Losing distance? Maybe you need to correct your imbalances of strength

When you lose distance over time, you might well assume that it’s simply because you’re getting older. Surprise! It’s more likely a result of instability at various points in your swing—and that can happen at any age.

Here’s the skinny: The protective mechanisms in your body sense a lack of strength at important positions, and your brain tells the body to contract, and quickly. Greg Roskopf wants you to listen to those messages.

Roskopf, 56, is the founder of Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT), a program that helps golfers— young and old, good and not-so-good—correct those imbalances of strength.

“It’s like having loose battery cables,” Roskopf says. In this analogy, the battery is your central nervous system, and how it connects to your muscular system. From there, it’s a domino effect. Instability at specific parts of the swing tells your body not to reach that point. It creates swing barriers for your muscles. The result? A shorter backswing, less speed through the ball, and so on. muscleactivation.com

Try This: For any stretch, get to a position where you’re tight, then hold that position. This will begin to increase the stability your swing requires. Beforehand, consider getting evaluated by a MAT specialist near you.

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