With golf being a rotational movement and our weight shifting from one side to another the body needs to be well balanced to do all of this smoothly and under control. Here are a few exercises that will help enhance your balance for your golf game.
Torso turn single leg
This exercise helps your rotational balance as well as separation of upper and lower body.
Standing on one leg, with the other hovering behind. Hinge at your hips and have your posture as if you were setting up to a golf ball. Place your hands on your shoulders, keeping your chest up to stop your shoulders rounding forward. From here slowly rotate your shoulders as if making a backswing and then rotate to make a downswing and follow through. Go back and fourth 10 times for 3 rounds on each leg. The key is to be slow and smooth to help keep your balance.
Single leg hop
Here we are increasing our balance with momentum, which will help when we finish on our follow through after hitting the ball.
Start on one leg and hop forwards to land on the same leg again. Hold this position for a few seconds and then repeat. The hop doesn’t have to be far and as you get more confident you can try increasing the distance to practice your balance at sticking the landing from a longer hop. Complete 3 rounds of 10 hops on each leg.
Balance test
This test is a key part of any TPI movement screening I’d use when working with golfers in the gym. It gives a good indication of each legs balance and stability.
Start on one foot and raise the other knee up so your thigh is parallel to the ground. When your comfortable, close your eyes and see how long you can hold your balance for. Repeat on the other leg, make a note of your times and then next time see if you can stay balanced for longer.
Sprinters lunge
This exercise requires some balance within a strength movement. Standing tall through the body and eyes always looking forward, step back with your right foot, allow your right knee to hinge and lower to the floor. From here powerfully drive forward with your right knee to raise up in front of you. Hold this top position steady for a couple of seconds and then lower back into the lunge position. Repeat for 10 reps on each side, 3 times through.
