How Does Foot Mobility Affect Golf Performance?
This week we are talking about the foot and the connection between the golfer and the ground. As you can imagine, our ability to create power happens from the ground up. What happens if we have a poor ability to use the ground to create the golf swing? More specifically, what happens if the golfer is flat footed or has high arches, and is not able to move between a pronated (flatter foot) and supinated (arched foot) in the golf swing?
What is a flat foot?
A flat foot is seen when the arch is missing or diminished from the foot. This can happen due to genetic reasons (you were born that way) or from a compensation due to lacking motor control, foot mobility issues, ankle mobility issues, or hip and pelvic mobility issues. When we are lacking mobility at certain regions in the lower extremity, athletes and golfers can adapt a position of a everted foot which mimics a flat foot. The issue here is we loose ability to actually move in and out of that flat foot position when we need to. Check out the video below to see what eversion, inversion, supination and pronation is…
Why do golfers need foot mobility?
So, when would a golfer need to pronate and supinate in the golf swing? When we move into the backswing, we need to be able to shift our weight onto the back leg and hip while rotating to that side. This creates a demand all the way down at the foot for rotation AND side-to-side slide at the foot. If you’ve seen Scotty Scheffler’s swing, you may have an appreciation for the magnitude of the torque occurring down at the ankle and foot. Check out this video below of Scotty talking about his feet during his swing…
What he is doing is releasing some of the torque AFTER he has transitioned the weight onto the front foot. Otherwise, he is shifting weight onto the backfoot creating or requiring supination of the backfoot to “accept the weight” and pronation of the front foot to help push you there. On the downswing, we move through the exact opposite with the backfoot pronating and pushing towards the leading side and the leading side leg moving into supination to accept the weight transfer. If the foot and ankle is not capable of doing this, we would need to slide or rotate our foot in the backswing and downswing before the follow through, creating innumerable swing characteristics, faults, compensations up the chain, and a major detriment to power. Check out the video below to see how the weight shift in the golf swing requires pronation and supination of the foot for the golf swing…
Pronation and supination in the golf swing
How can missing hip mobility create a flat foot compensation?
Foot and ankle mobility is often a key missing link in golfers, but so is hip mobility. Hip mobility is needed to access, without compensation, appropriate golf swing positions AND sequencing. When the hip is missing certain range of motion, often internal rotation, the distal structures, in this case the ankle and foot, will compensate to create the position of pronation (usually the result of internal rotation at the hip and tibia) by instead everting. This creates the flat foot position without going through the natural motion of pronation and instead leaves us unable to move in and out of the flat foot position athletically. Therefore, it is essential to assess and address any hip and pelvic mobility issues when considering the foot and ankle in the golfer. To learn more about how we assess the hip and integrate treatment for rehab and performance training at Integrated Rehab And Performance Center, refer to the article and podcast on this topic:
Podcast:
-YouTube: Golf Podcast Episode 18: The lower quarter rotation test
Article:
-The Lower Quarter Rotation Test
When the hip and pelvis are lacking the range we need, the feet will dump into the positions of supination or pronation as a whole, often times pronation. This is really an everted foot as oppose to a pronated foot and when we fail to leave this position, we have a flat foot. So, beyond addressing the hip and pelvis to make sure these areas are not the cause of the foot position, we will also look at the foot itself. Often times, we will need to work to improve supination or pronation mechanics and general range of motion of the ankle. Follow the flow below to see some example progressions we use to do just that when the foot and ankle are presenting as the source of the problem OR when we need to re-integrate the foot and ankle after improving mechanics elsewhere, like the pelvis.
Improving foot pronation:
The first thing we need to do is improve general ankle mobility, like dorsiflexion. Then we can work on the dropping of the arch as we move weight from the heel to the forefoot.
Exercise 1: Ankle dorsiflexion on weight plate
· Keep the toes loose, do not flex or crunch them!
· Do for 10 slow reps each ankle
Exercise 2: Pronation/ supination drill with sock feedback
· Move slowly and focus on FEELING the arch drop towards the ground as you shift the weight forward. Feel the arch pull back up as you shift the weight backward towards the heel again.
· Do 15 reps slowly.
Exercise 3: Pronation split squat
· Never lose the inside edge of the foot, inside edge of the heel, and the base of the big toe.
· Move slowly like an elevator straight up and down.
· Hold the weight in the opposite side hand.
· Do 8 reps.
Improving foot supination:
We first want to work on general ankle range of motion like dorsiflexion. Then we can begin attacking supination and re-gaining the arch in the foot.
Exercise 1: Ankle dorsiflexion on weight plate
· Keep the toes loose, do not flex or crunch them!
· Do for 10 slow reps each ankle
Exercise 2: Pronation/ supination drill with sock feedback
· Move slowly and focus on FEELING the arch drop towards the ground as you shift the weight forward. Feel the arch pull back up as you shift the weight backward towards the heel again.
· Do 15 reps slowly.
Exercise 3: Negative shin angle split squat
· Hold the weight in the opposite side hand.
· Reduce range of motion so shin never comes forward past the ankle.
Conclusion:
When the foot and the ankle is the problem or we need to re-learn to integrate the foot and ankle after a hip and pelvis problem, these exercise circuits are a great place to start. Again, a thorough assessment of the foot, ankle, knee, hip, and pelvis (and spine for that matter) will tell us the true story and what needs to be done. Check out the articles, podcasts, and videos listed in this post to learn more on the related topics!
-Dr. Nick DC, TPI, CSCS
If you would like to learn more about your body, pain, and performance, send Dr. Nick an email at contact@integratedrpc.com or call at (585)478-4379, or schedule a FREE discovery visit at Contact.
