Functional Fitness for Athletes

“Mother of a junior pro golfer approached me to help work on the swing action of her son. His golfing coach kept pointing out that he wasn’t being able to move (swing the club) as freely as desired. Repeated emphasis on technique correction wasn’t yielding desired results. He also complained of a continuous nagging back pain. His strengthening boot camps were further exacerbating his condition leaving him feeling more ‘jammed’ and in lingering muscular stress and discomfort. His progress as a champion was getting hampered. It was frustrating for all parties concerned.

Friendly chats along with an in depth analysis revealed that he was severely flat footed. His pronated feet (collapsed arches) were creating a typical cascade of excessive tightness of certain muscles (and laxity in others) all the way from the bottom of his feet up to his hip, resulting in a ‘locking down’ that was blocking his swing. He wasn’t being able to use his core and hip to assist in the swing so most of the effort and focus was being generated by the shoulders.

In a manner of speaking, his feet weren’t supporting him as they should – be it while standing or during the plyometric landings or dynamic movements.

This locking down was generating constant pressure on his back (tilted pelvis due to pronation). A typical horseshoe effect was playing out. We worked to help him address it by following a multi-pronged approach. The program focused equally on strength and mobility coupled with myofascial release of relevant muscles (feet, hip, glutes and deep pelvic floor muscles importantly) including teaching him the short foot exercise for the arch activation of the foot. Barefoot training was incorporated for greater neuromuscular proprioception. Postural (re)training was built into all his daily and sporting actions. And of course fun exercises and games to keep the spirits up.

His accumulating trophies make us a proud partner in his journey and we wish him more success.”