Today's tip comes from Curt Wainwright who, at 37, has committed himself to the Peak Performance Golf Swing, not because he has back and joint pain, but simply because its simplicity seems more natural to him. Here's what he had to say in a recent email to DJ and me:
"Dear Surge & DJ,
I watched this episode [of The Surge Show] and immediately thought of this question: In the original Peak Performance Driver DVD there was a mention of 80%, 90% and 100% swings. DJ demonstrated each, explaining that the only difference between each one was how fast he swings his arms. So the trick becomes getting longer not by swinging harder but by swinging faster.
With no disrespect to my elders intended, I am 37 and have committed myself to the Surge Swing for reasons other than relief of back pain. It just feels more natural to me than a rotational swing. I could make the full turn [rotational swing] but could never time everything to the split nanosecond of impact.
Since I am younger, I am interested in creating distance by stressing or pushing my body whereas my older Surgite friends may not. So here is my real question: How does club head speed relate to fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fiber? Is plyometric exercise the answer? Example: Cross-fit push ups with two hand claps between reps. Or is raw strength the way to go? What's a day at the gym like for you?"
Whew! Curt really packed a lot of things into his message so let me try to summarize the answers to his questions here. Watch the video for more complete explanations.
With regard to swing speed, DJ and I do not recommend that anyone swing at 100% of capacity. Swinging that fast has very little upside (as opposed to a 95% swing) and it has a lot of downside for loss of control and for potential injury. Think of it as a sports car coming around a tight curve on a road course. If you try to make the turn with the pedal to the metal you will most certainly fly off the track and into the woods.
Curt is right when he says we don't want to hit the ball harder, but rather we want to swing the club faster. To some, this may seem like semantics but I can tell you there is a world of difference between the two. Hitting harder results in a tightening of our muscles and a concentration on smashing the ball. This can often cause us to cast the club in our downswing and you know where that leads us. On the other hand, if you concentrate on swinging your arms faster, your muscle groups will remain in an athletic state and it will keep your swing nice and fluid. DJ says that whenever he wants to hit the ball farther, he holds his body and just swings faster. That's a really important concept because a quiet lower body is an essential part of a faster swing.
I really appreciate Curt's comment about how simple he finds the Surge Swing to be. Our body is not designed to make a big rotation and forcing it to twist more than is naturally comfortable makes it ever more difficult to get the club head onto the right approach to the ball. Taking a rotational swing to parallel involves a highly complex set of moves that has to be perfectly choreographed and timed in order to get the club square at impact. In my book, if you increase difficulty, you will see a corresponding drop in the success rate.
As to Curt's question on what my day in the gym looks like, I must admit I don't get to the gym as often as I would like given my busy schedule. So I make my gym wherever I am--at home, on the practice tee or in a hotel somewhere. I do a lot of stretching throughout the day and I have found that a good all-round exercise program that I can do anywhere is built around The Five Ancient Rites of Tibetan Monks. These exercises work every major muscle group and organ in your body. If you are interested in learning more, author Peter Kelder has written two books on the subject, both with the same main title, The Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth. [Random House]. It's available through Amazon and an eBook version was just published three weeks ago.
Now to Curt's main question: Should golfers train for speed or strength? I actual fact, it's a combination of both but with an emphasis on speed. Raw strength, which manifests itself best by large, bulky muscles is definitely not good for most golfers. So the use of plyometric exercises such as Curt described will strengthen fast twitch muscle fiber and if you add in a regimen of weight training with relatively low weights and increased reps you'll have a great training program to help your golf game. The best way to accomplish this, I think, is to find a good trainer who really understands the golf swing. He/she will assess your current fitness level and develop just the right program to help you lower your score.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
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