When it comes to golf, distance is a coveted attribute. The ability to effortlessly cover great distances is a dream for every golfer. While power and technique play significant roles, there’s another key factor that can unlock incredible gains and improve your golf swing: thoracic mobility. In this blog, we’ll dive into the importance of thoracic mobility in golf and explore how it can transform your game. We’ll uncover the mechanics behind a powerful swing, the benefits of thoracic mobility, and provide practical tips and exercises to help you unleash your true potential on the fairways. So, if you’re eager to add yards to your shots, gain consistency, and achieve a more fluid and powerful swing, keep reading.
What is Thoracic Mobility
Your thoracic spine is made up of 12 vertebrae and is situated between your neck and lower back. Thoracic mobility means the ability you have to flex, extend, and rotate this particular area of the spine. Good mobility helps with maintaining good posture, including the way you hold your neck, and shoulder function. (For more information on how thoracic mobility impacts the shoulder read here!) This range of motion is often lost due to sitting posture, slouching, and or looking down for computer work and spending time on our phones.
How Will Thoracic Mobility Improve My Golf Swing?
- Rotational range of motion: A golfer needs to have good thoracic mobility to rotate their upper body effectively during the golf swing. The ability to rotate the thoracic spine allows for a more efficient and full backswing and follow-through. That will directly translate into greater clubhead speed and power generation.
- Separation of upper and lower body: In an effective golf swing, there is a concept called “X-factor” or “separation.” This refers to the rotational difference between the upper body (shoulders and torso) and the lower body (hips and legs) during the swing. Thoracic mobility plays a crucial role in achieving this separation. The ability to rotate the thoracic spine independently from the hips helps create torque. That torque stores potential energy that can be unleashed during the downswing.
- Consistency and accuracy: Adequate thoracic mobility allows for better control and consistency in your golf swing. When your thoracic spine is restricted in its mobility, compensations may occur in other areas of your body. When we compensate it leads to swing flaws, and inconsistency. Not only that but a loss of power. By improving thoracic mobility, you can maintain a more consistent swing plane and improve your ability to strike the ball with precision. That means more birdies in your future!
- Injury prevention: Limited thoracic mobility can contribute to stress and strain on other areas of the body. Most commonly impacted are the lower back and shoulders. It can also lead to muscle compensation and even changing your movement patterns. These compensations cause imbalances, increasing the risk of overuse injuries. By improving thoracic mobility, you can reduce the strain on other joints and muscles. That means you’ll have a healthier and more sustainable golf swing. Afterall, who doesn’t want to play longer better games?
Rotational Flexibility Primer
So how does your swing feel? Fluid, smooth and free or do you feel stuck, blocked, and tight? Is the movement of your swing coming from all the right places? Have you ever completed a round of golf and had your lower back feel sore after you’re done or even hurt half way through your 18? Don’t let limited thoracic spine mobility rob you of length on your drive or worse yet cause you low back pain!
Here is your solution to getting more out of your swing. We made a primer for rotational flexibility. Rotation is a great way to unlock your spine and improve your range of motion from head to tailbone. It’s going to target your thoracic mobility and hips. Even if it’s a cm and not an inch, it will improve your golf swing! Check out the 3 exercises.
Open up your thoracic spine and improve trunk mobility.
Activate 3 different parts of hip mobility. We use flexion, external rotation, and abduction to get ourselves ready!
Understand how to isolate your upper body from your lower body with a hip hinge
Watch The Rotational Flexibility Primer Video:
If you want to up your golf game and drive further than you have before, unlocking your rotational flexibility in your thoracic spine and hips is key. Try this primer before the next time you T off and see how it can help! For even more benefits, try doing this primer every day for 1 week before your golf game. Why wait to improve your golf swing? Not only will you notice a difference in how both your body and swing feels, but your friends will notice too when you’re driving further than before!
Do Your Hips Need To Be Recalibrated?
Have you found yourself on the green and noticed that one hip just feels off? You’ve tried your usual stretching and strengthening routine and it still just isn’t quite right. We have a 4 week MDRx program to help you even yourself out and be stronger than before. It’s simple. Just click the link, sign up, and go! The next time you T-off, do it with confidence that your hips are strong and even. Try our MDRx Hip program today!
Athlete Highlights
Jon Blank
This weekend Mobility-Doc will be traveling to support Jon Blank for his ADCC Dallas Open competition! Jon has wrestled since the age of 10 and started practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2014 (10th Planet). An accomplished black belt under the 10th Planet system, this will not be his first appearance at the competition. He competed there in 2019 making the semifinals!
Blank made the top 25 pound for pound list 3 years straight for 10th Planet schools and is noted as one of FloGrappling’s top 10 to watch for this weekend. Best of luck Jon and all of the athletes competing this weekend! For more information about this weekends tournament, check out adcc.smoothcomp.com
