Today’s post is all about developing the ability to create power, and control it!  An essential part of the golf swing is the transfer of energy.  You have to create speed and through a process of one part of the body slowing down, it transfers the speed to another part of your body.  That means that in order transfer power, you must be able to put on the brakes and decelerate!

I can attest that this is a difficult concept to work on with your golf swing especially if you didn’t develop some of these patterns when you were younger.  So what can you do now in the gym to work on accelerating and decelerating?  A Lot!  Here are a few of my favorite exercises that accomplish just that!

Lateral Bounding

This is a great exercise to work on lateral stabilization.  You have to push into the ground in order to jump laterally, and then absorb the landing.  I try to focus on sticking the landing (that’s where the deceleration comes in).  You then have to push right back into the ground and rebound back to the other side.

Shuffle and Rotate

Similar to Lateral Bounding, this exercise involves creating force and then slowing it back down.  You again push into the ground and use that force to create a transfer of power.  By stopping the motion, and then rotating into the outside leg, the body effectively decelerates and then stabilizes the new motion.

Kettlebell Swings

I am not a Kettlebell expert by any means, so when it comes to these, I seek out help from people like Jen Sinkler on how to properly perform the motion.  One thing I do know though, if you want to create speed, this is the winner!  Swings will help you create power through the hips and then stabilize the motion using your glutes at the top.  Make sure to click on the link to learn all the best coaching cues!

Quarter Jump

I’m a huge fan of using change of direction to work on speeding up and slowing down.  It keeps the body guessing and you definitely have to make more adjustments in stabilization.  The biggest key is the landing.  It should be quiet, soft and effortless.  Start by jumping just a short distance and then progress into a bigger jump.  Here is a more advanced option to try as well using only one foot.

All of these exercises work great between strength sets.  But remember that because of their dynamic nature and the need for spot on form, these are not the kind of exercises to do 100’s of in a row.  If your form breaks down, exercise over!

A sample workout could look like this:

• 10 Pushups
• 30 seconds Kettlebell Swings
• 10 Pullups
• 20 Lateral Bounds
• 10 Pushups
• 10 Quarter Jumps
• 10 Pullups
• 20 Shuffle and Rotate

Go though this list 5 times and you’ll have a nice sweaty workout that will help you transfer energy even better!

See you tomorrow for another Warm Up Wednesday!

-S