Improving Performance in Golf and Tennis
Pilates emphasizes abdominal strength to support all body conditioning movements.
By Tisha Nickenig
Many seasonal residents enjoy the area because it provides opportunities to get outside, socialize, and to play at world-class golf courses, and tennis clubs. Smart people avoid a winter full of shoveling snow, by playing golf in Florida.The first swing of the golf club on the driving range provides a wake up call, when the ball hooks to the right, with a little twinge in the low back. Later that evening it's painkillers, and the hot tub.
Its important to resume sports, after a period of inactivity, by training like the professional athletes do. Preconditioning and stretching before you hit the golf or tennis ball will help you to avoid injury, and prevent lost time away from the golf course, or tennis courts recuperating from an injury. This is very important if you are a tournament player.
The handicap is directly related to how well you play all aspects of the game. Precision, distance, balance, timing, weight shift, power, concentration, and form (biomechanics) affect the outcome (birdie or bogey). How many times have you gone for lessons with your golf professional, had a good lesson, and then had difficulty duplicating what you were taught when you went out on the driving range? Precision of movement comes from motor memory, which requires repetition of a movement using good form.
Professional athletes train for the sport. Amateurs assume they can just go out and play. Focus on physical conditioning aspects such as walking 2-3 times per week at a brisk pace starting at 5-10 minutes working up to 30-40 minutes, monitoring your target heart rate. Boost your ability to perform the golf or tennis swing, by improving your flexibility and strength of the muscle groups involved in that activity (torso, hips, knees, foot and ankle, and shoulders, forearms, wrists and hands) In other words your TOTAL body is utilized in these activities.
Remember that old high school, or college sports injury?
Old injuries, aches, and pains, no mater how long ago, can effect your ability to swing the club, by effecting your weight shift from one foot to another (old college knee injury), and your timing in the movement pattern (accelerating the club head too early in the down swing in order to get off the old right knee injury). This will cause a loss of power and distance. You may need to emphasize building up the area of old injury. Videotaping and Biomechanical analysis of your swing can reveal new information that can be utilized to improve your swing by improving how your body works, during the swing.
Focus on developing a life long fitness program. Some of the professional athletes are participating in alternative exercise techniques such as Pilates, Yoga, as well as traditional weight lifting, stretching, and aerobics. Having the stamina to finish the game, get the distance and power, as well as precision will provide you the ultimate satisfaction in golf and tennis: a great game, with good friends, and no other worries.
Contact Susan Mann, MA, LPT, CSTS, CGFI , Certified Pilates Instructor to learn more about Golf and Tennis Performance Enhancement, at 659-5252
