In today’s lesson we are re-running a popular article on the Interactive Metronome and how important this can be for golfers. Dr. Peter Jo is offering a free introductory session and $50 off your enrollment for mentioning this piece if you would like to get some help in this area.

“Much like a conductor needs to coordinate all the voices in an orchestra, the brain must coordinate the feet, legs, hips, pelvis, back, arms, neck and head in order to strike the ball successfully.

Professional and amateur athletes have used the Interactive Metronome to improve performance. A study involving 50 golfers at Central Michigan University found that training with IM improved shot accuracy by 20 percent.

IM involves just a few pieces of equipment: headphones, hand trigger, foot piece and a computer. As you stand and listen to a steady rhythm of tones through the headphones, you clap your hands at precisely the same moment that you hear the tone. Adding in toe taps and heel hits forces your brain to focus and coordinate.

Treatments are carried out in 12 sessions over four weeks. A typical program involves about 28,000 repetitions where rhythm is reinforced with feedback through the headphones and on the computer monitor. Just as it takes thousands of repetitions before a golf swing becomes grooved into your body, thousands of repetitions are required to restore timing to your brain. The good news is that the effects are permanent.

While most golfers may have a reasonably healthy brain, improving its timing will increase accuracy and lower your score. You’ll still need your tips and lessons, but your brain will be better prepared to perform what you learn.”

Dr. Jo runs a brain-based athletic performance program in his clinical practice and teaches human anatomy & physiology at Bellevue Community College. For more information, call 425-256-2946 or visit www.bellevuechironeuro.com