I remember the first time my wife and I decided to try swing dance lessons. I always thought it would be the coolest type of dance to learn and be good at. Boy was I in for a surprise after the first few dance lessons. I thought I would never get the steps and movements down because it is a lot more difficult than I thought it was going to be after watching the TV show, Dancing with the Stars, and how easy they made it look. I almost wanted to give up after a couple of lessons because we weren’t having very much fun. My wife and I aren’t the type of people to give up on something and I’m glad we stuck it out. It wasn’t till after the 5th lesson that we started to get the steps and movements down without having to think so much. Around the 10th lesson we really felt comfortable and looked like we knew what we were doing. We were having a ton of fun!
Learning the movements of the golf swing is very similar to learning a new type of dance. At first, it is very awkward because you need to go slow and think through each movement. You have to learn how to load the backswing effectively before re-centering the body and transferring the pressure from the trail to the lead foot while at the same time shallowing and dropping the club in the slot before firing the lead leg (extension) through impact to a balance finish position. There has to be a rythm and sequence that needs to take place. It looks simple and easy for the pros like my friend Kevin Kring below but it takes a ton of reps before the sequencing, tilts, and movements can produce the results that all golfers search for.
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When I do an initial assessment with a client and I explain and demonstrate the golf dance used by the majority of Tour Pros backed by Athletic Motion Golf, I often see a shocked look on their face because they realize it isn’t easy at first and it is going to take a lot of reps. I remind them that if they want to get the long term results they desire they have to put in the correct repetitions at home each week in between coaching sessions. Kevin Kring who has a scoring average of around 69 playing on the Dakota Tour right now told me he has been working on his swing change for the past five years. He didn’t become an elite player by just learning the information from his coaches over the years without putting in the correct repetitions. He had to put that information to practice every day.
It is usually around the 8th or 10th session where the golf dance becomes more natural and engrained if the client practices it on their own in between sessions. This is where the client starts seeing results with increased distance and consistency with their irons. I teach a different setup with more tilt in the spine while maintaining that tilt throughout the swing when using the driver and fairway woods. I am still amazed by the positive results I get from clients who stick with it and put in their homework (reps.). There is definitely a learning process that needs to take place where their will be failure but the long term results are well worth the work and wait. I’ve had a few clients who understood and have watched videos and read about the movements performed by some of the best golfers in the world but they didn’t know how to implement them. This is where good coaching and training comes in and helping the client understand how to practice the golf dance at home with feedback. Just because you may be putting in the reps at the golf course doesn’t mean you are doing it correctly and improving. Understanding how to practice effectively with feedback is the key to success and getting long term results.
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