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Balance discs are getting a lot of attention in the golf world. Golf pros are sending students home to practice their swing on the discs. Good balance is key to a solid strike of the ball and this exercise is very effective at helping a golfer understand how to balance during their swing. But there is another fitness benefit that golfers can attain by practicing functional movements on one or two discs and it has to do with the strength in the ankles as well as the ankles’ ability to pronate and supinate.
During the backswing, the weight transitions to the back foot and torque is created around a middle axis running down the lower leg. Tension is created in the ligaments and muscles in the ankle area. As the swing transitions from the backswing to the downswing, the back leg’s ability to maintain stability as the torque uncoils will be determined by the degree of laxity in the ankle. A golfer with a weak back ankle might exhibit this by letting their heel lift and pivot around the toe while transitioning into the downswing. Needless to say, shots rarely go as predicted in this scenario.
Similarly, a weak front ankle can lead to problems in the swing. If the golfer doesn’t have a firmly planted front foot and ankle that can maintain its position during the downswing and follow through, the weight shift will turn into a swaying motion instead of a torqueing motion. A ball hit under these conditions is often pushed with very little power resulting in short distances.
Pronation and supination, or the rolling of the foot side to side, are also critical to proper torqueing of the lower leg. During the backswing, the front foot pronates and the back foot supinates. The opposite occurs during the follow through of the swing. Pronation is particularly critical to the stability of the foot during a golf swing. A golfer is well served by having an adequate foot pronation. Working to increase the pronation can increase the torqueing ability of the lower leg and thus translate to a powerful and fluid follow through.
So, the next time you get on your balance discs to swing the club, remember to work on other movements as well. Try performing functional, every day movements that cause you to exercise your ankle in all the degrees of rotation. And don’t forget to stretch afterwards to keep your muscles at their optimum lengths.
Other than positioning, the feet and ankles are often overlooked when discussing the golf swing. Why is this when they are, in fact, the first link in the kinetic chain that enables a golf swing? A weak link will limit the effectiveness of all the other parts above it in the chain.
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