Core Strength and Club Head Speed
How do the best players in the world hit the ball so far? One of the key components of that ability has to do with the core. In this article, I am going to talk about what the core is, how it is used, and how you can work on yours so you can hit massive drives. When I talk about the core, I am talking about a complex interplay of structures surrounding our bodies’ center.
The core is made up of a roof; the roof is a muscle called the diaphragm. This muscle is active when we breathe. The sides are composed of the internal and external oblique muscles. These muscles act to help us rotate. The posterior or back side is made up of small muscles that sit close to the spine called the multifidi. These muscles help with segmental stability (more on that later). A deep muscle on the anterior or front of the body is called the transversus abdominis. This is another muscle that stiffens the body in preparation for movement. Finally, the pelvic floor consists of muscles around our genitals, which help to control defecation. There is a fascinating interplay between all of these muscles that help to provide elastic energy. I will explain this term next.
This is a side view of the body
Motion analysis has allowed researchers to determine what factors are important in making a good, effective golf swing. How the body moves during the golf swing shows consistency with the best players in the world. The goal for great ball striking is to achieve good distance with acceptable accuracy. This is achieved at impact by good club head velocity and accurate contact of the ball impacting the club face.
To achieve these factors, the timing and sequencing of the body are paramount. This term is called the kinematic sequence. The kinematic sequence is the release of the body from the top of the backswing to impact. The pelvis initiates movement toward the target, followed by the thorax, then the arms, and finally the hands and club. As these segments release, there is a summation of the forces that transfer from one part of the body to another.
This picture allows you to appreciate how the anterior or front muscles of the core are stretched maximally during the backswing and then sequentially released during the downswing to create tremendous club head and ball speed.
This summation of forces occurs when the muscles involved in the golf swing can store elastic energy. Elastic energy occurs in a muscle when it goes through a stretch-shortening cycle. There are components in the muscle that store energy while a muscle is stretching. This storage mainly happens in tendons. A tendon is a structure where the muscle meets the bone. If utilized properly, the tendon can exert extra force by utilizing this stored energy when the muscle goes into its shortening phase.3
This stretch-shortening cycle occurs in various segments of the body during the golf swing. The summation of the stored energy being efficiently placed into the golf ball is why the best players in the world hit the ball so far! The next logical question you are likely asking is, “Brian, how do I strengthen my core?”
Building core strength so that you can hit the ball farther can be complicated, but it does not have to start that way. Access to social media has allowed us to see the best players in the world doing complicated movements in the gym with bands, on balls while rotating and throwing something. What we don’t always appreciate is how long they have trained to be able to do those complex movements. We should start with an exam to determine our capability and find any impairments in our body that may prohibit us from getting the most out of our bodywork. It breaks my heart to hear the story of so many golfers who have hurt their back and end up leaving the game, never to enjoy golf again. In trying to prevent more golfers from retiring, I created an online program to help educate them on how to safely build their core strengths. This program is similar to what I share with the current golfers I work with. It has the best 5 core exercises that you should be doing to enhance your strength. You get access to 5 individual videos or you can follow along as I do them with you in a 14-minute video. This by far is one of the best ways to invest in your golf game for the future.
Here is the link to check out more about this program. It even has a test that you can use to see how you stack up.