The year of 2012 has been a great one for KeNako. The academy continues to make big strides in growing and developing KeNako into a very special place and destination, with particular reference to our students. Similar sentiments are true for KeNako’s corporate and private clients.
Working with groups of students’ long term is a certainly a challenge, but it is also a very rewarding occupation. On a personal level I take great satisfaction out of the effort that the professionals at KeNako make for the students and the big and lasting difference that we are able to make in their lives. From a physical perspective I have had to develop ways of getting them to understand, at their young age, the importance of what I’m teaching them about their bodies, all the while ensuring that they can have fun at the same time.
Working with professional sportsmen is quite different, where it’s much more “serious”. They have chosen their careers and are driven and motivated from within. Students in a group get distracted more easily, and don’t always see the big picture. Many of them can’t understand the need to work hard in the gym when all they want to do is play golf. One’s got to keep it fresh and interesting, with an element of fun, to keep them engaged and motivated to put in good effort in the gym. This is especially true for the younger ones. As they get older (towards the end of their high school years), it is evident that more of them start to develop a “drive” from within, wanting to learn more and improve themselves. And when they start experiencing the positive effect all this hard work has on their golf, they just want more!
There has been great improvement in the physical fitness of our students this year. One can see that they also enjoy the physical sessions, both in the gym and outdoors. The biggest improvement to our afternoon physical program has been the addition of sessions to allow for outdoor games. These games help to improve and maintain skills like Fine Motor Control, hand-eye coordination, agility and a general awareness of how to control one’s body in a certain space or position. Some refer to this as “physical literacy”. It is about developing and gaining optimal neuro-muscular control of one’s body. Not every student appreciated this ‘outdoor’ training time, but the reality is that some students might have missed out on developing these skills when they were younger. Modern day habits such as playing computer games or play station instead of playing outside and climbing trees has a negative impact on physical development. Others have stopped playing sports other than golf at a relatively young age and as a result have neglected skills that are developed to the full through playing other sports whilst young.
There is a better balance in our students’ program and they are generally happier. That is what we want here at KeNako. We want the students to be happy and thrive so that they can develop and perform to their full potential. The excellent results achieved by our students in competitions this year is a testament to the quality of the KeNako program. Well done guys and gals!
I am really looking forward to 2013 and cannot wait to see what our students will achieve in the new year. Let’s continue working together and give our students a real head start – at golf and in life!
By Jan Fourie
Biokinetikist
