THERE’S A SEQUENCE – JUST LIKE IN GOLF No two swings look identical – even at the highest level. But the best ones work be- cause they have the same general sequence of events.
TEMPO PLAYS A HUGE ROLE
IT’S AN EXPLOSIVE MOVEMENT
Rushing, in both golf and rowing, is a sequence killer. The rushing most often oc- curs in the reversing of di- rection – from backswing to
One of golf’s many chal- lenges is learning to gener- ate power from a standing position. Like throwing a ball hard, or jumping high,
They start the downswing with a later shift of the lower body, then begin ro- tating before pushing off the ground and rising to the finish. This sequence is the most important move and organises your muscles for maximum power. When your sequence is off, golfers lose power and consisten- cy. The same is true in rowing, where the sequence involves a push from the legs, followed by a lean away with your upper body, then a final pull with your arms. "In the rowing sequence there are two big mistakes. The first is just pull- ing too soon. The second is bending the knees too early, trying to start the next stroke as fast as possible,” says Maher. “Like golf, rowing is a sport of leverage. If you pull first and break your knees you're immediately breaking that chain of power.”
downswing in golf, and from catch to release in rowing. Rowing is like hit- ting balls on the range in that regard. You can quickly go from one stroke to the other, using steady repetition to en- grain the feel of blending both rhythm and technique. "The two words I would think of in both golf and rowing are rhythm and fluidity," says Maher. "There's a tempo to it. Learning how to go faster or slow- er. The more that you can be technical in your movements but make it seam- less from one move to the other, the bet- ter off you'll be."
or picking up something heavy; it re- quires an explosive quality. That can be hard for golfers – especially older golfers – to train. But rowing, because of how the motion relies on a big push from the legs for power, can help. "Rowing is about exploding, then recovering, then pressing and explod- ing again," he says. "It's similar in golf. When I'm about to hit the ball, I first focus on my posture and setup. Then once I've completed my backswing, I'm in position for an explosive move- ment."
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GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 27
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
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