Simon Jenkins

The Use of Swing Keys by Elite Tournament Professional Golfers

A swing key (swing thought) is a conscious thought or image that is used just before and/or during the execution of a golf shot. 113 players who were competing in tournaments on the PGA European Tour (1989–1991) were interviewed about their use of swing keys. It was found that all these players reported use of swing keys for full shots either on the practice ground and/or on the course. The nature, origin and function of swing keys are discussed especially with regard to imitational and instructional learning. At any one time on the Tour, there were not many players using swing keys on chipping. The use of swing keys in chipping is discussed in terms of theory in cognitive psychology about conscious control of action Finally, there is a discussion of what is written about swing keys in Bob Rotellas influential books on golf psychology

Weight Transfer, Golf Swing Theory and Coaching

This article is primarily concerned with issues raised by the “Stack and Tilt” method of teaching the golf swing and recent scientific research on weight transfer. Concepts related to weight transfer are discussed in the context of golf swing theory and the art of golf coaching. An explanation for the paradoxical success of “Stack and Tilt” is proposed along with a future agenda for scientific research on weight transfer. Both golf coaches and sports scientists should understand the importance of Ben Hogans golf swing and instructional book, The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, as an exemplar for golf swing theory. In addition, the role of qualitative analysis of human movement in facilitating quantitative biomechanics is emphasized.

Short Book Review: Self Efficacy in Sport: Research and Strategies for Working with Athletes, Teams and Coaches

INTRODUCTION This book is described as a “go to” reference on efficacy research and a “must have” for scholar-practitioners who are interested in “theoretically based and research-tested guidelines and recommendations for interventions” (p. vii). It is divided into three parts, the first of which covers the conceptual nature of self-efficacy and its measurement. The second part of the book deals with efficacy beliefs of athletes, team and coaches; with the third part of the book being concerned with enhancing efficacy beliefs of athletes, teams and coaches. The final chapter provides future directions for research and the appendices include an annotated bibliography. The first author, Deborah Feltz, is Chair of the Department of Kinesiology at Michigan State University in East Lansing. She has produced more than seventy publications on research into the relationship between self-efficacy and sport performance.

Extended Book Review: The Sports Coach as Educator: Reconceptualising Sports Coaching:

OVERVIEW This book is based on the premise that “coaching is fundamentally intertwined with teaching and learning within given situational constraints” (p. xiv) and it addresses “both practical and academic cultures with the theory presented being a thought-provoking pre-requisite to experimentation, innovation and progress in coaches’ practice.” (p. xvi) The first part of the book makes the case for coaching to be re-conceptualised as an “educational endeavour.” The second and third parts of the book deal with this proposed change in terms of the coach’s role and coach education, respectively.

Should All Athletes Use Explosive Lifting

In this stimulus article, the question is addressed of whether or not the best way to train is explosively, like a weightlifter. Arguments in favour of explosive lifting are increased strength, increased power, hypertrophy, injury prevention, improved flexibility, improved inter- and intramuscular coordination, and sharpened psychological abilities. Arguments against explosive lifting are a complexity of technique, physical capabilities, initial flexibility challenges, initial strength deficiencies, lack of availability of good coaching, and lack of proper facilities, equipment and footwear.

David Clutterbuck, Mentoring and Coaching:

David Clutterbuck is a prolific writer on management and business, who is also a thought leader, advocate and visionary in mentoring. He has distinguished between the traditional US sponsorship-based model of mentoring which emphasizes the use of the mentors power, influence and authority on behalf of a protégé and the European, development-based model of mentoring which emphasizes the mentors experience and wisdom to enable the mentee to become self-reliant and to take ownership of their personal and professional development. In order to stimulate commentaries from his peers in the world of mentoring, as well as stakeholders of mentoring in the world of sport, this article presents selected aspects of Clutterbucks work on mentoring, such as formal vs. informal mentoring, mentoring vs. coaching, conversation, goals, and trends. A theme that runs through the article is the influence of Peter Drucker on Clutterbuck.Simon Jenkins, in his stimulus piece on David Clutterbuck amply demonstrates just how prolific Clutterbuck has been over a working lifetime. Generally accepted as the person who introduced supported mentoring into Europe, Clutterbuck has written widely on matters that relate to relationships, processes, evidence (and its capacity or otherwise to influence practice), procedures, complexity, management, supervision, guidance (of one kind or another); the list goes on. It is an impressive vita indeed and yet, Clutterbuck’s influence on the world of sports and more specifically, sports coaching; remains relatively modest. Of course this is the purpose of Jenkins’ piece, to stimulate our thought processes such that our attention can be drawn to the possible impact Clutterbuck might have in sport, sports coaching, and athlete and coach mentoring. If nothing else, this is an admirable challenge that Jenkins has set himself.

Can Elite Tournament Professional Golfers Prevent Habitual Actions in Their Putting Actions

An experiment was designed to demonstrate the strength of habitual movements in golf putting and examined the immediate effect of instructing elite tournament professional golfers to execute a golf putt using different muscles than they normally do in order to prevent the movement of certain joints. In a study involving fifteen players on the PGA European Tour, it was found that players who usually use shoulder movement in their putting action were not able to prevent such movement when instructed to do so. Also, players who usually use wrist and hands movement in their putting action were not able to prevent such movement when instructed to do so Results were explained using notions about rigid coupling of degrees of freedom

Short Book Review: Principles of Biomechanics and Motion Analysis

INTRODUCTION This book has been written for “all students of human movement who require an introduction to mechanics of human movement, the instrumentation used for motion and force measurement, signal processing and manipulation using software packages, mathematics, human anatomy and fundamental statistics.” (p. v) In contrast to textbooks that use hypothetical or idealized data, the author deals with data that might require processing before any conclusions can be drawn from it and, in doing so, uses this to facilitate understanding of principles in motion analysis and biomechanics. Some of the data sets used for Case Studies and Study Questions were generated in the motion analysis laboratory at the University of Wales Swansea, which houses a VICON 512 system. The book can be subdivided into five sections:

John R. Wooden, Stephen R. Covey and Servant Leadership

The aim of this stimulus article is to examine the notion of servant leadership with respect to legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, and to compare his coaching philosophy which is expressed in his Pyramid of Success to the philosophy of management and self-help guru Stephen Covey as indicated in his best-selling book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and related works. Both Woodens Pyramid of Success and Coveys Seven Habits can be understood in terms of virtue ethics. Wooden has been regarded as a servant leader and Covey has promoted the notion of servant leadership. Drawing on autobiographical and biographical work on Wooden, it is argued that Wooden may be better thought of as a paternalistic leader rather than a servant leader.

Dynamics of Skill Acquisition: A Constraints-Led Approach

INTRODUCTION This book is aimed at people with an interest in the acquisition of movement skill who already have a firm grounding in the traditional theories of motor behaviour. It should therefore be suitable for advanced undergraduates, post-graduates and faculty who will benefit from an understanding of the ecological constraints on movement skill (p. ix). The book is divided into two parts, with the first part providing the theoretical basis and the second part being concerned with practical implications.