Last week, we talked about responsive flexibility exercises, which is one part of a three-piece comprehensive flexibility training program for golf. The second category is operational flexibility exercises.

In a comprehensive flexibility training program, we begin with responsive flexibility exercises to stretch muscles that are tight. Once we’ve completed that process, we move on to operational flexibility training exercises. We know the golf swing is a dynamic movement, meaning the body is in constant motion and the entire body is involved. Certain parts of the body are more involved than others, but it’s obvious the golf swing is a total body activity. After all, you don’t just swing your arms, right? This is where operational flexibility exercises come into play.

These types of exercises begin the process needed for the fluid movement of the golf swing. The goal of the exercises is to develop the range of motion required in the golf swing in each individual joint. Looking at the bigger picture, responsive flexibility exercises focus on specific muscles and this moves us to the next level, focusing on joint structures such as the shoulder, hip joints, spine in which we incorporate more muscles within this type of flexibility exercises.

Let me explain, the golf swing requires the shoulder to move with a specific degree of rotation, allowing the club to move through a full rotation on the backswing and follow through. If the shoulder capsule is unable to move through this range of motion in a fluid, unimpeded and smooth manner, the swing is affected and possibly causes compensations in the golf swing. Operational flexibility exercises take the newly lengthened muscles from responsive flexibility training and implements them into exercises to develop the needed range of motion within a single joint for the golf swing.

For example, if I were to perform a responsive flexibility exercise to stretch a tight muscle in the shoulder. I would then incorporate an operational flexibility exercise next to work the entire shoulder joint through the range of motion required of the golf swing. It’s like building blocks – responsive flexibility exercises were the first block and operation flexibility exercises are the second block.

Understanding the golf swing is a total body activity, involving all the muscles and joints of the body, we have an operational flexibility exercise for every joint involved. The difference between operational flexibility exercises and responsive flexibility exercises are that operational move individual joints through the range of motion for a number of reps while responsive flexibility exercises help stretch the individual muscles.

A great golf specific operational flexibility exercise is called Windmills. The windmills are nice because they assist in developing range of motion in two joints – the hip and the spine.

To begin this exercise, place the feet shoulder width apart, extend the arms straight out from the chest, clasp the hands together and keep the arms together at shoulder height through the exercise. Rotate the arms and shoulders as far as possible to the left, keeping both feet flat on the floor. Rotate as far as possible to the right then alternate rotating left and right for 15 to 20 repetitions.

This is a great operational flexibility exercise to be implemented after responsive flexibility exercises to help develop range of motion in the hips and spine required by the golf swing. Next week, we’ll discuss the final building block of the comprehensive flexibility training program, dynamic flexibility training