Why is Mid-Back Mobility Important for Golfers?
Golf is a fantastic sport, hobby, and form of exercise. Involvement in the sport ranges from every so often to every single day. But, most golfers face the challenge of their body keeping up with how often they'd like to participate in the sport. The aches, pains, limitations, and frustrations that come with the sport are areas that every golfer struggles with.
The question is, “How can I minimize pain during and after a round of golf?”
The answer is a slightly complicated one. However, for almost all of us playing there are a few things we can do to help our chances of staying on the course longer, feeling less pain, and moving our bodies in a better, more efficient way.
So what can you do to help yourself improve your game?
A great starting place is to better understand your physical limitations and work towards correcting them. This may mean taking care of that stiff shoulder you have always had, focusing on improving your mobility, and/or stretching more often. The timing of these things is also important.
One of the key areas to making an efficient, repeatable, and pain-free golf swing is having adequate mobility in a few key areas. Two important areas are your shoulders and your upper back (AKA thoracic spine).
Here are 2 simple exercises to improve your upper back and shoulder mobility.
#1: Thread the Needle
- On your hands and knees, place one hand behind your head. Whichever hand that is behind your head, rotate your elbow and chest that direction while keeping your other hand and knees on the ground. Then, rotate the opposite direction, straightening your arm and pushing (threading) your hand under your chest as far as you can go. Repeat this process 10 times on each side for 3-5 sets.
#2: Wall Slides
- Standing elbows length away from the wall, place your wrists and elbows on the wall parallel to each other. Slowly, begin to slide your wrists upward, straightening your arms. Then, slowly lower your arms back to the beginning position. To improve the stretch, you can place a foam roller on the wall and complete the same movement. Repeat this process 10 times for 3-5 sets.
Why will improving mid back mobility help?
By improving your upper back and shoulder mobility you will be able to rotate more easily in your backswing. This in turn should reduce any swaying back from the ball in your backswing, as well as less loss of posture, allowing you to make a more rotational based swing. This equals more consistency, better contact, and more power!