Feel the POWER in your swing!
Today, I want to discuss how you can learn to hit the ball longer. With the understanding of a few fundamentals, and the help of a couple of simple exercises, you will begin to learn how to maximize your power.
POWER POSITION NUMBER 1
Pictured here we have the current world number one golfer Rory McIIroy. Rory is one of the longest drivers on tour today. He weighs about 160 pounds, and he averages over 300 yards a drive! As you can see, at the top of Rory’s backswing, he has fully rotated his upper body while his lower body has remained relatively quiet in comparison. When you are able to rotate the upper body independently from the lower body, it creates the ability to properly sequence your backswing and set you up for a powerful downswing.
EXERCISE TO CREATE UPPER BODY AND LOWER BODY SEPARATION
- Begin this exercise in normal golf posture, and hold a club across your chest.
- Keep the lower body still and rotate your upper body to the right and then to the left.
- Maintain your golf posture throughout the entire exercise.
BENEFITS:
This exercise promotes mobility of the upper body and stability of the lower body. Both of these abilities are essential for maximizing coil, and storing power at the top of your backswing.
POWER POSITION NUMBER 2 (THE DOWNSWING)
Due to the tremendous coil Rory has created in his backswing, he is able to unwind his hips and start the downswing with his lower body. This action creates maximum speed through the shot.
POWER POSITION NUMBER 3 (THE BALANCED FINISH)
Oftentimes when golfers try to increase the speed of their swing, their ability to stay balanced suffers, and poor contact is usually the result. Posting up to the finish position shown in the picture above, is essential for making consistent contact with your shots. Better contact equals more distance!
EXERCISE TO CREATE BALANCE IN YOUR GOLF SWING
To perform this exercise properly, maintain the upright position as shown in the pictures above with your leg parallel to the ground, and your arms not touching your sides. Try to hold this position with each leg for 25-30 seconds without any movement.
ADVANCED VERSION
Perform the same exercise shown above. Once you are stable and perfectly still, close your eyes and try to hold the position for at least 25 seconds.
BENEFITS
Both your balance and stability will be greatly enhanced.
If you do these exercises regularly, and study the swing positions I have discussed in this article, you will hit the ball with more power and consistency! Enjoy!!!