Martial Arts and Golf

[ezra76]

Went to visit my girlfriends family at her sister's house this evening. Her brother-in-law is a bit eccentric and a martial arts nut. He's got blackbelts in like 3 different disciplines and is a certified personal trainer. Anyway, he's showed me his basement and outside gyms before but tonight I really took notice. He showed me a few exercises he does and right away I was amazed. The core stability and muscles worked could be so beneficial to a solid swing. I'm going to try a few he showed me and I also have an open invitation to join him anytime I'd like. I just may take him up on it, could improve the swing as well as that M'fer that keeps taking my lunch money will be in for a big surprise.

Seriously though, anyone else do martial arts type training? How do you feel it relates to golf?

[Johnny Par]

I got up to yellow belt when I was a little kid. fyi, yellow is the next belt after white.

As for core stability, I hear this is key to a solid swing.

Golf Galaxy has this balance ball that is being pushed by Katherine Roberts. The majority of the exercises on the balance ball are designed to strengthen the core.

I bought the ball for this reason becuase I slipped a disc in my lower back playing volleyball and needed to strengthen the core muscles.

[SunnyDaze]

I trained and competed in Tae Kwon Do as a second degree black belt, and a lot of things that go into martial arts training also apply to golf. This is not just the core strength exercises already mentioned, but other physical aspects carry over too, such as conditioning, hand/eye coordination, and the ability to generate speed. Martial arts also helps develop your ability to focus on the task at hand. I do think it helped me get my handicap down from mid teens to a 5. The one down side was that it was very difficult to devote sufficient time to both activities. Martial Arts tournaments typically take place on weekends, and to train and compete well in anything requires a lot of devotion. I gave up my martial arts activities due to work obligations that kept me from training enough to remain competitive. I kept up with golf because that was something I could on my own schedule.

[Fitzpatrick]

I used to do some Roman-style wrestling in my early years of college and one of the fundamental principles was a rotation move where we would throw our opponent to the floor by rotating their weight over their center. The analogy my instructor used was the corner of a box; if you lay a box on the floor, it is stable, but if you rotate it so that its weight is on its corner, it is easy to throw. To maneuver your opponent into such a situation, you had to remain centered and balanced yourself, and turn your opponent around this "circle of death," as my instructor called it. The rotation of the throw and the balance from this wrestling has translated a bit into my golf game.

[warbirdlover]

Seriously though, anyone else do martial arts type training? How do you feel it relates to golf?

ezra76

I was "almost" to black belt in Okinawan Shorin Ryu. My teacher was promoted to head the Shorin Ryu Karate Assoc. in the US by Hanshi Shugoro Nakazato in Okinawa. He is THE master of the system and was selected to continue the lineage and trained my teacher. My teacher is a decorated Viet Nam war hero. Retired Sargeant Major Doug Perry of Hendersonville, NC. 5' 6" and 140 lbs. soaking wet. The toughest man on this planet. I've seen him destroy a huge 6 6" monster in mere seconds. All the comedians you see on tv like Chuck Norris etc wouldn't stand a chance against him. (I got my last promotion "signed" by Shugoro Nakazato).

http://www.shorinryushorinkan.com/hanshi1.htm

The only thing I would say would certainly apply is the balance and solid stance. Of course the fighting spirit and will to win also might help.

[JEFF4i]

I learned golf from Chuck Norris, 'nuff said.

[warbirdlover]

I learned golf from Chuck Norris, 'nuff said.

JEFF4i

THAT WIMP!!!

[cypressperch]

boxes of sand, and other such with the idea of creating bone scar tissue to fuse knuckles together--I doubt if that would help your golf. Balance is a huge part of martial arts, and that might lend itself to maintaining balance in the golf swing.

There are sites I have seen on the internet that deal in exercises that are golf swing specific. I personally think a lot of the Momentus swing training aid which increases one strength while promoting a lot of good swing habits while also automatically improving one's grip. I would never advocate aimless beating of balls at the range, but hitting lots of well thought out shots without over-doing it to the point of injury, would be beneficial. These things, I think, would do more for one's golf than martial arts training.

If someone tries taking your lunch money or kicking sand in your face at the beace, why not carry an old iron or putter?

Best of luck. Sincerely, Cypressperch

[JEFF4i]

Don't forget about learning to center yourself, that could help. After good shots, and bad.

[LyleG]

Just remember this before you begin martial arts, its very hard to golf with severly swollen nuts.

[Eracer]

I bet Bruce Lee would have been a hell of a golfer. He was all about mastering the moment of impact using a multitude of different weapons. And isn't that what golf is all about?

[cypressperch]

are entitled to double the size of the brain on your avatar. Yes, impact and many weapons! Golf's essence perfected. Sincerely, Cypressperch

I am going to look into putting a Bruce Lee statue on our course somewhere.

[warbirdlover]

I bet Bruce Lee would have been a hell of a golfer. He was all about mastering the moment of impact using a multitude of different weapons. And isn't that what golf is all about?

Eraser

There's one problem with this. In Karate (or one of the other martial arts) you are concentrating on one point to drive as much power into that point as possible. This involves exhaling HARD at impact and TENSING all your muscle groups at impact. This would be the point of impact with the ball with the golf swing. It ain't the way a golf swing works. The golf swing must be fluid and continuous. Make sense?

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by warbirdlover

There's one problem with this. In Karate (or one of the other martial arts) you are concentrating on one point to drive as much power into that point as possible. This involves exhaling HARD at impact and TENSING all your muscle groups at impact. This would be the point of impact with the ball with the golf swing. It ain't the way a golf swing works. The golf swing must be fluid and continuous. Make sense?

In some disciplines, yes. But we are not trying to hurt the ball. In some martial arts, like judo and aikido (please correct me if I'm wrong, as I am no expert), the object is to bring circular acceleration to a focus at the precise moment in which one can cause the maximum transfer of force with the least effort. The judo master throws his opponent. The golfer throws the club in the same manner. To me, that's what the golf swing is all about. My best swings are when the clubhead accelerates smoothly until it makes contact with the ball traveling at it's max velocity along the proper path. It is a "moment of truth" in which force is brought to bear in the most efficient manner. The best golfers in the world make it look smooth and effortless. I think the best martial arts (excepting karate and other versions that emphasize destruction) are as graceful.

[warbirdlover]

I can only speak in regard to Okinawan karate and that the blocks and strikes (and weapon techniques) end at a point just beyond the target. Blocks are designed not to just deflect blows but to break opponents arms. Techniques "end" with the hard exhale which causes the muscles to tense and "drive" the force into the target. It has a secondary purpose of tensing the muscles which protect you from a counter blow which cannot "penetrate" as easily. (Putting it bluntly... Karate "kills" by concentrating a tremendous amount of energy into a very small area which will penetrate deeply damaging "targeted" internal organs). The other martial art forms (Judo Akido) might be more of a flowing motion.