While many golfers focus on strength-building to swing harder, they forget one crucial aspect of their physical fitness: mobility. In fact, golfers should focus on increasing their flexibility and mobility before trying to build strength. This will help them move more freely during the swing and avoid injury. Once they have developed their mobility, they can then start to work on building strength to increase speed, power, and distance.
That said, if you’ve realized that mobility is important and now want to train your mobility, here are some things you can do to increase the mobility of various parts of your body: Add the BloX to your routine for even better results.
1. Hip Mobility
Having a strong and mobile hip swing is an important factor in golf that separates skilled players from those who are less experienced. Being able to rotate your hips both internally and externally during a swing helps create more power and speed. On the other hand, not having enough rotation in the hips can lead to lower back problems, which can cause pain and discomfort. As such, developing a strong hip swing is essential for golfers who want to take their game to the next level.
A great way to train your hip mobility is to do a hip circle. To do a hip circle, start on your hands and knees. Make sure your hips are over your knees and your shoulders are over your hands. Then, bend one knee and move it in a circular motion while keeping the other knee flexed and the rest of your body still. Make sure to do ten circles in one direction, switch directions, and repeat the process on the other knee.
2. Shoulder Mobility
The most common injuries in golfers occur in the shoulder and rotator cuffs, not to mention the first place that deteriorates. With mobility training, shoulders can be better used to increase speed control and the club head, along with preventing injuries.
To train your shoulder mobility, stand tall with good posture and swing your arms around in a large circular motion. Change the direction with a smooth and controlled movement without losing any momentum. Repeating this motion ten times will help improve the strength and range of motion in your shoulders.
3. Upper Back Mobility
Many golfers complain about “losing their turn” as time goes by. What they actually mean is that their back doesn’t turn like it used to. Generally, this has to do with the thoracic spine, located in the upper back. The mobility of this spine is responsible for club head speed, and reduced mobility means worse swings, not to mention pain and injury.
For better upper back mobility, start by kneeling on the floor with your hands touching the sides of your head and your elbows spread apart. Ensure your knee on the back leg and the foot of the front leg is directly under your hips. Then, twist your torso to the same side as your lead leg and ensure your lower body stays in the same position. Do this 10 times, then switch legs and do the same thing on the other side.
Conclusion
While there are certainly other parts of the body that golfers need to train, like the neck and ankles, these are just some of the most important ones. So, if you haven’t been training your mobility so far, make the necessary changes and do so. Before you know it, you’ll not only be able to golf without pain but enjoy better results! Plus, you get to enjoy the game more, so consider training your mobility as soon as possible.
BAMmetrics offers a system that helps golfers track their mobility and improve on it. If you want to increase your swing speed, check out our system!
Follow us @BAMMETRICS