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Feeling Spine Tension in Downswing

This exercise helps you understand how to control spine movement for smoother transitions, without being too tense or rigid. Discover how to blend tension and relaxation to create a more fluid and powerful golf swing. Perfect for golfers looking to improve their core engagement and overall swing mechanics!

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This drill is spine tension in the downswing.

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Um, so we're going to, we're going to start with an exercise

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where we do a movement for our spine

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to feel a appropriate amount of tension in the downswing.

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Um, so many golfers know that

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good golfers always describe a feeling of being relaxed.

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That can be a couple different places.

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That can be in the wrists

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and forearms, that can be in the, the shoulders and neck.

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Um, but it can also be in the spine.

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That's what we're gonna, what we're gonna

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focus on in this drill.

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Um, so let's walk through this exercise.

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So this exercise is a, is a version of a car, um,

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which is developed by, uh, this, this group, uh, FRC.

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Um, so they've got some great exercises for working on kind

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of movement, joint range of motion.

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We're gonna use it to help us feel the proper

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tension in the golf swing.

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So, uh, we're gonna do a spine movement.

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So first we're going to round that spine forward, right?

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Kind of like doing a cat in yoga, cat and dog.

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And then we're gonna do an extension,

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and we're gonna try to extend not just the lower

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back, but the upper back.

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So we're gonna go forward backward.

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Now we're gonna do left side, right side.

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So we felt these two. Now we're gonna try to blend all four.

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So we're gonna go forward, left side backward,

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right side forward, left side, backward, right side.

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We can go both directions, kind of like this.

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And now, if I was to have you just take a second

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and feel, while you're doing this, I want you to feel

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how much tension you have in your core.

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And I don't necessarily need you

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to do full range of motion on this.

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That's not the purpose. Um,

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but we're seeing how in order to move the spine in this way,

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if you were to try to do one aggressively,

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like let's say I wanted to flex forward really aggressively,

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it would make it hard to then change direction

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and go to the side if I was gonna try to go

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to the side really aggressively.

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It makes it hard to change direction and go, uh, forward.

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So now as I'm, I'm gonna tighten up the circle,

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so I'm not gonna make as big a motion,

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but I want to try to kind

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of like create some speed while doing this.

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That's about the right tension,

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because what's gonna happen is mid downswing,

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I'm gonna be going into flexion and,

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and a little bit of left translation like this,

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and then I'm gonna be going into right side bend extension.

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So I'm, I'm basically going from here to there.

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That's a pretty pronounced or big movement for the spine.

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If you have too much tension, if you go into

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that aggressively, then you're not gonna be able

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to change the direction of your spine.

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So then you're gonna get the change

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of direction from either your legs or extension or slide

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or from your arms and shoulders, either a throw

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or a chicken wing.

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Um, so if we want to get the core doing more

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of the movement, we have to learn this feeling of,

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of a little bit more, uh, decreased tension

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or tone within the spine.

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I don't want it to be floppy,

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like it's not in control at all,

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but I want it to be a little bit more loose.

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So now we're gonna play around with, um, making some 10

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to two moves where we're feeling kind of a little bit

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of this more elephant trunk

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or kind of like syrupy tempo, especially in the core.

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So we're gonna go 10 to two, we're gonna bring it back

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and we're gonna feel like the,

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like the core did whatever movement it was going to do,

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but on a really smooth or soft, uh, kind of tempo.

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One of the ways that I like to get people to soften it is

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by feeling more of an exhale

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or by giving a little bit more of an exhale.

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So on this next one, we're gonna bring it back.

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Actually before we even start, we're going to exhale

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And then keep that exhale going, um,

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as we're making transition into the downs way.

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So we're gonna breathe in

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and out, kinda like that.

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So now we're gonna take it up to the full swing.

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This is where a lot of people in

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that first phase really like to contract and tighten.

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We're gonna try to emphasize being really relaxed in the

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shoulders and rib cage relaxed,

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but still in control,

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kinda like that.

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So if you struggle with, um, too much

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of a movement this way, too much of a movement this way,

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or just it looks like your body doesn't really, uh,

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blend fluidly from transition into the release,

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then we might wanna work on the tone or the level of tension

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and relaxation in your core.

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