With a focus in neurological and orthopedic rehabilitation, I formed Personal Touch Fitness two years ago as my personal training business grew, and I’ve been an independent contractor at Madison Avenue Strength Lab since the facility opened almost one year ago. After attaining TPI certification and working with some of the owner’s clients from several local country clubs, I was asked to join the team.
When working with clients, including golfers, I focus on the mechanics of motion, and in this case, the golf swing specifically. TPI helped me realize the importance of isolating ailments through assessments, tests and drills. Determining where an athlete is compensating for a weakness, injury or imbalance creates a solid foundation for improvement. Finding this critical point in their physical abilities is the first vital step in diagnosing the issue and creating a plan to address the problem.
It’s very important to me that my clients know I’m with them for more than just the face-to-face hour that we have together. Whether I’m seeing a client once a week or more, chances are they’re doing something in their daily lives that is offsetting some of the work that we did. I will text, call or even FaceTime with clients when they’re at the range or course and will give instant feedback on a swing they perform on the spot or on a video they send me afterward. Having them send me swing videos from three angles enables me to provide a compressive diagnosis and analysis in between in-person sessions.
To ensure they’re ready to play each day, I’ll set my clients up with a stretching and preparation program that often includes a pre-round foam roll and mobility routine if the facility where they’re playing has a gym. Getting feedback after they apply their routine to their pre-golf warmup gives me confidence that they’re ready to play and allows me to keep my thumb on the pulse of what’s going on with my clients. After all, I look at rehab and training work like a doctor. He or she doesn’t have the same patients in his room week after week. That doctor’s job is to get them out and keep them healthy so they don’t have to see him so often. However, when we’re working on strength training, more frequent time together is very important. When it comes to dealing with injuries and ailments, I strive to get them well as fast as I can without detrimentally rushing the process.
During the winter, we focus on strength training and address any imbalances in their swing. We manage fatigue and help clients wind down from the many rounds of golf played from spring to fall. Many of my clients travel during this period to keep playing, but we’re still able to address issues we might put on hold during the peak summer golf season. Golfers don’t want the things they’re working on with their swing coaches to dissipate just because the temperatures in the Northeast turn cold. So, they’ll pursue warm weather climates and indoor simulators to help keep their golf game in shape year-round. I collaborate with their swing coaches to provide a unified effort to help clients get stronger and healthier while applying many of our fitness efforts in their golf game.
I maintain an active presence on social media to attract new clients and enjoy referrals from nearby country clubs through my affiliation with Madison Avenue Strength Lab owners Mario and Tina Guaglianone. Mario’s company The Salus Group provides fitness and health and wellness services at several clubs in Westchester and Fairfield Counties, just north of New York City.
I work with Division I baseball, basketball and soccer players, as well as semi-pro athletes. With a degree in Sports Medicine from nearby Manhattanville College and several years of experience at a renowned area rehabilitation facility, I have developed a reputation that has helped increase my client base and broaden my reach in and out of golf.
Matteo Daniele is a NASM Personal Trainer at Madison Avenue Strength Lab in Larchmont, New York and the Founder of Personal Touch Fitness.