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What
Do the Core and the Golf Swing have
in Common?
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by: Sean
Cochran
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The
concept of “core training” is a
“buzz word” in today’s fitness
and training community. It has also
become a prevalent idea in the game of
golf. In regards to golf it has been
noted by many individuals that the
core area of the body is where the
“power” comes from in your swing,
and in order to make a full turn you
need flexibility in the core. This
article will discuss the function of
the core in relation to human movement
and the golf swing.
We will discuss categorically the
functions of the core and how
improvements in these areas can assist
in the improvement of your golf swing.
Before we begin discussing the
functions of the core, let us define
it. The core can be defined as an
anatomical area of the body. The core
is includes all the muscles from below
the chest to the hips. Separated out
into body parts the core includes all
muscles of: the hips (glutes,
hamstrings, glutes), abdominals,
obliques (side abdominals), and low
back. These muscles groups essentially
comprise the core region and are
involved in the majority of movement
elicited by the core.
Now that we have a brief understanding
of what exactly the core refers to in
terms of a reference point, let us
begin to discuss the pertinent
connections between the core and the
golf swing. We will be discussing the
following topics in relation to the
golf swing: 1) range of motion, 2)
speed of motion, 3) balance, and 4)
coordination. All four of these
categories are related to the core of
your body and have a direct effect on
your golf swing. We will first begin
by discussing range of motion and move
forward from that point.
Range of Motion
Most of us have probably heard of this
term before and may have some type of
definition for it. Let us first define
range of motion. Range of motion is
essentially a distance that the body
or body part moves during an activity.
For example, walking down the street
requires all segments of the body to
move through a certain range of
motion. In addition to the entire
body, specific body parts move through
a specified range of motion. The knee
for instance, when you are walking,
moves in a linear range of motion to
create movement in the legs.
The golf swing is similar to walking
when discussing range of motion. The
entire body must move through a
specified distance to perform the golf
swing correctly. The core as a segment
of the body also has to move through a
specified distance to perform the golf
swing correctly. Relating the core and
the golf swing range of motion is very
important. It is the primary body
segment that allows for the rotation
of the body to occur. The back swing,
down swing, and follow through require
an extensive range of motion to be
provided by the core. If limitations
exist in terms the distance that the
core can “move through,” then
limitations will occur in the golf
swing. On the flip side, a greater
range of motion (distance that the
body segment moves through) generates
greater amounts of power. This gets
into what can be termed as the “X”
factor in the back swing. The more
turn (range of motion of the core) you
can get in the golf swing, the greater
ability the body has to generate more
power.
Range of motion is quite a relevant
topic when reviewing the golf swing.
It becomes quite apparent that a
connection exists between the range of
motion available to the core and what
the end results are in the swing. A
brief synopsis would indicate that a
greater range of motion in the core
results in a more powerful swing, and
less range of motion decreases power
in the golf swing.
Speed of Motion
Connected to range of motion is the
speed of that range. Speed of motion
is essentially adding a time component
to range of motion. It is connected to
the speed at which an object would
move.
If you have a large range of motion
created by the body over a short
period of time, the speed of the
motion is fast and power production is
high. On the other hand if you
decrease the range of motion the body
moves through with the golf swing and
slow the movement down, power
production will be less.
The core is again at the center of
this discussion pertaining to the golf
swing. At this point, we know that a
large range of motion creates a
greater “X” factor in the golf
swing. This will ultimately result in
greater power output. Add into the
equation a high speed of motion, and
the power component of the swing
becomes greater. The point to be made
is that range of motion and speed are
interconnected in relation to the golf
swing. The core is connected to these
two entities in that it is the segment
of the body that creates the greatest
range of motion in the swing.
Balance
Balance is a key component of the golf
swing that we hear about quite often.
Balance can be defined as the amount
of stability within the body during a
movement. The greatest amount of
balance by the body can be achieved if
it maintains a center of gravity
around the middle line of support. If
you have ever taken a golf lesson you
know what the above sentence is
talking about. The body including the
core must rotate around a center axis
in the body. If rotation is moved to
far away from this center axis,
balance in the golf swing will be
lost. As a result of weight shifts in
the golf swing, the axis which the
body rotates around does move, but
movement by certain body segments
beyond a certain point reduces
stability.
Research indicates that accuracy and
consistency is connected to stability
in the golf swing. In addition, EMG
studies indicate that the core is
involved to a high extent in the
stabilization of the body in any human
movement, including the golf swing. We
could probably make the connection
that the core is a relevant body part
in the ability to maintain balance in
the golf swing.
Coordination
The final point of this discussion of
the core and the golf swing is
coordination. Coordination is
essentially the ability of the body to
activate body parts in a sequential
order to create a desired movement. Go
back to the walking example, and the
body must coordinate all parts of the
body to create this movement. The golf
swing is essentially the same. The
body must “fire” the muscles of
the body in a certain order with the
correct timing to create the movement
of the golf swing. The core is
actively involved in the coordination
of the golf swing, as is the rest of
the body. The two points to focus upon
in terms of coordination are: 1)
timing and 2) sequence. Both of these
terms are essential for a mechanically
efficient golf swing. The sequence in
which muscles are “fired” in the
golf swing require a certain timing
for an efficient swing to occur.
About the Author
Sean Cochran is one of the most
recognized golf fitness instructors in
the world today. He travels the PGA
Tour regularly with 2004 Masters
Champion Phil Mickelson. He has made
many of his golf tips, golf
instruction and golf swing improvement
techniques available to amateur
golfers on the website
www.bioforcegolf.com. To contact Sean,
you can email him at support@bioforcegolf.com.
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GOLF SWING :: Improve
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find out the best way to practice and
improve your golf game.
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