Having good mobility in your thoracic spine (thoracic vertebrae) is one of the most crucial aspects in making a powerful and efficient golf swing, and yet it’s one of the areas that is least understood by golfers.
Every week we hear golf pundits talking about how amazingly flexible some big-hitting tour player is, as they show in slow motion how the player is able to make a huge backswing shoulder turn.
What these pundits don’t understand is that there’s nothing “freakish” about this level of flexibility. The more athletic players have good flexibility, of course they do, but any golfer who hasn’t suffered severe spinal injury can be taught how to develop and maintain good spinal mobility.
Rather than having some special gift of “flexibility”, the most important factor is that these players are using their thoracic spine correctly. The thoracic spine is naturally able to rotate a long way, that’s what it is designed for, but most people have restricted mobility because of poor posture and a lack of understanding about how the spine works and how to control it.
The truth is that making a great turn in the backswing is possible for any golfer, once they know how to move. This article will teach you how to use your thoracic spine to make a great turn and a more powerful golf swing…
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…is actually very bad for your golf swing. You need a good range of motion with strength and control, and not just to be loose.
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Next up: Golf Swing Drill 302. Backswing: Making a Full Shoulder Turn.
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There are a number of other golf-specific exercises in the Golf Loopy Train like a Champion System.
Introduction to the Swing like a Champion System.
Golf Swing 101 – Setup: Basic Posture.
Fitness 101. Golf Mobility Exercises for Perfect Posture at Address.
Golf Anatomy and Kinesiology, a collection of articles describing the roles of the muscles involved in the golf swing.
