Virginia Golfer article, December 2007 MUST READ!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ENTIRE 'BE FABULOUS' ARTICLE BY DR. DAVID BERV FEATURED IN VIRGINIA GOLFER MAGAZINE

Back in the Swing

FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR

VIRGINIA GOLFER MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007

BY ANDREW BLAIR

A 76 year- old couple recently shuffled into the offices of Richmond-based InnerSwing Golf and it's founder, Dr. David Berv, couldn't help but smile.

Though the elderly pair were limited physically in some ways, that mattered little; they were a true model of why Dr. Berv started his own golf fitness practice five years ago. Using simple and straightforward physical fitness tech­niques, Dr. Berv has harvested a cottage business out of fixing bad backs and generally waking up golfers' creaking bones. He is an empowering person and educator, of sorts, focusing on helping people feel better about their golf game and themselves.

A sports chiropractic physician and master golf fitness instruc­tor, Dr. Berv has developed a golf performance program that's individually specific and especially effective for middle-aged to older players seeking lower scores and looking to be pain-free while playing.

Dr. Berv wants golfers to "be fabulous" in the late fall and beyond. He shows you how starting on page 32 of this edition. His ultimate aim?

"I get satisfaction from someone telling me they broke 100 or they played without their back hurting for the first time in a long time or they were able to go on a golf vacation, play every day and have the time of their life, Dr. Berv says.

Not surprisingly, his client base of golfers has tripled over the past three years. In 2006, the oldest of the baby boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, turned 60 years old, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Attributing a great deal of his success to his work ranging mostly from 30-somethings to baby boomers, Dr. Berv appreciates that one size or a stilted exer­cise routine does not fit every golfer. Understandably, knowl­edge and awareness is power for a number of players. It's one thing to exercise, Dr. Berv emphasizes, but quite another to do so with the proper form that enhances one's golf game rather than reinforcing bad techniques that can result in swing flaws and inury.

"You can tell someone that doing a certain exercise will help their knee problem. Sometimes you'll get a response like, 'Oh, okay;" Dr. Berv says. "But if you tell an individual, doing 'x' will help your golf game, then you tend to get their attention."

Adopting a philosophy that "the best exercises are the ones you'll do," Dr. Berv's programs can be integrated into your daily activities, at home, in the office or even between shots. Hackers take comfort - you don't have to have to undertake a Jack La Lanne lifting routine, have an elliptical machine handy or tie yourself into a pretzel. His golf-specific exercises can be as rudi­mentary as putting a foot behind you with your toes pointed toward the ground while balancing on the stable leg. There, you're working on stability. You might be surprised at the results and the crisper shots that follow after a few tries.

InnerSwing starts with a multipoint assessment that includes physical and functional testing, in addition to videoswing and three-dimensional motion analysis (like an MRl of your swing), that gives detailed information about your swing. It is the com­bination of the above elements, in context with whatever par­ticular injuries or ailments a golfer might have, that determines one's exercise prescription. Beyond the everyday player, his clien­tele has included Champions Tour golfers, hockey and soccer players and ballet dancers, among others.

Dr. Berv also focuses on preventative maintenance and helping make people aware of their daily habits that we all take for granted, such as how we sit at our desks and what we eat.  As golfers are undoubtedly learning with the increase of golf-specific fitness regiments, once considered taboo, it can all be connected to the golf swing and other functional areas such as balance, stability and spinal mobility - things that all deteriorate as we age.

Today, the elderly couple could be on a walking advertisement promoting Dr. Berv's work.

“My message is truly to help people play better throughout their lifetime and enjoy the sport without hindrance,“ Dr. Berv says.