Why Pilates Improves The Game Of Golf by Nuala Coombs

PERFECT PRACTICE MAKE PERFECT

A major reason why some golfers suffer post game pain is too much practice with poor technique. Poor technique is often a direct result of your “natural” posture. Unless you address the essential problems, progress will be limited. Consider the number of times your club swings or how often you bend down to retrieve the ball during a round. This repetition of movement if you have posture issues is an injury waiting to happen.

POSTURE IS POWER

Common Postures

postures.jpg


WHAT’S GOING ON?

You can see from the diagrams the main areas that change are the pelvis, or the shoulders. Once the structure is altered there is a domino effect throughout the body. Change in posture occurs slowly over time. Reversing these changes will take time too.


PELVIC POSITION

The position of your pelvis is affected by the pull of the muscles surrounding it, when you take exercise, practice sport or any repetitive behavior these muscles can react by becoming shorter and stronger or they may become lengthened and potentially weak depending on the activity, or in some cases inactivity. The result can be that the pelvis is pulled either forward or backward from the ideal position. This will effect how you move which may eventually cause problems with flexibility, mobility or stability the consequence of which could increase the risk of injury and pain.



PELVIS IS PULLED FORWARD (Hyper Lordotic)

Shortened hip flexors, these are the muscles that stretch over the front of your hip joints to pull your knee up in front of the body, when short they pull the pelvis into a forward tilt which creates an excess curvature of the lumbar spine.

As a result your abdominal muscles can become long and weak, while the muscles in your low back get short and tight. This will directly effect your golf swing because the way the muscles that stabilise lateral movement perform is altered. The hip abductors (muscles that move the legs away from the centre of the body) together with the adductors (muscles that move the legs toward the centre of the body) stabilise the pelvis during lateral movement. When you have a pelvis that is excessively pulled forward your coordination will be affected together with your weight shift throughout the golf swing.

What this means

• Weak hip extensors (buttocks) that cannot drive the hips through the swing
• Dominant hip flexors that won’t allow the hips to open to allow a full turn.
• Tight low back muscles are forced to do the work of the weak hip extensors, but are too tight to make a full rotation.
• Lack of coordination needed to make consistently good ball contact.

If you recognise this posture in your body, when you go to the driving range hitting ball after ball you will be reinforcing the poor movement quality with every game and practice session you have. Making it even harder to improve your game.


WHAT TO DO

If you want lasting change you need to address the short tight muscles and release them, and strengthen the weak ones - that’s putting it very simply. Only when you have a balance of flexible, mobile and stable muscles and joints can you think about working on strength and power.

Rushing to the gym to lift heavy weights with the intention of getting stronger to increase the power of your swing when you have physical restrictions won’t help. If you can’t touch your toes because your back it too rigid, what’s the point of trying to build strong shoulders and back muscles to put power into your drive. You won’t be able to rotate enough to make all that muscle effective.


ROUNDED SHOULDERS

If your pelvis has an excessive forward tilt you stand the chance of having round shoulders because of short, overactive Pectoral muscles (muscles of the chest) pulling the shoulders forward with long potentially weak upper back muscles, the mid-back can also be stiff. This has the effect of reducing your ability to rotate and extend the spine during the backswing and or the downswing, so you will compensate with arm movements.


WHAT TO DO?

If you know you have round shoulder you need to strengthen and mobilise your upper back to release and open the chest and shoulder muscles. Exercises that strengthen your mid and upperback and those that improve the range of movement in your shoulders and stretch your chest will gradually balance things up, but remember it will take time.

Being aware of our posture on a daily basis will help, just think “tall” as often as you can, this will activate the deep postural muscles, eventually they will “learn” where they need to be.


THE PELVIS IS PULLED BACKWARD (Swayback or Flatback)

A Swayback is very common and sometimes called a “slouch” posture. When looking at someone with this posture you will see their hips pushed forward (literally swaying) yet their upper body leans back - just as though they were hanging on their hip joints The result is a backward tilt to their pelvis.

A combination of long, weak hip flexors that lift the knee and short hamstrings pull the pelvis into a backward tilt which creates a flattened low back . As a result the abdominal muscles at the front of the body and the waist muscles (internal obliques) become short and overactive while the muscles of the lumbar spine are stretched and weak.

This type of muscle imbalance will effect the stability of the base of support reducing the power of the golf swing. Short hamstrings will:

• Affect the address posture
• Reduce spinal rotation
• Overuse the arms
• Create lateral instability

All together this will greatly increase the risk of injury as well as post game pain together with weakening the swing.


HOW CAN PILATES HELP?

An efficient core is the basis of a sound body. The whiplash effect of the golf swing on the spine can be reduced significantly if the core is working well. An effective core will allow the pelvis to be stable and maintain good alignment throughout the Swing. The improved posture will also help the golfer walk the course with ease and fluid movement. Other benefits from Pilates for the golfer are:

Improved Concentration
Improved Power and accuracy
Reduced risk of injury
Increased club head speed
Takes the hard work out of the swing

All Pilates exercises are full body movements that focus on working from the inside out. This basic Pilates concept is powerful for a golfer as it addresses most of the problems they have or have potential to develop.

Pilates trains the body uniformly and creates balance, stability, strength, mobility as well as improved flexibility and coordination - music to a golfer’s ears.

Experts have confirmed that the basis of a safe and effective golf swing is a stable lumbar spine and a mobile mid-back both features of a good Pilates programme.

Pilates teachers are very well placed to help their golfing clients achieve maximum results on the golf course. Even without specifically targeting “golfers” issues golfing clients will remark on the improvement to their game after only a few general Pilates sessions. Think what could be achieved with a specific programme?

If you want to find a Pilates teacher in your area go to www.pilatesunion.co.uk and check out their directory. You will find teachers who offer group class and personal training choose the style that suits you best - you never know your golf club may offer sessions.

Nuala Coombs


About Nuala Coombs. With over 25 years experience in the fitness and Pilates industry Nuala has taught hundreds of students worldwide to teach Pilates. She is the author of Golf and Pilates published in 2005 as well as an international presenter and teacher trainer. Based in the south of France along with teacher training and workshops she offers career guidance to teachers in training and qualified Pilates teachers at a crossroads in their working life. Nuala also offer Pilates Retreats for Pilates enthusiasts. Contact her to sign up for her free monthly Newsletter at;

www.thepilatesconsultant.com

email: info@thepilatesconsultant.com