Core Activation - Chair Drill

Sorry, you need to be a member to access this video.
You Are Just Seconds Away - Become a member here!
Already a member? Log in now

This drill teaches you how to coordinate how to move your upper and lower bodies together as one - just in opposite directions!


In the golf swing, there's one major challenge, and that is coordinating your upper half, your shoulders and your arms, with your lower half.

How many of you out there struggle with understanding, how do I get my hips to work?

I know they're supposed to be open, but how do I get them open like the pros?

My shoulders are more open.

Most golfers struggle with trying to get this to move in sync with this.

The problem is, it's the part in the middle that actually connects the two that you should be focusing on.

The core is what really works in all athletic sports.

It's where all movement really emanates from, especially powerful ballistic movement like the golf swing.

The problem is, most golfers, because we live in this more than we do anything else, the chair has killed our core activation.

Learning how to activate your core again is going to be one of the most important and most protective things for your back that you can ever do in your golf swing, but it really is the key to unloading, unlocking power, effortless power, is learning to move from here.

Again, part of the issue is that you just don't really see it move that much in the golf swing.

It's happening so quickly, and it relatively moves so little, because everything else is moving so much more, your arms and hands and shoulders, but they're really being moved in response to what's happening here.

The problem is, again, because we sit all the time, we don't really activate our core, we don't do much work for most people's core is really weak.

So much less being strong enough to produce good power, most golfers just don't even know how to activate it.

So we're going to go through a series of steps here to help you start to feel your core again and learn how to apply it to the golf swing.

And it's going to start with our number one enemy here.

We're going to actually use this to our advantage because learning how to sit correctly, like using your core to engage, to have good posture, to protect your back is very valuable, But you can actually learn how to move your core like you do in the golf swing, and learn where and how you're directing force, which is really what the golf swing is.

We're creating force in whatever direction we, you know, aim that force makes or breaks our golf swing.

But what's cool about a chair, the typical office chair that swivels, you'll need one that swivels, which most of us all sit in one all day anyway.

So you've probably got this already glued to your butt.

Anyway, You're going to learn how to start to engage your core while sitting and start getting a feel for how you activate.

These kind of strange muscles.

That kind of do all sorts of stuff for us in our life, but they're super important for the golf swing.

So here's what I want you to do at first.

First, just engage your core.

I've talked about just poking yourself in the belly with your fingers.

It'll, it'll wake up your abs and wake up your core, poke yourself in the side.

So you start feeling these muscles start to engage to, you know, as if you're being punched the side, you start to contract them.

Now, This whole area of our body, front and back is what's helping create that rotation and force in the golf swing.

And it's helping deliver power from each part of our body and coordinating that power, because that's really the trick.

Your arms and shoulders by themselves can't do a whole lot.

They're not going to generate a lot of power.

Your legs by themselves.

Don't move the golf club.

If I stand up and just move my hips, my arms aren't going anywhere.

So it's really understanding how to start rotating from here.

That's going to move everything together in sync.

And that's the trick.

How do I coordinate these upper and lower halves?

So what I want you to do is sit on the edge of your chair and do this with some socks on, on a slick floor, if you can, because it'll help you start to understand force vectors.

And that's just a fancy way of saying, where are we directing force?

And really what you're going to realize is that you're, you're, the way that you're directing force is in response to how you move your core.

So what I want you to do first is turn from here, not your head, not your shoulders, turn from your core, and that will turn your rib cage.

That will turn your shoulders.

But I want you to try and feel that you're moving from these muscles that you just poked yourself with.

Now, once you've turned back as if you're making a back swing, so I'm right-handed golfer.

So I'm turning back like this.

Now with your feet just lightly on the ground, I want you to then turn this back to the left, as if you were making a downswing with some force and velocity.

Do this again, turn back.

And now from my core, turn really fast.

So again, I'm not turning my shoulders.

This is a shoulder turn and my hips can't turn because they're planted on the chair.

So that's why as you're doing this, as you learn to fire your core really quickly, look at what's happening to my feet.

I'm turning this way, but my feet are actually moving in the opposite direction.

That's a force vector.

So my lead foot is actually pushing the ground away from me, while my trail foot is pulling back away.

Now this seems really strange at first until you understand the concept of torque.

If you're rotating from here and this didn't provide that resistance, well, there would be no force that you could really generate.

It'd be like swinging a golf club in outer space with zero gravity.

You would be just kind of spinning around, but you couldn't generate any force.

What your feet and your hips are doing in the swing is they're providing counter resistance to this motion, rotating this way.

And that's why you see golfers like Scotty Scheffler and Tiger Woods and numerous others.

Their trail foot often slides back and then it gets pulled back around as the hips get pulled, pulled around in the follow through.

But what you want to start to feel is this, the faster you turn this, the more your feet are going to naturally want to provide that counter movement, that torque, that resistance so that this can rotate faster.

Now, When you're not on a wood floor and of course, you're standing up and you've got weight on your feet, and you've got golf spikes on, then your feet are going to tend to stay more planted.

But the more you unweight this trail foot, the more it's going to want to slide back.

And that's what you want to feel.

And this is how you start to feel it.

So if I plant my feet on the ground and start to do this, create this resistance, you can see my left foot is sliding forward.

I put more weight on it, it will move less.

But the faster I rotate from my core, the more my feet are going to move in the opposite direction.

So as you're working or sitting at your desk, as you start to learn how to feel this ballistically, and when I say ballistic, I'm really talking about making it an explosive movement because the golf swing is truly a ballistic, quick, fast, explosive movement.

So as a backswing, I would want to be loading up really quickly.

I don't want to turn back really slow because then I'm not stretching this fascia and taking advantage of that free energy as that fascia starts to rebound.

If I turn back really slow, Then I've got to use a lot of muscular pushing force in the downswing to try and get me to go the other way.

And that's almost always going to come from you driving with your shoulders incorrectly.

So instead, if I load back really quick, well, guess what my force vectors would be doing in the backswing?

My trail foot's going to be going this way while my lead foot's going this way.

Watch.

So I'm going to go back really quick.

Turning back really fast, starts to get my feet to move in the opposite direction.

And then as I go back in the downswing, the faster I turn, the more my feet get pulled in the other direction.

So that's what I want you to try and feel when you're sitting in your chair and have nothing else to do.

Start working on your golf swing, start getting a feel for your core to start to activate.

And as the faster you turn, the more your feet are going to start to slide in either direction.

Must be Premium Member to Comment

64x64
Richard
Chuck - thank you for the review and a truly Aha moment. I have known for awhile that I was getting stuck and flipping. I have worked with other instructors who have pointed this out (which I can see myself when I video my swing!) but their solutions haven't worked. Thanks a million for the review. I will work on this as well as the other drills you recommended.
July 18, 2025
64x64
Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Richard. I will let Chuck know. Glad you enjoyed the review and let's get your swing tuned up!
July 19, 2025
64x64
Tom
Yes, this is the video I've been searching for. As a long time member it's been a struggle to "activate" my core. Now maybe I can show Anthony Hopkins I'm activating my core, LOL.
June 9, 2025
64x64
Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Haha. Well, glad you found it Tom!
June 10, 2025
64x64
Jim
Hey Chuck. I’m a little confused. It seems like you advocate for a lot of side bending but in this video it looks like you want us to rotate from the core. Can you elaborate? Thanks!
March 24, 2025
64x64
Chuck
Hi Jim, you might want to dive into the other videos like the GOAT Drill, etc as I cover this topic in depth
March 25, 2025
64x64
Bruce
so I am thinking that the lower body does not " take off" with the core in either direction as my core is is activated in one direction or the other.. instead it provides resistance and because the hips and legs are not taking off with the torso this transfers the force into the ground... Yes?
January 30, 2025
64x64
Chuck
The legs need to provide stability for the core to rotate with the legs and feet creating force in the opposite direction
January 30, 2025
64x64
Bruce
to clarify my thought, if the hips are rotating in tandem with the core from the top I am out of control... no significant force will be generated and transfered to clubhead and directional control will be lost...
January 30, 2025
64x64
Bruce
and I think that the idea of providing resistance wioth the forward leg even applies in putting?...
January 30, 2025
64x64
Chuck
the putting stroke is just a mini-driver swing, so the same things apply, yes
January 30, 2025
64x64
Bruce
Thanks Coach!
January 30, 2025
64x64
jim
FINALLY, I find someone who even mentions shear force in the feet. I first learned this at the 1st international golf fitness seminar in 2004 held over two days in Orlando Fl. No instructor since that time has ever described these countering (and counterintuitive) forces needed in the feet to engage the core. Well done. Again, physics!
September 12, 2024
64x64
Chuck
Thanks Jim I hope these core activation drills help give you what you’re looking for
September 13, 2024
64x64
Diane
Chuck This new stuff will really help us all nail the GOAT code! In recent weeks, before the new videos came out I've been working a bit on 9-3 iron compression drills - the ones that actually compress are the ones where my core was in control! But it was still a bit hit and miss, like it wasn't yet dialed in. Again, without seeing any of this new material I had already had some insights that I didn't quite understand - like the Knockout the other week when I'd done 45 minutes of chipping practice beforehand - but then was hitting great shots on the course with all my clubs and easily winning the match. Having watched the live training this week I took those ideas to the course today and my putting and chipping were so much more controlled! So I'm really looking forward to working through this shed load of new instruction on correct core engagement. It makes so much sense, the core can stabilise everything in each swing and also protect the lower back. And because it connects the upper and lower body, it should help everything to synchronise and sequence correctly to build consistency. I've done Pilates for more than 20 years so hopefully have good core strength already that I can learn to activate in my golf game (Pilates exercises themselves don't major on core rotation). Thanks again Chuck 'Game Changer' Quinton !
September 3, 2024
64x64
Chuck
I love it Diane, you're such a hard worker you deserve the win! I used to do pilates on a reformer and my core was NEVER as strong as it was then, it's such phenomenal work for the core muscles. The stuff we're going to cover in this weekend's webinar will really help you visualize how to use to create power.
September 3, 2024
64x64
Paul
Hey Chuck, For me the core powered swing is the holy grail. I have been able to feel those muscles power the swing in rare instances. I recall one range session where I had full control of my swing with my core. I hit the ball perfect and they would land in the exact same area. I could feel that I could crank up the power in my core and really hit the sh#t out of the ball. After that it was gone. I'd love to get that feeling back. I'm hoping your instruction will waken these muscles consistently. Paul P.S. Core control is the magic that controls expert skiing. Without that, you are stuck as in intermediate forever. The core windup allows for the skiis to return to neutral way faster and effortlessly.
August 29, 2024
64x64
Chuck
Exactly! The core is the thing that literally connects the two halves and glues the swing together. It's just a very challenging thing to get most people to engage, so I'm hoping these drills help. The core is something that is vital in all my other sports, so for my it's second nature, but for most of my students, it's a very foreign land.
August 30, 2024
64x64
Paul
Chuck, going back with my core is easy for me. I just completely relax my shoulders and the core is what's left to create rotation (with a bit of restriction in the hips) . The problem is the downswing. Is the proper feel a right side crunch? That's the only way I can get the core to move with any speed. You talk about an uppercut. To me, the crunch causes the fast hip rotation and provides power to the punch. Am I on the right track? Paul
August 30, 2024
64x64
Chuck
That's part of it, check out the other 3 core activation videos beneath this one.
August 31, 2024
64x64
Johnny
For the chair drill: does the right oblique stretch and the left contract (left shoulder down) during the backswing and vice versa in the downswing (to get side bend)? Or do the shoulders stay level throughout the drill (which is not the same as a golf swing)?
August 28, 2024
64x64
Chuck
Hi Johnny, yes, there is side bend occurring as well, I was just trying to keep it simple here as most don't know how to engage their core at all.
August 29, 2024
64x64
Michael
Hey Chuck, hope all is well. This video is biomechanics 101, and it’s awesome content. Bit of feedback bit of a question here: I played baseball my entire life at a high level, and the exact move you’re making in the chair is quite natural to me. (Putting a slow pitch softball swing below for reference). The problem I’ve found is “golfifying” the move. Baseball is more about separation, you clear hips to initiate the swing. My lower half is more violent too, finding a sort of Scottie shuffle which isn’t weird in baseball at all. The question is, when should I feel that force vector starting to work, is it at the top? Once im in GDP? Because this part of the sequence kind of gets lost in translation to me and has led to me being super steep, or doing something that isnt sound to try to shallow. once I understand when to start this type of firing. Thanks!

August 21, 2024
64x64
Chuck
Take a look at this and let me know if it helps. Great swing btw!

August 21, 2024
64x64
Michael
That’s actual gold. Baseball is more reactionary so it makes sense why I think it’s “get to a good spot and pull the trigger.” For me personally I try to feel my right elbow and right knee working together through the ball. I’m an interesting case because I know the move inside and out, the isolation for me is figuring out how to do it with a club. Might help others in the group figure out why it’s so hard to do in golf. I’ll report back with feedback tomorrow.
August 21, 2024
64x64
John
Learning core movement is a big deal. Still waiting for my medicine ball from Amazon and looking forward to really working on this with Craig. Turning back keeping the right arm straight is very hard for me and I expect others. I’m just feeling like I need to progress more slowly working with Craig through the unlimited videos. I’ve been a single digit player for 30 -40 years but never had a very good swing. Working to learn a good swing is exciting for me but it is hard work. I’m up for it but it’s slow going. Thanks for all the effort you are making to clarify how to get there.
August 21, 2024
64x64
Chuck
Thanks John, this type of feedback is super useful for me to know what is needed to fill in the holes and what everyone at each level needs to help get them to the next level. I've slowed it down with today's putting video that you should have in your inbox now.
August 21, 2024

We're after one thing: Real Results - Real Fast. And that's exactly what our members achieve. And that's why they say the AXIOM is: Mind-blowing. Game changing. Revolutionary.

Check it out ...

Here at RotarySwing, talk is cheap and the proof is always in the pudding. Come see the massive transformations we can achieve together in your swing.

See for yourself ...

From beginner to pro, we have what you need to get you where you want to go.

See how inside ...

RotarySwing was founded out of frustration with the current state of golf instruction. Quinton knew a better way had to exist to learn this game we all love.

Learn more ...