Have you ever heard your PGA certified golf
instructor tell you that one of your swing faults is a
sway (lateral slide of hips away from target during
backswing) or a slide (lateral slide of hips toward
target on downswing)? Well, according to the Titleist
Performance Institute, a little over one third of all
amateur golfers possess one or both of those faults.
Setting aside your "forgetting" the correct swing, or
not knowing basic fundamentals of the swing, the leading
cause for a sway or slide is tight hips. During the
backswing and downswing, the hips are supposed to rotate
with maybe a hint of a weight shift. This requires
adequate internal rotation range of motion which we
usually don’t practice because it doesn’t always feel
good. It can be very frustrating when you KNOW what to
do, but your BODY won’t let you do it!
The following are three exercises I prescribe to my
clients which help tremendously and directly lead to
better success on the golf course!
WINDSHEILD WIPERS: Internal Rotation: Lie on your
back with both legs at 90 degree angles in the air.
Place both fists between the knees. Squeeze your knees
into your fists and, while flexing your feet, push lower
legs and feet outward. Repeat in 3 sets of 20 reps. You
will feel a deep tingle/muscle burn in your side gluteal
and hip area.
SEATED KNEE DIPS: Internal Rotation: Sit with
feet wide and knees bent and propped up on your hands.
Take turns dipping one knee at a time to the middle on
the floor. Start by dropping the knee a little, then a
little more as you warm up. Eventually the hip of the
dropped leg will lift off the floor. Repeat 20x.
FROGGIES: External Rotation: Kneel on the floor
with forearms on floor in front of you. Slowly allow
your knees to separate to the fullest width. Then, while
keep the knees in place, more each foot out a little
wider than the knee. Try to hold for approximately 1
minute.
Mindi Boysen is a TPI Level III certified golf
fitness instructor and official fitness partner for the
Arizona Women’s Golf Association. To learn more about
the above exercises and find additional ones, visit her
website at
www.fitforgolfusa.com.
