Medical Model Posture vs. Functional

[lagster]

One of my colleagues asked an expert in the field who is the founder of Peak Performance how many players on the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour set up with your recommended "Neurtral Spine"...The expert replied " Not One!"...the PGA Professional said "Thank You" and then proceeded to sit down witha silent ovation from his colleagues...

Can you hold the gaze of the object(ball) in the center of the fovial field with neutral spine?

Are the Eyes and Ears vital in relationship to balance and stability?

Is the Spine divided into Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar & Sacral Segments?

Does everyone have the same "everyday posture"?



Is posture Learned/Conditoned?

How many "experts" have won major torurnaments?

Here's a small sample of some quantifiable measurements?

Cervial Spine....20 degrees of Flexion
Thoracic Spine....20 degrees of Flexion
Lumbar Spine...20 degrees of Flexion
Sacrum....Slight External Rotation


As you can see...hardly neutral spine....

Use a 2 Leighton Flexometers an the Truth will reveal that in G.O.L.F. the spine is hardly neutral!!!




How many of these cats have "Neutral Spine?"

For the Data freaks out there!!!

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Good information Annikan!

It is obvious that none of the players' pictures has the NEUTRAL SPINE. Tiger Woods is the closest, but if you look at his IMPACT alignments, his eyes have moved considerably from the address posture, his head has dropped, and his upper spine has rounded out.

Now... there is a difference between the pictures here, and the pictures of many amateur golfers. These tour players have an athletic look to them. The amateurs often have VERY excessive curves of the upper spine, and have the tail bone tucked under them.

I suppose some of the players that have very poor posture... can sometimes get into better postures(that end up looking similar to the pro pictures) by trying to get NEUTRAL. However, how many of these people are actually hindered, by radically departing from their NATURALLY BEST POSTURE?

Another reason often given for the NEUTRAL POSTURE is to promote a bigger spinal rotation on the backswing and downswing.

However... all the players pictured, have good, if not huge shoulder turns. The lowered head, and slightly curved upper spine, does not seem to hinder them.

What do you think?