IMPROVE MY GAME
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Dave Phillips With Me And My Golf Discussing Technical Compensations To Increase Distance
Thu Apr 4, 2019 by TPI
Andy and Piers of Me and My Golf were among the first wave of instructors to attend a TPI Certification seminar. They've grown Me and My Golf into one of the most impressive instruction businesses in the world, reaching millions of golfers through social media and YouTube. They stopped by TPI last month to talk to Dave Phillips about how golfers can increase their clubhead speed without changing their body.
We are advocates of fitness, but we didn't create the TPI screen to get athletes in the gym. We created the TPI screen to help coaches, trainers and medical professionals better understand their athletes. In doing so, coaches will have a better idea of which technical modifications would be most appropriate for helping their golfer increase distance.
As Dave says in the video, "A lot of amateurs don't want to [make technical compensations] because it doesn't look like what they see on television." That's one of the biggest issues we see with golfers or golf pros that don't understand the Body-Swing Connection. If you can't move like your favorite player, you can't swing like your favorite player.
The problem with trying to copy the top golfers in the world is that those players have unique physical capabilities and their technique may not be optimal for an amatuer. Greg and Dave like to say that "modern instruction can sometimes coach distance out of the swing." Meaning, when Jason Day was the best golfer in the world, everyone wanted his stable lower body, planted lead heel and resisted backswing. It worked for him because he has elite hip and thoracic mobility. Also, prioritizing stability over speed is a trade off that many professional golfers can make because they already incredibly explosive athletes. If your client is swinging 92 mph and sitting at a desk all day, they probably don't have the movement skills to swing efficiently while keeping their lead heel planted in the backswing.
If you look at World Long Drive competitors, you'll notice that all of them lift their lead heel in the backswing (some, including 2017 champ Justin James, actually lift their whole foot off the ground). Not only does this help them achieve a larger turn by compensating for mobility restrictions, but it allows them to create a more aggressive transition and generate greater ground reaction force.
One of the most successful recent examples of this in professional golf is Francesco Molinari.
Francesco Molinari recently began flaring his feet and lifting his lead heel in the backswing to compensate for his limited mobility, helping produce a 20 yard gain in distance off the tee.
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Molinari renewed his commitment to fitness (working with TPI Certified trainer Rob Golden), but his instructor Denis Pugh helped him increase distance by building a swing that acknowledged his physical limitations and the Body-Swing Connection.
Again, it's OK that your student wants to look like DJ, but there's a high probability that they have no hope of achieving his position without months of mobility work. If that's something they're interested in, we (obviously) encourage it. However, if they want some additional width and speed in the meantime, they should consider one of these techniques.
Most importantly, golfers shouldn't guess what their limitation is, they should assess what their limitation is with a TPI screen.
For a schedule of upcoming TPI Certification seminars, visit the seminar page on our site. To find a TPI Certified coach, trainer or medical professional in your area, visit the Find an Expert section of our site.