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Stick Mobility is one of the best fitness tools for golfers. It is so simple, yet so effective for training golf movements. It is not only an incredible tool for increasing flexibility and mobility, but it is great for gaining strength as well.
Traditional strength movements involve increasing the load on our bodies with weights. Stick Mobility increases the load on your body through the flex in the mobility stick. It is unique way to gain strength across hard-to-train muscle groups. It also trains your body to perform unique movements that are required for a powerful golf swing.
What is Stick Mobility?
Stick Mobility equipment is only sold on their website at stickmobility.com or on Amazon.
Being an engineer, I wondered if a regular wooden dowel or pvc pipe would do the same thing as a mobility stick. The wooden dowel works for a lot of the exercises, but it doesn’t have the flex you need for some of the movements.
Using a 6 foot length of schedule 80 pvc pipe is plain dangerous. It has the flex you are looking for, but it has the potential to fail in a catastrophic way. It will send sharp pieces of pvc pipe everywhere if you bend it too far. The material is not meant to handle the loads you will put on it.
Stick Mobility increases the mobility of your hips, spine, shoulders, and back. Your golf game will never be the same.
The Stick Mobility equipment is designed to flex and return to the original position. It is designed to handle all the forces that will be placed on it during your workout. It is a brilliant piece of engineering in such a simple form: an orange stick.
Here are some of the best Stick Mobility golf exercises for improving strength:
1. Bow and Arrow
The Bow and Arrow strengthens and stretches your body along the frontal plane. Golf coaches are often talking about getting enough “side bend” in your golf swing. The Bow and Arrow is the perfect exercise to gain the strength and mobility you need to a achieve more “side bend” in your golf swing.
Your hip flexors, back, obliques, lats, and upper back will all reap the benefits of the Bow and Arrow. This is the ultimate exercise for rotational athletes (golfers) who are looking for more strength and mobility in how they bend.
Here’s how to perform the Bow and Arrow.
Setup
- Grab a 6 foot or 7 foot mobility stick, depending on your height and strength.
- Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart. Place the mobility stick straight up and down a few inches outside of your right foot.
- Reach up with your left hand and grab near the top of the mobility stick. Place your right hand near the middle of the stick.
- Engage your core and stabilize your lower body.
Execution
- Keeping your left elbow locked, push out with your right hand and bend the mobility stick.
- Focus on pulling your right side down and in. You will feel a big stretch along your left side.
- Hold the position for 10-20 seconds and repeat 3-4 times on each side.
Bow and Arrow Tips
Pull on the mobility stick with your top hand and pull with the bottom hand. You will feel a big stretch with this movement, especially the first few times you do it. Here are a few tips:
- Don’t arch your lower back. Focus on moving your rib cage down and feeling the stretch in your lats, hip flexors, and obliques.
- Keep your hips stable. Don’t sway your hips away from the mobility stick. Keep them in line.
- Move only on the frontal plane. Use your strength the bend the mobility stick out to your side. Don’t allow the stick to move in front of you.
2. Rotational Bow and Arrow
The Rotational Bow and Arrow looks an awful lot like the golf swing. Instead of training your body in the frontal plane like a regular Bow and Arrow, the Rotational Bow and Arrow moves your body in the saggital and transverse planes. It requires you to hinge at the hips and rotate your upper body.
This golf movement opens up your thoracic spine and strengths your hips and back. It’s an exercise that looks like it was meant for golfers.
Here’s how to perform the Rotational Bow and Arrow
Setup
- Grab a 6 foot or 7 foot mobility stick, depending on your height and strength.
- Take an stance with your feet about shoulder width apart.
- Place the mobility stick straight up and down directly between your feet, about 6″ in front of your toes.
- Reach up and grab the top of the mobility stick with your right hand. Place your left hand at about the center of the stick.
- Engage your core and stabilize your core.
Execution
- Hinge your hips and begin leaning forward. At the same time, start pushing the middle of the mobility stick out to your right side with your left hand.
- Pull the top of the stick with your right hand and push with your left hand. Feel the thoracic rotation and stretch.
- Your upper body will get close to parallel with the floor, depending on your flexibility and strength.
- Hold the position for 10-20 seconds and repeat 3-4 times on each side.
Rotational Bow and Arrow Tips
The Rotation Bow and Arrow will take a good amount of strength. Don’t feel bad if you can’t hold the position for very long. Here are some good tips:
- Keep your lower body stable. Your hips and lower body will need to be stable to get the maximum strength and flexibility benefits in your thoracic spine.
- Take breaths. It is a difficult movement to hold for 20 seconds or even 10 seconds. Make sure you are taking breathes.
- Focus on rotation. Don’t just push on the mobility stick as hard as you can. Rotate you thoracic spine spine too.
3. Half Kneeling Push and Pull
The Half Kneeling Push and Pull is a great exercise because it strengthens your thoracic spine and opens up your hip flexors at the same time. It will become very obvious if you have any muscle imbalances in your hips or back as you perform this exercise.
This exercises is performed in the half kneeling position, or lunging position. Your hips won’t be able to rotate much, so you won’t be able to cheat the thoracic rotation. That’s why you will notice any muscle imbalances between your right and left sides.
Here’s how to perform a half kneeling push and pull:
Setup
- Grab a 6 foot or 7 foot mobility stick with your right hand and place one end on the floor so the stick is straight up and down
- Assume a half kneeling position with your left foot forward.
- Place the end of the mobility stick about 12 inches away from your left foot.
- Reach up and grip the stick as high as you can with your right hand. Place your left hand at about shoulder height on the stick.
Execution
- Keeping your torso upright and your right arm straight, push out to the right with your left hand.
- Allow your upper body to rotate and feel the stretch in your thoracic spine. You’ll be in a position similar to the top of the golf backswing.
- You can sink your hips downward to get maximum stretch in your hip flexors.
- Hold for 10-20 seconds for 3 reps and repeat on the other side.
Hip Openers Tips
This movement can be uncomfortable if you have knee pain. Try placing a pad or folded yoga mat under your rear knee. Here a few more tips:
- Keep your front foot flat on the ground. You will be tempted to rotate your foot the direction you turning your upper body.
- Limit lower back movement. Focus on stretching your hip flexors and strengthening your thoracic spine.
- Take breaks for your grip. Stick mobility movements can be hard on your grip. The movement will be more beneficial if your grip strength is fresh.
4. Slapshots
Slapshots are probably the most challenging stick mobility exercise on this list. They are excellent for stretching and strengthening your hamstrings, hips, obliques, shoulders, thoracic spine, and your chest. It might be shorter to list the muscle groups that aren’t used during a slapshot.
If you are looking for an easy stick mobility movement, look elsewhere. This is one of the best movements, but it is also one of the most challenging. There is a learning curve for slapshots, so be prepared to feel silly if you’ve never done a slapshot before. They will help you move smoothly and efficiently through your golf swing if you give them a chance.
Here is how to perform a slapshot:
Setup
- Grab a 6 foot or 7 foot mobility stick depending your strength and height.
- Take a stance that is a bit wider than shoulder width. You can go wider if you are comfortable.
- Place the mobility stick across the small of your back. Place both hands on the mobility stick with your palms facing forward.
- Extend your arms along the stick and grab as far out as possible.
- Keep a neutral back and engage your core
Execution
- Begin the movement by hinging forward at the hips. Lightly bend your knees and keep a neutral spine.
- Keep your hips still and rotate your torso to bring the right end of of the mobility stick down to the ground in front of you. Try to move end of the stick past center towards your left foot.
- Pull with your left hand to open up your thoracic spine and feel a good stretch.
- Hold the stick’s position and shift your weight towards your right hip.
- Now slowly shift your weight to your left hip, keeping a neutral spine.
- Repeat with the other side.
- Complete 3 sets on each side.
Slapshots Tips
These will be challenging. Try to go a little deeper with the movement on each set. Here are some good tips to make slapshots more effective:
- Move your hips laterally. Don’t allow your knees to track forward, causing your hips to rotate.
- Relax your shoulders. You might feel tight in your shoulders as you try to support your weight. Keep them relaxed and rely on your grip strength.
- Exit the movement slowly. Stay in control as you return your body to the starting position. Releasing the tension all at once can cause injury.
5. Rotational Split Squats
Rotational Split Squats will help your balance and stability while you increase your rotational strength. They are similar to a Bulgarian split squat, but with a twist. Yes, a literal twist.
This movement targets your glutes, quads, obliques, hips, and thoracic spine. They are a great “bang for your buck” if you are looking for a leg movement that increases your rotational power.
Here is how to do a rotational split squat:
Setup
- Grab a 6 foot or 7 foot mobility stick. One of the short 4 foot sticks would work great as well.
- Find a short box or a bench.
- Place the mobility stick across your chest and hold it in place by crossing your arms.
- Take a step away from the box, then reach your left foot back and place it on top of the box.
- Find your balance and brace your core.
Execution
- Slowly lower your left knee to the ground while rotating your torso to the right.
- Rotate as far as you can to the right and hover your left knee above the ground.
- Extend your right leg and rotate back to the left, returning the starting postion.
- Repeat on the other leg, rotating to the right this time.
- Complete 2 sets of 8-10 reps on each side.
Rotational Split Squats Tips
Rotational Split Squats are meant to be performed in a slow and controlled manner. Don’t feel rushed and rotate too quickly. Here are some more tips:
- Find your balance. Take a moment to find your balance before you start into the movement. Tipping over while your are rotating is frustrating.
- Feel the stretch. Rotate all the way when your reach the bottom of the split squat. You will feel a good stretch in your thoracic spine.
Stick Mobility Exercises Final Thoughts
Stick Mobility is an incredible fitness tool that every golfer should have in their arsenal. You will be amazed at how much your flexibility and mobility can improve by doing these Stick Mobility stretches on a consistent basis. Most golfers don’t have the advantage of being active all day long. These stretches will give tremendous help to those who are stuck at a desk for much of the week.
Golf Gains X may provide information related to fitness, exercise, diet, and nutrition and is intended for your personal use and informational purposes only. You should consult with a physician before beginning any exercise, fitness, diet, or nutrition routine, especially if you are pregnant or have pre-existing health conditions. Nothing contained on this website or any other Golf Gains X content should be considered as medical advice or diagnosis. Your use of the Golf Gains X content is solely at your own risk.
Jacob is a Professional Engineer, professional gym-goer, and golf enthusiast. He is obsessed with golf-specific fitness, golf simulators, and hitting long drives.