The following is an article about the effects of posture on your golf swing called Is Your Desk Ruining Your Golf Game?. It is provided complements of Andrea Kosa, a physiotherapist who specializes in golf related injury prevention and rehabilitation, and is reproduced with her permission. Please see Andrea’s site yourgolfbody.com for more excellent golf related articles.
Posture. Even back when we were kids – our parents would make remarks such as “stand tall” and “stop slumping””. Then today we hear the golf teaching pros remark on how important good golf posture is to making a consistent and efficient swing. This leads me to address an external factor that we can adjust for the purpose of improving your golf game: your work space and desk! This article is not intended to increase your productivity at work (but it might) but instead to enhance your golf game!
Slumping or Hunching over at your work station can have a prolonged change to your posture leaving certain muscles tight and movement restricted and other muscle weak and unable to stabilize. When working 8 + hours a day in a poor posture more often than not – the changes can be longstanding and relate negatively to your ability to swing a golf club. Image how fit you would be if you exercised at a low level for 8 + hours a day! Sitting in a slumped posture does the exact opposite!
Now you exhibit decreased flexibility and weakness in certain muscles, then you go to the golf course and expect to perform at the highest level. Your turn is limited which limits your ability to create a good backswing. You are not hitting it as far or as straight as you like. You can get some pain or stiffness in your low back and arms as a result of compensating for the restrictions your golf body has. Consistency is reduced because you are going in and out of the posture at address and our smart body does everything it can to get that club head back to the ball, even though it performs in the least efficient way. You have C-Posture! And it is wrecking your game!
Common swing faults that can be associated to having a C-posture include:
- Chicken winging arms and cupping of the wrists
- Sliding and swaying
- Early extension out of posture
If you are a student or a professional that works at a computer or sits at a desk throughout the day there are some easy tips and changes you can make at your work space to influence you to sit in a better posture. These tips include:
- Chair – should be adjustable in seat height and tilt, arm rests, and back rest
- Desk Top Surface – height should be at a level where your forearms will clear the top when your arms are crossed
- Keyboard and Mouse – should be positioned close to the body to prevent over reaching and strain on the neck and back
- Monitor – center of the screen should be 20 degrees below eye level and the font big enough so that you do not have to lean in and strain your eyes to read
- Posture – chest up, shoulders relaxed, arch of low back supported by back of chair and feet flat on floor.
Making these changes at work and focusing on improving your C-posture throughout the day can make an impact on how you feel every day, how your muscles can perform, and improve your mobility. A Medical professional can help you identify specific limitations in your golf body and teach you specific exercise to help build a better posture. Most importantly, the better you move, the more you can improve your performance on the golf course!
For more information regarding a medical assessment: visit www.yourgolfbody.com
REFERENCE:
Rose, Dr. Greg, November 17 2005, “C-Posture”. http://www.mytpi.com/mytpi05/Fitness/article_print.asp?id=142 Accessed: 2 December 2010.