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Mobility Versus Stability
The most important aspect of any functional movement is the
principle of being in balance. Balance, as we think of it in the golfing
world, is the fine line that exists between mobility and stability in your
stance and swing.
 | | A balance of flexibility and functionality is needed to preload the muscles
and generate power. |
If you have too much flexibility, or flexibility that you are unable
to control during the functional part of the golf swing, it no longer works
as an asset. On the opposite side, if you are tight-jointed and stable but
don't have enough mobility to produce a functional golf swing, you are
unable to preload the muscle, resulting in lack of power.
That is why the golf swing requires a good balance between mobility
and stability. According to Gray Cook, an orthopedic physical therapy
specialist, "Stability is the active muscular control exerted on a joint to
redirect force and controlled movement in the presence of normal muscular
flexibility and joint mobility."
Many questions regarding the effectiveness of stretching in creating
this balance between mobility and stability present themselves. How long
should the stretch be held? How long does it take to achieve an increase in
flexibility? What is the residual effect of increased flexibility after you
have stopped stretching? Other questions concern how frequently to stretch
and the most effective time to stretch.
The answers to all these questions have a component of individual
preference. You'll attain the best results, however, by using a combination
of different flexibility activities. This will ensure more comprehensive
flexibility and reduce the boredom factor so that stretching will not be
the most neglected fitness component in your exercise regime.
In recent years specialized flexibility equipment has been
developed. A study of 40 golfers compared changes in joint flexibility and
club head speed when stretching statically and when using specifically
designed flexibility equipment.
Several stretching devices are on the market that allow athletes to
passively place and hold the body in a stretching position; the
BackSystem3, Precor Stretch Trainer, StretchMate, and Prostretch are just a
few.
The static stretching group improved their relative flexibility and
increased their club head speed by 120 percent. The group that used
specialized stretching equipment did not improve their relative flexibility
but increased their club head speed by 170 percent.
From this study we conclude that being stabilized at the hips on the
specialized stretching equipment may decrease muscle stiffness, as opposed
to increasing relative flexibility.
This finding has important implications with respect to power
production. Improvements in general flexibility apparently might not be as
useful as specifically stretching the part of the muscle chain that is
tightest. This result also indicates that it might be necessary to swing
within the functional framework of your body. The piece of stretching
equipment called the BackSystem3 was used in the study.
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