Rarely is the path to any goal or successful outcome an easy and direct ride. Yet the public most often sees or hears only about the end result and / or when the media picks it up. What’s missed and what the public often doesn’t hear about is all that happened in route, the work that was done, the sacrifices made, the life lessons learned, and the temporary setbacks that had to be overcome on the way to any given goal or destination.

My objective is that through these interviews, the reader will pick up pearls of wisdom and overriding universal life principles that they can apply to their own life regardless of their destination.

- Joseph Sale, Founder, Optimum Performance / Human Performance Systems

 Joe Sale / Dorothea, allow me to share a short list of your credentials and background. You are a Diplomate in Comprehensive Energy Psychology. You have been a nurse clinical specialist and clinical psychologist for more than 30 years. Much of your practice is focused on mind / body / spirit integration. You are the author of 9 books covering the expansive topic of energy therapies. Please discuss your personal journey that has led to your career involving Energy Modalities / Healing Touch and the writing of your fascinating book Healing Touch / Essential Energy Medicine for Yourself and Others.

Dorothea Hover Kramer / Since childhood I’ve had a sense of human energies beyond just what the five senses reflect. I became a nurse to help people not just to give medications so I kept asking about how we could assist our patients in better ways to relieve emotional stress and lessen pain. After receiving a master’s degree in public health nursing and a doctorate in educational psychology and becoming a psychotherapist, I still wondered what would really help most effectively since humans are multidimensional—physical, psychological, and spiritual beings.

In the 1980’s change was afoot in healthcare with the emergence of holistic, integrative thinking and the first energy healing program, Therapeutic Touch, in hospital settings. Within the American Holistic Nurses Association, I encountered authentic nurse healers like Janet Mentgen with whom I helped to organize the Healing Touch educational program in 1989. The program currently has more than 100,000 practitioners and is known worldwide in integrative healthcare settings as well as mainstream hospitals. I moved on in 1999 to co-found the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) so that psychotherapists could also use energy-oriented modalities in their practices. Both of these networks are thriving because public interest in modalities that address the whole person has grown so exponentially.

Joe Sale / A good place to start is with foundational and functional definitions to lay the groundwork. For the readers that may not know, what is Energy Medicine, Energy Therapies, Healing Touch, and Energy Psychology?

Dorothea Hover Kramer / “Energy medicine” and “energy therapies” are the broad phrases used to describe all modalities that address human distress in which the practitioner uses one or more aspects of the human electromagnetic vibrational field to bring about relief. Energy psychology is the branch of energy medicine that is most focused on psychological well-being and uses resourcesof the human biofield, the meridian accupoints and/or the human energy centers. Healing Touch is one of more than 250 currently identified modalities of energy medicine that address whole person healing. It is the leader in energy medicine because of is well-defined and credentialed educational program, its large numbers of practitioners, and its worldwide outreach.

Joe Sale / Dorothea, in your book, Healing Touch / Essential Energy Medicine for Yourself and Others, you say that, “One of the most pressing realities of 21st century life is that most people are sadly disconnected from the awareness of their own bodies.” My question is a 3 pronged question. Why are people disconnected from the awareness of their own bodies? How do people become disconnected? How can people reconnect with the awareness of their own bodies?

Dorothea Hover Kramer / We live in a “high tech” world; most people spend more time seated in front of computers and TV’s than in building connection with others, using their own bodies, or the natural world around them. The brain seems to be all there is. In addition there is a tremendous focus on external events rather than on one’s inner being, values, and behaviors. Recapturing one’s true essence can be achieved by learning to listen to the body, taking attentive care of it, and learning to develop our own self-healing capacities.

Joe Sale / In your book, Dr Mehmet Oz is quoted as saying that “Energy Medicine is the next great frontier in medicine”. What do you see as the future for Energy Medicine, and all energy modalities like Healing Touch?

Dorothea Hover Kramer / The public is eager to learn how to stay well. The understandings of energy medicine put the power to manage one’s health into the hands of each person with its practical knowledge of self-care methods. The field of energy medicine will continue to grow as people come to realize the limitations of conventional medicine in addressing the issues of chronic illness and positive aging.

Joe Sale / What is the theory behind Energy Medicine and Healing Touch?

Dorothea Hover Kramer / The electromagnetic nature of the human body has been known in science for several centuries but has only come into actual use in medicine recently with instruments such as the MRI and EKG which measure vibrational frequencies. That these aspects of the human body could be enhanced directly through hands-on gestures or the presence of a centered practitioner is the basic theory of energy medicine and the practice of Healing Touch. Specific theoretical material, the scientific basis of the work and the current research are discussed at length in the book as well as actual methods for relief of stress, pain, or anxiety that anyone who is interested can readily learn.

Joe Sale / Dorothea, what is one concept or idea that a person can apply to their life today to improve their health, wellness and experience of life?

Dorothea Hover Kramer / Body and mind are closely intertwined. Every time you activate a positive thought such as “I am a loveable and capable person.. I deeply love and accept myself” you activate the neurological wiring, the body’s biochemicals, and cellular information systems to feel better. Adding touch to a specific area of the body, such as the heart center, further empowers this message. Repetition of the pattern begins to entrain your bodymind and replace negative patterns.

Joe Sale / Dorothea, in closing what is the one life lesson, life principle or universal life law that has had the greatest impact on your life?

Dorothea Hover Kramer / There is much I can do to help myself as I align my body, mind, and spirit with the beauty of the Universe and its many creative gifts for me even in the darkest times.

About the Author

Dorothea Hover Kramer, EdD, RN, DCEP, is a founding elder of Healing Touch and cofounder of the International Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology ( ACEP ). Her other eight books include Second Chance at Your Dream and the current practitioners’ textbook entitled Healing Touch Guidebook. For more information on this book and Dorothea Hover Kramer’s work, please see healingtouchbook.com.

To find out more about the book Healing Touch / Essential Energy Medicine for Yourself and Others, please visit Sounds True.

Rarely is the path to any goal or successful outcome an easy and direct ride. Yet the public most often sees or hears only about the end result and / or when the media picks it up. What’s missed and what the public often doesn’t hear about is all that happened in route, the work that was done, the sacrifices made, the life lessons learned, and the temporary setbacks that had to be overcome on the way to any given goal or destination.

My objective is that through these interviews, the reader will pick up pearls of wisdom and overriding universal life principles that they can apply to their own life regardless of their destination.

- Joseph Sale, Founder, Optimum Performance / Human Performance Systems

 Joe Sale / Marc, a good place to start is at the beginning. You are most well known as the President and Publisher of New World Library, one of the leading independent publishers in the United States and an internationally renowned author of numerous books including Visionary Business and The Greatest Secret of All. How did New World Library come into being?

Marc Allen / It all started the day I turned 30 years old. I woke up in a state of shock, and realized I wasn’t a kid anymore. I was living in a little one-room apartment in a funky part of Oakland, California; I didn’t have a job; I had no savings whatsoever.

I spent much of the day pacing back and forth in my room, and I remembered a little game I had played back when I was 22 doing a back-to-the-land experiment (which lasted only 5 months, and was a disaster). One night we were sitting around a fire, and one couple said, “Let’s play a game we play at church camp. Let’s imagine five years have passed, and everything has gone as well as you can imagine — what would your life look like?”

We went around the circle and spoke. I don’t remember a word of what I said, so it obviously had no impact on my life, but the day I turned 30 I remembered the game, and decided to play it. This time I wrote it down: I took a sheet of paper, put IDEAL SCENE at the top, and imagined five years had passed.

Much to my amazement — mainly because I had had no interest in business up to that point — I imagined I had a successful publishing company, publishing my books and my friends’ work as well. I took another sheet of paper and wrote GOAL: CREATE A SUCCESSFUL PUBLISHING COMPANY at the top, and wrote the beginning of my first one-page plan to start and build the company.

Our first few books were fairly funky affairs. I wrote the first three we published (all now out of print), and then my friend and partner Shakti Gawain wrote Creative Visualization. The book started selling purely by word-of-mouth — the entire company was just the two of us, part time, and we had no marketing department whatsoever. But the book sales built and built and helped launch the company.

Joe Sale / Marc, in our earlier conversation we discussed work / rest balance. You have created unique personal work / rest systems that have worked great for you over the years and have been sustainable. For example, if I remember correctly, you always take Monday off and start your work week on Tuesday afternoon. Please talk about your personal work / rest systems in more detail and why they are effective for you.

Marc Allen / Looking back, the fact that I started the publishing company with the little Ideal Scene exercise I did kind of tricked me into creating something pretty remarkable, because I started by asking myself what my ideal company would be, and what my ideal life would be.

It was obvious, when I asked those questions, that — ideally — I didn’t want to work too hard; I definitely didn’t want to be a Type-A workaholic. In fact ideally I wanted a life of ease; I wanted to work only when I felt like it.

Once my company started doing well enough that I didn’t have to do outside work to support it, I was able to create my ideal schedule, which just kind of evolved naturally:

Sunday is family day, where I relax and hang out with the family and do whatever they want. Monday is my day — I never go to work on Mondays and never plan anything. I take the day entirely to myself, except for dinner and the evening with my family. It’s my favorite day of the week. Sometimes I do a lot of writing or working on some other projects; sometimes I do little or nothing. I always take at least one nap and have a meditation session (which I do flat on my back). One Monday I had three nap/meditation sessions.

I don’t do mornings, either. I like to sleep in, because it frees up my evening so I can stay up really late if I feel like it. I’ve never been a morning person, so now I usually sleep until 11:00 or so (though it varies day by day).

Tuesday afternoon, I’m ready for work. I go into my office at New World Library, and there’s no place I’d rather be. Wednesday and Thursday afternoon I’m usually at the office as well. Friday afternoon is flexible: sometimes I’m at the office, sometimes I’m in a recording studio or doing some other project.

Saturday I usually keep open, and do whatever I feel like. I often write on Saturday, or run around and do errands. On Sunday, I never work. I always take a break. That’s the schedule that works for me. It all just kind of happened as soon as I gave myself the freedom to work when I felt like it, and goof off when I felt like it.

Joe Sale /Buckminster Fuller is quoted as saying, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” Buckminster Fuller is also said to have made the decision to live his life like an experiment. You have said that in your early thirties you came to a similar conclusion. How did that play out?

Marc Allen / I remember it vividly: Again, it goes back to the day of my thirtieth birthday. As soon as I began to write my Ideal Scene — which required me to dream my greatest, most expansive dreams, because, after all I was writing down my ideal life — doubts and fears arose, full force. I was filled with vehement inner voices telling me it was all obviously a waste of time; it was impossible for me — someone who had failed at everything I’d tried — to become a successful writer, publisher, and musician. And it was all too much to shoot for — my inner voices told me to pick just one thing and focus on that. And then, when I wrote that I wanted to do it all in an easy and relaxed manner, a healthy and positive way, my inner critics and skeptics shouted “Impossible! It’s never been done in the history of humanity! You’ve got to work really hard to succeed!…” They went on and on.

Then I remembered a story I’d heard about Buckminster Fuller: When he was in his twenties, he said he decided to either commit suicide or else look at his life as a totally unique experiment. Fortunately, he chose the latter and near the end of his life summed it all up as a “fifty-year experiment.” I grabbed on to that word, and told all my doubts and fears that it would be a worthwhile experiment for me to go for my dreams — all of them, my entire ideal scene — and to do it in my own lazy way, working only when I felt like it.

My doubts and fears said, “Impossible!” I said to them, “Look, let me try it as an experiment for a year or two. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll be no worse off than I am right now.” Seeing I was flat broke, my doubts and fears had to agree with me. And so I started taking the first obvious steps in front of me to start a publishing company, write a book, record an album, learn something about real estate — doing it all the while in an easy and relaxed manner, a healthy and positive way.

Within a year, I could see my experiment might possibly work. It even started to dawn on me that working when I felt like it, in an easy and relaxed manner, was a lot better in the long run than pushing myself to work for forty or fifty hours a week. I have created a very successful company, and I’ve very rarely worked more than 25 hours a week focused on the business.

Joe Sale / In one of your books you mention how creativity comes from a place of ease. You have usually prefaced your affirmations with the phrase, “In an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy and positive way, in its own perfect time, and for the highest good of all….” Those words alone seem to have a calming, parasympathetic effect in and of themselves and also project a tone of trust in the process. Please discuss this in more detail.

Marc Allen / I found that phrase in a book I read years ago by Catherine Ponder, a Unity Church minister. And I discovered that just repeating those words, In an easy and relaxed manner, a healthy and positive way, in its own perfect time, for the highest good of all, has (as you mentioned) a calming effect on the body.

When I was writing one of my books, I realized too that those four words — easy, relaxed, healthy, positive — in themselves overcame a huge number of the doubts and fears I was assailed with. What are those doubts and fears saying to us, after all? It won’t be easy; it’s hard; it’s complicated, it’s too much for you. And it’s stressful; life is a struggle — and on and on. I kept repeating that phrase as a little mantra, and it had a powerful effect helping to minimize and even overcome my doubts and fears.

Joe Sale / Sustainability is a word that is used quite often in today’s world in relation to environmental issues. The concept of sustainability also has its place in personal lifestyle systems and business systems. What are your thoughts on this?

Marc Allen / It’s totally obvious to me that working in an easy and relaxed manner, a healthy and positive way, is far more sustainable — and far better for your health — than working from stress, from pushing and forcing.

There is a time for everything. A time for activity, and a time for stillness. A time to work with focused laser-like energy and a time to goof off and do nothing at all. When you honor your body’s natural rhythms of high energy alternating with low energy, and when you take time to relax and rejuvenate when you feel like it, then you don’t burn out at your job, and you rarely get sick. You keep moving toward your goals and dreams, one step at a time — but you find you can do it in an easy and relaxed manner, a healthy and positive way.

Joe Sale / The process that you have taught for years includes 4 basic steps to create the personal life or business outcomes a person prefers.

The steps are:

Create your ideal scene

Write your goals

Create an affirmation for each goal

Write a 1-page plan for each affirmation

I mentioned to you in our earlier conversation that the process reminds me of a human technology / neurological technology or a way of operating the brain and nervous system in a very specific way in order to produce or at least have an influence on creating specific results or outcomes. Can you discuss this in more detail?

Marc Allen / You’ve put it very well. I stumbled onto something on my thirtieth birthday that was exceptionally simple and easy to do. It doesn’t take much time, and even a lazy person (like me) can do it.

I’ve come to believe that the simplicity of it all is one of the reasons it’s so powerful in helping us create change in our lives. The reason why, I think, is that it gives simple and clear instructions to our limitless subconscious mind. It gives our brains operating instructions, you might say.

We start by writing our ideal scene, daring to dream of the life we want five years in the future. Then we make a list of goals that are necessary to achieve in order to reach our ideal scene. Then I highly recommend that we rewrite each goal as an affirmation, as if it’s now coming into being, in an easy and relaxed manner, a healthy and positive way. Keep the affirmations with you and repeat them occasionally.

The final step is to take each of our goals, write them at the top of a sheet of paper, and make a brief one- or two-page plan to reach those goals. When we write this plan, we’re giving our subconscious minds operating instructions: This is the plan; this is what I intend. Then take the first obvious step in front of you, then the next. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Joe Sale / Marc, I’ve done substantial reading and research related to personality types and business / entrepreneurship. Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, Steve Jobs, Ray Kroc and others all appear to have different personality types yet have been successful. You also have built New World Library into a successful company. How would you describe your personality?

Marc Allen / I’m lazy, creative, easy going. I’m a dreamer. I write and play music. I read the movie and book review sections of the paper rather than the business section. I love creating new books and giving and recording seminars. I don’t have much energy for promotion and marketing, and almost no interest in the financial side of my company — except for keeping an eye on the bottom line!

Every one of us is a unique individual — I even feel that every one of us, in our unique way, is a creative genius. Real success, true success, is being who you are, fully and completely. Be unique! There’s no one like you — you’re an original.

Joe Sale / Marc, two of the more recent books you have authored are Visionary Business and The Greatest Secret of All. Please share a few key points from Visionary Business.

Marc Allen / The 12 chapters of Visionary Business are 12 keys to creating a success business and career. The keys that are fairly obvious and don’t require a lot of explanation are: Begin by imagining your ideal scene; write your plan as a clear and concrete visualization; discover your higher purpose; see the benefits within adversity, and keep picturing success; plan your work and work your plan; give abundantly and reap the rewards; and discover the core beliefs you have created about yourself and your world, and learn how to change those beliefs that are not supporting you.

For those that enjoy audio, I go into much greater depth in my Success with Ease Audio Course, a 12-download course you can get on my website, MarcAllen.com.

Joe Sale / In closing, please share the one universal life law or universal life principle that has had the greatest impact on your life.

Marc Allen / Within each and every one of us is a clear, calm visionary who can guide us through every minute of the day. Once we learn to connect with our inner wisdom — to ask ourselves questions and wait patiently for the answers to emerge — there is no obstacle too great that can prevent us from living the life of our dreams.

Look within and you’ll find

every answer you need.

About the Author

Marc Allen is an internationally renowned author and president and publisher of New World Library, which he co-founded (with Shakti Gawain) in 1977. He has guided the company from a small start-up with no capital to its current position as one of the leading independent publishers in the country.

Marc is a well-known musician and composer as well, having produced five albums of music for his label Watercourse Media.

His latest book is The Greatest Secret of All. It may be Marc’s most important book, because it gives us not only one of the clearest explanations of the “secret” of creating what you want in life, but also the far greater secrets of a life well-lived, a life of happiness, inner peace, ease, and fulfillment, where you contribute to making the world a better place for all.

Vitamin C is an important essential vitamin with a multitude of health benefits and a significant impact on numerous markers of human performance. What do I mean by essential?  I mean that the body cannot synthesize or create  Vitamin C from other raw materials. If there is insignificant or not enough Vitamin C on board at a biological  or cellular level the potential for scurvy exists. Scurvy is caused by a Vitamin C deficiency.

Vitamin C is a known contributor to a healthy immune system however the level of significance and the amount required to influence immune function is debated. In addition the nutritional need for Vitamin C and its influence on immunity can change depending on variables that influence human biochemistry,  like  stress.

Insulin is believed to influence the movement of  Vitamin C across cell membranes and into cells. If this is the case a diabetic may consume enough Vitamin C yet have low intracellular Vitamin C levels. So in diabetics or any of us it may not be the amount of a micronutrient or phytochemical consumed but how much of it makes its way across cell membranes to the intracellular environment. In diabetics with insulin resistance or poor cell receptor sensitivity,  less of the Vitamin C may be making its way to the environment inside the cell where it can exert its greatest influence. The insulin and receptor relationship is like a lock and key system. In healthy cellular mechanisms the lock and key work as they should. In insulin resistance or diabetes the insulin to receptor / lock and key system is dysfunctional. My point is that if the insulin to receptor / lock and key system is not working at an optimum level, Vitamin C is not making it to the intracellular environment in adequate quantities to exert it’s antioxidant and free radical squelching benefits.

In addition to being a vitamin, Vitamin C also wears the hat and bears the role of antioxidant. Since Vitamin C is water soluble, as opposed to fat soluble, its antioxidant benefits are provided in the water environment within the body.

Its important to note that since Vitamin C is water soluble, it is excreted in the urine relatively quickly and not stored in the body like fat soluble vitamins. This means that Vitamin C consumption interspersed throughout the day provides more benefits than consuming it only once a day.

The good news is that Vitamin C is found in both fruits and vegetables, and in varying amounts. So if fruits and vegetables are consumed liberally at all meals Vitamin C in many cases will be along for the ride.

The health benefits of Vitamin C consumed along with bioflavonoids may provide superior absorption in some cases, according to some research. That makes sense. In nature Vitamin C doesnt show up in food in isolation. Vitamin C shows up in nature along with numerous other phytochemicals, bio active compounds and co factors. Some of these may be yet to be identified factors. This is an example of nutrient synergism.

Some sources report a synergistic effect when Vitamin C is consumed with other antioxidants. Theoretically this impact provides a 1 + 1 + 1 = 5 type scenario. Vitamins that are synergists when present with Vitamin C include Vitamin E. Vitamin C has an influence on the regeneration of Vitamin E.

Examples of food sources of Vitamin C include orange juice, kiwi fruit, grapefruit, and blackberries.

Joe Sale, CNS, CSCS

Mirror neurons are considered a relatively recent development in the field of neuroscience, being discovered in the 1990s.

One of the more well known researchers in the field of neuroscience is Vilayanur S. Ramachandran, a Professor at the University of California, San Diego.

V.S. Ramachandran is known for emphasizing the significance and potential implications stemming from the discovery of mirror neurons.

Well what is neuroscience?

Neuroscience, also known as neurobiology is a broad scoped interdisciplinary science that studies the brain and nervous system.

Next, what are mirror neurons?

Mirror neurons are brain cells in certain parts of the brain that fire when an action is performed and also fire when that same action is observed being performed by another person.

Let me give you an example. Mirror neurons fire when you move your spine into lateral flexion. Mirror neurons also fire when you observe someone moving their spine into lateral flexion.

A recently asked question by many is what are the implications for learning a new skill like golf or upgrading the quality of performance of an existing skill based on the existence of mirror neurons?

Since to varying degrees we learn by imitation, is the role of observation a larger part of performance improvement or performance enhancement than we previously thought?

Can we internalize specific golf skills and improve golf performance and golf biomechanics by observation alone?

This remains to be seen.

My guess is that if mirror neurons and observation alone can influence the improvement of golf performance and golf skill acquisition it will probably be due to the quality of the observation. What I mean by that is passive observation would probably have less influence on the improvement of golf biomechanics, golf skill acquisition etc than a higher quality observation that includes the intention of internalizing what is being observed.

Lets cover some brain anatomy as a reference point. The motor cortex and the pre motor cortex are found in the frontal lobe of the brain. The motor cortex is involved in the initiation of voluntary motor functions, like the golf swing. Mirror neuron activity was first discovered in the pre motor cortex.

So theoretically, can watching your favorite golfer, whether it be Tiger Woods, Ricky Barnes, Rory Mcllroy etc influence the quality of your golf game, golf biomechanics and golf skill acquisition?

Maybe, to some degree.

Sean Foley, is a well known golf instructor and swing coach of numerous high end golfers. He takes a scientific approach to golf biomechanics which ultimately influences myelin production, and the creation of new neural patways in the brain. It would make sense that with that style of coaching, once the ground work is built from a purely biomechanical and physical execution perspective, that mental reheasal would be an additional tool to incorporate.

It appears that there would be a relationship between mirror neurons and mental rehearsal, creative imagery, and visualization.

Observation gives us a template which we can imitate, with our body or through mental rehearsal / visualization.

Mental rehearsal or visualization have been used for years by high end athletes  as a way to improve performance and get reps in order to drive motor skills into the realm of unconscious competence.

Experts in the field of visualization and sports psychology have said that the subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between a real or an imagined experience. They go on to say that mental reps have great value in performance enhancement. This would clearly apply to golf as well.

Do motor neurons have any influence on this process?

Maybe they do.

Observation leads to imitation. It gives us an ideal to model

Brain and neuroscience research has made leaps and bounds in recent years.

A great example of this is the concept of neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity is a concept used in neuroscience that refers to the ability of the brain and nervous system to make structural and functional changes as a result of experiential input. The old school belief by many neuroscientists was that the brain and nervous system are relatively unchangeable beyond a specific point in childhood. More recent research tells us that many components of the brain remain plastic or malleable well into adulthood.

So, in closing its clear that as we continue to make finer distinctions as well as completely new breakthroughs in the field of neuroscience, the possibilities for golf performance specifically and the broader arena of human performance are endless. We may look back at this time in history and our beliefs about the brain and nervous system and compare it to the time in history when we thought the world was flat.

Joe Sale, CNS, CSCS

Lets start with understanding and defining the major anatomical players of the human knee.

At the most basic level the human knee is a hinge joint made up of the articulation of the femur and the tibia. It’s important to note that the patella or knee cap articulates primarily with the femur, not the tibia.

With deeper inpection we see that the human knee has 3 functional units or subdivisions which are the femoropatellar articulation, the medial femorotibial articulation, and the lateral femorotibial articulation.

Next, let’s cover the ligaments of the human knee.

The anterior cruciate ligament / ACL and posterior cruciate ligament / PCL are the 2 cruciate ligaments of the human knee found in the intercondylar fossa of the femur and attach to the tibia below. They control anterior and posterior displacement or movement of the tibia on the femur. Note that they line up at oblique angles and from a biomechanical and engineering perspective this allows for flexion and extension of the knee.

The lateral colateral ligament / LCL / same side  as the fibula and the medial colateral ligament / MCL / same side as the tibia provide lateral and medial support to the knee as the names suggest.

Next we have the menisci, both the lateral meniscus and the medial meniscus of the knee. Again, from a biomechanical and engineering perspective, the knee meniscus provides expanded distribution of vertical and compressive forces over a larger surface area. In essence, the medial meniscus and lateral meniscus of the knee provide shock absorbing properties, act as spacers between the femur and tibia, and also contribute to the circulation of synovial fluid in the knee during flexion and extension.

An extremely short list of common injuries to the knee include ACL tears, MCL tears, and meniscus damage.

Years ago a torn knee anterior cruciate ligament / ACL was a sports career ender. Not any more. One of the earlier cases in pro sports of knee anterior cruciate ligament / ACL reconstruction comebacks was Kurt Warner, a  running back for the Seattle Seahawks. He had anterior cruciate ligament /ACL  knee reconstruction in 1984 and came back to rush for over 1000 yards in three of his next four seasons.

Today, the procedures are far more advanced and guys come back quicker with even better results.

Jerry Rice the great wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers made one of the faster comebacks from knee anterior cruciate ligament / ACL surgery / reconstruction. He was always known for pushing the outer limits of human performance and for a great work ethic. However, although he worked hard post surgery and came back fast he also experienced reinjury to the same knee very soon thereafter.

More recent cases of successful knee anterior cruciate ACL comebacks include Tom Brady and Wes Welker, both of the New England Patriots.

Joe Sale, CNS, CSCS

The transverse abdominis, also known as the TVA, is one of four muscles that make up the anterior and lateral core of the abdomen, the others being the internal obliques, external obliques, and the rectus abdominis. The transverse abdominis is the deepest of the core musculature and its fibers run horizontal acting as a corset or girdle around the midsection

Keep in mind that the core, more formally, also consists of the posterior muscular of the spine including the erector spinae and multifidus, among others which will be discussed in an upcoming article.

The transverse abdominis provides stability for the spine and its corresponding inter vertebral discs potentially reducing compressive forces. Since the transverse abdominis is the deepest musculature of the core and produces very little, if any, actual movement or range of motion through contraction, greater anatomical understanding as far as location and function will assist in the training, contraction and activation of the transverse abdominis as a part of your golf fitness and golf specific exercise program.

If the transverse abdominis is not engaging there can be compensatory involvement from other core stabilizers which may not be beneficial.

There is a body of research that points to the idea that the transverse abdominis, along with the multifidus muscle contract as a precursor directly before limb movement. That points to the idea of trunk stabilization acting as a prerequisite to dynamic movement

The internal obliques are the next level above the transverse abdominus. The internal obliques are in essence between the transverse abdominus and external obliques. Their function is to to initiate lateral flexion and rotation of the spine

The external obliques are the third layer of core, from the inside out, and most superficial. They are involved in flexion, rotation, and abdominal compression.

Last but not least is the rectus abdominis, which is found along the front or anterior trunk. Rectus abdominis runs from the pubic bone to the lower ribs. Its major function is to shorten the distance between the pelvis and the ribs, known as flexion.

There you have it. The individual players of the anterior and lateral human core.

In addition to improving many components of your golf game, core conditioning and core stabilization can improve your posture, create a sense of stability and being centered, improve overall muscular coordination and balance, and improve spine function, and that’s the short list.

Enjoy the process.

Call Optimum Performance / Human Performance Systems today at 480-241-2621 and mention this article on Golf Performance Improvement through Core Conditioning and Core Stabilization and receive 10% off you customized golf nutrition program or golf specific exercise program.

Joe Sale, CNS, CSCS

Are you warming up and stretching at all before you golf?

It’s easy to do and it’s easy not to do.

By taking the time to move your joints, articulations, and their corresponding muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and connective tissue in an intelligent manner you prepare the body and nervous system for the upcoming golf specific event and the unique biomechanical forces involved in the golf swing.

And make no mistake about it. With golf club head speeds as high as 125 mph, the biomechanical forces involved in the golf swing are absolutely unique. Add rotational and shear forces to the golf swing and you have created an athletic event that requires a fine tuned physical machine if you have any intention of playing great golf and avoiding physical breakdown of key structures over time.

Blood flow to these areas increases during golf specific dynamic warm up and golf specific stretching. In addition, synovial fluid, which reduces friction within the joints, acts as a transport medium for nutrients and provides shock absorbing benefits, increases it’s circulation.

Golf specific dynamic warm up increases the temperature of connective tissue leading to greater dynamic pliability and elasticity.

Mild to moderate dynamic joint movement provides more benefits than static stretching in many cases, especially older golfers, however each individual is different.

Let’s not forget the all important nervous system.  A dynamic golf warm up in particular, wakes up and prepares the nervous system for the upcoming golf swing biomechanics. It’s not only about preparing joints and connective tissue. It’s absolutely also about optimizing the nervous system.

Joe Sale, CNS, CSCS

This topic points to why it’s important to get great golf coaching as a beginner. By doing this you won’t be installing faulty golf biomechanics or swing mechanics which are reinforced by the laying down of myelin which I wrote about in a previous post. Myelin will reinforce whatever golf swing mechanics you practice, good or bad.

Neuromuscular reeducation comes into play when a golfer is attempting to, in essence, erase the golf swing mechanics that exists on there golf biomechanics human hard drive and install new golf biomechanics software in order to improve golf performance.

If you are in a situation where you’ve come to the conclusion or realization that your golf execution and golf swing mechanics are faulty and your golf performance is less than stellar, you can change it. What will be required are new practice habits performed with awareness. Over time these circuits will also become myelinated and begin to run unconsciously, just as the old ones did.

Joe Sale, CNS, CSCS

Definitions:

Optimum: the point at which the condition, degree, or amount of something is most favorable.

Performance: manner or quality of functioning.

Golf: we know what that is.

For every aspect of your golf game and every aspect of your life there is a potential state of optimum.

Optimum golf swing biomechanics.

Optimum golf club face / golf ball contact / ball strike

Optimum golf impact position.

etc.

Not too much. Not too little.

Strength and Conditioning for Golf / Exercise for Golf / Golf Fitness is an example.

Train too little or not at all and you don’t reap the benefits …. and there are many.

Train too often and your body, at a cellular level, doesn’t have enough time for tissue repair between workouts.

You want to find the sweet spot for all the components that can potentially have an influence on your golf game and overall golf performance.

Whether it’s golf or any project in your life, it’s a continous process of adjusting the major variables that influence performance outcomes in order to improve results.

Is it the same for everybody?

No.

The  golf nutrition and golf strength and conditioning / golf fitness needs of a 25 year old golfer will most likely be different from the needs of a 50 year old golfer.

That’s the art form.

Fine tune. Always fine tune.

Joe Sale, CNS, CSCS

The shoulder is often called the shoulder complex and that is an accurate descriptive term.

Complex.

The shoulder has the largest range of motion of any joint or joint complex in the human body.

Along with this great capacity for range of motion comes the potential for many types of shoulder problems. Especially in golfers.

To start off, the shoulder complex is made up of four joints, not one, as is commonly assumed. They work in a synergistic manner in golfers and in all people.

A dysfunctional state in one of these joints can create a dysfunctional compensation in the other joints of the shoulder complex.

For example, limited range of motion in the scapulothoracic joint of the shoulder due to injury etc, is many times compensated for in the glenohumeral joint of the shoulder.

The two joints more commonly injured  in the shoulder, in many sports besides golf, are the glenohumeral joint and acromioclavicular joint.

Injuries to each of these joints are explained with different verbage.

The glenohumeral joint is known to dislocate. The acromioclavicular joint doesn’t dislocate in the absolute sense of the word. First of all the acromioclavicular joint is not a ball and socket joint like the glenohumeral joint. The acromioclavicular joint is known to separate not dislocate, and there is a big difference.

In the sports world a more well known case of shoulder dislocation occurred during the 2005 football season. Drew Brees played quarterback  for the San Diego Chargers at the time. Tackled on a play,  his throwing shoulder was dislocated and his labrum was also torn. Since the gleno humeral joint is an extremely shallow ball and socket joint, it derives some extra stability from the labrum, a fibrocartilaginous ring , similar to a washer. Since the glenohmeral joint is so shallow, actually similar to golf ball on a tee, the labrum provides a small degree of extra depth to the joint.

Drew Brees made one of the most remarkable rehabilitation comebacks out there in the case of his shoulder dislocation. First of all it was more than just a dislocation. There was also damage to the rotator cuff, severe damage to the labrum, and the more obvious ligament damage that goes along with dislocation. Many people in the sports world didn’t think he could come back from such a severe shoulder injury, especially since it was his throwing shoulder and he is a quarterback. His work ethic during rehab was reported as outstanding. He exceeded expectations. We know the rest of the story. San Diego traded him to the New Orleans Saints, and the Saints and Drew Brees go on to win a Super Bowl.

The acromioclavicular joint is known to separate. The separation severity is usually graded any where from 1 through 5. This is concluded based on the space created between the acromion and clavicle due to the injury, as well as  the degree of ligament damage. At the extreme level there is complete rupture of the coracoclavicular ligament and the acromioclavicular ligament.

Intelligently applied strength and conditioning for golfers / exercise for golfers / golf fitness goes a long way in keeping all your moving parts like the shoulder in their most healthy state and in avoiding unnecessary and premature wear and tear problems.

Today’s new breed of golfers look like well conditioned athletes from many other sports.

Guys like Ricky Barnes pay attention to the many variables that influence golf performance like golf specific exercise, golf fitness, and sports nutrition. Many of these golfers understand that the human body is a resource that has to be managed intelligently in order to reap the benefits of high end golf performance and longevity in the sport of golf.

Joe Sale, CNS, CSCS