4 Rotational Centers
Warming up is that task in the back of your mind that you know you need to do. You know it’s going to help you. You know you’re going to feel better throughout the round. You know it will reduce your risk for injury. You know it will eliminate that breakfast ball. Here’s how to build a warm-up so you can stroll up to both the first tee box and range session with confidence knowing your body is prepared.
It’s important to look at what aspects of the golf swing your body needs to prepare for. We’ll start with the 4 primary swing rotational centers: neck, hips, shoulders, and thoracic spine. The muscles in these areas are important because they are the biggest limiting factors in performing correct swing technique. If you have a longer period of time to warm up you may benefit from soft tissue and self trigger point release work that may be limiting the mobility in these areas. The coaches here at par4success are experts at guiding you in this category. If you haven’t tried out our Golf Performance Assessment yet. It is a perfect start to see where you stand on the mobility side and it will take you through the tests for the 4 rotational centers mentioned above.
Intensity
Next, at what intensity will you be performing them? Your body needs to be prepared to perform at near maximal intent whenever your driver is in your hands. We need the warm-up to be in a dynamic style of stretching that prepares your body for sport. The warm-up needs to progressively increase in intensity so we can be as close to game ready as possible. Remember, you don’t only have to warm-up before the round. There’s a lot of time in between shots on the course, and you can use specific exercises you benefit from whenever they feel appropriate.
Here are some examples of dynamic exercises that may be optimal in your warm-up:
– Shoulder dislocations/halos
– Shoulder external rotation
– Shoulder I’s Y’s W’s
– Thoracic spine openers/bends
– Glute bridges
– Hip 90/90s and other variations
– Active worlds greatest stretch
– Leg swings: side to side and forward and backward
– Quad pulls
– Hamstring scoops
– Swing progressions that lead to a full swing
Here is an example of a full 5 minute dynamic workout that you can try out: (12) Par4Success 5 Minute Warm Up – YouTube
The best place to start is to identify where you are lacking in terms of mobility. That is why we provide our at-home mobility assessment and a call with us completely for free. Check it out and see where you need the most improvement.
Author-
Taylor Surma
Golf Performance Coach
Disclaimer: This blog content is for general educational information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. References available upon request.
