Have you been trying to figure out how to get more distance from your drive?
Maybe you’ve taken golf lessons or used new clubs but are still having trouble with gaining distance.
What could be missing?
While the golf club is the tool used to hit the ball, and the lessons are the instruction manuals on how to hit the said ball, the machine that generates the fuel to hit the ball is your body! Use Pilates with golf to step up your game.
How Can I Prepare My Body To Go The Distance?
Owing to Joseph Pilates, born in 1883 and died in 1967, the technique of Pilates is used for more than a decade. Pilates is a method that combines Martial Arts, Boxing, Yoga, Greek, and Roman Gymnastics. As a child, Joseph was quite sickly. His father introduced him to gymnastics, and Joseph became focused on building his physical health. Because of his asthma, Joseph added deep diaphragmatic breathing to his exercises to increase his tolerance. Consequently, the exercise equipment he invented used spring-loaded, moving platforms made of wood.
Professional athletes and performers sought Joseph out in his adulthood. His body was firm and toned like Jack LaLanne or Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as examples. As revealed by his physique, Joseph Pilates was amazing because he worked out the entirety of his life. He was in great physical condition until the day he died in his late 80’s. His wife, Clara, was a nurse and was exceptionally fit as well. She retired from teaching at Joseph’s exercise studio at the age of 90.
Without a doubt, Joseph and Clara are the definitions of ‘Uber Elders’! With technology growing in our day and age, it’s hard to imagine living past 90, let alone being in great physical shape!
Being in top physical condition to do the things you love your whole life with pain or disability is something many dream of.
So how does the Pilates technique assist with improving your game?
Evidently, exercise involves good posture and alignment and trains the bones and muscles for sports, including golf.
Why Is Good Posture Important?
Having good posture can prevent injuries and deformities that can happen with aging. Clearly, keeping an upright posture could avoid joint surgeries and other complications.
Of course, during your session, ensure to engage your core, the belly, back, and pelvic floor, and support your body throughout the movement. Involving your core in every movement throughout your day should be your ultimate goal!
Pilates involves movement; each exercise activates all of your muscles and weight. So, specific motor patterns achieve a specific result. The dynamic flexibility and strength learned over time through Pilates are the same actions needed for golf.
Can Pilates Help You Hit The Ball Further?
Preconditioning is the key to performance in any sport. All professional athletes spend hours conditioning their minds and bodies to play their game at a competitive level.
If you find yourself spending too much time on your couch using your electronic device and only pushing your workout routine to the bare minimum, you might call yourself a ‘weekend warrior.’ Be sure you’re spending the dedicated time to make your routine a habit.
For this reason, get tall, command an upright posture, build strong, lean, flexible muscles, and establish a fluid movement.
In the case of establishing a stable Pilates set, some tips to remember are:
- Drive your energy through your feet. Engage your core, pelvic floor, and pelvic girdle with strength and flexibility.
- Additionally, fully activcate your core by inhaling on the backswing and exhaling when making contact with the ball.
Thus, the force from your feet up into your hips and pelvis will translate through the upper torso to your arms and into the clubhead to produce a dynamic spiral of force to make the ball go further.
Always remember your Pilates instructor or golf professional is there to guide you if you have questions!
Check out this video tutorial for a physical explanation of how to get the most out of your swing.
Susan Baver Mann, PT, DPT
