Golf Lessons: How to Improve Your Flexibility for a Better Swing
The golf swing is an athletic motion, and improving on your flexibility is a step you can take to better your game as a whole. There is a lot of rotation during a golf swing, and the more flexible you are in certain parts of your body, the more you will be able to rotate comfortably. By performing some simple stretching exercises you can make big strides in improving your game.
You shouldn’t start doing any kind of new physical exercise routine without talking to your doctor first. When you are ready to get started, it might be helpful to work with a personal trainer who has some golf-specific knowledge and can guide you in the right direction. Overall fitness should always be the goal, but the following three areas of your body play a particularly important role in the golf swing –
- Lower back. Back problems are common for golfers, so making sure your low back is a strong as flexible as possible is a good place to start. The back is rotated aggressively during the swing, and the bent over position that golf requires places added strain. Be particularly careful when you are doing exercises related to the back to avoid injury.
- Shoulders. Your shoulders serve as the connection between your arms and your torso, and they play a vital role in the golf swing. When your shoulders are tight, your backswing is likely to be cut short and maximum power will not be created. Once you start to improve on the flexibility in this area, you will see that your swing gets a little bit longer, and your distance should start to improve as well.
- Hamstrings. The hamstrings are located on the back of your upper leg, and they are important when it comes to keeping your posture throughout the swing. Even if you are able to get set into a good posture at address, you might have to come up out of it during the swing if your hamstrings are too tight. Just improving on this one area can make a huge difference in your swing because you will be better able to stay down in your stance throughout the swing while rotating aggressively toward the target. The lower body plays a huge role in every shot you hit on the course, and improving the flexibility in your upper legs can help your lower body be even more effective.