasticity. It's important that if you have decent mobility and body control, that you maintain and build strength and power as much as reasonably possible. The major cause of loss of balance and falls in the aging population is the loss of power output. For the aging and older athlete, the challenge is to maintain (or even enhance) your muscular power.
Last year, I added at least 15 yards to my drives by going to a 48" shaft.
This year I'm adding a power training component to my progressive resistance weight training to see if it helps to maintain or build on whatever power I still have. I've consistently continued to weight train for strength as I've aged (born in 1946, you do the math) with pretty good results. But I'll admit that I haven't paid enough attention to training for power.
For me, that changes now.
The main difference between Power Training vs Strength Training is, that strength refers to the ability to overcome resistance, while power refers to the ability to overcome resistance in the shortest period of time.
I plan on changing up the tempo on some of my lifts to gain power. Instead of using a smooth, slow motion throughout the lift, I'm going to make the concentric contraction - the part where you raise the weight against gravity - fast and powerful, but preserve the slow, steady pace on the eccentric contraction - when the weight is returned to the starting position.
For example, with a bench press the bar would be lowered slowly, then pushed up aggressively.
I normally do three sets of reps of any given exercise. My plan is to substitute the last set of reps in my strength training routine with a power version of the exercise for the following lifts:
- bench press
- military curl
- military press
- shrug
- leg press
If you have access to a trainer and space, Olympic lifting is power training at it's finest. If I were younger, I'd definitely cycle that type of training into my routine.
I'm also going to add some plyometric exercises to my routine on my non-lifting days as long as my body can handle it. If you are younger, absolutely do plyometrics, and do them explosively.
Plyometrics are a superior way to train for power, and you don't need any special exercise equipment. I trained my college golf team with bodyweight plyometric exercises with excellent results. Two very simple exercises are jump squats, where you squat down slowly then explode upwards into a jump and extend your arms upward, and Marine pushups, where on the push up part, you push up explosively and clap your hands.
The American Council on Exercise notes that some people never work all the way up to truly explosive plyometrics exercises. But if you're free of physical restrictions, even less intense plyometrics exercises can still help build strength, power and agility. Track your plyometric workouts either by counting repetitions or by alternating timed work and recovery intervals.
Because of the intensity of these movements, sometimes your goal will be as low as three repetitions or 10 seconds of work - especially if you're doing advanced movements or, at the opposite extreme, are just starting out and need to ease into plyometrics gradually.
If you are really interested in introducing plyometrics into your golf training, google "plyometrics for golf" and you'll get great information beyond the scope of this newsletter.
So here's the takeaway from all of this information:
- If you have children or grandchildren that you think are athletically inclined, when they are between 7 to 9 years old have then
perform speed functions when they play. If you believe that you have a budding serious athlete on your hands, find a professional
coach or trainer that can teach them how to sprint. You read that right - sprinting actually can be taught and can
make your athlete faster
for life if they learn during that age window.
- Post pubescence training through 20's, 30's and early 40's, concentrate on strength and power building with progressive
resistance weight
training, and power training. Add explosive plyometrics on off days.
- Senior training. Don't eschew weight, power, or plyometric training. Do as much as you can do safely, with the emphasis on safety. Take a gradual approach. Don't do plyometrics any more "explosively" than your body will allow.
What do you have to lose? Try it, I really think you'll like it.
Comments: TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
Love your practice, own your swing, own your health,
Tom
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All the best,
Tom Tucker
Teaching Pro, Plum Creek Driving Range & Practice Facility
WGTF ' "Top 100 Golf Teacher"
USGTF Class "A" Teaching Professional
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Cell: (716) 474-3005
Email: TomTuckerGolf@gmail.com
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"There are no substitutes in the quest for perfection!"
~ Ben Hogan