Isolation to Integration: 3 Drills to Help your Golf Swing

Do you consistently experience low back pain after a round of golf or session on the driving range? Utilize these three strategies to;

·         Improve mobility through the hips and thoracic spine

·         Gain neuromuscular control of your improved range of motion

·         Enhance your ability to produce force through the “foot to floor” concept

The golf swing is a complex and integrated skill that requires extensive coordination through the entire body. When we see a breakdown in motion/strength through specific regions, we tend to sacrifice the overall quality of the swing and increase our risk of pain and injury. Today we will focus on improving isolated motion through the hips and thoracic spine and learn to integrate these skills in a full-body exercise.

Concept 1: Unlock your Hips (Supine Banded Hip IR/ER)

·         Lie on back, band pulling laterally across body and looped around outside knee

·         Brace core, drive outside knee down/out slowly. Focus on contracting through the backside of the hip.

·         Maintain stable pelvis and aim for 3 second concentric, 3 second isometric hold, and 3 second eccentric. Perform reps to light fatigue, our goal is to maintain control rather than absolute fatigue.

·         Repeat on inside leg into internal rotation, driving the knee inward while maintaining a level pelvis.

Concept 2: Maximize Spinal Rotation and Control (Split Stance Trunk Rotation)

·         Standing in a spit stance, hinge forward while maintaining spinal position (minimize flexion or extension)

·         Slowly rotate your spine towards lead, don’t allow pelvis to rotate. Aim for the 3:3:3 tempo we utilized in drill #1.

·         Repeat into opposite direction, minimize collapse of knee or rotation of pelvis.

·         If you experience “sticky” points in your range, slow tempo down and work to develop control in this phase of motion.

Concept 3: Develop Force from your Feet (Med Ball Lateral Hop to Iso)

·         Stand on right food, 6-10 lb. medicine ball held in front of torso.

·         LOADING: Slowly chop the ball across your body as you load weight onto right leg. Notice the position of your right foot as you move deeper into the right hip.

·         ACCELERATION: Driving right foot down/out, push through right hip and jump to your left leg. Focus on landing softly with “quiet feet”, aiming to control your landing and hold 1-2 seconds.

·         Build speed on control! We prefer to see solid loading and landing mechanics before attempting fast or large reps.

·         This drill incorporates the hip and trunk rotation we previously isolated in drills 1 & 2, think about how each individual concept integrates into this last skill.

These drills, performed with control and intention, will help you begin to understand how individual joints affect the overall golf swing. With time, we are aiming to increase your active range of motion capabilities through improvements in motor control and strength. Ultimately, improvements should decrease stress on the lumbar spine, increase club speed, and create greater overall kinesthetic awareness. Happy swinging! 

 

Thomas Howes

 

 

Thomas Howes
Athletic Development Coach & Senior Rehabilitation Specialist

Helix Sport + Spine Ballard

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