Adding distance and speed is one of the most common desires for golfers of all ages. In recent years, overspeed training has become very popular. SuperSpeed Golf and The Stack System are being used by golfers to add more distance and speed to their game. 

Jon Rahm and Phil Mickelson have both utilized SuperSpeed Golf programs, while Mathew Fitzpatrick has significantly increased his swing speed with The Stack System. 

Many golfers see these professional success stories and think overspeed training will work like magic for their game too. This post will help determine if overspeed training is appropriate for you!!! 

What is overspeed training? 

SuperSpeed Golf definition:  Your brain remembers how fast your body usually moves when you make a golf swing. Overspeed Training works by making your body more faster than normal during the training gradually causing the brain to remember this faster speed.

Without getting too scientific, overspeed training helps to retrain fast twitch muscle fibers and unlock speed your body already has. It is very important to understand your body’s current strength and power. With testing protocols from TPI (Titleist Performance Institute), we can actually accurately predict clubhead speed and learn your physical capabilities. By completing the strength and power assessments, we can see how results compare to actual swing speed. 

 

Scenario #1: More Speed in the Tank

The golfer has slow swing speed relative to their strength and power testing. Therefore the golfer is not swinging the club as fast as they should be! This would be a perfect candidate for overspeed training and the results would be significant! 

Scenario #2: Balanced Golfer 

The golfer presents with a good balance between predicted and actual clubhead speed. The strength and power test results align with the golfer's speed. This golfer would still benefit from overspeed training, though the results would be slower and not as significant. This golfer would benefit the most from a combination program of working on increasing their physical capabilities  and speed. 

Scenario #3: Playing with Fire

In this case, the golfer’s clubhead speed significantly exceeds their predicted power calculated from their testing. Overspeed training is contraindicated in this situation!! The golfer is already outperforming their bodies capabilities. Widening this gap even more is a recipe for injury. Swinging significantly faster than a body's physical capabilities is likely a ticking time bomb for disaster. Even if an injury didn’t happen, their would likely be no improvements or very minimal gain. 

The golfer in Scenario 3 needs to improve their body’s physical capabilities! TPI calls this “building a bigger machine.” This golfer would benefit from a program focusing on strengthening and improving power. Once the golfer significantly increases strength and power, testing can be repeated to predict swing speed. When the predicted and actual swing speed are closer, then the golfer can start overspeed training! 

 

Are you a good candidate for overspeed training? 

Now you know it is important to understand your body’s physical capacities and get tested to learn your predicted clubhead speed. By understanding this relationship, you can find out if overspeed training is right for you. 

 

Key Takeaway: 

Overspeed training can be an excellent tool to increase your speed and distance when used appropriately! Remember to get tested and see if you are a good candidate. Also, improvements are not permanent and are never used in isolation by professionals. Speed training should be a part of a comprehensive program focusing on full body mobility, strength and power. 

 

Feel Better. Move Better. Score Better. 

 

Thanks for reading! 

 

-The Empower U PT & Performance Team