Great golfers contract their oblique muscles (outer abs) to bring their rib cage and pelvis closer together through impact. The move, called pelvic tilt, stabilizes your lower body and helps your upper body accelerate around it for explosive power. (Watch Rory McIlroy, who does it better than anyone.)
Can you do it? Here’s a test. Stand in front of a mirror in posture, with a 5-iron held across your chest. Try to arch your lower back, tilting your belt buckle forward. Then round it, tilting your belt buckle backward. As you perform both moves, keep the rest of your body still, especially your legs.
If you can’t do this without a lot of movement in your lower body, or the movement feels “shaky,” your pelvic tilt needs work. Cat-cows is one exercise that can help. Get on all fours with a neutral back — you should be able to draw a straight line from your head to your hips. Next, arch and round your back as you did in the pelvic tilt test.
It should be easier to do while you’re on all fours, because gravity is helping you. Perform two sets of 10 a few times per week and you’ll be on your way to perfecting your tilt — and power potential.
