Get Golf Ready Part 2: Keeping The Shoulders Loose

Last week we talked about loosening the low back up so that the hip scan do the work in a swing. 

Today we can dive into the shoulder stiffness that creeps up in a swing. 

Many times it is caused by the shoulder trying to make up for lack of rotation in the torso...

Just like we talked about last week with the low back taking on extra strain due to a lack of rotation in the hips, the same can be said for the upper torso and shoulders.

We create torque and rotation thru our upper torso, allowing the arms to come along for the ride. 

Unfortunately, if the torso cannot create the rotation necessary to reach the top of a back swing, we will pull at the shoulders to compensate and create motion at the shoulders to reach the top. The shoulder joint itself will get strained, by forcing muscles to lose leverage and stability. 

This is when everybody cries "Oh it's my damn rotator cuff again" 
(The rotator cuff is usually a blanket statement for anything that hurts in the shoulder, so don't get all up in arms). 

Same can happen in the follow thru if you lack the ability to rotate the other way. 

Just like we did with the back, we need to unlock the torso so we can regain the rotation we need and reduce strain on the shoulder joint.

Below is a good starting exercise to start these turns. It helps dissociate the hips from the torso, this way you can focus on one thing, rathe than juggling what's going on in the hips as well.

Mainly you want to reach one arm into the ground as the TORSO rotates and NOT to lead with the arm/shoulder. 

Once you can establish your side to side rotation, you can start implementing your new found mobility into a full swing. 

This will help you offset any extra rotation you are trying to make up for with the shoulders, loosening them up so you can be more relaxed during  the swing. 

This is a starting point. You may have something more involved going on with your swing or mechanics that is causing strain on the shoulders beyond what these solutions can provide..

You can always reach me at staff@dynamicprri.com and send me an email about your concerns

OR

If you need an answer to get this fixed quicker, sign up for a FREE Discovery Session below where we can analyze what's going on quickly and give you the right information to get swinging like a champ again. 

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