GravityFit is an innovative company that specializes in postural training and spine/joint stability. It was conceived off the back of a 30-year body of research by Dr. Carolyn Richardson into why society and especially athletes seem to be sustaining more musculo-skeletal injuries than ever.
GravityFit is based on the principle that when your deep muscle system is strong, especially your core, your body has more power, agility, balance, and better all-round stability and posture. But modern life and many types of exercise actually weaken these deep muscles.
The tools and techniques GravityFit have developed have an obvious application in the physical therapy world but we have also gained significant traction in golf, particularly at the elite level:
About 10 PGA Tour pros are currently using GravityFit equipment along with dozens of professionals on the web.com tour, LPGA tour, European Tour and other tours around the world. GravityFit is also used across the national golf programs of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Belgium, Slovenia and Dubai.
As GravityFit gains more traction with the club golfer and an ever-increasing volume of coaches, it has become obvious that while initially designed to prevent injury, consistent use of the GravityFit tools has a wonderful carry over to golf performance.
HOW IT WORKS
One device in particular; the GravityFit TPro, has the ability to greatly accelerate golfer’s understanding and application of postural control, postural endurance, spinal and joint stability and quality of movement in the golf swing.
It also works as a powerful learning tool that provides a closed feedback loop to the golfer, always delivering awareness of posture and movement quality.
For both player and coach, this is a very good thing because it allows the player to react to an external cue that they can literally feel, as opposed to an abstract concept presented by the golf instructor. This in turn frees the instructor up to deliver coaching cues and information that is more related to outcome, such as controlling ball flight.
There are two main components of the TPro, the backbow and tubing. The backbow is designed to deliver feedback on thoracic spine posture (mid/upper back) and scapula (shoulder blade) position. Essentially it tells you if you are either too hunched with shoulders forward or the opposite; too extended with shoulders retracted.
What you are aiming for is 3 points of contact, one from the green spikes in the middle and two from the paddles either side. This will mean you are in a neutral position, ideal for golf set up and movement.
The bands give you a light resistance down the arm to the shoulder, it’s called axial load and its critical to help train stability and endurance in those deep postural muscles. This resistance also works really well to train maintenance of radius in the golf swing and connection of arms to the body in rotation.
The TPro can be used for exercises and golf specific practise drills, but you can also take club in hand and do anything from putting all the way to hitting driver. Just remember if you want to chip, putt or hit shots; it’s important to remove the green spikes from the backbow.
For more information visit www.gravityfit.com/golf, and be sure to use the coupon code GolfTipsMag for a 15% discount.
