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Practice Balance for Long-Term Success
By Keith Stewart, PGA
Published on
Balance – (Noun) a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct
proportions.
proportions.
The word balance has become more and more popular with the advent of technology in our
lives. That’s not to say it wasn’t just as important ten years ago, but with our ability to measure everything in 2022, it is a key focal point in the conversation of developing personal success. In looking at the above definition, our minds quickly jump to macro questions like that of our own work-life balance.
lives. That’s not to say it wasn’t just as important ten years ago, but with our ability to measure everything in 2022, it is a key focal point in the conversation of developing personal success. In looking at the above definition, our minds quickly jump to macro questions like that of our own work-life balance.
That’s an important scale to level, but for Get Fit February this PGA Coach is more interested in how we can ensure long term success through a careful mix of physical training and golf practice. Let’s use the Olympics as a current example of building a healthy model for improvement. Imagine you have 4 years to train for an event that lasts less than 60 seconds. Creating a plan with those parameters in mind is impossible to do on your own.
Last week, we started this conversation with one single imperative; start your training by consulting with a coach. Together you will build a plan that is designed to allow you and your body long term rewards. As PGA Coaches, we have resources that help us understand the future of training. Our job is to connect our students with those innovations. On the teaching side, there’s amazing ways to view the swing through AI and measure effort through force mats, etc.
If you’re not aware, there have been even more advancements on the fitness front. Modern athletes understand their body better than ever and as a result know that training and recovery have to live in harmony with one another. The analytics that support this have opened our eyes and caused everyone in the coaching space to rethink their training routines.
Golfers have a strong tendency to believe in the “little more” theory. Well, if I just do this and it works with my driver, then a little more must be better. It doesn’t take 3-D motion capture for us to realize that’s wrong, and that’s the most important takeaway. If you plan to train your body alongside your swing this season, know that exercise counts toward the total physical commitment.
Therefore, here are a couple PGA Coaching recommendations to create a proper golf fitness training balance.
- Make sure you have a fitness expert and a swing expert build the plan with you.
- Be realistic about your available time. The strain you put on your body includes the other 22-23 hours of the day. We all think about the practice range session or the gym minutes. How about the mental and physical exertion we place on our body keeping up when we’re not training?
- Monitor your sleep habits. You can wear a device or simply write them down. It’s impossible to reach a playing and fitness goal without understanding your rest.
- Once the plan is written, look at the composition of it. Is there a thoughtful balance between the training (fitness) and game side?
The most meaningful advice is simple and actionable. Do you and your game a favor. Build a training program that carefully incorporates your life as well as your objectives. Once you do, you’ll not only reach those goals, but you’ll exceed them.
