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How increasing mobility can help your golf swing

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How do you increase consistency and accuracy through mobility?

OK, you are doing the lessons, you have great clubs and you are engaging in golf fitness; the trinity of going low for a round of golf. But if you miss one of the most important keys to unlocking the ability to utilize all of this hard work, then your back to square one. So what are the keys that unlock your potential?

The primary foundational key is “mobility.” One of the biggest problems that I see before a round of golf is that most golfers jump out of the car and go straight to the range hitting balls at 100 percent full speed. Better yet, they’re running late so it’s off to the first tee box in hopes of hitting it straight down the pipeline. But what they end up with is a block, pull, slice or hook. But rarely in the fairway with the distance they want.

Then, following a first-hole double-bogey, the golfer proclaims “I’m just warming up.”

Mobility is a foundational key that unlocks the potential for consistency, accuracy and distance. Performing movement patterns centered on joints that are designed to be mobile, you will able to move efficiently, or as we commonly say, “get through the ball.”

You will be able to maximize your full potential because you’ll have full range of motion. If the range of motion is limited, then you start to compensate and use other parts of the body to do the work that its not intended to do. Hence wayward shots and possibly injury.

To locate those mobile joints, we will refer to the joint-by-joint approach of the mobility-stability chart in figure A.

Screen Shot 2014-07-30 at 1.57.55 PM

As we can see, the mobile sites are Ankle, Hips, T-Spine, Neck, Shoulder and Wrist. When these sites have limited range of motion, we will compromise and start to use the stable sites to perform mobility work. This is how we get the injuries in the knees, lower back, upper back and the elbow. When the mobile joints have the capacity to move within a full range of motion, the stability joints can do their job, resulting in consistency and accuracy.

Mobility is the foundation that needs to occur first to increase improvement.

“Mobility before stability, stability before movement, movement before strength,” says Gray Cook, Titleist Performance Institute Advisor and founder of Functional Movement Systems.

Screen Shot 2014-07-30 at 1.58.08 PM

To understand mobility during a golf swing, we need to understand the range of motion needed to be efficient. Utilizing TPI screening, we have the required ranges needed.

  • Ankle: Plantar flexion (pointing toes down) 0-50 degrees, Dorsiflexion (pointing toes up) 0-20. This will allow an efficient lateral push from trail to forward foot with feet planted firmly on ground at impact.
  • Hips: Rotate greater than or equal to 45 degrees in both directions. This will provide good spine mobility, as well as the ability to generate speed and separation between lower body and upper body.
  • Torso: Shoulders that can rotate freely without hips moving, provides proper sequencing in the backswing to generate good separation and coil.
  • Neck: Head rotates 90 degrees left and right and can lower so that chin touches mid-collar bone, which creates good neck mobility. This allows the ability to control head movement in backswing and downswing.
  • Shoulders: Arm can rotate backwards more than 90 degrees when standing, and in golf posture. Good shoulder mobility allows the golfer to create proper arm positions at top of swing and follow through.
  • Wrist hinge: Can hinge up 20 degrees. Can hinge down 30 Degrees. Good wrist mobility is necessary for setting wrists in backswing and releasing wrists for power in downswing.

The average golfer has limited range of motion. This range is limited even more so because of inactivity and large amounts of time dedicated to sitting behind desks hunched over a computer. So when you go straight to full speed, hitting golf balls with limited mobility, you then breakdown the primary key to the foundation. Thus, compensation occurs and inconsistency becomes a factor during your round. As we look back at the pyramid, we can see that lack of mobility creates instability, which causes an uncontrolled movement and final it destroys the skill that we worked so hard to get. This is that day when you ask yourself, “what happened to my swing? I was hitting great the other day.”

During the season, spend more time on mobility movements to increase improvement. Here are a few exercises that you can do on a daily basis to help increase your range of motion.

Medicine Ball mobility: http://youtu.be/8jM3OA6v-TY

TRX Mobility: http://youtu.be/YRbUFwHTh6I

You can also visit this link for more exercises on mobility: http://www.golfperformancefitness.com/golf-fitness-professionals

Also, utilize this mobility warm up prior to hitting balls or play for 5-10 min. to increase range of motion. http://youtu.be/3sLMjjGQYds

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Dave is the owner of Pro Fitness Golf Performance in Walled Lake, Mich. He's certified Level 2 Titleist Performance Golf Fitness instructor, K-Vest 3D-TPI biomechanics specialist and a certified USA weightlifting Instructor. He's also a Wilson Golf Advisory Staff Member. As a specialist and leading provider of golf-performance conditioning, Davis takes pride in offering golf biomechanics assessments and strength and conditioning training. His philosophy focusing on two things: the uniqueness of each individual and creating a functional training environment that will be conducive and productive to enhance a positive change. He is dedicated to serving the needs of his customers each and every day. Website: www.pgfperformance.com Email: [email protected]

20 Comments

20 Comments

  1. Pingback: Golf Mastery from Your Body’s 6 Mobile Zones - Golf Slot Machine

  2. Pingback: Golf Mastery from Your Body’s 6 Mobile Zones

  3. Louis

    Aug 19, 2014 at 7:04 pm

    Dave,
    thanks for info. All tips are needed for this newbie. Looking forward to hitting the links.

  4. P Davis

    Aug 17, 2014 at 11:13 pm

    i agree with K Sanford. good article

  5. K. Sanford

    Aug 16, 2014 at 4:43 pm

    Very informative article. i now have a better understanding of how the LPGA Pros create distance and accuracy. When watching them swing, they have great mobility and stability.

  6. Jack

    Aug 16, 2014 at 4:33 pm

    I agree 100%. The chart showing the pyramid from mobility to skills is very useful to show how a golfers skill level would breakdown when one of the chains in the pyramid breaks.

  7. DR D

    Aug 15, 2014 at 11:12 pm

    very interesting and good article

  8. mike

    Aug 15, 2014 at 10:45 pm

    if mobility is the foundation, where does stability fit in? i thought stability was the foundation.

    • Dave

      Aug 15, 2014 at 11:15 pm

      Good question Mike. The answer will come in the next installment to this series with the next article on stability. So stay tune. Thanks

  9. Henry Lee

    Aug 15, 2014 at 9:50 pm

    Dave’s article has been a life saver for me. He takes the obvious and makes it practical and useful. Where have you been hiding Dave? Keep up the good work in order to continue making a difference!!!!

  10. sam

    Aug 15, 2014 at 2:20 pm

    This is great information that all golfers can really apply. This will definitely stop the back injury that are so common. Keep it coming. Great article.

  11. Dr. Troy

    Aug 15, 2014 at 12:35 pm

    Ive been trying to get my buddy to understand this principle for over a year and yet he wont listen…Stubborn as hell…Good article!

  12. Joel

    Aug 15, 2014 at 11:56 am

    Great article. Right to the point

  13. RAT

    Aug 15, 2014 at 9:00 am

    Great idea , like it ..

  14. Sherman

    Aug 14, 2014 at 11:02 pm

    It’s amazing to see McILROY swing with control. But now I understand why. Thanks for the information. The videos are great as well. Will incorporate the exercises in my fitness program

  15. Pingback: How increasing mobility can help your golf swing | Spacetimeandi.com

  16. Yrrdead

    Aug 14, 2014 at 8:12 pm

    Nice article , will have this bookmarked.

  17. Pingback: Increasing Your Mobility can Help Improve Your Golf Swing - I'd Rather Be Golfing

  18. jeff

    Aug 14, 2014 at 7:47 pm

    This really helped me to understand that I need to use my lower body to start and create speed not my upper body. Thanks

  19. Morris

    Aug 14, 2014 at 7:41 pm

    Great article. Keep them coming. Very informative

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Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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How a towel can fix your golf swing

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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

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You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

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