Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Jordan Spieth: Athlete First

Some take aways from a information packed and well written article! Well worth the time reading for anyone who wants to encourage and support the young athletes in their lives:) I am so onboard with this multi-sport development model and here is some research to back it up. Additionally, this approach allows for much richer life experiences, character building and opportunity to be exposed to more people and the possibility of forming deeper bonds. Bravo to a more well rounded strategy vs the extreme early specialization, that so often leads to burn out and/or injury. 

"...there is more to Jordan's success than the work he has done as a golfer. In many ways, the work he did as a quarterback, pitcher and point guard laid the foundation for a successful career. This multi-sport development is the embodiment of the model that we preach at TPI (we go in-depth on this in our Junior Coach track). Develop the athlete first, then the golfer.

It won't guarantee success on TOUR, but it will help your child maximize their physical potential and overall enjoyment of the game."

"...(Jordan) hung up his golf clubs during football and baseball season—he was a quarterback and a pitcher—two pretty big roles. Then, he'd pick up golf again when summer rolled around," Chris (his mother) says.

Throwing a baseball or football is a tremendous movement prep for golf as it teaches the athlete to generate power from ground force reaction and transfer that power to their arms. Just as in golf, the kinematic sequence must be fluid to maximize efficiency. Learning the coordination and athleticism to do that in baseball can translate to golf, as it did for REMAX Long Drive champ and former NCAA pitcher Tim Burke.



Andrea L Gooldy
Parent Educator and Coach
404-932-9393