GOLF AND TRAINING
When we see the great characters of this sport - the celebrated Tiger Woods above all - perform fantastic shots with ease, we think that this is a simple game, which does not involve any effort. In reality, we cannot fully understand how much work lies behind the performances of these great champions. Playing golf essentially means being able to perform highly precise technical gestures that require strength, flexibility, coordination and concentration to hit the ball with the aim of "putting it in the hole".
The individual programming of the training should be such as to guarantee the harmonious and balanced development of all the main physical-athletic qualities: from resistance to strength, from the speed of execution of the gesture to flexibility.
Abdominal musculature, especially at the level of the obliques, is essential for giving rise to thetorsion of the torso. As regards the arms, the triceps and the muscles of the forearm are decisive in guaranteeing solidity and control to hit the ball. Trapezius, deltoids and rhomboids are called into question in the gesture of bringing the stick (or club) upwards. To obtain an effective and precise swing - the main stroke of golf - the lower limbs must be kept toned and in particular gastrocnemius, soleus, quadriceps and posterior thigh muscles must be toned and strengthened. Fundamental, and not only in the lower part of the body, the intrarotator and extrarotator muscles, indispensable in the stability of the stroke and position. Flexibility is certainly the most important quality for a golf player (source: Bagnoli G., "Golf", ed. Giunti, 2006): the asymmetrical component of the game and the repetitive nature of the gesture risk over time to wear tendons, joints and musculature. For this reason, the maintenance of muscle tone and good flexibility can prevent wear and tear. Flexibility is a quality that can be improved with a valid and constant training program, with significant results in a relatively short time. The regular practice of stretching and joint mobility exercises, in addition to preventing injuries, can facilitate an increase in performance, thanks above all to greater breadth and fluidity of the athletic gesture.
The TRX (a tool recently landed in Italy), a suspension training system with universal attachment, which is used with two simple tapes adjustable in length to effectively train joint mobility, balance and athletic movement, is widely used in the United States. and the effectiveness of the swing. There is even a kit created specifically for athletic training in golf called the TRX Golf Bundle.
In young people, in particular in children, athletic training will focus on basic, general work, with an eye for coordination skills, skills that develop on average from 4 to 11 years of age; in the elderly, on the other hand, we will focus on the search for greater flexibility, precisely to avoid traumas and annoying contractures, increasingly frequent events with the passage of time.
In any case, even the amateur golfer should devote at least three or four days a week to improving his physical condition, through the use of free and elastic weights at the expense of gym machines,often too binding for the joints, remembering always make a good warm up before starting to play and practice this fascinating sport.
