We are continuing with our golf theme. We are getting into fall golf weather, which I love. I love the summer, but sometimes it is a little tough to be out there on the golf course when it is 90 degrees and humid. A little tough to hold on to the golf club.

What I want to go over today is our separation between our upper body and our lower body. So, to be able to make our transitions appropriately in our swing, we need to be able to move our lower body and upper body independently of each other. So, the test that we do for that is we will stabilize our upper body, and then twist your hips from side to side.

So, this does not mean just swaying from side to side. If you can use a mirror, you want to see that your belt buckle is rotating from side to side and leaving your shoulders exactly where they are. Now, if that is not happening for you or it is not happening equally from side to side, I am going to go over a couple of different fixes that we can do to help you with those transitions.

So, what we are going to start off with is we are going to use a golf club like a driver to add some stability. So again, we are working on that hip rotation. So, what we are going to do is we are going to bring one knee up and kind of lock it behind your knee (see video). Again, we are going to use our driver for some stability. And what we are going to do is we are going to rotate from side to side. Again, you are trying to keep your shoulders facing forward, and we are going to continue to do that about 10 to 15 times. Once you have finished on that side, we are going to get on the other side. You may find that it is harder or easier from one side to the other.

Once you feel comfortable with that, we are going to go to the second step and lose our driver. We are going to put our hands on our shoulders. We are going to get into that same position alternately with our legs and you are going to do that same thing. We are going to rotate our hips from side to side. You want to make sure that you are not just swinging your knee from side to side, that you are actually working on rotating your hips. Once we have done that side, again, we are going to lock it into the other side, and we are going to work on that rotation through the next leg.

The next step, what we are going to do is we are going to do a Heisman pose. With this next exercise, we are going to use a weighted ball to help us go through this exercise. So, we are going to do the Heisman pose basically (see video). We are going to try to hold our arms out to the side, to one side or the other, whichever side you are working from, and we are going to need a platform of some sort. You want is something that is at least three to four inches off the ground. What we are going to do is you are going to try to keep that ball out to the side and we are going to get up into that Heisman position with one foot on the platform. We are going to drop down and come back up with the leg with which we are working.

So again, we are working on that rotation, separating those hips from the shoulders. In the video I am trying to keep my shoulders locked in as I am rotating my hips out. We are going to do 10 to 15 on one side, and then flop over to the other side and do the same thing.

This is a very important movement for us to create that lag in our swing and really help us get that power through impact. We need to be able to start with that transition and start our downswing with our lower body. Being able to separate our shoulders and hips gives us the ability to create that torque, create that lag, and helps us finish our golf swing strong.

If you are interested in the TPI screening, certainly give us a call. We can set you up for that. You can find us on the internet at in8wc.com. Or you can give us a call at (978) 927-8466. See you soon.

Dr. Kevin