Foam Rolling to Improve your golf game
Foam rolling can look scary to those who are unsure what it is or more importantly why people are even doing it. For those people who are unsure, I am hoping this helps answer some questions and gets them onto a foam roller.
Lets start with the obvious, what is foam rolling?
Foam rolling in its most basic form is a deep tissue massage that you are doing yourself. By using your body weight to push down on the roller, the surface area that is in contact is being mashed much like a rolling pin would dough. As you roll around you are helping to break up any myofascial adhesions that you have. These adhesions are bad for the muscle because it is basically a big knot that is limiting the blood flow and oxygen that can pass through the muscle.
So why is foam rolling important for my golf game?
If you have followed any of my posts, tweets, or even heard anything related to golf fitness in the past few years you know that mobility and flexibility are one of the biggest keys to the body performing the task at hand, a golf swing. Stretching and going through movement exercises is great and you are definitely on the road to improving your body. However, these adhesions can be restricting your progress. By eliminating these problems, the body can improve at a more rapid rate because it isn't restricted in movement or nutrition.
Imagaine your muscle is a rubberband. Without any restiction to it, you can stretch it and it moves freely and snaps back. What happens if I pinch a portion of the rubberband and then you attempt to stretch it? The pinches portion, (adhesion) does not move. This would be a portion of your muscle that is not ever being stretched and deprived of proper nutrients.
The best thing you can do for your game is to start foam rolling. Start simple, and work your way into a longer routine. Your body will start to feel better and your game will show signs of improvement as well!
Here is an introductory video so you have a better idea on where and how to get started.