Improve your posture throughout your golf swing video tip
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It’s week four in our Golf Tip of the Week series and this week we’re looking at how to improve your posture throughout your golf swing.
PGA Pro Kevin Merry, The South Essex Golf Centre, gives you a free golf video lesson showing you various exercises to strengthen your core muscles throughout your golf swing.
Watch the free video now or scroll down to read the transcribed notes.
HOW TO IMPROVE MUSCLE CONTROL AND POSTURE IN THE GOLF SWING
PGA Pro Kevin MErry of the South Essex Golf Centre shows us five tests and exercises to improve our upper and lower body stregth, flexibility, mobility, endurance and posture for golf.
EXERCISE ONE: SQUATS
Hold a golf shaft or a metal bar above your head with your arms straight. Bend your knees and go down without curving your back, leaning too much to one side or falling over.
This exercise tests your ankle, knee and hip mobility. It also looks at your back, shoulder and core strength.
If you are unable to do this exercise, there is a way to improve it. You need to engagae your abdominal muscles. To do this, the easiest way is to hold a dumbell out in front of you instead of a bar above your head. This time, you will find squatting much easier.
Another method is to cross your arms across your chest and squat. This has a similar effect to the dumbell and it engages your abdominals, making it easier to reach the floor.
EXERCISE TWO: TOUCH YOUR TOES
A classic flexibility test – simply without bending your knees, reach down and touch your toes. Not being able to do this is not, as most people think,linked to your hamstring or calf muscles. Instead it is to do with the muscles in the lower back and in the abdomen.
If you focus on your abdominal muscles as you bend, your back muscles will stretch, making it easier to reach your toes. You can practice this by placing something small and soft such as a soft ball or a towel between your knees. Then, as you bend, squeeze your knees and this will engage your abdominals, making it easier to reach.
EXERCISE THREE: ONE LEG BALANCE TEST
The one leg balance test is a test designed to improve your balance, which will inevitably improve your golf swings, as weight transfer from one leg to the other is vital in golf.
This is how you do it: Stand on one leg with the leg that’s in the air in line with your straight leg and at 90 degrees at the back. Then make sure you hands aren’t touching your body and close your eyes. Try and balance for as long as possible and time yourself.
A completely fit and healthy person should be able to stand for 28 seconds or more.
EXERCISE FOUR: THE WOBBLE BOARD
The wobble board is a square piece of wood with a semi-cylinder on the base, which creates a see-saw style square.
You can test your balance in two ways: forwards and backwards, or side to side. In both scenarios it’s a case of making the transition from front to back or side to side as smooth as possible. If you judder, it means you don’t have enough control.
EXERCISE FIVE: FLEXIBILITY
Sitting on a standard exercise ball, put your feet together and put a golf shaft or a metal bar across your chest. Cross your arms in an X shape over the top. Keeping your head looking straight ahead, turn first to the right then to the left.
Most golfers can turn to the left further than they can to the right. This is due to an imbalance in flexibility and muscles in the shoulders. Practices this exercise improves the flexibility in your shoulders and back.
