M.U.R.D.E.R. The Ball

All golfers have inside them the ability to unleash an almost super human amount of power. That’s a scientific fact. Consider the 120 pound mother that lifts a 4,000 pound car off of her child. Where did that sudden burst of power come from? And can you train to unleash it at will?

In a compelling article on athletic performance, Joel Smith (strength and conditioning coach in the PAC 12), asks us to consider apes. He points out that, pound-for-pound, they have double the amount of strength than we humans. A portion of that, he says, is attributable to longer, denser muscle fibers. But the majority comes from something (or, lack of something) in their brain. Grey matter. He tells us that our tailless primates have less grey matter than we do.

“Having less grey matter (responsible for better motor control in humans, such as the ability to paint a painting or play guitar) allows apes to direct extremely powerful neural signals to their muscles, and thus allows their strength to be expressed. What this anecdote goes to show is that a muscle is only as powerful as the signal sent to it from the brain.” He concludes, “what this anecdote goes to show is that a muscle is only as powerful as the signal sent to it from the brain. This means that we are only as powerful as our brains allow us to be.”

Motor Unit Recruitment Delivers Explosive Results

How to Train for Maximum Neuron Firing

Neuronal signals instantaneously “excite” your muscles into action. That’s why the physiological action of the neurons is known as Motor Unit Recruitment. It’s extremely important to remember that your brain “organizes” these neurons in two very different (and conflicting) ways. One, for endurance. The other, for power. Keep Reading…

Joel puts it very succinctly… “The brain will generally wire movements towards efficiency rather than proficiency if allowed to do so. What this means is that if the brain has to pick between power or endurance, it’ll pick endurance.” In a larger context, your brain will always place maximum importance on life-saving skills and less importance on record-breaking skills.

The bottom line is, if you want to start hitting those massive tee shots you, alone (and with our help, of course), are responsible for “over-riding” your brain’s natural impulse. The good news is, you can. And Safely, too.

We agree with Joel’s assessment of the four training principles:

Training for Maximum Neuronal Firing

• Train specifically to your movement needs (in our case, Golf)
• Do more high velocity, reflexive training
• Connect the body so the CNS can wire more power
• Train your subconscious mind

“By failing to perform enough specific, high velocity movement,” he states, “athletes will never break the plateau that is holding them back. How do we break through the plateau? Simple, we need to train specifically more often, and then overload that specificity.”

Let’s look at each principle separately, as it applies to power in golf.

Motor Unit Recruitment Delivers Explosive Results

1. Neuron Firing: Train Specifically for Golf Movements

Unlike football and basketball, the “physical/performance action” in golf takes place in a fraction of a second. Add to that, golf is all about rotation and GRF (ground reaction force). So you train for maximum neuronal firing in golf far differently.

Long drive record holder Ryan Winther, along with his coach Greg Johnson, voted World’s Best Fitness Trainer and unquestionably acknowledged as the best golf fitness trainer on the planet (located outside of San Francisco, CA), have developed training regimens designed specifically to get your neurons firing as fast as possible.

You can find the recommended training regimens in Training Splits here.

2. Neuronal Firing: High Velocity, Reflexive Training in Golf

Here it is in a nutshell. High velocity movements create the highest recruitment of muscle motor units. Period. The best advice in this type of training is “stop grinding, start exploding.” As you’ll see in the Power Zone, training your golf muscles for maximum motor unit recruitment means selecting a weight that’s not too heavy to move fast, but not too light to cause insufficient recruitment.

3. Neuronal Firing: Connect the Body So the CNS Can Wire More Power

Golf fitness is about “connecting” all of the body parts involved in the swing. That means each one has to be trained “to the same degree” as the others. Specifically, you have to train your power-generating muscles and your force-resisting muscles equally. Likewise, without a stable core, your power will get dissipated. In our Fitness section, you’ll find the exact exercises you need to develop your entire “golf body.”

4. Neuronal Firing: Training Your Mind

This goes beyond positive thinking and private pep talks. It has to do with focus. I mean the extreme, “relaxed-brain,” single-minded focus you need to push through plateaus. Training and playing. See Training the Athletes Mind. Now a final word…

Understanding Your Brain’s “Safety First” Rule

Say you follow all of our advice, and you don’t make progress fast enough. Know this. If you’re training correctly, with maximum focus and effort, your brain may be “putting on the brakes,” slowing progress or having it come to a grinding halt. Why? Safety.

You body will never allow you to make a move that could injure you. If you’re not flexible enough, or a there’s a certain golf muscle you under-trained, you body knows this and won’t let you push the limits.

The bottom line is, your central nervous system can create an extremely high powered swing using maximum motor unit recruitment, but it will do it so long as it considers it safe. As Joel Smith points out, “when the brain senses damage, or injury may occur to the body, it will down-regulate power to the muscle.”

That’s why we recommend a “layered” or sequential approach to training. First it’s flexibility, stability and balance, followed by strength and power. Click here for the Self-Test to see your “starting” point for training. Remember, no cheating here. Once you find your launch point, the rest will take care of itself.

From what we hear, it feels great to “M.U.R.D.E.R.” the ball. Good training!