Dr. James Spencer, Lance Gill, and Jason Baile (with Tom Stickney)

Can you imagine placing almost total disregard on a particular function of the body that can halt, hamper, or disrupt your golf swing instantly? If you knew of such a thing in your swing, wouldn’t you run to your local professional and make sure it was handled and “in-check?” I know I would, but sadly 95 percent of the teachers/players in the world hardly even think about their balance outside of their set up or you finish position.

Balance is literally the most overlooked physical characteristic known to golfers and is something that our bodies rely on in order to walk, move, or do any type of sports activity. Do you remember “homeostasis” from junior high science — the ability to keep your body upright and from falling down? Yes, this is an aspect of balance and it, like your golf swing, can be improved through practice.

Balance is defined by Webster as, “the ability to move or to remain in a position without losing control or falling.”

Balance is controlled by 3 factors of the human body. The 3 factors are vision, vestibular and proprioception.

• Vision – our eyes play an integral role into the world of balancing. The eyes are constantly supplying the brain with feedback on where our body is, within the space surrounding us. Moreover, vision is the main operator for balance and takes over when all other balance systems fail.

• Vestibular – there are three canals filled with fluid inside your inner-ear, and each canal is oriented in a different direction. When you move your head, the fluid in the ear shifts inside of these canals and it flows over receptors that send message to your brain. “You are tilting to the RIGHT, you are tilting BACKWARDS…etc.” The vestibular system is our main motion sensor, specifically linear movement, and rotational acceleration. It helps the brain orient positional information.

• Proprioception – this is probably the most mis-understood and overlooked of all three of the BALANCE centers. Basically stated, this is the internal GPS built into your body that helps you understand where you are in space. Think about how you reach for a glass of water, your body knows where to go and how much to extend your arm as you are walking forward etc.

So, what happens if you don’t have one, two, or all three of these systems working correctly? What factors can it control, hamper, or disrupt? Think of balance like the governor on a car for the nervous system. The nervous system will not allow maximum output for any of the described movements below; thus, balance is the glue that holds the entire body system together:

• Mobility – tends to be reduced when you lack balance
• Stability – tends to be lower with lack of balance
• Strength – will be lower when balance is challenged
• Power – definitely lower when balance is not functioning
• Speed – markedly lower with lower balance ratings
• Endurance – will be limited due to balance restrictions

Now that we can see what factors can be altered within our motion what would be the baseline of balance that we could audit to see where we fall? The average human balance time based on a research study conducted by Walter Reed – Dept of Orthopedics and Rehab, Springer & Gill et al. states that average human balance times with eyes closed on a single leg balance test) is 10.3 seconds.

The average of our golfers over the past 20+ years of doing the same test is the following;

• Professional Golfers – 15+ seconds bilaterally (each leg)
• Amateur Golfers – between 2 to 3 seconds bilaterally (each leg)

And this can be broken down further by age groups as well. Sadly our balance gets worse as we get older.

• Ages 18-39 = 13.3 seconds eyes closed average
• Ages 40-49 = 12.9 seconds eyes close average
• Ages 50-59 = 8.4 seconds eyes close average
• Ages 60-69 = 5.1 seconds eyes closed average
• Ages 70-79 = 4.5 seconds eyes closed average
• Ages 80-89 = 1.0 seconds eyes closed average

Now that we can see what the norms are for professionals and by age as well, let’s dive into how to test your own balance in front of a mirror so you can see where YOU fit into this balance equation.

To test your balance we are going to perform a simple test on both your right leg and left leg- the SINGLE LEG BALANCE TEST-

1. Begin test with shoes on or shoes off, standing on a firm surface. Raise one leg/thigh to parallel (or as close as you can get it), and simply hold for up to 20 seconds with eyes open. This is phase 1 of the test. Can you balance on one leg with your EYES OPEN. We didn’t include the eyes open data to this point but the human average for Eyes Open is 17 seconds – which by the way is approximately PGA/LPGA tour average for Eyes Closed). Repeat the same process on opposite side in same format. Note your numbers for both legs.
2. The clock starts when your raised leg is in place. Your arms will remain at your side during the entire exam and are not to be outstretched to the front or side.  The clock stops when any of the following happens:

• Arms raise
• Leg lowers
• Shoulders tilt out of vertical column
• Hips kick forward backward or laterally to either side
• Foot loses contact with the floor (hopping or rolling)
• Raised leg touches stance leg

Phase 2 of the test is with your eyes closed.

This is the official form of the test BUT ONLY IS TO BE PEFORMED IF YOU ARE SAFE IN YOUR ABILITY TO BALANCE WITH EYES CLOSED.

To test your balance with eyes closed, you will follow the same protocol as above with the following additions.

Perform the eyes open component to gain “bearings” and then simply close your eyes for 1-second as a test run. If nothing majorly uncomfortable occurs in that 1-seconds test run you may proceed to the actual test.

Begin test with shoes on, standing on a firm surface. Raise one leg/thigh to parallel (or as close as you can get it), and simply hold for up to 20 seconds with eyes closed. This is phase 2 of the test. Can you balance on one leg with your EYES CLOSED? Average tour time on this test is approximately 15-20 seconds and average human times is averaging 10 seconds.  The clock starts when your raised leg is in place, and your eyes CLOSE. Your arms will remain at your side during the entire exam and are not to be outstretched to the front or side.

The clock stops when any of the following happen

• Arms raise
• Leg lowers
• Shoulders tilt out of vertical column
• Hips kick forward backward or laterally to either side
• Foot loses contact with the floor (hopping or rolling)
• Raised leg touches stance leg

There are three basic categories you can fall into during this stage:

1. ELITE – PGA/LPGA level (15+ seconds)
2. AVERAGE – human normal via medical science (10 seconds)
3. SUB-PAR – into the category we have been watching since before this Millenia

If you happen to fall into this category three (SUB-PAR), do NOT fret. We have recently tested over 250+ members at an elite club in South Florida where golf is a religion and here are our current stats from said members;

• Average eyes closed balance time < than 2 seconds
• Best of entire club – 10 seconds
• Worry level for lance at results – SUPER HIGH

Keep in mind, golf is the religion by which these golfers survive. Now, that is a tongue in cheek comment, but the truth is the following. If something very small goes wrong in their balance and something catastrophic occurs as a result (ie fall or ankle sprain or hip fracture etc.), golf is now a thing of the past. This simple fact of this is enough to drive members into depression. Remember, this problem is solvable and manageable.

Now let’s begin our journey into the solution for your balance woes!

We will break this journey down into 3 simple steps or levels if you will. These levels will be progressing from the easier level all the way up to the hardest level of achieving your pinnacle of balance. Please keep in mind that you are on a journey for yourself and will not be compared against what Dustin Johnson or Jessica Korda can accomplish. This is simply – You vs You.

LEVEL 1 BALANCE OBJECTIVE – you failed the criteria for normal human balance averages after scoring a 2.1 second average on both feet with eyes closed. Where do you start this journey? We would suggest starting with the fundamental concepts of balance. Let’s begin by taking two golf clubs and turning them over so the butt of the grip is into the ground. Try to get two clubs similar in length and my most sincere desire is to AVOID using Autoflex shafts in this process (they sometimes tend to crack when excessive pressure is added to them).

Holding the clubhead in each hand and the butt of the grip into the ground, we would like you to repeat the balance test with eyes open. In this portion of the drill we are determine how much better your balance and proprioception is when you have two object helping support you. We suggest standing on a harder surface to begin with as this will give you the best chance at supporting yourself. During your balance time, please note how much pressure you are exerting through the shafts and the butt of the grips. As you can try to slowly lighten the pressure you are putting through the golf club. This indicates you are using less and less of a support mechanism and relying more and more on your own body parts to obtain optimal balance and this is the safest way to begin your journey into balance retraining.

During this period you may find yourself staring at your feet during the balance training. We want you to understand the following crystal clear, “your feet are not going anywhere and you do not need to give them your ocular (eyes) attention.” Please try and trust us on this, and look at the horizon or the tv or the fine golf tips you have playing on YouTube which are 100% most certainly suited towards your swing and body…… The eyes to the horizon is a major step in this process as it forces your body to rely on the other pathways of vestibular and proprioceptive systems. While these pathways might be a touch sluggish at the start, it will start to awaken and respond the more you require it to do so. Good luck on phase one, have fun with it and enjoy the journey you are on. You wont be perfect but no one truly is. Please try and remember this….(also try to not neglect the other foot/leg)

LEVEL 2 BALANCE OBJECTIVE – we have mastered the art of single leg balance using assisted devices (in a lessening manner of course). It is time to take this balance game to the next level. In this level we will use a majorly overlooked training aid, a 2×4. Yes we said it, a common 2×4 found at any major home goods store such as Lowes or Home Depot. We suggest making sure you get a 2×4 with as smooth of a surface as possible so as to avoid “splinters.” We will often sand my 2×4’s down prior as this gives us piece of mind (or if you are interested in pre-fabricated options we can discuss those also). Why are we worried so much about splinters? Oh did I forget to mention that LEVEL 2 is barefoot. Heck you can do LEVEL 1 barefoot if you wish also. The barefoot premise allows your proprioceptors to fully experience the tactile (touch) of the object of which you are focusing on, and in this case it is your feet.

Next step is; what are we going to do on this 2×4? Lets start with the basics, begin by stepping onto the 1.5” raised piece of lumbar and try to put your opposite foot in front of the down foot. We like the heel to toe concept. Now walk across the 4-6 foot section of board you have purchased. In a heel to toe fashion, can you walk across the board without stepping into the “LAVA” on each side of the board? Oh you are anti-lava rhetoric? Ok then, we hear you…..avoid stepping off the board as there are hungry alligators who are interested in eating your feet once you hit their waters to each side of the board. Is that better? The purpose of our childhood analogies is the following; HAVE FUN with this process. Re-Learn to PLAY during this time of balance training. In fact, maybe we shouldn’t call it training at all. BALANCE PLAY is our new reference term.

During your Level 2 – Balance Playtime, begin to notice which foot is not up to par with the other and give it some extra love during the beam walking. Pay close attention again to where your eyes and head are. If you are looking at the lava or alligators then shame on you. Look towards the horizon and walk tall. The balance beam isn’t going anywhere and it is time you learn to trust your bodies internal GPS system. If you need assisted devices for this portion of the Balance Playtime, you are at a level which is too high for you.

During Level 2 playtime we will create different demands within the structure of walking on the beam:

• Forward walking eyes on horizon
• Backward walking eyes on horizon
• Side walking on beam
• Placing a ball on beam and asking client to bend down (while maintaining heel/toe relationship and mark their ball, come back to standing position and then return to unmark and replace their ball using opposite hand)
• Playing red light/green light game while walking on beam
• Placing beam on a slightly undulated surface outside. We tend to start at <5 degree slopes for training the bodies awareness levels of contours.

LEVEL 3 BALANCE OBJECTIVE – take your balance playtime to a whole new level using the expertise of professionals who train in this arena daily. Fitness is overall too “sexy” of a profession when we look at the social media depictions, as well as the magazine articles written on specific focuses of fitness. Let us state clearly and for the record, Balance is not one of those entities. There is nothing sexy about balance to most people. Yet the last time we checked, bigger pecs and biceps doesn’t tend to reduce death rates…..whereas training your balance does.

NOTE

If you would like to learn more about golf, balance, and how you can improve your game and/or overall performance, please reach out to Lance Gill and Jason Baile at info@lgperformance.com. Their facility is located in Jupiter, Florida and they also offer ONLINE consultations/lessons accepting clients of all levels.

You can reach Dr. James Spencer- “the Balance and Movement Doc” directly at drjspence@me.com. His office is located in Wellington, Florida and accepts new patients as well.

Questions or comments? Tomstickneygolf@gmail.com