Years ago, I was invited to work as a Physiotherapist at the Telus Skins Game, an event comprised of PGA players, set against the stunning backdrop of Banff Springs Golf Course. It was a dream opportunity—world-class athletes, national television, and a chance to contribute to something bigger.

What I didn’t expect was to uncover something that would completely reshape the way I view sports performance and injury.

While watching one of the pros, a thought hit me: How much time is actually spent swinging a club during a round of golf? So I tracked every swing over nine holes. The result? Just 3% of the round—roughly eight minutes in a four-hour game. The rest—97%— I discovered is where the problems were hiding.

On Day Two, I looked at what golfers did between swings and I found the hidden habits. One player consistently lunged and reached with the same side of his body-about four times per hole. That is 72 times in a single round, adding up to over 1100 repetitions across four tournaments. He would also stand on one leg, crossing the other in front while leaning on his club in between shots. Very common golf posture. It added up to 90 minutes per round. In four weeks of tournament play, that is 24 hours spent loading the same side of his body.

During these four weeks, this player will be seen by thousands of patrons live and millions of TV viewers and no one will realize the importance of these tendencies. That is the beauty and the brilliance of the hidden habits. They convince the majority of the world they don't exist, and the one's who do see them that they don't matter.

But they do.

These repetitive, one-sided movements consistently go unnoticed and disregarded. They create strain, fatigue, imbalance, and possible breakdown over time. Here is the worst part, when they do cause injury, the first thing torn apart, broken down and revamped will be the golf swing when in fact it had nothing to do with the injury. Think of how many golfers reshaped their swing due to an injury only to never be the same player again. The swing was never their problem.

A year later, I found out that same player had torn his Achilles tendon during training. Not long after, he disappeared from the sport. When he resurfaced 12 years later, he revealed the truth: the injury had led to depression, addiction, and suicidal thoughts. That moment hit hard. Even though I hadn’t treated the injury, I knew: this should have never happened. This athlete not only lost his game but his identity and quality of life. Unfortunately, this occurs far too often and I don't want to see that happen anymore. This inspired the creation of the Thermal Movement Specialist.

Our mission at The Thermal Movement Specialist Lab is to transform athletic trainers, fitness trainers, Kinesiologists and healthcare practitioners into Thermal Movement Specialists who revolutionize athletic performance and rehabilitation. We want to empower Thermal Movement Specialists to preserve their athletes' competitive identities while dramatically improving their performance, recovery outcomes, and quality of life both at the peak of their careers and in the years beyond sport. Together, we can end non contact injuries in sport.

So if this resonates with you....Click Below and Become a Thermal Movement Specialist