BY: RICHIE ANDERSON
Rotational athletes are arguably one of the most specialized athlete populations in the training world. This generalization of athletes would include golfers, baseball/softball, tennis, pickleball and more, but many of our clients are avid golfers looking to improve their game. No doubt golf performance requires pure strength, but it also requires an insane amount of mobility.
Why? The ability to rotate correctly is an intricate system, and there are variables that can affect this rotational system.
YEAH, THAT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE ENGLISH, SO LET’S TRANSLATE….
Rotation usually follows a pattern that we can call a kinetic chain. Think of a chain with links, if one link is moved or broken it wont do its part, and that whole chain will not work properly. If you have some problem with a portion of your kinetic chain, you will be unable to rotate or move as you’d like to.
WHAT DO I MEAN BY ROTATE LIKE YOU WOULD LIKE TO?
Does your golf swing look like Tigers? Dustin Johnson? And no I don’t mean like you hit it straight, what I mean is the detailed mechanics of the swing. Can you rotate into your backswing? Can you rotate into your lead hip? Can you keep your hips still while your upper half rotates? I’m assuming all of you said no (me too!) Pro golfers have an extremely elastic and mobile spine, 65% or greater of rotational out of their upper backs. I pick this variable because the majority of us (general population groups) are limited in our ability to rotate because of this specific issue.
THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE THAT BARELY SCRATCHES THE SURFACE TO A VERY IN DEPTH TOPIC.
That’s exactly why we’re dedicating a specific series of blogs on golf performance.
Specialized training is necessary for all rotational athletes, especially golfers, because you can get WORSE at golf if you train incorrectly! (YES this will be its own very very long blog post soon!).
Our goal for introducing this series is to make our readers aware of the complexities of the golf swing from a human movement standpoint and to provide some great tips for training to improve your handicap. Stay tuned for more or get a jump start by scheduling a movement assessment with us now.
