Most rotational drills only reinforce pre-existing levels of rotational movement quality and do very little to enhance it. For instance, if there’s a weak link in the kinetic chain or a small compensation pattern anywhere in the oblique slings, it’s almost impossible to diagnose or correct during more traditional rotational movements. Its for this reason that many of the rotational movements I implement involve eccentric isometrics.

Like all other eccentric isometrics I’ve highlighted over the years, the rotational eccentric isometric allows the lifter to hone in on their movement, self-assess where various issues may be occurring (via sense of feel), and then fine-tune their body mechanics based on the enhanced sensory feedback produced from the eccentric isometric. In reality it’s fulfilling the same purpose as all other eccentric isometrics I post such as squats, hinge, lunges, press, and pulls, except it’s applied to rotational movements occurring in the transverse plane rather than the sagittal or frontal planes.

As with any other eccentric isometric, the goal is never maximal or extreme range of motion but instead natural/optimal range of motion which ends up being more compact than what most coaches typically teach. Yes, you can go further on the ROM but you’ll be sacrificing activation, stability, motor control, and proprioception, not to mention ingraining faulty body mechanics as the rotational movements that we see in sports don’t involve inordinately large rotational ROM but rather natural or optimal ROM in the transverse plane.

Excessive ROM during rotational movements tends to compromise hip drive and lower body recruitment often resulting in over-rotating rather than relying on hip extension. Remember the functional purpose of most rotational movements is to allow the hips to fully coil, not to rotate to the point where you feel like your spine is going to snap.