You will need:
Swiss Ball
It is important that you have the correct size Swiss Ball for these exercises as the wrong size can cause stress on the neck. Also, if you suffer from neck injuries/discomfort, seek advice from your doctor before performing this exercise.

This excellent functional exercise provides several benefits for the golfer and integrates the whole body, which couldn’t be achieved through the use of machines.

This exercise:

• Conditions the core muscles to act as stabilisers
• Trains the hamstrings, butt and back muscles to work together.
• Improves balance
• Improves coordination
• Improves postural endurance

There are several progressions to this exercise which are below.

• Lie on your back with your arms stretched out by your side and palms must be facing up.
• Place your feet on the ball. If you aren’t confident on the ball yet, place your calves on the ball. If you do feel confident you can place your heels on the ball.
• Taking a big breath in, exhale and lift your hips up towards the ceiling for a count of 3 making sure that your ankles, hip and shoulder all line up.
• Lower your hips as you inhale, exhale as you lift up again.
• Do 2 sets of 10 reps.

Progression

Firstly, to make the above exercise more challenging, you can do a number of things:

1. Move your hands closer to your body
2. Moving the ball further away so that only your heels are on the ball.
3. Placing your hands across your chest.

The next exercise is an advancement on the above exercise.

Start position

Finish position

Supine Hip Extension: Knee Flexion

This is a great exercise for the hamstrings and glutes (butt muscles) and also works the lower back and abdominals! Wow, what an exercise?

The key here is to stabilise yourself using your abdominal muscles whilst the ball is being pulled in using your heels, so this is really challenging your ‘core muscles’. This will help to maintain your swing axis using the trunk and pelvis.

• Using the same start position as above. Place your lower calves on the ball to start with.
• As before, inhale and as you exhale slowly raise your hips towards the ceiling, making sure everything is in line.
• Staying in this position, now flex your knees so that you pull the ball in towards your body using your feet.
• Make sure that you don’t drop your hips. If your hips drop, you may lack in hamstring strength and you should continue with the first exercise until your hamstrings become stronger.
• Now roll the ball back out and lower yourself into the start position.

Tip:

To make this exercise more challenging, the advanced moves noted above can also be used.

This strength will transfer to your golf swing.

This exercise will also develop:

	Trunk rotation
	Pelvic girdle strength
	Body direction
	Weight shift

You will need:
Swiss Ball
Small medicine ball for progression

• Lie on ball, face up, with only your head and shoulders resting on the ball.
• Raise your hips towards the ceiling, making sure they don’t drop.
• Extend your arms, palms together, directly pointing toward the ceiling.
• Take a deep breath in and as you exhale, suck your navel in towards your spine and slowly begin to rotate your trunk as far as possible to one side.
• Make sure your hips are lifted throughout the movement.
• As you rotate to the side, your shoulder should raise up on top of the ball. This will only happen if you have adequate trunk rotation.
• Return to starting position and rotate to the opposite side.
• Alternate twisting to each side 6-10 times.

Twist right

Twist Left

Tip:

	As you become more proficient at this exercise you can speed it up and the movement will become more fluid.
	For a more challenging exercise, try holding a small medicine ball while twisting.

Kneeling On Swiss Ball

You’ll entertain everyone around when you attempt this very fun but beneficial stability exercise. By performing this exercise, you will improve:

	Balance
	Coordination
	Dynamic Posture

You will need: Swiss ball, golf club for progression
I would personally use a smaller swiss ball (55cm) and initially let some air out to make the ball softer. This will make the exercise relatively easier because the softer the ball, the more stable you will feel on it. However, the exercise won’t be as beneficial, so once you become more proficient at the exercise, you should add more air to the ball so that it is very firm and the exercise will become more challenging.

• Have your legs about hip width apart and grab hold of the ball in front of you.
• Gently let your knees grab the ball and then try to rock forward onto the ball until you are fully balancing on it.
• Once you feel steady enough, let go and raise yourself up on your knees. Use your shins to grab the ball for extra stability.
• Initially, just practice getting on the ball and kneeling for as long as you can. Try holding onto something for support, such as a golf club or broom handle.

The object of this exercise is to try and balance yourself upright on the ball for at least 4 sets of 30 seconds each time. When you can easily do this, try the next step.

Progression

• Kneel on the swiss ball as above.
• Assume the address position and pretend you are holding a golf club.
• Perform small swings progressing on to full swings.
• Once you have mastered this, now hold a golf club in your hands.
• The exercise immediately becomes even more challenging as your centre of gravity is altered.

Swiss Ball Hyper-Extension

This exercise is effective in making the muscles of the low back, glutes and hamstrings work together efficiently.
The muscles working together here are important for the golfer because they stabilise the body during the address position and also assist in driving the chest and arms through the swing.
You will need a Swiss Ball and a wall.

• Start by kneeling down at a wall with the wall behind you and the ball directly in front of you.
• Hold on to the ball and push yourself up, so that the ball is resting on your upper thigh. Anchor your feet against the wall as support.
  (For a more challenging exercise, move the ball further away towards your knees).
• Place your arms across your chest and drape yourself over the ball, being careful not to round the lower back. (See Image A)
• Inhale and as you exhale, pull yourself up for a count of three (Image B) and inhale as you lower yourself back down.
• Repeat 10 times and try to complete 3 sets.

A	B