Want to improve your golf swing? All you have to do is breathe better. Here are five tips

It's safe to say that most people taking breathing for granted. It's primarily an involuntary action, so giving thought to it seems unecessary, right? Well, that might be a miss if you're looking for ways to improve your golf swing

As the biomechanics of the golf swing have become increasingly steeped in science, there has been a lot of time spent studying breathing and developing strategies that can elevate how you play. Think about your rounds of golf. Do you tend to get "tight" in tense moments during a match? Does your swing sometimes feel restricted on either side of the ball? Are there days when you're hitting the ball with more force than others?

Breathing plays a role in all of that, says Golf Digest Certified Fitness Trainer Jordan Rudolph. While he spends the brunt of his time at Unity Fitness in La Crosse, Wisc., training golfers to improve mobility, stability, strength and power, he also pays attention to how his clients inhale and exhale as they move.

"What does your breathing reveal about your swing? A lot," he says. "Breathing heavily influences our biomechanics. I usually link the relationship between breathing, movement and the golf swing to my clients, helping them understand why all this matters and how it impacts them. I want to make sure they take this component of training seriously."

Here, Rudolph will share five tips to help you improve your breathing, which in turn will help you make a bigger, more fluid and powerful golf swing.

1. Learn to exhale completely before you chase a bigger backswing

Most golfers live in a slightly inhaled position, Rudolph says. Without fully exhaling, the rib cage stays flared, significantly limiting rotation and core stability and making it harder to transfer pressure efficiently.

Try this

Stand tall. Slowly exhale for 6–8 seconds until your ribs feel like they're settling toward your belt buckle. Pause for two seconds. Then inhale quietly through your nose into your sides and upper back. Repeat five breaths before you hit balls.

2. Stop breathing only into your chest

If your shoulders rise every time you inhale, your neck is doing the work instead of your diaphragm. That creates unnecessary tension before you even start the swing.

Try this

Place one hand on your chest and one around your lower ribs for feedback. During each inhale, feel both hands expand while expanding the lower ribs in all directions—including into your back and sides. Pay extra attention to the lower hand to make sure it’s moving at the same time and expansion as the upper hand.

3. Expand your back, not just your belly

This one is really underrated. Most breathing articles say "belly breathe" and we leave our backs without any expansion, inviting tension and compression to enter the conversation. Good rotation depends on your rib cage changing shape—not just your stomach pushing outward. Expanding the back of the rib cage creates movement options that many golfers are missing.

Try this

Sit slightly bent forward with your forearms resting on your thighs. Reach gently through your hands, creating a little stretch in your upper back and inhale into the space between your shoulder blades. Feel your back expand. You can also use a foam roller like I am or a folded pillow to block space and allow for more expansion and breathing mechanics.

4. Match your breath to force production

Breath is movement and movement is breath. Things always go better when we get them to sync up. And exhaling is more than relaxation. It also helps create compression, trunk stiffness and pressure management during force production. Many golfers naturally find more stability through impact when they avoid holding their breath.

Try this

Take a comfortable inhale during your setup or takeaway. Begin a slow, controlled exhale as you transition toward impact. Don't force it, but let the breath support the movement.

5. Use breathing as your swing assessment

Using breath as an assessment tool allows my clients/athletes to gauge how they’re feeling each day, like a biofeedback test. If you can't breathe comfortably in a golf position, you probably don't own that position. Holding your breath often signals compensation, excessive tension or poor body organization. We use this tool as a “readiness check.”

Try this

Address the ball. Make a slow practice backswing while breathing normally through your nose. Notice where you instinctively hold your breath or tighten your neck. That's often the first clue to the movement pattern that needs attention. Breathwork can often help with this, but some of my clients have been given specific exercises to help relieve this as well.

Click on this link if you're interested in becoming a Golf Digest Certified Fitness Trainer.