Kinetix – Athlete First, Golfer Second.
The old adage of golf “not being a sport” or golfers “not being athletes” couldn’t be further from the truth.
Modern day golf requires incredible amounts of Ballistic Speed along with significant levels of mobility, stability, hand-eye coordination and balance. In essence, neurological control of the entire body is paramount to elite golf performance.
Average driver club head speeds on the PGA Tour are approaching 115mph, with some players swinging over 130mph, it’s clear to see why the number one statistic in relation to money earned on the PGA Tour is driving distance.
In the near future, golfers won’t be able to compete on the PGA Tour and at College in the NCAAs unless they own the ability to consistently produce high club head speeds and driving distances.
At the Jason Floyd Golf Academy, we are aware that athlete golfers need specialised programmes to allow them to take advantage of their sporting abilities.
KinetiX Screening is available across our full range of golf programmes. From the JFGA Triple A pathway programme that leads junior golfers into our Elite golf programmes, to Gap Year & Transition year students; each student will first go through our KinetiX screening to ensure that their experience at JFGA is tailored to their athletic needs.
Aspiring elite level golfers must see themselves as power athletes and begin to take the physical side of their training seriously. It’s therefore vital that they start this physical journey with the correct information, guidance and approach.
Growing Older vs Sports Development
As we begin to age, our growth period begins to slow down as we reach the ages of 18-20. By this age the growth plates in our body have fused together. This change in our body makes it more difficult to achieve peak physical performance.
Sports research has proven that the optimal window for speed development is between the ages of 12-18*, but it’s also essential that juniors obtain great mobility, stability, co-ordination and balance skills to allow ballistic speed to be produced effectively by the body.
It’s vital that technical and physical skills are trained and developed in harmony to optimise junior player’s development and competitiveness as they get older and climb the ranks in competition golf.
The Performance Code at the Jason Floyd Golf Academy is a combination of the ethos’ we trust to produce the best results in golfing.
Matt last week covered how in our ‘We Don’t Guess. We Measure.’, ethos, technology is one of the key blocks to creating a bespoke player profile where we can analyse and adjust player performance over a continued time frame using industry level data.
KinetiX – Developed By The Jason Floyd Golf Academy
The KinetiX programme was developed by JFGA to create a screening programme that meets the demands of elite level golf performance and complements the high standards already established under the JFGA ethos, ‘We Don’t Guess. We Measure.’
Designed as an ultimate level fitness programme, KinetiX prepares junior golfers for the demands of elite level golf performance.
‘Athlete First. Golfer Second.’
With our ethos in mind, let’s discuss the key elements of how the KinetiX programme at JFGA works.
The success of KinetiX revolves around 5 main athletic body components:
1. Mobility
2. Stability
3. Strength
4. Ballistic Speed
5. Rotational Power
Human movement is created by the relationship between our limbs and the ground with all humans creating kinetic forces in 3 planes, Lateral (Glide), Horizontal (Spin), Vertical (Launch). The degree that each individual relies on each of these forces is dependent on the individual’s anatomical makeup, forming their personal athletic DNA.
Everyone has a predisposed, optimal way to move their body which is determined by these anatomical measurements and is clearly demonstrated on the professional tours where there are an infinite amount of swing styles. No two swings are the same.
The understanding of how each individual most efficiently creates power from the ground allows our technical and psychical instructors to design personalised programmes that optimise and synchronise the development of both the golfers technical and physical abilities.
KinetiX Programme
An individual’s anatomical make up determines how they most efficiently create kinetic forces and torques.
The first step to optimising the creation of forces and torques is the KinetiX physical screen, a combination of anatomical measurements, movement tests and mobility/stability screens, creating an extensive understanding of the individuals current body condition and optimal movement patterns.
Rotational power can be highly strenuous for the body, and if the correct steps aren’t followed, can potentially lead to injury.
Firstly, it’s vital that the individual has sufficient amounts of mobility and stability throughout their body and that the laws of the mobility/stability chain are followed. Issues in joint mobility and stability will decrease the efficiency that energy can transfer from the ground, up through the body and into the club, encouraging compensations to create extra power.
It is the lack of efficiency that prevents golfers from reaching their potential and the compensations that increase injury risk.
The KinetiX Mobility/Stability Screen at the Jason Floyd Golf Academy, exposes any physical limitations the individual has, allowing our physical trainers to create bespoke corrective programmes that improve movement quality and control.
With improved movement quality and control the body is in better condition to apply load to various movement patterns. The improved movement quality and control creates better body form, reducing the risk of injury, and applying load to the movement increases strength through the specific movement pattern.
Increased strength alone will increase the individuals power output but, as strength is increased, the individual is creating a better chassis to begin to increase Ballistic Speed and Rotational Power. With the mobility, stability and strength foundations being laid, the individual can advance to exercises designed to increase golf club head speed and driving distance and does so with the confidence that their body is in the best shape to do so.
With improved mobility, stability and strength, force can be efficiently transferred from the ground into the club with limited amounts of compensations being required, reducing the risk of injury and increasing the level of performance potential.
The KinetiX Physical & Technical Connection
The unique aspect of Kinetix is its relationship to both the Physical and Technical improvement of the individual.
The improved understanding of the individuals athletic DNA and how they most efficiently create forces and torques determines the blueprint for how they should swing the club to both increase swing speed and shot dispersion consistency.
This improved understanding ensures that technical and physical programmes can be synchronised with greater accuracy than ever before, creating larger and faster golfer performance improvements than what was previously possible. Golfers are getting better and are prepared for the professional tours younger and younger each year, mainly due to the advancements in Sport Science, coaching philosophies and facilities.
If you aspire to be the best player you can be, then its essential you are working on the right things, in the right way, with the best team of experts to guarantee you achieve your full potential.
For more information about the Triple A pathways programmes and KinetiX, please contact us via email at info@jasonfloydgolfacademy.com or call +34 607 042 134.
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*Lloyd, Rhodri & Oliver, Jon. (2012). The Youth Physical Development Model. Strength and Conditioning Journal. 34. 61-72. 10.1519/SSC.0b013e31825760ea.
