The Big Break Theory

Fri May 31, 2013 by Dr. Greg Rose

The Big Break Theory

This is a theory that was given the name “The Big Break Theory” by TPI Advisory Board member Dr. Tom House and myself. We have noticed that there seems to be a strong correlation between the longest hitters in the world and a history of speed training in the opposite direction. In other words, if they were a right-handed golfer, they would train for speed left-handed.

Many high level golfers compete or practice explosive speed in the opposite direction. From playing hockey left-handed, to pitching left-handed, to switch hitting in baseball, to running backwards, it doesn’t seem to matter. What matters most is the development of speed in the opposite direction.

Our theory is that you will only accelerate to the point of which your body knows you can safely decelerate. Therefore, the stronger and faster your decelerators are, the faster you can develop your accelerators.

For example, some of the fastest runners in the history of the NFL are cornerbacks. They spend half their time running backwards. Coincidence, maybe? There is also the argument that training the opposite side of the body helps maintain symmetry and mobility, which is beneficial regardless of what direction you are swinging. 

Because of this observation, we incorporate opposite side training with all of our players. Some of our favorite ways to incorporate opposite side training are:

1. Opposite Side Pitching
2. Same Side Pitching without letting go of the ball
3. Opposite Side Tee Ball Batting
4. Opposite Side Golf Swings
5. Backward Sprinting

We even add opposite side swings to the warm-up of most of our players. 

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