By Pam Owens, Special to Lone Star Golf
If you’ve played golf long enough, you’ve probably tried just about everything in an effort to gain clubhead speed. You’ve purchased better balls, new clubs, changed your stance or grip and maybe even thrown a medicine ball or two.
Have you tried a mental approach to speed gains? Yes, believe it or not, speed is mental because speed is controlled by the brain! Further, would you believe me when I tell you that your body can move faster than you currently move? It’s true. You have a faster gear that you are not using. The trick is convincing your brain you can indeed go faster.
An overriding goal of our brain is to protect the body. Just as a mechanical engine’s speed is governed for safety reasons, our nervous system acts as our speed governor and restricts our speed for our own safety. Your cruising speed, the speed you use, is slower than your maximum speed; therefore, you cruise at a certain speed in your downswing that is deemed safe by your brain.
In the downswing, if the brain perceives you might fall, get injured or lose control it will restrict movement and/or speed. Let’s look at three common examples to make the point clearer and to see if you recognize how your speed might be governed:
Any of these scenarios can be common reasons why we don’t naturally increase our cruising speed. With safe speed training we might be able to access our maximum speed or at least move faster than our current speed.
I am recommending two controlled drills to safely push past the protective nature of our brain and tap into the higher speed you already possess. These two speed drills are based on these three pillars:
In this session, Exercise 1, the “Kneeling Swoosh Test,” helps you monitor speed on your dominant side versus non-dominant side. Exercise 2, “One-Arm Speed Swings,” works to develop speed in both sides of the body in both directions and determine which side might be limiting your overall speed.
Grab a shaft with a grip (a club with no clubhead) and follow instructions in the video above. Remember the pillars of speed as you do these drills. You will move as fast as you can, focusing only on speed and train both sides of the body in both directions. Listen to the noise the shaft makes. Focus on the swoosh sound and try to make that sound louder on each repetition.
Grab a shaft with a grip and get in a wide kneeling position. Reset before each swing and swing as fast as you can five times using your normal grip on your dominant side as demonstrated in the video. Then switch your grip and swing five times on the non-dominant side. Notice any difference in sound between the dominant side versus the non-dominant side. Also, notice any differences in movement restrictions between the two sides. Your goal over the following weeks and months is to become more even and for the swoosh sound to get louder on both sides.
Pro Tips: Adjust the width of your knees to whatever works best for you. You might need a towel or pad under the knees for comfort. Do not do this drill if you have any pain.
Using the same shaft, get in golf posture and swing five times in each direction with each arm. You’ll do a total of 20 swings while listening for the swoosh sound. Notice which arm and which direction has the weakest sound. That side in that direction is your weakest and plays a part in restricting your overall speed.
Pro Tips: Don’t think about technique during these swings. There is no ball and there is no point of impact, so by focusing on the sound alone you can accelerate beyond the ball position and propel your energy through the whole movement. Do not do this drill if you have any pain.
These two drills will build your speed and push the speed governor to a new level. Many golf instructors have even confirmed that speed training can clean up stubborn technique issues by creating more efficient movement. Sometimes we get so technical that we don’t even allow speed. By putting technique aside for these drills and by focusing on the sound only, we tap into a more natural, efficient movement through the ball.
Also, we often find mobility restrictions tied to the slower movement in the one-arm speed swings drill. If you notice restricted movement or if after doing this drill for a few weeks you are unable to make speed progress, then you should contact a TPI golf fitness specialist for an assessment and a mobility program. I can work with you in person and online if you do not already work with a TPI professional.
Interesting note: I started using this drill when a client accidently broke one of my Superspeed clubs. I decided to use the shaft for safe exploration of speed. This one-arm speed drill has become one of the most successful drills in my speed clinics.
Pam Owens is the Director of Fitness for Royal Oaks Country Club in Houston and the owner of Pam Owens Fitness. A two-time Golf Digest Top 50 Fitness Professional, Pam helps golfers all over the world get lean, bendy and powerful with online or in person coaching. For more golf-specific resources, click here.