Pre-Game Warm Ups
Janine Young
With the completion of the 2008 Masters, I am proud to announce the Official Start of the Golf Season in Kansas City. Now that we have gotten through the worst winter in the recent past, the Final Four and the Masters, all our concentration can be turned to GOLF, and not just watching it indoors. Maybe our weather will cooperate and we can actually get outdoors and PLAY!
The importance of a pre-game warm-up routine cannot be overemphasized, particularly if you have not been so diligent about your golf training in the off-season, and if the temperatures stay on the chilly side as you head to the first tee this time of year.
Muscles that are cold have the “snap” that a cold rubber band would have if you tried to fire one as far as you could . . . it will not travel nearly as far when it is cold as it will if you heat it by rubbing it between your hands. Our muscles work the same way. If we can heat or warm them up, we will be able to move better, prevent injury and have more fire power.
There is, however, a HUGE difference between warming up and improving range of motion or flexibility. Warming up before your round of golf is good, but training to improve one’s flexibility isn’t something to tackle on the first tee. It should be done with very individual, specific exercises during your daily training program, writes Michael Boyle in his “Functional Training for Sports.”
Here are some warm-up guidelines before you play.
DO NOT swing heavy clubs or multiple clubs. Studies done with professional baseball players found that increasing the weight of the ball in throwing or the bat in swinging more than 20 percent will change the muscle pattern and increase risk of injury, according to Dr. Coop DeRenne, Sport Science, University of Hawaii. This will also condition your body to react slower. If you have an average swing speed of 100 mph, after swinging the weighted device you will swing a bit slower. This is probably not the result you desire from your golf warm-up.
DO NOT bounce or hold any stretch for more than a few seconds. Doing so will, in fact, decrease the body’s ability to respond, and therefore “fire,” for a short period of time following this activity.
Dynamic stretching is a far better technique for warming up.
This type of stretching uses controlled speed of movement, momentum and active muscular effort to bring about a stretch. More recent scientific studies seem to suggest that dynamic stretches before competition are preferred to static stretches. This may be particularly true for sports requiring power, such as golf.
Here are a few dynamic stretching exercises to help get you ready for the first tee:
Walking Knee to Chest. This drill will help you find a better spinal position by increasing more range of motion in the pelvis. Start the drill by taking a small step forward with your left foot. While doing so, raise your right knee toward the chest and take hold of that knee with both hands. Gently bring that knee towards your rib cage while maintaining balance on your left foot. Hold for a count of three seconds, trying to maintain the knee as close to the rib cage as possible. Repeat the procedure with the other knee in the same controlled fashion.
Arm Circles. This is a great warm up exercise for the shoulders and it helps develop better stability in the rotator cuffs. Standing tall with your arms extended out to your sides (but not behind you), start making small circles forward with your thumbs pointing up. Perform five small circles forward and five backward. Next, switch your hands to palms facing down and repeat the same circles. Then, switch your hands to thumbs pointing down and do the same circles again. Finally, repeat all three positions and circles again, but this time increase the size of the circles. This is one cycle. You can perform up to three cycles!
Step Overs. This exercise improves overall hip flexibility and lengthens the hamstrings. Step forward with your left leg and lift your right leg off the ground. Now slowly hinge forward from your left hip, trying to keep your spine and right hip stable and straight. Go down as far as comfortable and then return to the standing position. Repeat on other side.
Figure 4 Walk. A great exercise to open up your hip joints and increase flexibility in your hips. Standing on your right leg, grab your left ankle and try to lift your foot up to your waist. Give a little pull up and return your left foot down to the ground. Repeat on the other side. This may be modified by supporting yourself against a wall to help with balance.
Helicopter Lunges. This exercise helps create a better separation of the torso and the lower body and improves overall balance. Holding your arms out by your side with elbows locked, step into a good lunge (front knee 90-degree angle over the front ankle and torso upright). From here, rotate your upper body back and forth for 15 seconds, keeping your head facing forward. Make sure your weight stays centered over your front foot; don’t let your weight shift to the outside of your foot. Step into the next lunge and repeat on the other side.
Make sure to warm up prior to any golf related activity, even practicing your putting. It is not uncommon to hear stories about how Joe Golfer’s back went out on the first hole when he bent over to pick up his ball from the cup or, worse yet, when he bent over to get his clubs out of the car. Preparing your body for the game will not only keep you healthy on the links – but it will most definitely improve your game. |
