subject: Introduction To Biomechanics For Golf [print this page] Biomechanics is the application of mechanical principles to biological systems. Biomechanics teaches us how we're engineered, and how we can take advantage of our unique engineering to optimize our potential. As it relates to sports, the laws of mechanics are applied to attain a greater understanding of athletic performance
When a biomechanical approach is taken to understand the golf swing, it can be proven that strength, flexibility, and balance largely dictate one's golf handicap. The Science of Golf Biomechanics Any golfer will tell you that the ability to swing the club head with consistency and speed will lead to a great golf game, but not everyone understands where these characteristics come from - much less how to improve them. But when you apply biomechanics its easy to see that the golf swing forms a kinetic chain that begins with balance, builds power through the hips, and unleashes that power through the rotation of the hips and shoulders, allowing the golfer to swing the club head at maximum speed.
In 2007, the University of Pittsburgh and the National Cheng Kung University jointly published a study in the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research titled "Strength, Flexibility, and Balance Characteristics of Highly Proficient Golfers." The researchers took a group of 257 golfers and divided them into three groups by handicap: the Under 0 HC group, the 0 to 9 HC group, and the 10 to 20 HC group. They then compared averages in each group for strength, flexibility, and balance. Their results were astonishing, yet predictable by those who have studied biomechanics. The Under 0 HC group was stronger, more flexible, and better-balanced than either of the other two groups, and the 0 to 9 HC group was stronger, more flexible, and better-balanced than the 10 to 20 HC group. The conclusion was simple: To be a better golfer you must improve your strength and conditioning.
Here's how the study broke each segment down:
Strength
As you can see, (if you folow the link) those in the lowest handicap group were also the strongest, and there was a significant difference in strength between the groups.
Flexibility
The results here show that your range of motion, knee extension, and torso rotation - summed up as your flexibility - are directly related to your handicap. If you're not very strong or flexible, you will not enjoy a good golf score. But if you are strong and flexible, you can increase speed, accuracy, consistency, and distance - not to mention your handicap. Balance
The best golfers, pro and amateur alike, understand the importance of balance to a great golf swing. It's one of the fundamentals to excellent biomechanics: you have to be able to maneuver your body through space with consistency and repetition, and you can only do this if you possess proper balance.
The Good News for Average Golfers The good news is that the study not only found what physical and biomechanical attributes are integral to great golf, they also found that those attributes can be enhanced through intelligent golf fitness training. The bottom line is that if you want to be a proficient golfer, you must possess the unique body characteristics shared by all proficient golfers: strength, flexibility, and balance.
And you can attain those characteristics by training with a professional fitness trainer who understands the principles of biomechanics for golf. Enhance your strength, flexibility, and balance, and your golf game can go from average to proficient - and even prolific - in just a few weeks' time.
