Every golfer wants that sleek, powerful, and speedy swing. Like a ferrari, but for the golf swing. But how do you build a golf swing equivalent to a ferrari? You build strength and stability where it counts in the golf swing.
Golf is a rotational sport. Squats, lunges, deadlifts, pressing, pulling and carrying are all great. In fact, Motus Rx Physical Therapy trains these things all the time with our golfers. If you want to get more distance, speed, and be in less pain you have to train anti-rotation.
Anti-rotation refers to your body’s ability to resist and prevent rotational forces. In the golf swing, rotationally, you accelerate a certain segment, and then decelerate a certain segment. As you speed up one segment, in order for the next segment to speed up, the one before it has to slow down. Anti-rotation is crucial to transferring force from the ground throughout your body and into the clubhead. Think about anti-rotation training as your body’s ability to slam on the brakes. It is not enough to be strong and produce force, you have to be able to execute anti-rotational type movements where you can speed up and slow down in a rotational fashion.
There are three common anti-rotation assessments that Motus Rx Physical Therapy uses to evaluate golfers’ ability to speed up and slow down rotationally. This blog will walk you through each of these assessments and inform you of what your results might yield.
Anti Rotation Assessment #1 For The Golf Swing: Bird Dog Touch And Go
The primary focus of the Bird Dog Touch And Go is core, hip, and shoulder strength. Your core, hips, and shoulders are an essential part of transferring energy throughout the golf swing.
How to complete the exercise:
Get comfortable in an all 4’s position (or table top position). Make sure your hands are directly underneath your shoulders and your knees are directly underneath your hips. Lastly, find a flat back position.
Lift and raise your opposite arm and leg.
Extend your opposite arm and leg out as far as possible.
Bring your opposite arm and leg back into your body trying to touch your opposite knee and elbow.
Lift and extend your opposite arm and leg back out.
Make sure that you try both sides.
In completing this exercise, can you maintain your balance and stability? Are you falling one way or the other? Notice and imbalances or challenges.
You can add difficulty to this exercise by increasing the speed of the movement pattern. How quickly can you lift, extend, touch your knee and elbow, and extend again while maintaining control? This added element of speed gives you an idea if your body will have the ability to handle the added reaction required.
This prerequisite movement provides insight to any challenges you may be having with your hips, shoulders, or core. These three areas need to be strong and mobile as they each play an important role in the golf swing. The hips are a transitional zone from the legs to the trunk. The trunk transfers the energy to the shoulders. The shoulders are a transfer zone as well.
Anti Rotation Assessment #2 For The Golf Swing: Anti-Rotation Plank
The anti-rotation plank assessment determines if you have the necessary strength in your low back extensors, hip flexors, abs, and shoulders.
How to complete this exercise:
Get into a high plank position. This is a push up position with your feet about shoulder width apart. Make sure to keep your hips neutral.
Lift one arm and tap your opposite shoulder. Hold your hand on your opposite shoulder for 3 seconds and place your hand back on the ground.
Complete both sides.
When you are completing the anti-rotation plank, notice any compensations your body might be making. Do your hips have to open up and rotate when touching your hand to your opposite shoulder? Can you tap your opposite shoulder and stay square in your hips? If you cannot complete this movement, there is some sort of pain restriction or weakness occurring. Try to remain as solid and as square as you can when completing this exercise.
Golf is a one-directional sport, and over time, one side of your body will become stronger than the other. The anti-rotational plank assessment will reveal the side-to-side strength imbalances to design an exercise program moving forward to stabilize both sides.
Anti Rotation Assessment #3 For The Golf Swing: Single Leg Bridge Assessment
How To complete this exercise:
Lay on your back with your feet close together, but not touching. Your knees should be at about 90 degrees and comfortably underneath you.
Bring your hands together towards the sky.
Keeping your hands up, lift your hips up off the table. Kick one leg straight out and hold for 10 seconds.
Complete for both sides.
This exercise focuses on the glute, lower back, and hamstring. You may not be able to hold the single leg glute bridge. In this case, the hips will drop or the pelvis will rotate. It is common for golfers to get cramps in their hamstrings or feel their back strain.
The Single Leg Bridge assessment helps to evaluate the strength in the muscles that support the lower back. Optimal strength in this area protects the spine from injury in the golf swing. If your lower back does not have the strength to stop your golf swing, an “alarm system” in your body will go off and prevent you from producing maximal rotational force.
Anti Rotation and the Golf Swing
These three anti-rotation assessments are staples to optimal body efficiency in the golf swing. These strength assessments are for rotation. If you want to have a strong, stable, and high club head speed golf swing, it is going to be tough to get where you want to go without being competent in the Bird Dog Touch And Go, Anti-Rotation Plank, and Single Leg Bridge Test.
Golf Performance Academy
If you are interesting in learning more about how anti rotation training could help you add an easy 15+ yards, Motus Rx Physical Therapy offers a 2/week semi-private golf performance class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:00-1:00 p.m. with your first class FREE.
This is a monthly subscription and each month you have access to one Titleist Performance Institute Body Screen, a customized workout program from Dr. Eric Wallace, access to our Bogey Free Back and Body Online Program, unlimited access too our gym and hitting area, and access to our online community.
If this is something that you are ready to register for now, click HERE. If you have more questions about this class, click HERE to learn more.