When it comes to improving club head speed, exercises like slams and jumps may not look anything like a golf swing, but they carry over to higher swing speeds and greater power production. These explosive movements teach your body how to generate force quickly, which is exactly what’s needed to create more club head speed.
Although slams and jumps are simple exercises, they build the fast-twitch muscle fibers that are critical for speed and power. In golf, these fibers are what allow you to generate speed from the ground up, ultimately transferring that force through your body and into the club.
The Importance of Max Effort in Training
To maximize the benefits of slams and jumps for golf performance, it’s essential that every rep is done at maximum effort. When you perform a jump, you need to leap as high as possible; when you perform a slam, you should aim to throw the ball as hard as you can. The goal is to push your body to its limits with each movement. This ensures you’re training the right muscle fibers to increase your ability to produce explosive force, which translates into faster club head speeds on the course.
Why Too Many Reps Can Be Counterproductive
Many programs make the mistake of prescribing too many reps for slams and jumps, which undermines their purpose. When you train for speed, fatigue should be avoided. If you continue past the point of exhaustion, the quality of each rep drops, and your ability to generate the necessary force for speed training diminishes. You’re no longer training for explosiveness but for endurance, which won’t help you swing faster.
To truly benefit from slams and jumps, you need to keep the reps low and the intensity high. In Lift Heavy, Swing Fast we typically program anywhere from 2 to 4 sets of 2 to 6 reps. This way, you maintain the power and explosiveness required to maximize speed development without letting fatigue slow you down.
How Slams and Jumps Translate to Better Golf Performance
While slams and jumps might not mimic the golf swing, they train your body in ways that significantly enhance your performance. By increasing your ability to produce force quickly, these exercises build the foundation for a faster, more powerful swing. They also improve coordination, teaching your body to work as a unit to generate maximum power—essential for a well sequenced golf swing.
Final Thought - Focus on Quality for More Speed
Slams and jumps are excellent tools for increasing club head speed, even though they look nothing like a golf swing. The key to unlocking their full potential is focusing on maximum effort with every rep and keeping the sets and reps low to avoid fatigue. By training for speed and power in short bursts, you’ll develop the explosive strength you need for faster, more powerful swings that lead to better performance on the course.
