Stretching For Golf can decrease your performance
Want to improve your golf swing game? Don’t stretch before you play, recent study reveals.
An in-depth golf specific study published in the journal of conditioning research(1) revealed;
Stretching before a golf game decreases driver clubhead speed, accuracy and consistent ball contact. It is suggested that a few active dynamic warm-ups – for example jumping jacks – will increase blood flow and get the whole body moving, warming up the muscles in an effective manner.
Golf, along with all other sports, requires joint flexibility and mobility. The practice of being a junior golfer is a very complex and complicated ideaology. Being told the wrong technical information will not only hinder your golf swing performance, but could lead to long-term physical injury as well.
It is not just as simple as practice swinging and chipping. Warming up does not mean hitting practice shots. It is imperative for enhanced golf performance to get your body mobile and agile before you even pick up a club.
For example, baseball players start playing catch then progress to some base running, sprinting, fielding, and batting practice. In reality, this approach overlooks the tremendous short-term and long-term benefits of mobility training during the warm-up period.
There are actually two mistakes when it comes to stretching for golf.
One is that everyone needs to do static stretches to avoid sustaining a muscle injury. To date there has not been any substantial evidence through research or scientific literature that suggests stretching prevents injuries.
The second part that is more of a mistake than anything is having children perform static stretches before junior golf tournaments, contests or games.
A child’s musculoskeletal system does not work well with static stretching for golf.
Typically when most people partake in sport, they do a few warm-up stretches beforehand to ‘get the blood flowing’. We were taught to execute this from a young age when strecthing before golf practice was considered the norm. As there is an increasing amount of research available, we are now being shown that static stretching for golf of cold muscles before a single golf swing or an activity will decrease performance and likely cause injury.
(1) Therefore in our regular activities, especially in golf fitness conditioning and pre-round warm ups we must focus on increasing our flexibility for golf and mobility. The design of warm-up routines for athletic movements involving high-intensity power output, biomechanical efficiency, and precise coordination, such as golf, should minimize the amount of stretching before practice or competition. It is recommended that these athletes employ an active dynamic warm-up consisting of lower intensity movements progressing toward a ROM required for optimal mechanics in that particular sport. If the athlete has poor mechanics because of lack of flexibility, this training should
be performed after a conditioning session, practice, or competition.
The Flexibility for golf and mobility needed is a key component to junior golf long term success not Stretching For Golf
So now what?
Ensure you get the 7 minutes to power and performance dynamic warm up and 10 great videos that give you more information on junior golf, stretching for golf and preparing for a great golf swing. (below)
Watch the Youtube Channel and keep close attention to what goes on there and on this blog. We are always providing exercises and tips that will improve your flexibility and mobility for a great golf swing and occasionally correct stretching for golf exercises.
Till Next Time
Coach Alex
(1) LATENT EFFECT OF PASSIVE STATIC STRETCHING ON
DRIVER CLUBHEAD SPEED, DISTANCE, ACCURACY,
AND CONSISTENT BALL CONTACT IN YOUNG MALE
COMPETITIVE GOLFERS
JEFFREY C. GERGLEY
Human Performance Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, Stephen F. Austin State University,
Nacogdoches, Texas
