BACKSWING COIL
For most golfers the backswing movement can be very complicated and confusing. For me I think there's simply too many different opinions and conjecture, with too many variations on a theme, much of which is ignorant.
There are many theories about how the backswing functions and how to obtain it. For instance, there is much written about the role of the wrists during the backswing and how they should be breaking early, with the toe of the club pointing upwards at the half way point. I personally do not subscribe to this method and never teach it. I believe this method is a totally misinformed one.
In the backswing the shoulders should be the major controlling force. The hands and arms must be subordinate to this. The shoulders must dictate the rotational coil, with the hands and arms following this movement and playing a supportive role only. These movements need to be understood fully, only then can you begin to practice these actions and create the correct muscle memory in order to repeat it every time.
Provided you have gripped the club properly then your hands don't need to do anything, they simply act as hinges, transmitting the power, never generating it. However, the hands and arms do provide a constant hold and width during the backswing. The hands hold the club and the arms maintain the width. The width is
the distance from your chest to your left wrist. This should be constant during your backswing movement.
The start of your swing is dictated by your shoulders. It is impossible for your shoulders to start the backswing too early. As soon as you move your shoulders then the hands and arms must follow, after all, they are attached. Your legs should play a supportive and passive role during the backswing, they merely facilitate what the shoulder turn requires from them.
So the perfect backswing is derived from your shoulders having full control, with your hands and arms being subordinate and supportive to the shoulders commands. If you allow your shoulders to be in total control then you will always have the perfect backswing movement, therefore enabling you to get back to the ball with power, time and control every time.
An effective way of encapsulating everything with one idea or swing thought, is to swing to the top of your backswing without applying any wrist action whatsoever, try to allow the wrists to hinge under their own force, if you can do this then they will be in the perfect position every time and without the need for you to manipulate or consciously place them into position.
Your backswing movement is another vital stage in the building process to produce a correct and repetetive golf swing.
For most golfers the backswing movement can be very complicated and confusing. For me I think there's simply too many different opinions and conjecture, with too many variations on a theme, much of which is ignorant.
There are many theories about how the backswing functions and how to obtain it. For instance, there is much written about the role of the wrists during the backswing and how they should be breaking early, with the toe of the club pointing upwards at the half way point. I personally do not subscribe to this method and never teach it. I believe this method is a totally misinformed one.
In the backswing the shoulders should be the major controlling force. The hands and arms must be subordinate to this. The shoulders must dictate the rotational coil, with the hands and arms following this movement and playing a supportive role only. These movements need to be understood fully, only then can you begin to practice these actions and create the correct muscle memory in order to repeat it every time.
Provided you have gripped the club properly then your hands don't need to do anything, they simply act as hinges, transmitting the power, never generating it. However, the hands and arms do provide a constant hold and width during the backswing. The hands hold the club and the arms maintain the width. The width is
the distance from your chest to your left wrist. This should be constant during your backswing movement.
The start of your swing is dictated by your shoulders. It is impossible for your shoulders to start the backswing too early. As soon as you move your shoulders then the hands and arms must follow, after all, they are attached. Your legs should play a supportive and passive role during the backswing, they merely facilitate what the shoulder turn requires from them.
So the perfect backswing is derived from your shoulders having full control, with your hands and arms being subordinate and supportive to the shoulders commands. If you allow your shoulders to be in total control then you will always have the perfect backswing movement, therefore enabling you to get back to the ball with power, time and control every time.
An effective way of encapsulating everything with one idea or swing thought, is to swing to the top of your backswing without applying any wrist action whatsoever, try to allow the wrists to hinge under their own force, if you can do this then they will be in the perfect position every time and without the need for you to manipulate or consciously place them into position.
Your backswing movement is another vital stage in the building process to produce a correct and repetetive golf swing.
In this next section I want to explain the movement of the shoulders, in particular the shoulder plane.
There is much written about how the shoulders should function and the angle they should turn on. There's a lot of talk about the plane of the shoulder turn and how it does this and that. I must admit, I do get frustrated with all the hype that's associated with this.
Once you have adopted the correct address position you are then ready to start your backswing. When you start the backswing movement your shoulders will attempt to rotate around the angle you made with your head, neck and spine. This angle was dictated by your address position, which in turn was dictated by the club you've chosen.
You should check your set up position regularly and for this example you need to ensure your spinal angle is fairly straight and not curved or hunched over. Try to assume a position whereby your head, neck and spine are maintaining a straight line from your waist. Once you have taken up the correct posture at your address position, your shoulders should then turn naturally and automatically at ninety degrees to your spinal angle.
If your rotational movement appears to be out of sorts, don't blame your shoulder plane, blame your spinal angle. This is where the root problem will lie. A poor posture position at address and/or some unwanted movement with your head, neck and spine will be the cause. Spinal movement during the backswing will throw your swing off plane, so try to keep your centre (head, neck and spine) in the same position as you started in whilst you are turning into your backswing.
Remember to turn your shoulders around the spinal axis never tilt them. Your shoulder turn and the angle they are turning on will always be ninety degress to one another. Try it, stand up dead straight and try turning your shoulders around your spinal angle. what you should notice is your shoulders are trying to turn level to the ground, which is ninety degrees to your spine. This relationship remains the same when you hit the golf ball, the only difference is, you will be bent over to grip the golf club, but your shoulders will still turn the same as if you were stood up straight.
Remember your legs should not interfere with the shoulder movement, the legs and hips are pulled into position by the shoulders demands. When your shoulders
have turned through ninety degrees your hips should have turned to a maximum of forty five degrees. The legs can never take the club up, they bring it down.
Lets see if you grasped that (Iknow it's alot to take in).
The shoulders dictate the rotation of your backswing, but what dictates the plane they turn on?
A, The spinal angle?
B, The wrist break?
C, The hip turn?
D, The forearm rotation?
There is much written about how the shoulders should function and the angle they should turn on. There's a lot of talk about the plane of the shoulder turn and how it does this and that. I must admit, I do get frustrated with all the hype that's associated with this.
Once you have adopted the correct address position you are then ready to start your backswing. When you start the backswing movement your shoulders will attempt to rotate around the angle you made with your head, neck and spine. This angle was dictated by your address position, which in turn was dictated by the club you've chosen.
You should check your set up position regularly and for this example you need to ensure your spinal angle is fairly straight and not curved or hunched over. Try to assume a position whereby your head, neck and spine are maintaining a straight line from your waist. Once you have taken up the correct posture at your address position, your shoulders should then turn naturally and automatically at ninety degrees to your spinal angle.
If your rotational movement appears to be out of sorts, don't blame your shoulder plane, blame your spinal angle. This is where the root problem will lie. A poor posture position at address and/or some unwanted movement with your head, neck and spine will be the cause. Spinal movement during the backswing will throw your swing off plane, so try to keep your centre (head, neck and spine) in the same position as you started in whilst you are turning into your backswing.
Remember to turn your shoulders around the spinal axis never tilt them. Your shoulder turn and the angle they are turning on will always be ninety degress to one another. Try it, stand up dead straight and try turning your shoulders around your spinal angle. what you should notice is your shoulders are trying to turn level to the ground, which is ninety degrees to your spine. This relationship remains the same when you hit the golf ball, the only difference is, you will be bent over to grip the golf club, but your shoulders will still turn the same as if you were stood up straight.
Remember your legs should not interfere with the shoulder movement, the legs and hips are pulled into position by the shoulders demands. When your shoulders
have turned through ninety degrees your hips should have turned to a maximum of forty five degrees. The legs can never take the club up, they bring it down.
Lets see if you grasped that (Iknow it's alot to take in).
The shoulders dictate the rotation of your backswing, but what dictates the plane they turn on?
A, The spinal angle?
B, The wrist break?
C, The hip turn?
D, The forearm rotation?