Rib Mobilisation in Rotation
Correct stretching of the torso or trunk area will improve your consistency and should lead to a greater ability to store energy and thus increase your length. We have previously examined the need to stretch or at least maximise the amount of lateral trunk muscle and low back joint range of motion you need.
With the evolution of the athletic swing (a term coined by David Leadbetter) - the golfer places increased emphasis on the body's ability to torso rotate or shoulder turn or whatever term you may have heard used to describe the movement of the upper half of the body. Coaches will commonly term this upper half movement shoulder turn whereas your sports science staff will by anatomical definition call it torso or thoracic rotation.
Three dimensional, kinematic measurement has now highlighted exactly how much pelvis rotation range of motion the best players in the world actually have. The top players generally have between 40 and 50 degrees of pelvis rotation during their takeaway. This is matched with 90 to 95 degrees of shoulder turn or upper torso rotation. The difference between these two is known as the X-factor and is a major component of the power source in the modern swing. We will investigate this very important factor in more detail in future articles.
We will now examine another component - that of the rotation movement of your rib joints in the upper back. The majority of the movement in rotation occurs in the upper back and thus mobility of the vertebral and rib joints is very important. With the effect of gravity and the upper back rounding it tends to create then we need to maximise our rib movement.
So after you have had a good stretch of those lateral trunk muscles, your gluteal or buttock muscles and your low back then you should complete the following active movement and stretch.
Rib Mobilisation in Rotation with repeated trunk flexion and extension
- Sit in long sitting with one leg crossed (Fig 1)
- Rotate the torso away to the opposite side and place the arms in a stable position at this limit of your range (Fig 2)
- While maintaining this position - slow slump down and then attempt to extend or straighten up as tall as possible (Fig 3)
- Ensure that you breath out on the way down and breath in on the way up
- Maintain your legs flat on the ground throughout the breathing and the active movement
- Repeat this movement for four or five breaths
- Now attempt to increase the amount of turn to that side
- Now repeat the movement three to five times to both sides
Author: Michael Dalgleish
© 2008 The Golf Athlete. All rights reserved.