PERSPECTIVES
GolfTest USA Study, Link to video, Comments from SA Golfers | A.D.D | Yoga | Olympic Athlete | Used by top athletes
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LINK TO YOUTUBE VIDEO ON THE GOLFTEST USA STUDY: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2V4W5UiMOg
EXTRACTS FROM TESTIMONIALS AND EMAILS RECEIVED FROM S.A. GOLFERS
My golf swing used to cause a burning sensation in my back, which I protected by doing a three-quarter swing and stopping half-way through. Now I do a full swing and am back to hitting balls like I did 4 years ago.
Len Jowett, Gauteng
I took up golf late in life and love the game. But there was a time when I thought I would have to give it up because of the trouble it caused my lower back. After each round I had to be very careful not to make any sudden movements, because my back would go into spasm. If I sat or lay down after a round, I had great difficulty standing up because the pain was so severe. Even walking was difficult on some days. Anti-inflammatory pills worked to some extent but I realised I could not continue playing golf if I wanted to prevent permanent damage to my spine. The solution was the backswing. I tried it out a couple of times, took the plunge and bought one. I have hardly felt any back pain since. If you have crushed discs, five minutes a day on this machine will keep you pain-free. It also strengthens your stomach muscles. I have also found that since I've been using it I hit the golf ball further.
John Hinton, Cape Town, 29 September 2011
... My posture became so much straighter and the pain has become 70% less. I play my golf without pain and take the backswing always after a round. Being a medical doctor I was sceptical, but the result is unbelievable.
G.S, German-speaking Medical doctor, KZN, 2-1-13
I am a regular golfer, who plays up to 5 times a week. Multiple spinal injuries (lumbar and cervical), which occurred many years ago, have been catching up with me in recent years and my body makes me well aware of these old injuries after a game of golf. I started using the backswing 2 weeks ago and I feel virtually no pain after golf. The product works extremely well and the product quality is superb.
D.F, Cape Town
Extract from book "Take 3" by Les Aupiais, 2007
... Backswing ...allowed James to hang upside down between (learning) sessions. It made him look forward to the breaks, helped his posture and stimulated his circulation. Playing in an 'A' hockey squad meant hours of crouching over a ball and his back muscles ached post-match. In essence, the equipment puts James in traction, but the position feels safe and he relaxes. Part of the ADD is anxiety and anything that can combat this is a great help. Because the slightest movement changes the centre of gravity, you can do little else but listen to music and 'hang in' there. It's an excellent tool for an easily distracted child.
Backswing impressions from a yoga perspective
By: Rob Lock - Power yoga teacher and engineer, Cape Town, 2007
Many of the physiological benefits of the backswing are well explained already on the website, but there are some aspects of the effects of the apparatus which have a particular interest from the viewpoint of a yoga practitioner.
Firstly, why would one bother to go to all the trouble of turning upside down in the first place?
Yoga tradition has is that inversions are some of the most powerful and beneficial postures one can ever practice. The reasons for this approach are numerous, but can be summarized thus:
Inversions increase blood flow to the upper body organs, particularly the brain. This increased blood flow results in a flushing action of the brain tissue (most importantly the pineal and pituitary glands), with fresh blood and fresh oxygen. This is said to promote vitality and wellbeing.
Inversions also allow the body's natural detoxification system (the lymphatic system) to circulate efficiently. The lymph system has no pump such as the heart to circulate lymphatic fluid. The lymph system relies on muscular activity to slowly stimulate the flow of lymph fluid around the entire body, but this is a process hindered by gravity. Inversions, particularly deep and prolonged ones which are easily achieved on the Backswing, rapidly circulate the lymph throughout the body and powerfully assist in boosting the natural immune system.
Another clear benefit of inversions is the relief the entire body experiences from the effects of gravity. This applies most markedly to the internal organs and the joints.
A slightly less conventional interpretation of inversions is that they quite literally alter one's view of the world. As children, we were quite used to being upside down hanging from branches or swings and to perceiving the world around us from all directions. For most of us, the joy and freedom of such activities stops completely or radically diminishes sometimes during our teenage years. In many yoga traditions, one of the benefits of inversions is to remind us that our worldview need not be so rigid and uncompromising.
On a practical note, it is worth comparing the Backswing inversions with yoga inversions.
The first thing that struck me about the Backswing was its extreme ease and controllability of use. With small arm and even small hand movements, the angle of tilt and the speed of the response of the tiliting table can be varied accurately even after a few minutes of experimenting. In contrast to this, most yoga postures involving partial inversions are quite difficult and may require a great deal of practice and physical fitness to attain safely. Full inversions such as Sirsasana (the headstand), may take years to attain safely.
The other marked difference between Backswing and yoga inversions is that the Backswing elongates and extends the spine by using gravity, whereas the yoga inversions almost inevitably involve compression of the spine because of gravity's effect. While it is probably true to say that a prolonged yoga style headstand will be more strengthening to the spinal and core muscles, such a posture is not accessible to most people and certainly not recommended for anyone with most spinal problems. In contrast, the Backswing “headstand” is very easily achieved and controlled by anyone with a moderate fitness level. Because of the ease of use, the ability to stay in an inverted position for a long time gives the inversion time to work deeply.
This elongation versus compression of the spine also has a noticeable effect on the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. The physical sensation of being upside down is far more noticeable than in a headstand and is also far easier to experience.
For fitness junkies, the Backswing offers the additional possibility of hanging freely suspended by the ankles and then doing more difficult exercises such as sit ups and spinal twists. Comparable yoga postures are extremely advanced and may take literally years to practice safely.
My impression of the Backswing is that it is a versatile and remarkably easy-to-use device which can work as a therapeutic aid, an exercise machine and as a fun tool to relax and experiment with while getting the benefit of a deep spinal traction and a full body inversion. You even get to grow taller after using it – a nice bonus!
SHERI-ANN BROOKS, OLYMPIC ATHLETE
Jamaican National 100m and 200m sprinter
Personal Best
100m - 11.5
200m - 22.78
Track Merits
Winner 2006 Commonwealth Games
Winner GP Belem
2nd in Oslo Golden League 2007
2nd Super GP Quatar
“As
an elite sprinter my body has to be prepared to endure very explosive
muscular activity. I have found that inversion therapy helps reduce muscle
tension and the likelihood of ligament strains. Furthermore, the recovery
benefits such as reduced muscle stress, enhanced flexibility and improved
blood circulation, have proven helpful in any form of activity, whether
it be a World Class race or a casual walk. Although the muscular and
ligament benefits have made inversion an integral part of my elite training
routine, the posture and circulation effects have further made it a key
part of my day. I find myself wanting to exercise just so that I can
later enjoy my inversion table.
With Teeter Hang Ups, I found everything I was looking for in an inversion
table. As the leading brand in Inversion Therapy equipment, I knew that
I was getting top-notch quality and reliable customer service. Furthermore,
rather than focusing just on inversion therapy itself, their tables also
have user-friendly features that appealed to me both as an elite athlete
and your average person with an active lifestyle. You can really tell
that Teeter Hang Ups makes the end-user the core component in their design
process.“
Sheri-Ann
Many trainers and elite athletes use Teeter Hang Ups inversion products to stay on top of their game; including PGA Golfers, Pro Cyclists, Extreme Sports Pros, Olympic Athletes, even the U.S. Army!
US teams that invert using Teeter products: Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Hornets, Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals.