A good swing starts with a solid base of support.

A good golf swing begins with a strong base of support (hips, pelvis, and lumbar spine). A highly conditioned base of support will provide stability throughout the swing and allow forces to be transferred effectively from the legs through the hips to the upper body to produce optimal power and control. A strong base helps protect joints and other supporting tissues against the strong compressive, shearing, and torsional forces that occur during the golf swing. Unfortunately, there are a number of factors that predispose the golfer to developing poor postural patterns and muscular imbalances that result in a weak base of support.

For much of our young lives, we were stuck sitting in school hunched over our desks. We finished school and started our careers. Many of us now find ourselves spending too much time in our cars or sitting hunched over in poorly designed chairs in front of a computer. Over time we are conditioned to have tight hip flexors and a lazy posture. Poor posture and muscle imbalance decrease musculoskeletal efficiency and disrupt communication within the neuromuscular system. Short, tight muscles show a lower activation threshold, meaning they activate at times when they should be less active or inactive. Overactivation of dominant muscles leads to decreased neural control of opposing muscles. Simply put, “when one muscle becomes tight and hyperactive, the opposite muscle becomes lazy and lazy.” Tight dominant hip flexors create weak and lazy hip extensors (glutes) and trigger a chain reaction of dysfunction.

Tight hip flexors pull the pelvis forward, leading to excessive curvature of the lumbar spine. As a result, the muscles of the abdominal wall lengthen and weaken, while the muscles of the lumbar spine shorten and tighten. This pattern also causes a disruption in our body’s lateral stabilization system. The hip abductors (muscles that move the legs away from the center of the body) along with their opposing adductors (muscles that move the legs towards the center of the body) work to stabilize the pelvis during lateral movement. Inefficiency in this lateral stabilization system inhibits coordination and makes it difficult to shift weight properly during the golf swing. So what we’re left with are weak hip extensors (gluteal muscles) that can’t propel the hips through the swing, dominant hip flexors that don’t allow the hips to open up to allow a full twist, tight spinal flexors they are forced to do the work of weak hip extensors, but they are too tight to do a full rotation, and it takes a lack of coordination to consistently make good contact with the ball. To make matters worse, most golfers spend hours on the driving range reinforcing and strengthening this dysfunctional pattern. Is it any wonder the average golf score hasn’t dropped in decades?

To break this pattern of dysfunction and build a strong base of support, we must first establish coordinated muscle activation between the deep abdominal stabilizing musculature, the hip flexors and extensors, the hip abductors and adductors, and the hip flexors, extensors and rotators. of the column. This is accomplished by activating and strengthening weak and inhibited muscles, and by stretching tight and dominant muscles. Once these muscles are re-educated and coordinated muscle activation is established, we can work to build optimal strength and power.

The first step in this process is the development of the deep abdominal and pelvic muscles. This is done by mastering the abdominal brace. The abdominal brace differs from traditional abdominal training in that it encourages “abdominal emptying,” also known as the “pull-in” maneuver. With the “pull back” maneuver we are told to pull or draw the navel in toward the spine. Research has shown that stretching actually decreases abdominal activation and decreases lumbar, pelvic, and hip stability. The abdominal brace is an isometric contraction of the abdominal muscles, which means that the abdominals are not contracted or pushed. This maneuver should be the first step of every exercise as it is the foundation for lumbar, pelvic, and hip stabilization. The following exercise will allow you to master this movement and retrain the lower abdominal wall and allow the deep pelvic stabilizers to fire efficiently.

abdominal splint

o Lie supine (face up) with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

o Brace your abs by contracting them as if you were going to get punched in the stomach.

o Return to a relaxed position and repeat.

Tips

o Controlling the movement is the key. When performing these exercises, pay strict attention to NOT allowing use of the legs (hip flexors and/or glutes) while contracting the abdominals. The only muscles that contract are the abdominal wall; place your hands on your navel to feel this isolated contraction

o There should be no tension in the neck or shoulders.

Do not limit abdominal brace to exercise. Practicing the brace with all activities (sitting, walking, driving, golfing, etc.) will help you build the strength your abs need to maintain a strong base of support as well as a healthy back.

A study presented by researchers at the 51st annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine showed that golfers with strong hip muscles have lower handicaps and longer driving distances than those with weak hip muscles. This makes sense as the hip and pelvic muscles play an important role in stabilizing the trunk and transferring forces from the lower body through the upper body and arms during the golf swing. The ability of the hip extensors (glutes and hamstrings) and lumbar extensors to fire in concert also allows the body to react and counteract the rapid rotational forces of the golf swing. The problem here, as we’ve already discussed, is that many golfers have inhibited hip extensors and tight, dominant lumbar flexors. At best, our spine wasn’t designed to swing a golf club. Now we compound the problem by repeatedly forcing our spinal muscles to do the work of our hip extensors to power the swing. The spinal extensor muscles do not have the size or strength to do this, hence the tremendous incidence of overuse injuries and lower back pain among golfers. So what we need to do is lower the lumbar extensors quite a bit to allow the hip extensors to do their job.

The Bird Dog exercise progression effectively helps develop spinal stabilization, coordination and strength. The key to this type of exercise is learning and then keeping your spine “neutral.” Neutral does not mean straight, it means allowing natural curves to be present. This is imperative to allow the spine to function properly and movement to occur without stress. The golf club placed along the spine is an excellent signal that allows the golfer to feel the correct positions of the spine and make the necessary corrections. The axis of the club must be in contact with only three points; the base of the head, the center of the back and the middle of the pelvis. Concave spaces should be visible in the neck and lower back.

dog 1

o Get on your hands and knees with a golf club positioned along your spine; make sure the rod makes contact only at 3 points (head-back mid-pelvis).

o Brace your abs and slowly lift one hand and the opposite knee off the ground (no more than 1/4 inch). Hold for five to ten seconds.

o Return to the starting position and alternate sides.

Tips

o The club must remain in contact with all 3 points of contact (head, mid-back, pelvis).

Once you have mastered Dog 1, you can move on to the next progression. Dog 2 adds the hip extension and shoulder flexion components. This exercise is extremely effective in restoring efficiency to the extensor chain (hip, lumbar, and cervical extensors).

dog II
o Get on your hands and knees with a golf club positioned along your spine; make sure the rod makes contact only at 3 points (head-back mid-pelvis).

o Brace your abs, slowly extend one arm (thumb up) in front of you and the opposite leg behind you.

o Hold for five to ten seconds and repeat on the opposite side.

Tips

o The club must remain in contact with all 3 points of contact (head, mid-back, pelvis).

o Do not allow your hips to rotate.

The key with Dog 2 is to not allow your lumbar extensors to fire during this movement. After you’ve mastered Dog 2, you can further challenge your hip extensors by adding the bridging exercise. The bridge adds bodyweight resistance to the hip extension movement and further challenges (and strengthens) the deep stabilizers or the lumbar-pelvic-hip complex.

the bridge

o Lie on your back with your arms by your sides.
o Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes (buttocks), then lift your hips into a bridge position. Pause and return to the starting position.

Tips

o Your feet should remain flat.

o This movement starts with the hips, not the spinal extensor muscle; no pressure should be felt in the lower back.

o Maintain the contraction of the abdominal and gluteal muscles throughout the movement.

It’s important to implement a good stretching program to lengthen tight muscles as you strengthen your base of support. In addition to the hip flexors and lumbar extensors already mentioned, other commonly tight areas among golfers include the hamstrings, neck, levator scapulae (upper trapezius and levator scapulae), and internal rotators of the hamstrings. shoulder. A qualified strength and conditioning or golf fitness professional can provide you with a postural and biomechanical analysis that can give you a more detailed picture of your specific areas of need. Improving your base of support will add distance and control to your game and help prevent, reduce and possibly eliminate golf-related pain and injuries.

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