By Terrence Thomas
It’s
actually pronounced kettleBell and it is the next evolution in golf
performance enhancement. Kettlebell drills and the golf swing have
similar philosophies in that both require skill and athleticism. What
makes this cannon ball with a suitcase handle so powerful is it’s
unique design that all drills require that your you engage your entire
body. Secondly, kettlebells will increase your fitness reserves very
quickly. Most golfers are still playing with little to no fitness
reserves. Think of fitness reserves like running a business with no
cash reserves. The doors might stay open but one wrong move and game
over. How does fitness reserves help your golf game? Let’s use your
golf grip as an example. We all know that excessive grip
tension kills the golf swing, therefore it is recommend your grip
tension on the golf club needs be about a 4 out of 10 for optimal
mechanics. What if you got stronger and your old “4” became a “2”? How
would that affect your club head speed and power? This is the power of
increasing your fitness reserves with kettlebells.
A well-structured golf fitness program is built on a system of progressions. These progressions include flexibility, mobility, balance, strength and power. To maximize your golf game, adequate Flexibility and mobility is necessary to complete all phases of the golf swing. To maintain the body’s center of gravity at the various swing positions, Balance must be maintained. Consistent golf performance demands a solid foundation of strength. Strength will prepare your body to generate the force needed to sustain power. Power is what creates club head speed needed for long drives. Let’s look at how the kettlebell swing will develop all of these abilities.
Golf Stretching & Flexibility
Muscles can be viewed like spokes on a bicycle wheel. If any of the spokes become too loose or tight, the entire frame comes out of alignment. This analogy holds true for the human body when there are muscle imbalances present. The flexibility gained with the kettlebell swing is ideal for maintaining muscle balance that is required for optimal golf performance. "Muscle Balance and Flexibility as well as "Static and Dynamic Stability" control 80% of ball flight factors (1)."
A well-structured golf fitness program is built on a system of progressions. These progressions include flexibility, mobility, balance, strength and power. To maximize your golf game, adequate Flexibility and mobility is necessary to complete all phases of the golf swing. To maintain the body’s center of gravity at the various swing positions, Balance must be maintained. Consistent golf performance demands a solid foundation of strength. Strength will prepare your body to generate the force needed to sustain power. Power is what creates club head speed needed for long drives. Let’s look at how the kettlebell swing will develop all of these abilities.
Golf Stretching & Flexibility
Muscles can be viewed like spokes on a bicycle wheel. If any of the spokes become too loose or tight, the entire frame comes out of alignment. This analogy holds true for the human body when there are muscle imbalances present. The flexibility gained with the kettlebell swing is ideal for maintaining muscle balance that is required for optimal golf performance. "Muscle Balance and Flexibility as well as "Static and Dynamic Stability" control 80% of ball flight factors (1)."
Golf Swing Strength
Kettlebell swings increase your ability to generate force consistently throughout your round. If you find your golf swing losing effectiveness on the back 9, then 4 to 6 weeks of kettlebell swings will fix this problem. The HardStyle Golf swing technique requires that you create maximum total body tension at the top position. The repeated act of creating maximum tension will increase the resiliency of both the muscular and nervous system.
Golf Swing Power
The forces and the speed of the kettlebell swing create the perfect environment for developing the fast twitch muscle fibers that are responsible for generating and sustaining power. If you could imagine for a moment trying to fire a cannon from a canoe, you can visualize what would happen. Instead of the cannon firing from the canoe, the cannon would stay put and the canoe would shoot away from the cannon due to lack of an adequate foundation. The human body behaves like this when it lacks flexibility, stability and strength in the presence of power. This scenario explains many of the golf related injures that occur such as lower back strain, shoulder and wrist injuries.
Kettlebells allow for the safe execution of power drills with a lower risk for injury. The swing will produce the same if not greater forces than a vertical jump without your feet leaving the ground. This will eliminate the wear and tear on joints and allow for more frequency of training. It is a general rule that if an athlete can train more frequently while remaining injury free, then they will see the best gains in performance. Kettlebell swing will accomplish this without question.
Kettlebell swings increase your ability to generate force consistently throughout your round. If you find your golf swing losing effectiveness on the back 9, then 4 to 6 weeks of kettlebell swings will fix this problem. The HardStyle Golf swing technique requires that you create maximum total body tension at the top position. The repeated act of creating maximum tension will increase the resiliency of both the muscular and nervous system.
Golf Swing Power
The forces and the speed of the kettlebell swing create the perfect environment for developing the fast twitch muscle fibers that are responsible for generating and sustaining power. If you could imagine for a moment trying to fire a cannon from a canoe, you can visualize what would happen. Instead of the cannon firing from the canoe, the cannon would stay put and the canoe would shoot away from the cannon due to lack of an adequate foundation. The human body behaves like this when it lacks flexibility, stability and strength in the presence of power. This scenario explains many of the golf related injures that occur such as lower back strain, shoulder and wrist injuries.
Kettlebells allow for the safe execution of power drills with a lower risk for injury. The swing will produce the same if not greater forces than a vertical jump without your feet leaving the ground. This will eliminate the wear and tear on joints and allow for more frequency of training. It is a general rule that if an athlete can train more frequently while remaining injury free, then they will see the best gains in performance. Kettlebell swing will accomplish this without question.
I
predict that in the very near future, kettlebells will be as important
to improving golf performance as having the best equipment available.
The immediate gains in physical performance are undeniable to everyone
that uses them. Kettlebells will be the great equalizer in helping
anyone play their best golf ever.