Recent and Upcoming Intelligent Training™ Courses

The recent course we ran for the Professional Golf Association (PGA) was a great success. On the course, we had nine PGA coaches and a personal trainer who delivers bespoke fitness programmes for golfers. They got a lot of the course and their feedback on the course was excellent.

The people who took the course now fully appreciate that you cannot provide the best coaching service to any level of golfer without understanding the biomechanics of the body and its influences on the swing. We used one example of a right-handed, 18 handicapper who typically slices the ball (the ball moves quite a long way from left to right while it’s in the air). This can obviously be due to several set up and swing factors including incomplete shoulder turn, poor weight transference, out to in swing plane, over-swinging and many others.

After working together for a day, the participants on the course now appreciate that no matter how hard they work on someone’s swing, if the golfers have what we describe as ‘intrinsic biomechanical issues’, their hard work coaching and practicing might be in vain.

Biomechanical factors that can cause a slice can include, tight upper back, one leg being longer than the other, a rotated pelvis (which most golfers don’t even know that they have), tight sciatic nerves (the nerve that runs down the back of the leg) and, especially, a tight median nerve (a nerve in the arm). All these factors need to be dealt with before the coach can confidently say that any abnormal swing is due technique.

By the end of the day the participants on the course were confident that they could tell the difference between a poor swing due to abnormal biomechanics and one due to poor technique.

We are working closely with the PGA and will be running these courses throughout the country to teach PGA pros, fitness instructors, allied health professionals and strength and conditioning coaches the implications of this science to the golf swing.

Regarding our athletics-related courses, we are presenting a seminar this weekend (16/17 February 2008) at Birmingham Alexander Stadium at a squad day for their endurance coaches, which will be lead by one of our tutors Rosalind Shuttleworth. The seminar will be about how understanding intrinsic biomechanical principles can significantly reduce the risk of athletes getting injured. On Sunday 17 February, we have another Normalise course that we’re delivering at the Robin Park Arena in Wigan, lead by another of our tutors Nigel Morgan. I (Martin Haines) will also be at both events and hope to see you there.