IMPORTANCE OF POSTURE
Good posture is required for an effective address position in golf. Good posture is the result of the effective alignment of body segments and overall body balance generated by muscles, joints and bones. Poor alignment and imbalance can lead to dysfunctional movement and pain.
To evaluate posture, it helps to view the body as a kinetic chain of interacting segments. For example, downward internal rotation (pronation) of the ankle causes outward lateral rotation (eversion) of the foot, tightens calf muscles, and internally rotates the femur. To accommodate this repositioning of the femur, the pelvis tilts forward.
Forward (anterior) tilt of the pelvis also results from tight hip flexor muscles, and it’s typically paired with tight muscles in the lower back. Extended contraction of these muscle groups leads to reciprocal weakening of the opposing muscle groups, the glutes and the lower abdominals.
The linked relationship between tight hip flexors and tight lower back muscles, together with weak glutes and weak abs, is known as lower-cross syndrome. It’s a common posture fault seen as excessive forward curvature of the lumbar spine (hyperlordosis), S-posture.
We recognize S-posture as a swing fault characterized by too much curvature in the lower back and too much forward pelvic tilt at address. It places extra stress on the muscles of the lower back and reduces tone of the lower abs. A golfer with S-posture may have reverse spine angle in the backswing and inefficient kinematic sequence in the downswing.
A basic posture evaluation can reveal deviations from good posture that can affect a golfer’s address position. TPI functional movement tests can reveal and confirm muscle imbalances that lead to swing faults like S-posture. Our K-Vest 3D motion capture analysis and video evaluation reveal how posture deficits affect your golf swing, and we show how inefficient swing mechanics increase stress on your posture.
The joint stability-mobility pattern of the body is given below.
-----
Foot – Stable
Ankle – Mobile
Knee – Stable
Hip – Mobile
Lumbar Spine/Pelvis/Sacrum – Stable
Thoracic Spine – Mobile
Scapulo-Thoracic – Stable
Gleno-Humeral/Shoulder – Mobile
-----
Elbow – Stable /// Cervical Spine – Stable
Wrist – Mobile
Hand – Stable
-----