The average golfer spends at least 40 hours per week sitting behind a desk. When you add in the amount of time we spend on the couch binging Netflix, that number rises to about 60 hours a week.
What’s more, our bodies adapt to the conditions we expose them to. Under the conditions described above, we lose hip mobility, which means our hips won’t lie when we hit the course, no matter how much we might want them to.
Our hips are designed for large ranges of motion and are one of the most important joints relative to the golf swing, but sitting behind a desk all week limits the hips’ ability to rotate effectively. Limited hip mobility hinders the ability to turn in the backswing and downswing. It also makes it difficult to generate speed and power.
Essentially, tight hips take away your ability to generate the required rotational force for a powerful golf swing.
This is why mobilizing your hips daily is incredibly important for your golf swing, and for many other physical activities.
Luckily, mobilizing your hips for just a few minutes each day can combat the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
1. Step Overs: Standing tall with your feet together, pick one leg up behind you and take a huge step, as if you were trying to step over a hurdle. Bring your foot to the ground and then repeat the same motion in reverse. You can use a golf club for balance support as needed. As you perform this mobility exercise, keep your knee flexed and try to limit movement in your upper body. Focus on moving slowly and under control through as big a range of motion as you can. Repeat this on both sides.
See below for a demonstration of what this hip mobility exercise should look like.
2. 90/90s: Sitting on the floor, place one leg in front of you at a 90-degree angle and your other leg out to the side at a 90-degree angle. Use your hips to sit up tall over your front leg, using your hand for support as needed. Sit back down and rotate to the other side, so that the leg that was out to the side to start is now in front. Repeat this 10-12 times.
Next time you’re wondering how to improve your mobility to help your follow-through, ease your hip tightness, or simply have a more fluid swing, give these exercises a try.
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