A
JOINT BY JOINT APPROACH TO
A BETTER GOLF SWING
By Rob
Siclair, PT
Look
at any golf magazine and you will see an article on how to improve your
golf swing. Stand like this, line your toes up here, rotate your grip, do
this with your head, etc, etc. There are a million ways to tweak things
to try and improve your golf game. I am not going to talk about the technical
aspects of changing your swing but the physical aspects instead. There tends
to be alternating requirements between mobility and stability for the joints.
Let's start from the bottom and work our way up.
Ankle:
The ankle is a commonly strained joint which makes you think of it being
a stability problem, but in regards to golf mobility, is more commonly the
problem. During the swing the ankles are required to twist and tilt. Each
one in a different direction. If you're a right handed golfer, during the
backswing your right ankle needs to internally rotate under your leg and
supinate or increase your arch space. Your left ankle externally rotates
and flattens your arch or pronates. Limitations in either of these may decrease
your swing arc and stress the above joints as they compensate to make up
for the lost motion.
Knees: Knees require good stability. It's rare that they will give out but
if they do you should see a doctor. More importantly, the knees need to
be stable to maintain good alignment and transfer force from the hips.
Hips: The hips are special in that there are often problems with both mobility
and stability. Research has shown that a stiff lead hip puts you at an increased
risk of low back pain. The hips are also a big source of force development
but are often very weak. Weakness in the hips can also lead to misalignment
in the knees which often present as knee pain. Performing flexibility exercises,
stretches and mobility exercises will significantly help. Good strength
exercises include deep squats (upper thighs parallel to the floor and knees
over the toes) and lunges.
Low Back: Good stability is essential here to prevent injury (very common
in golfers) and prevent energy leaks. The torque needed for big shots also
generates from this area. Rotational exercises are great for developing
torque and power but can also be stressful on the low back. A great circuit
is prone plank, side plank, bird dog or quadruped opposite arm and leg extension
and crunches. These are high priority exercises. If you already have pain
you can often relieve it by restricting the rotation by tightening your
stomach and fixing your rib cage to your pelvis. This will limit your rotation
and likely decrease your distance but often allows you to continue to golf
without pain.
Mid Back: Also called the thoracic spine this area needs mobility. Limited
mobility here will also decrease your swing arc and cause more stress on
your low back. Two great exercises are standing and try to tighten your
trunk and rotate your shoulders back and forth, focusing the motion in your
mid back. I also love to use a foam roller to self mobilize the thoracic
spine. You notice a difference immediately.
Shoulders: Shoulders usually have great mobility so stability is essential
here. The shoulders go through a large amount of motion and need to have
good control through this range in order to keep the club in the correct
plane. Poor stability will make it difficult to maintain a consistent swing
and cause abnormal wear on the vulnerable rotator cuff muscles.
Neck: Mobility is important here in order to keep your head down while allowing
rotation to take place. If you don't have good mobility you will not rotate
as far or your head will turn slightly which will make consistent ball contact
more challenging.
Wrist: This is the last point of transfer for all the force that is developed
and needs to be transferred to the club. Good stable wrists allow for control
of the club and all of that torque to be focused as you make contact with
the ball.for more
Strategy Golf Central Home Page - Other Articles - 19th Hole (Golf Channel) - Golf Crossword Puzzle
|
