In this post we discuss Bryson DeChambeau’s treatment in the woods during the final round of the U.S. Open and what’s different about it.
If you were watching the dramatic last round of the U.S. Open, you may have noticed eventual winner Bryson De Chambeau disappear into the woods after the 10th hole with his trainer.
Whilst he requested privacy, drone footage caught the brief treatment session on camera.
Various media outlets subsequently described the session as physiotherapy, stretching, or ‘bone crunching’ as one commentator put it.
It was none of these.
What Bryson received was Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT) for a sore hip that was beginning to impact his swing.
What is Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT)?
Muscle Activation Techniques is a method of assessing and improving the function of the muscular system.
It’s different because it views tension in the muscular system as secondary to weakness.
Watch any athlete receive treatment in a non contact sport and you’ll see them being either stretched or massaged. Usually both.
The objective of these two interventions is to reduce tension in the muscular system.
Watch that drone footage again and you’ll see something very different. The trainer is testing for positions of weakness.
In other words he’s assessing the function of Bryson’s muscles and improving his ability to produce force where necessary.
Why improving muscle function matters
It’s difficult to overstate the importance of approaching the muscular system in this way.
Not only does it reduce soreness, it improves both stability and range of motion. Perhaps most criticality in this scenario however, it leads to increased force production.
Bryson’s first task after finishing his treatment was to crunch a drive down the 11th fairway. He hit the ball 359 yards.
Would reducing the ability of his muscular system to produce force, or improving its ability to produce force be helpful in this situation?
Of course it’s the latter.
Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT) is not just for athletes
Viewing the muscular system in this way is not only relevant for athletes.
Look around you, do you think the issue humans most commonly face is too much tension in their muscular system or not enough?
Or put another way, would stretching and massaging the hell out of the population solve the musculoskeletal conditions that physiotherapists typically treat?
It most certainly would not.
Conversely almost everyone would benefit from improving their ability to contract muscles, grandparents and elite athletes alike.
Summary
Muscle Activation Techniques is highly effective at locating weak links in the muscular system.
This can be useful for running repairs like in Bryson’s case, but more importantly it directs your resistance training programme for longer term change.