In much of my instruction and many students is work with, I constantly emphasize the importance of set-up. More specifically the importance of establishing a grounded address position. There are a few reasons why a grounded, balanced set-up plays a very important part in our overall swing, which we will discuss here.
Ultimately, for our body to generate power we must establish a strong, balanced foundation. Now, why is this so essential? Well it is orientated around pure evolutionary instinct.
The brain’s primary focus is protecting the body and the reducing the risk of injury. The brain couldn’t care less about the golf swing or any sporting motion for that matter. Essentially if we were to lose balance and fall over, there is a chance we could hurt/injure ourselves. We are genetically built to protect ourselves therefore maintaining balance is a huge contributing factor to our wellbeing.
The Fragile Tower of Cards
I have used this image as I feel it is a great depiction of how a weak set-up looks in terms of the golf swing. For anyone who as built a tower of cards you know how much precision is required and how little it takes for the whole structure to collapse.
A weak address position means we have a narrow margin for error with regards to stability and balance during the swing. Any imbalance during the swing will lead to severe loss of power and efficiency. This can easily lead to compensations that can potentially put sections of the body under much stress; the lower back for example.
Pillars of Strength – Grounded Address Position
Establishing a strong, grounded address position gives you gives you the opportunity to focus on and establish power in the swing. As mentioned in the first paragraph, the body is balanced and in control. The brain can now dedicate more of it’s focus to executing a great golf shot.
This being said there are still motions we can initiate during the swing that can jeopardize this strong foundation. This is explained in more detail here;
Summary
Addressing the golf ball is one of the few components of a golf swing that we can consistently do, that can mirror the best players in the world. Therefore it is imperative we take advantage of this. A well grounded address position allow us to swing the golf club much more efficiently and with much more power, as well as reduce stresses in our body and the potential risk of injury.
