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Subscribers: 262 and counting... Next Issue: August 7, 2007 Welcome I told you this time it was for good :-) In this edition, we've got news updates (including an opinion poll on the British Open), blog updates and a fitness article. So let's get right to it. News and updates! I'm back from a quick, 4-day vacation in Hot Springs, AR. Took the family up to see my parents and had a great time. Got to play a little golf, played on the water and got some much needed rest - last Friday was the first day I hadn't spent in the fitness center since mid-March. Didn't get to watch too much of the British Open (something about boat and golf cart rides with the kids) but I find myself somewhat happy that Sergio didn't win. I can't really say why, but I'm glad to see that he didn't. And that's the subject of our first opinion poll. What are your thoughts? Are you glad Sergio didn't win? Cast your vote here. Now, on to more important things... Blog
Update While I was off I did note that several relevant news-related items appeared and I should have blog postings regarding them soon. I'll send you an update. You're
Invited Part 2, By the way, all DVD's have been spoken for but spots are still available. Attending the seminar will be great, even without the DVD. Where else can you hear about the latest trends in golf-fitness, learn something about your current golf-fitness level and come away with a plan to get better? And all for $10! You can't get that anywhere. Oh and one more thing, some of you have registered but haven't paid your $10 fee. Please pay your fee, otherwise I can't guarantee your spot - or DVD for that matter, if you registered early enough. You're
Invited Part 1, Last week I invited you to sign-up for a free preview of the Vortex. Registration continues for this too. Maybe the most important benefit of this preview is a free workout. Absolutely no strings attached! And for those of you who take advantage, I'm going to have a random drawing at the end of August to give the lucky winner a FREE pass for 1-month of Group Training on the Vortex, a $240 value. So the lucky winner, without spending a dime will get nearly $400 worth of stuff absolutely free. Not to mention all the golf-related benefits like hitting the ball farther, more flexibility, feeling better on the course, etc... We're scheduling the previews daily, so there is no excuse. And you can get to the fitness center from many points of Houston within 20 minutes. Just take a look at some of our drive times. And to top it all off, you'll be one of the lucky few who get to train on the Pro Trainer II's from Vortex. We're the only facility in Texas to have them, so do something no one else can say they've done. Take the Vortex for a spin! Fitness Article! Today's article is Part 1 of a 2 part article on the two biggest myths regarding golf-fitness and performance. They are flexibility and resistance training. There are more but what most people think about these two aspects of fitness as they relate to performance on the course are shared by nearly everyone I talk to and work with, including you. Part
1: Flexibility I ask you why and you respond with something along the lines of: "I want a bigger turn so that I can hit the ball farther." I know the allure of wanting to hit the ball farther. Believe me. You can't pick up a magazine, read an ad or listen to a commercial without hearing about hitting the ball farther. We've added so much distance from the clubs and balls we've bought that getting home in 2 on a 600-yd par five shouldn't be that big of a deal. Yet we still can't reach it. So it must be an emotional thing - wanting to hit the ball farther. For if everytime we "added 20 yards" with a new driver or golf ball, we wouldn't need to be sold on hitting the ball farther. Yet the ads keep coming...and you think: "Man, I just dropped GOOD money on a shiny new driver and a dozen Pro V1x's but nothing's changed!" Hopefully...you continue thinking..."Maybe it's something else! Maybe it's not the club or the ball...maybe it's my body!" And to your thoughts, I say "Yes!" Hopefully, you continue thinking... "If I can just increase my shoulder flexibility, I'd be able to create a bigger turn, increase my swing speed and hit the ball farther." To that I say, "Bravo!" You're thinking properly...but...let's change the direction of your thinking. While flexibility is important, it's not your shoulders you should be concerned about. Why? I've watched plenty of lessons, from good (no great) instructors. And I can't begin to tell you how many times I've heard "shorten your back swing" or something similar. If your pro is saying that AND results from all the people I've tested indicate the same thing, why is it still front and center in your mind? Because it's the emotional part of hitting the ball farther. The sexy part of the golf swing. The one thing most of us can relate to. The inexplicable desire to reach back and "tear the cover off the ball," "kill it," or "grip it and rip it." But it's not the truth. And you know it. As soon as you make contact, you know it. Some of you (me included) know it at the beginning of the backswing. But there's nothing we can do about it. Or is there... The truth is the most important aspect of your flexibility lies in another sexy part of your body: the trunk! That's right, your waist and hips. And sexy it is! If you increase flexibility in your shoulders there is little benefit to your swing. To illustrate this let's say that after a dedicated stretching program you improve shoulder flexibility by 1-inch, which will allow you to get the club back 1-inch further in your swing. This could be a big deal. But if your instructor is telling you to backdown your swing, what good has it done? Unless you are truly a 2-plane guy, you won't realize much, if any benefit. But... If you increase the flexibility of your trunk, you'll realize exponentially greater benefits. Said another way, if you can rotate your trunk just a little bit more (1/2-inch, for example) and because your hands are at the end of your arms (obviously), the slightest rotation of your trunk increases the distance your hands move moreso than just the amount of trunk rotation. Enough of the engineering and biomechanics - but you can test this on your own. All you need are two pieces of string, a sheet of paper and two pencils. Rather than bore you with the details, I've created a picture. The point of the test, the picture and increasing flexibility in your trunk rather than your shoulders is this: With only a slight increase in trunk rotation, you will realize greater benefits to your swing. But the big question is: Now that you know this, will you include this into your program? Will it translate into results? Only you can answer the first question. But as far as translating into results: you bet. In the beginning your timing will be off, so practice will be required. Without a doubt you will feel better when you play. Your dynamic flexibility will improve and your swing will feel more free. So go to my blog and read the post on stretching. The backswing is a complicated movement - at least of body parts and movements. A flexibility program should take this into account and focus on the hamstrings, hips, obliques and rotational movements. The blog post, complete with pictures and everything detailing a quick program that you can use to increase the rotational flexibility of your trunk takes all of this into account. Now, the rest is up to you. Next issue we'll talk about the other big myth: resistance training. Coming
soon...Boot Camp Online! I'm excited to finally get this started! I've been wanting/trying to do if for a year but something always got in the way. That's not such a bad thing. I've been able to refine my idea of what it should be and will most certainly have a better product now than if I had started earlier. The Boot Camp Online will be a golf-specific fitness program that you can do from anywhere in the world. You won't need to live in Houston or even the States for that matter. With the wonders of the internet, you can live anywhere and play better golf just by signing up! Playing better is the most important thing! You'll hit the ball farther, you'll hit more fairways, you'll score better and you'll feel better when you play. Not to mention all the other benefits. Just think, by keeping more balls in play your membership will pay for itself when you don't have to drop GOOD money on another dozen Pro V1x's :-) That's all, see you next issue! Break a sweat several times this month! Brian Please email or drop by the front desk should you have any questions. Quick
Links for you: Brian
Sekula Fitness Center P: 281-933-8822
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