Pre-round Stretching Prevents Injury

There are plenty of reasons we don’t play well, among them the most obvious, lack of practice and, of course, lack of talent. Another often overlooked reason is our lack of pre-round stretching to make the most of our abilities.

Mara Kimowitz, a former professional dancer and trained kinesiologist, has laid out five pre-round stretching exercises that golfers should employ to prevent injury and maximize performance.

According to other experts, it’s important that you breathe while performing stretching exercises, so that the muscles are oxygenated during the stretching. Not breathing while stretching minimizes the benefit of pre-round stretching.

Mara’s Five Pre-round Stretching Exercises

Dead Man Marching

Step 1- Begin standing with your arms crossed over your chest.
Step 2- Lift your right knee into a march as you reach your left shoulder forward resulting in a twist and oppositional movement in your spine.
Step 3- Hold the stretch for 5-10 seconds. Step 4 – Repeats alternating sides a minimal of 2 times.

Standing Side Stretch

Step 1 – Begin standing with your left side facing a wall and your left hand on the wall.
Step 2 – Cross your right ankle over your left ankle and extend your right arm overhead.
Step 3- Bend towards the wall and reach your right hand towards the wall until you feel a stretch in the side of your body.
Step 4- Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Hip Opener

Step 1 – Begin seated in a chair with feet hip-width apart.
Step 2- Cross your left ankle over your right knee.
Step 3- Place your hands on your knee and ankle.
Step 4- Gently lean forward as you press your knee open.
Step 5 – Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Shoulder Opener

Step 1- Begin standing while holding a belt behind your back.
Step 2- Reach the belt away from your body until you feel a stretch in your chest and shoulders.
Steep 3- Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds.

Back Stretch

Step 1 – Stand at the back of a chair while holding the chair.
Step 2 – Walk away from the chair until your arms are extended and lower your body into a flat back position to where you feel a comfortable stretch in the armpits, shoulders, or back.
Step 3 – Hold the stretch for 15-30 seconds

Mara Kimowitz is the creator & CEO of StretchSource, a personalized flexibility training program designed to improve an individual’s flexibility, range of motion, increase circulation, decrease the body’s stress levels and prevent injuries. An author and professionally trained dancer with extensive experience in physical therapy, Gyrotonic, and Pilates, Mara provides individuals the opportunity to engage in daily activities without any physical limitations or discomfort by improving their flexibility and reducing muscle tension.