The above photo is me at the 2007 European Long Drive Championship. (scroll down to see more of this)
At the age of 14, I was already into lifting weights with the goal of becoming a long drive champion. (I ended up becoming the Spanish champion in my category) I had also bought myself 2 sport psychology books and had studied all of the key muscles involved in the different phases of the swing.
Golf Performance Training has always been my thing you could say.
My passion kept me longing for more and I was so fascinated by learning everything there was to know about the human body and its physiology and psychology in relation to movement and sports.
Unsurprisingly, I went on to get a degree in Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia, got Titleist Performance Institute Certified Junior Level 3 and Fitness Level 3, SuperSpeed Certified Level 3, became a Registered Yoga Teacher and was very fortunate to learn from the best of the best in the industry: Jason Glass.
Through being in the trenches as a coach professionally for over a decade and having trained golfers of all nationalities, abilities, levels and ages, I’ve actually learned so much more than books, podcasts, degrees or qualifications could ever do.
Just like competing at Long Drive Championships. It has given me that real life experience of what it’s like to perform when the stakes are high, when there are hundreds of people watching in the stands, when your heart is racing and adrenaline is pumping through your veins.
side note:
Now I get to enjoy watching my athletes go through these kind of situations. The difference is that I've prepared them very well and they didn't have to go through the process of figuring it all out on their own. Coaching them flourish and thrive during tournaments is my job.
back to the story:
It's about preparing for moments like these. About training for peak golf performance. And having fun while doing it. In physically pushing boundaries. But without, in the short and long term, the process destroying the systems of the body like the muscular, skeletal, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular systems.
And it’s about optimising training in such a way that the demands placed on the body and mind of the one-sided explosive rotational power movement (the golf swing) and tournament golf are taken care of, managed and maximised.
image: mytpi.com
And at the level of Tour golf, basically everyone is pretty good at golf. So then it's about finding that cutting edge or unique competitive advantage and being mentally resilient.
And everything in between all of that ;)
If you’re enjoying my articles and feel like my vision resonates with your goals, when you notice that you are longing or looking for more specific exercises for golfers and my method, or when you’re feeling inspired to dive into training for golf...
I’ve actually made it super simple for you:
These are the two ways in which you can train with me online. These are super accessible training plans with on-demand instruction videos that are going to build a strong foundation and provide so many incredible benefits.
Thousands of golfers have already experienced my training method and I know it can impact your performance in a huge positive way too!
photo: 2011. Jason Glass and me at the Varsity Gym of UBC at the end of a great season!
And when you get your personal best or longest drive in the upcoming season: please, please share it with me :) I'm in the stands cheering for you!
Keep Strong!
Liesbeth Pauwels
Ps. There is only one way if you’d like to receive personal coaching, support and mentoring. And that’s through the High Performance Program. I'll be here when you're ready. To apply, click here.
