A good golf swing begins with a solid base of support (hips, pelvis, and lumbar spine). A highly conditioned support base 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 from the strong forces of compression, shear, and twisting that occur during the golf swing. Unfortunately, there are a number of factors that predispose the golfer to developing poor postural patterns and muscle 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 in poorly designed hunched 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, tense muscles show a lower activation threshold, which means they are activated at times when they should be less active or inactive. Over-activation of the dominant muscles leads to decreased neural control of the opposing muscles. Simply put, “when one muscle becomes tense and overactive, the opposite muscle becomes lazy and lazy.” Tight dominant hip flexors create weak and lazy hip extensors (glutes) and set off 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 your opposing adductors (muscles that move the legs toward 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 properly during the golf swing. So what we are left with are weak hip extensors (gluteal muscles) that cannot propel the hips during the swing, dominant hip flexors that do not allow the hips to open to allow a full turn, tight spinal flexors They are forced to do the work of the weak hip extensors, but are too tight to make 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 solid base of support, we must first establish coordinated muscle activation between the deep stabilizing abdominal muscles, the hip flexors and extensors, the hip abductors and adductors, and the flexors, extensors, and rotators. of the column. This is accomplished by activating and strengthening weak and inhibited muscles, and stretching tense and dominant muscles. Once these muscles are reeducated and coordinated muscle activation is established, we can work to develop 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 that encourages “abdominal emptying”, also known as the “retraction” maneuver. With the “retract” maneuver we are told to pull or draw the navel towards 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 of lumbar, pelvic, and hip stabilization. The following exercise will allow you to master this movement and re-educate the lower abdominal wall and allow the deep pelvic stabilizers to fire efficiently.
abdominal splint
o Lie supine (on your back) with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
o Strengthen your abs by contracting them as if you were going to be punched in the stomach.
o Return to a relaxed position and repeat.
Advice
o Controlling movement is the key. When performing these exercises, pay strict attention to NOT allowing the use of your legs (hip flexors and / or glutes) while contracting your abs. The only muscles that contract are those of the abdominal wall; place your hands on your belly button to feel this isolated contraction
o There should be no tension in the neck or shoulders.
Don’t limit the 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 solid 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 shoot 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 was not 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 don’t have the size or strength to do this, hence the tremendous incidence of overuse injuries and low back pain among golfers. So what we need to do is lower the lumbar extensors far enough to allow the hip extensors to do their job.
The Bird Dog exercise progression effectively helps to develop stabilization, coordination and spinal 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 the movement to occur without stress. The golf club placed along the spine is an excellent cue that allows the golfer to feel the correct positions of the spine and to make the necessary corrections. The axis of the club should 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 placed along your spine; make sure the rod contacts only at 3 points (head-back-mid-pelvis).
o Strengthen your abs and slowly lift one hand and 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.
Advice
o The club must remain in contact with the 3 contact points (head, mid back, pelvis).
Once you have mastered Dog 1, you can proceed to the next progression. Dog 2 adds the hip extension and shoulder flexion components. This exercise is extremely effective in restoring efficiency in the extensor chain (hip, lumbar and cervical extensors).
dog II
o Get on your hands and knees with a golf club placed along your spine; make sure the rod contacts only at 3 points (head-back-mid-pelvis).
o Strengthen your abs, slowly extend one arm (thumb up) forward and the opposite leg behind you.
o Hold for five to ten seconds and repeat with the opposite side.
Advice
o The club must remain in contact with the 3 contact points (head, mid back, pelvis).
o Don’t let your hips rotate.
The key with Dog 2 is not to allow the lumbar extensors to fire during this movement. After mastering Dog 2, you can challenge your hip extensors even more by adding the bridge exercise. The bridge adds body weight resistance to the hip extension movement and further challenges (and strengthens) deep stabilizers or the lumbar-pelvic-hip complex.
The bridge
o Lie on your back with your arms at your sides.
o Brace your abs and tighten your glutes (buttocks), then lift your hips into a bridge position. Pause and return to the starting position.
Advice
o Your feet should stay flat.
o This movement begins with the hips, not with the extensor spinal cord; You should not feel pressure in your lower back.
o Maintain the contraction of the abdominal and gluteal muscles throughout the movement.
It is important to implement a good stretching program to lengthen tight muscles as you strengthen your base of support. Aside from the aforementioned hip flexors and lumbar extensors, other commonly stressed areas among golfers include the muscles of the hamstrings, neck, levators of the scapula (upper trapezius and levator scapulae), and the internal rotators of the shoulder. A qualified golf strength and conditioning or 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.
