Lot of my clients ask me how to improve rotation of their golf swing. As a junior golfer we tend to have all that wonderful range of the movement. On that stage our biggest challenge is to control and stabilise the movements. As we get older most of us get bit more stiffer, we have old injuries and we tend to have postural challenges that doesn’t do any favours for the rotation of your golf swing. Working long hours in the office, driving your car and even training golf for a long periods of time – all the above gets you hunched over, restricted and stiff in the thoracic spine (upper back).
How to improve rotation on your golf swing then? Let’s do a simple test: sink down real hunched over on your spine on your seat right now and try to rotate right and left – do you feel how stiff and restricted you are? ..Now then – take great upright posture and try rotating again, right and left – feel the difference?
This same thing happens when you swing a golf club. If your body is not naturally and automatically strong enough to hold optimal neutral spine and posture while you swing, your rotation is limited and most cases your injury risk is pretty high too.
To improve your rotation you need to free it up – stretch and strengthen.
Start paying more attention to your posture and stretch your chest and upper back A LOT!
One of the great stretches is a yoga stretch where you sit down, bend your left knee and cross it over your right leg. From here you rotate your right elbow outside your left knee. Place your left hand behind your back to your left side and try rotating around your spine to your left. Think about lengthening your spine towards the sky to increase the stretch.
I’m usually not real fan of static stretching (holds over 30 seconds) but
with this one it’s bit tricky to get movement going – but you can try to do little bit of it with help of your hands! Repeat to the other side.
Best of luck for your flexibility training!
Best Riikka
p.s. Got those goals on paper for next season and your Base Training phase 1 is in full flow?