The Pelvic Tilt Test

Tue May 28, 2013 by Greg Rose

PELVIC TILT TEST:

Test Objective for the Pelvic Tilt Test:

The Pelvic Tilt Test is a great test for overall mobility of the hips in the lumbar spine and their ability to control the position of their pelvic posture.  The ability to move and control the position of the pelvis is critical for optimal power transfer from the lower body to the upper body during the golf swing. 
 

How to Perform the Pelvic Tilt Test:

Begin by getting your player into a normal five iron golf set-up with their arms across their chest (hands resting on shoulders). Next, observe their starting posture. Notice if the lower back has an accentuated arch (S-posture), if it is flat (N-posture), or if it is rounded into a slouched position (C-posture). Once starting position has been established, ask the client to tilt the pelvis anteriorly or forward, thus increasing the arch in the lumbar spine.
Once this move is accomplished ask the client to tilt the pelvis in the posterior or backward direction thereby removing the arch from the lower back. Proper execution of this test will yield a forward and backward tilting of the pelvis with minimal leg/knee movement and limited upper body forward and backward movement.

What to look for in the Pelvic Tilt Test:

It is important to sequence this test in the right order.  In other words, make sure the client tries to anterior tilt (increase the curvature) first before trying the posterior tilt.  This is important for those clients who start out in an “S” Posture from set-up.  They will be limited in anterior tilt right from the beginning since they are already starting in a maximum forward tilt position.  Be sure to monitor the quality, and overall motion of movement in this test.

When the client is tilting the pelvis, observe the smoothness or “shake and bake” nature of the movement. This will indicate what frequency those muscles are being used on a day to day basis.  If there is a lot of shaking with the posterior tilt, they are probably not using those muscles on a regular basis in their golf swing.

Make sure to observe the amount of motion both in the forward/anterior and backward/posterior directions. There can be limitations found in one direction as compared to the other.

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