Physical Performance for Golf Athletes – KinetiX Zero Programme

With our Academy year well underway, now is a great time to further discuss some aspects of the physical training required in a successful golf performance program and give you a snapshot of some of our physical training program, Kinetix. 

After coaching in a number of strength & conditioning roles in various sports, I’ve completed my PhD at the University of Queensland in the area of short-term physical performance preparation or “priming”.

I’ve joined Oli Williams who has done an amazing job running the physical fitness coaching at the academy for the last 3-4 years and Millie Coates who is our Intern joining from Durham University in the UK for the year. Together, we make up the Kinetix Team and provide the academy with the physical performance programmes. Kinetix incorporates a variety of training methods to meet the physical demands of the sport which includes but certainly isn’t limited to muscular strength, joint stability, mobility and cardiorespiratory endurance. All of these physical attributes contribute towards building a more fluid, powerful and consistent swing. 

The Kinetix Zero programme is our foundational physical performance programme which aims to develop a strong athletic base for the golfing athlete. Whilst it is a foundation programme perfect for developing athletes, it includes a range of progressions and regressions to cover all levels of fitness. It is a programme tailored to the physical demands of golf (of which there are many) but these exercises will help almost any athlete. Some of the main aspects of the program are listed below:

• Foot control
• Mobility and stability of the ankle complex
• Hip rotation range of motion
• Trunk stability and rotational power
• Upper limb stability and strength

There are many different exercises that we prescribe to our athletes and hundreds of others which can also be effective. However, here are a few different exercises which we prescribe to help tick a few of the boxes above which are important attributes for any golf athlete. 

Remember, there’s no such thing as a perfect exercise (or a bad exercise). It’s all about the contextual factors around the athlete and the exercise. This includes your previous exercise experience, injury history, the style of the golf swing and of course the exercise methods used. Amongst these, technique, intensity, sets, repetitions and rest periods are some of the most important exercise considerations! If you have any questions at all about your physical performance programme, feel free to reach out to us on our instagram @jasonfloydgolfacademy.