Here’s the dilemma in golf performance.
The body wants to move, that’s what it’s designed for. It wishes to experience the golf swing as a continuous motion, similar to walking, throwing a ball or diving into the pool. Movement, just like life itself, is continuous and fluid, the body does not experience it piecemeal, one position at a time but in flow without any gaps or interruptions.
Counter to this is the mind which wants to dissect, quantify, examine and understand; it cannot cope with fluidity and get out of the way, allowing movement to occur unhindered, but wants to get involved in order to analyse and measure every single piece of the ‘golfing machine’.
There is even an approach which I heard of recently which attempts to divide the golf swing into 100 different positions, all of which can be calculated via computer analysis, and fed back to the hungry mind whose only desire is to understand one position at a time in an attempt to “get it right.”
Yet step-by-step guides to the swing, however they abound in the mainstream, do not help people to play better golf; you only have to look at the research which shows the competitive amateur hasn’t got any better in the last thirty years or more despite all the gadgets and gizmos now offered as part of technical instruction, so what’s the answer?
When the body and mind are clearly operating in different spheres, how can we bring mind and technique together and enjoy better connection in the golf swing?
What is a connected swing?
A connected golf swing is one where the turning of the body and the flowing motion of the arms work together in harmony. When you play well and your swing feels effortless you have a connected golf swing; this is where everything’s working as a unit from address to the top and again from the top of the back-swing through impact and to finish. All the various body parts from your hips to your shoulders and your hands are working and moving in the correct sequence ensuring greater club-head speed, more power and consistency of performance and above all, great ball striking.
A disconnected swing is the reverse of this and causes many of the most common faults in golf; it’s when your arms move without any rotation from the body, when you shift your weight laterally rather than coiling around the spine. It leads to poor ball striking and a deterioration in performance and sees many players start searching for a swing rather than playing golf.
Reworking the swing motion
Golf coaches attempt to teach connection in the swing by reworking the swing motion, often with the aid of a gimmick like a folded towel across the chest and under the arms or holding a beach ball between the hands as you rotate, to try and keep the arms connected with the turning of the waist and torso.
It’s a good starting point but if you’re looking to play to your potential my advice is to go deeper.
Training for better connection
The Chi-Performance approach is about training oneness of mind and technique. It has two fundamental branches which come from the same root; one is the correct use of the breath for reducing anxiety and mental interference and the other is the employment of biomechanical principles that can withstand psychological and emotional pressure i.e. tournament play.
Both of these branches come from centuries-old disciplines and both require training – that is, 10-15 minutes spent practising day by day, which you can easily do alongside your usual routine of going to the driving range or seeing your swing professional.
How to train the connected swing
In the Universal Post exercise which I described in this recent blog (where my student Michael made improvements to his pelvis position, muscle activation, alignment, rotation, hip hinge and balance, which in turn eliminated his niggling back issues) you’ll recall that this one exercise which takes 10-15 minutes to perform, can help us accomplish many things at the same time.
Universal Post, which is a traditional form of ‘stance keeping’ integral to the martial arts, is above all, a way of developing connection, alignment and posture. It can be highly advantageous in connecting your golf swing motion by training the following:
Mind~body connection
Relaxed attention (flow)
Unification of torso and arms
Kinematic sequencing (strong legs, engaged core, relaxed torso)
Engagement of the waist (centrifugal force)
Connection of upper and lower body
Leg strength and stability
Whole-body power
Unity of motion
Special Offer
Learn the Universal Post exercise and more with my video course Performance Biomechanics; Training Your Golf Body and you’ll also get these three bonuses absolutely FREE!
Simply send me a message referencing the title of this blog post and I will personally send you the following!
BONUS No.1 – Athletic Set-Up; a worksheet to help you develop a more balanced and athletic address position that unites upper and lower body for better swing connection
BONUS No. 2 – Chi-Performance GOLF DRILLS; a series of three unique drills for the driving range that will help you bring your mind and technique together for a more connected swing and better ball striking
BONUS No. 3 – Relaxed Power; a special training report on the Universal Post to develop connection, alignment, posture and whole-body power
You are welcome to get in touch with me if you have any comments or questions on the Chi-Performance approach and to enquire about 1-1 coaching.
Happy training!
