What stretches do you guys do before your round just curious?
~Dee~
I stretch almost every night and whenever I start getting muscular/joint soreness. For me, it's constant maintenance and I'll do that rather than just sit on the couch while my body tightens up. It keeps me semi-limber as long as I keep at it. It also helps me sleep better. I'm a big fan of ankle rotations. Do 15 in a direction and then reverse, followed by 10 and finish with 5. Or whatever you can handle. I will do hundreds of these almost every night and it helps me feel like my gait is more fluid and balanced. You can do this one almost anywhere, anytime which is a plus.
To warm up before a round I'll do shoulder rotations and then shake my hands hard for a while. Really gets the blood flowing into the fingers. Then, keep your lead arm straight and pull it back into a pose like you're simulating a shot. Finish that stretch with your back arm assisting it even further. You'll feel it in the back of your lead arm and shoulder. It looks a little odd, but it definitely helps. I'll then stand with legs spread wide as I can, knees slightly flexed and arms overhead, palms facing, and
gently stretch to either side from vertical. I'll note the increase in range of motion after a few minutes and finish with some side-to-side gentle (EVERY stretch should begin gently so nothing gets pulled) rotations with arms horizontal. I prepare myself for the demands of swinging a club and keep that in mind instead of just showing up and whacking away cold. Again, it makes me feel more fluid and less herky-jerky. I'm the only person I know who bothers to do this, but I know it helps my power and consistency.
Another one I'll often do during a round, for instance when I have to wait to hit a shot, is I'll stand next to something I can hold onto, lift my leg, grab the front of my foot and stretch the thigh until almost painful, then I'll back off a bit and hold that pose. Then, I'll let go of whatever I'm holding and balance as long as I can on one foot while holding that stretch. I'll finish by lifting a heel and placing it on something about waist high and, again, stretch the back of my leg and hold -- the longer the better. It takes patience. Never push your body to the point of pain, but holding a static stretch will almost always result in a feeling of improved looseness and range of motion if you have the patience to hold those stretches as long as possible. These help my hips stay loose and keep my core uncoiling into the shot.
I took karate when I was in my 20's and we stretched endlessly before and after class. The Brothers who ran the dojo would extoll the virtue of stretching constantly. It seemed really boring to me, but after a few weeks I could clearly see how effective it was and just never stopped the stretching part. YouTube is a great source for stretching ideas, but some are better than others. Always start with caution and take note of those incremental improvements in comfort and range of motion, because you stretch to achieve exactly that, not because it is fun and entertaining.
Hope this helps a little.
