The Shoulder External Rotation Exercise is a great way to develop and maintain mobility in your rotator cuff, for a more efficient golf swing and to help to prevent injury.
The Shoulder External Rotation Exercise is based on the Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) athletic stretching technique, a method of muscle lengthening and fascial release that provides effective, dynamic, facilitated stretching of major muscle groups. Based on sound scientific research, AIS will improve and maintain the function of your muscle tissues and joints, as well as their health.
The Shoulder External Rotation Exercise forms part of the Golf Mobility series of innovative and dynamic exercises that will help to improve your joint and muscle mobility, improving your range of motion while increasing functional strength within the entire range of that motion – thus helping to prevent injuries and building the foundation for a consistent, accurate, and powerful golf swing.
Equipment
This exercise requires a golf club or dowel.
Figure 1. Shoulder External Rotational Exercise Video.
Steps
- Start by standing tall in perfect posture, your knees slightly bent, feet hip-width apart.
- Hold a golf club in the fingers of your left hand and down the outside of your humerus, just above the elbow, with your arm bent at 90 degrees at the elbow, and your elbow up in front of your shoulder.
- Hold the bottom end of the club with your right hand. This is the starting position.
- Keep your left elbow still as you slowly push the back of your left wrist to the left, rotating your forearm and the golf club around your elbow.
- Once you have rotated your forearm around your elbow as far as you can, pull on the golf club gently with your right hand, keeping your left elbow still, to increase the stretch.
- Hold the stretch for 2 seconds, and slowly return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
- Switch sides and repeat.
Start with a small range of motion and try to gradually increase it with each rep.
Try to keep the elbow of your stretching arm completely still, and don’t let it straighten as you pull on the golf club.
You should feel a stretch in your shoulder and upper arm.
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There are a number of other golf-specific mobility exercises in the Golf Loopy Train like a Champion System.
Internal and External Rotation.
Introduction to the Swing like a Champion System.
Golf Anatomy and Kinesiology, a collection of articles describing the roles of the muscles involved in the golf swing.
