Few will argue that the majority of a competitive or
recreational golfers’ time should be invested in practicing golf skills. Yet, golfers can improve these skills remarkably,
simply by improving their overall fitness level. At the same time, golfers have very limited time to deal
with high volume, complicated programs or those that require a lot of
specialized equipment. So,
what is the best fitness training system to better one’s golf game? A program
which provides the most return on time investment. A program which addresses strength, endurance, power,
flexibility, coordination, and body awareness. A program which builds resilience. This program is the RKC system.
In my 42 years of training, research and coaching, I find
that the RKC system stands out as the most complete method for gaining extreme
overall fitness for a golfer in the absolute shortest possible time. The system, which relies on kettlebell and
bodyweight exercises, works as an addition to any strength or conditioning
program a golfer may already be using, but also excels as a stand-alone
training method. Ballistic kettlebell movements so closely mimic the effect of
a graceful, efficient, powerful golf swing, that the carry over is immediate: practicing
kettlebell movements builds a more powerful golfer. And a more powerful golfer hits the ball farther and more
accurately, achieving golf’s coveted Holy Grail.
The Elements
The primary, core elements of the RKC system are a
combination of ballistic and grind movements. These go hand-in-hand with high-tension, breathing
techniques that are critical to building super strength and conditioning
safely. Last, the RKC system stresses stretching techniques which increase
mobility and flexibility, which combat creaky, achy, immobile joints. Equally critical to the system are the
corrective drills used to analyze and fix technique, a feature to which most
golfers can relate. Overall, the
RKC system simultaneously builds strength, power, endurance, while relaxing
muscles and joints for increased elasticity and mobility.
The Principles
The key principle of the RKC system is that the body is a
linked, interconnected unit and should be trained as such, rather than other
training methods which use techniques that isolate joints, muscles, and limbs.
Training the body as a unit is a skill that must be practiced much as one would
practice their golf skills. A golfer wouldn’t continue making sloppy golf swings
and repeatedly beat the ball on the practice range just to swing the club a
certain number of times, nor should one do so with kettlebell movements. Form and technique precede all
else. Movements should be
considered as practice and not working out. Quality, as in golf, surpasses quantity.
Another key principle of the RKC system is mastery. Mastery results from an internal focus,
another component of the system.
Skill is never sacrificed for numerical gains, which resonates very well
with golfers because we all have practiced for very long periods and actually
came away with less golf skill than when we started. Like in practicing golf skills, internal focus is critical
when practicing with kettlebells: both demand internal focus for developing mastery.
While the system is simple and extremely effective, it is
not easy. This sums up the “hard
style” approach to kettlebell exercise, which defines the RKC system. When swinging
the kettlebell, for example, one does not let gravity take over, but continues
to apply force to the ground as hard as possible throughout the entire rep,
which magnifies the training effect greatly. Working hard to get as much as
possible out of every movement is a key concept.
Force Magnifier
One of the key tenets of the system is the kettlebell swing,
which is the center of the RKC universe.
For golfer’s, the same applies, the swing is the most important
component of the game.
The perfect kettlebell swing is better than 99 percent of
all other strength and conditioning methods for golfers. Even more, is that the kettlebell swing
is safe, effective, and available to basically ALL golfers as a conditioning
tool. The same cannot be said for
most training methods.
The ballistic loading of the kettlebell swing also creates
an alternating cycle of muscular tension and relaxation, very similar to the
golf swing. When one swings a golf
club powerfully, there are periods of muscular tension and relaxation, this
type of swing looks graceful, yet produces powerful results and tremendous club
head speed. The inability to relax
the muscles creates too much tension to achieve a high-speed golf swing. Kettlebell ballistic movements trains
this cycle of tension and relaxation into muscles in a way no other weight tool
can. The kettlebell swing teaches
a golfer to create an impressively mighty force and then relax immediately
after, which mirrors the logistics of a graceful high-speed golf swing. The
higher the rate of swing speed, the more force that is imparted on the golf
ball at impact, producing a greater shot distance, the common goal of every
golfer.
Astoundingly, the kettlebell swing is a non-impact movement,
which means impact stress and injuries are virtually eliminated. There is also
very little soreness in the muscles, even from very high workloads due to the
cyclic tension-relaxation nature of the movements. This is a tremendous benefit for every golfer using a
training system to improve his or her game.
Kettlebell ballistics also impart a very therapeutic muscle
stretch with no loss of strength, in fact, one becomes stronger as range of
motion increases and also as one gains the ability to contract muscles quickly
after they are stretched. Stretching
with a tension component is exactly what helps a golfer achieve higher swing
speeds, which closely mirrors what happens in a smooth, but powerful, golf
swing.
What makes the RKC such a great stand-alone system is that in
applying these “hard style” techniques, one greatly enhances the loads that one
puts on the body, and increases these loads safely. A golfer wants to golf, not recover from the training that
is supposed to be helping his or her golf performance. To that end, the RKC method utilizes
light weights, but to the effect of much greater loads. This compensatory
acceleration approach allows the average recreational golfer to approach the
workloads of a super athlete.
Compensatory acceleration is a technique that asks the
athlete to continue to impart force to the resistance even after the “sticking
point” is overcome. This technique is what one wants to do when starting the
downswing portion of the golf swing: accelerate the club to generate as much
club head speed as possible.
Training one’s body with kettlebells to use compensatory acceleration has
such a beautiful carryover effect on the golf swing, because one wants to avoid
de-accelerating the club head in the forward part of golf swing.
With a kettlebell one continues to “root” one’s self into
the ground (applying maximum force through the legs) throughout the entire
kettlebell swing, or kettlebell snatch, while the bell continues to accelerate after
body movement is halted. Because
gravity is always trying to push the bell back to earth, the resistance
actually increases, as one’s leverage gets better. This is the same as the concept of staying rooted in the
golf swing to achieve maximal power.
Again, the carryover effect is optimal.
Even with a 16kg (~35lbs) kettlebell, the average golfer can
easily do a 7000 pound work session in just 200 hard style kettlebell swings,
the same golfer would have to squat 300 pounds 23 times to approach that
workload using the same muscles.
Most golfers cannot, or should not, attempt to squat that heavy, but
almost all average golfers can do 200 kettlebell swings with a 16kg bell in
very short period of time.
Swinging the kettlebell creates a “virtual force” that
allows a light bell to impart much higher loads, and thereby create more
intense training effects. Force equals
mass multiplied by acceleration (F=ma), and the forces created by accelerating
a kettlebell are much higher than just the weight of the bell. The same when occurs when a golfer
swings a golf club to apply maximum force: the faster one accelerates the club
towards the ball, the more force transmitted to the golf ball. Final result: more acceleration = more
distance.
Our bodies register force in the same manner regardless of
the source. It is much easier for
most golfers to move a lighter kettlebell faster than to use a heavier
bell. In fact, using too heavy of
a bell will actually result in lower force than accelerating an appropriate-sized
bell properly, which is the same as having properly fitted clubs with a correct
swing weight. For instance, air has
almost no mass but anyone who has stood in front of a hurricane force wind has
no doubt that speed of movement, of even a small load, can create huge
forces. This ‘virtual force’ has
tremendous effects on one’s musculature, connective tissue, and cardiovascular
system with much less risk of injury.
In some part, this ‘virtual force’ is what is responsible
for the well known “what the heck” effect the kettlebell has on so many
practitioners. The “what the heck”
effect translates to the golf swing beautifully when one understands the
angular acceleration that moves a very light golf club very fast imparts
tremendous force on the golf ball at impact.
Increase Your Work Capacity
Work capacity is an excellent barometer for real life
fitness and nothing will increase work capacity more, especially for a golfer,
than practicing using the RKC system.
Most golfers will be able to do a tremendous amount of work very easily
in a very short amount of time.
And for those who want to push the limits on fitness, the sky is the
limit. For the golfer who is
looking to maximize power in his golf swing and prime themselves physically, no
other stand-alone systems comes close.
Plus, a golfer will never have to go to a traditional fitness gym again,
which means more time out on the greens.
Foundational System
The RKC system is an excellent method for building a solid
foundation of mobility, strength, strength endurance, coordinated power, and
body awareness that is available to most golfers, regardless of their athletic
ability. Golfers will love it because
it is not limiting. Less athletic
golfers will love the system too, because it allows them to increase their
athleticism just by performing the basic movements. Age is also not a limiting factor. Young and old golfers alike can utilize and benefit from
practicing kettlebell training, because the movements and intensity are very
scalable.
The ease of learning and the safety of the system enhance
its role as a foundational system as well as an advanced method of training for
people that participate in golf.
Linkage, rooting, total body connection, generation of total body
tension and relaxation, power, and building internal focus all transfer
extremely well over to the sport of golf.
The variety of kettlebell swings also have a great tonic
effect on the muscles and the body as a whole. The basic kettlebell swing motion, with emphasis on the
rhythmic pumping of the pelvis area, strengthens and stabilizes us throughout
the core and solidifies our center from the inside out.
The compelling nature of the basic kettlebell movements also
makes this an excellent method for the golfer that gets bored easily with
conventional fitness routines. The
kettlebell does not ask, but demands one’s full attention. Throwing around a
heavy iron ball with a handle on it is a far cry from the mind numbing
treadmill, exercise bikes, fitness machines, and high repetition exercises that
most golf fitness systems tend to use.
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