Mobility- The ability to produce a desired movement.
Stability – The ability to resist an undesired movement.
From a physical training stand point it is clear to me that each joint needs either more mobility training or more stability training.Even more interesting is that it appears that they alternate in fashion. A joint that needs more mobility is surrounded, above and below, by a joint, that needs more stability, and the opposite is true! The body’s design and make-up is truly amazing
I record herewith all the joints and what each joint needs more of:
Foot – Stability (Think about base of support in the swing. No solid base will result in an unstable swing. Here I also believe centre of gravity plays a huge role in the golf swing)
Ankle – Mobility (Students need to be more mobile in their ankles!)
Knee – Stability (The way the knee works is like a hinge in the door. It can only flex and extend) An example of making the knee more stable would be to strengthen the quadriceps.
Hip – Mobility (Hips they call the machine of the golf swing. If they are limited in movement, the swing won’t be effective and powerful)
Lumbar Spine – Stability (How many golfers complain about back pain and back problems? All students need to strengthen their lower backs by picking up heavy objects with perfect pelvic tilt movement and they need to focus more on good posture.
Thoracic Spine – Mobility (We all need more of this in the swing too to get the sternum turning away from the target in the swing)
Scapula – Stability (We touched on this subject not long ago. Keeping the shoulders stable in the swing and not letting the shoulders protract and or retract when swinging. To strengthen the scapula there are several exercises available.
Gleno-Humeral Joint – Mobility. This joint is basically the shoulder joint. By getting one’s shoulders more mobile the golf swing will improve.
Elbow – Stability. I think this is obvious. The elbow works the same way the knee does. It can only flex or extend.
In summary:
“High stability (low mobility) is characterized by: a large base of support, a low centre of gravity, a centralized centre of gravity projection within the base of support, a large body mass and high friction at the ground interface.
Low stability (high mobility) in contrast occurs with a small base of support, a high center of gravity, a centre of gravity projection near the edge of the base of support, a small body mass and low friction.
