I’m beginning to look forward to my Monday afternoon sessions with Coach Shawn Moody at I2SM – International Institute of Sport and Movement. It’s a constant challenge, requiring everything I have both mentally and physically over the course of our 45-50 minute class. In our last two MsE (musculosystematic engineering) sessions, we’ve been focusing on movements that improve flexibility and core strength. I play a lot of golf in the spring and summer, and focusing on movements that improve the golf swing are important to me.
Coaches Moody, Rick Daman, and Bryan Beightley have performed similar demonstrations and classes for golfers at Seven Oaks Country Club. Anyone who plays golf understands the physical and mental demands it requires to perform at a high level. No two golf swings are identical. But each golf swing has a unique set of mechanics, angles, and positions. Your back is especially vulnerable when playing golf. The more golf you play, and the more likely it is your back will eventually ache, especially if you have poor posture and technique. Moody said, “As MsE engineers, we must educate and train the golfer to create a greater synergistic layering of their sport movement patterns. We must examine the simplistic applications before opening up the systems to more complex engagements.” One of the top local golfers in Beaver County is Sean Kelly. A member at Seven Oaks, Kelly has been using MsE to improve his golf game. Kelly told me, “It’s helped in so many ways. I used to go to the chiropractor for middle back pain, but I haven’t had to go since I started doing MsE. My stability and balance are ten times better now. I feel grounded and have gained about 15 yards on all my clubs, but more over, the repeatability of my swing is better than ever.”
In this particular session, I performed a seated rotational with and without a medium, along with additional shoulder work. We also used standing variations of rotational and timing positions. In other words, we used MsE to recreate the golf swing. Performing these types of movements will not only strengthen my core, but will also lead to virtually no lower back pain and hopefully increased distance when hitting a golf ball.
MsE can be applied to anything, not just golf. It’s just one of a myriad of things that people can benefit from MsE.