When it comes to increasing your club head speed, you may hear professionals talking about the kinematic sequence. This is the ability to disassociate the upper and lower body in the correct sequence to generate the most force as possible while remaining healthy for the long term. The sequence to swing the club efficiently is you fire the hips, trunk, arms, and then the club in that order. To accurately perform this task requires the ability to disassociate the hips and trunk. Try these 2 tests to see if you can move one segment of your body independently from the other!
Once you can separate the upper body and lower body individually, the next step is being able to coordinate the separation to help load the backswing and then perform the downswing. This exercise can be performed as part of a warm-up before you play or as a corrective exercise. Start by lying on your back with your arms and legs up in the air (can hold a club in hands and a block between legs if desired). While maintaining the original position, rotate the upper body in one direction while simultaneously rotating the lower body the other direction. Perform 2 sets 8-10 reps, maintaining arms and legs in original positions.
Now try to this exercise to further work on lower body stabilization while promoting the disassociation of the upper body. Grab a dumbbell or kettlebell and a foam roller for the exercise. Start lying on your back with your legs in the “table top” position (hips, knees, and ankles in 90 degrees) and hold the weight in one arm extended up towards the ceiling. As you rotate your lower body away from the side with the weight, drive the weight directly up towards the ceiling. Perform 2 sets 5 slow and controlled reps to hone in your control of the movement.
You’ll be amazed at the improvements in your golf swing once you’re able to complete this exercise correctly. Check back for the next blog as we discuss more ways to improve your movement ability to help with your golf game!