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Lesson
2
The
Upper Body & The Lower Body. (Changed
- 27/07/2010)
The Upper Body.
Most Mid/High handicapper golfers lift
the arms to the end of the back swing movement.
However, what they should be doing is holding the elbows
as close together as is physically possible whilst using
the rotational movement of the shoulders to rotate the
compact upper body unit to the end of the back swing
movement - thereby using the rotational movement of
the shoulders to push the golf club to the top of the
back swing movement.
Therefore it is vital to understand that it is the
action of holding the elbows close together ensure that
the shoulders and arms remain as a compact upper body
unit.
Therefore it is vital that during the back swing movement
that the elbows remain in close proximity thus maintaining
the compact unit as a solid unit, but with the shoulders
in total control over the movement of the arms.
During the down swing movement, the magic
move pulls the right elbow into the waist.
Therefore if you want consistency in the golf swing,
the elbows must remain as close together as is physically
possible at all times.
During the back swing movement the shoulders
and the arms must move together as if welded into
a solid unit, thus using the rotational movement of
the shoulders to push the club head to the end of the
back swing movement.
During the down swing and the follow through
movement, the movement of the hips control the rotational
movement of the upper body unit which literally swing
the passive arms/club head into and through the contact
area.
Therefore at the address position the elbows must
be drawn close together thus forming the shoulders and
the arms into a very compact unit, and once the unit
is formed, it must remain in this compact condition
throughout the complete golf swing movement.
In order to hold the shoulders and the arms as a
compact upper body unit, you must hold elbows
as close together as is physically possible and
also keep the biceps held against the chest cavity.
This will ensure that the upper body unit retains
its triangular shape but also ensures that one of the
arms are always straight.
However although the upper body unit is held in this
very compact condition, you must focus on the left shoulder
as being in over-all control of the compact upper body
unit at all times. - i,e, Throughout the back swing,
the down swing and the follow through movements.
During the back swing movement you must view the
shoulders and the arms as being a solid one piece unit,
so that any movement of the shoulders
regardless of how slight, causes the instant movement
of the arms.
During the down swing the same criteria applies
to the upper body unit.
i,e, the upper body unit remaining firmly held together
as if the shoulders and the arms are welded into a solid
piece.
However during the down swing movement, it is the rotational
movement of the hips that control the rotational movement
of the shoulders thus using the rotational movement
of the shoulders to swing the passive arms/club head
into and through the contact area whilst performing
the magic move.
You cannot hold the shoulders and the arms too tightly
together throughout the back swing movement, the more
compact the upper body unit is held the better, whilst
However in order
to perform the back swing movement correctly it is important
to understand that the
lower
part of the body must totally resist the rotational
movement of the upper body unit so that as soon as you
apply pressure to the left foot the hip movement is
instantly reversed.
Lower
Body.
It is absolutely vital
that the heel of the left foot remain firmly on the
ground throughout the back swing movement with the hips
playing a passive role and simply rotating away from
the frontal facing position and also pivoting as the
back swing reaches its conclusion.
The Back swing Movement.
By keeping the heel
of the left foot firmly on the ground throughout the
back swing movement, you will be forced to twist
the upper torso to its maximum in order to make
a full back swing movement.
The Down Swing Movement.
A fraction of a second before the back swing movement
is completed and therefore the core muscles are at the
maximum torsion, you must press down on the ground with
the left foot thus reversing the movement of the hips.
Therfore as the hips begin to rotate towards the
target area, the pulling effect of the hip movement
will cause the upper body unit to follow the movement
of the hips, thereby using the hips movement to force
the shoulders to rotate around the central core of the
spine.
However although the two parts will eventually
move together in complete tandem, the rotational movement
of the hips must remain in over-all control to the completion
of the golf swing -- however the hip movement must not
be so aggressive as to cause the heel of the right foot
to lift off the ground before the club head strikes
the ball.
(In order for the down swing and the follow through
movements to be performed correctly, it is absolutely
vital the upper body unit remain passive
to the movement of the hips.)
Therefore by keeping the rotational movement of
the hips in over-all control, it ensures that throughout
the down swing and the follow through movement, the
shoulders will rotate around the central core of the
spine with a smooth seamless movement.
If you want to increase the velocity
of the club head you have to increase the torsion of
the muscles during the back swing movement -- but you
must develop the basic
technique before you begin to increase the speed
of the hip movement.
( It will feel strange at
first, but once the hips movement is reversed, you must
learn to keep the hips rotating towards the target area
in a continual seamless movement to the completion of
the golf swing, so that the movement of the hips remain
in over-all control throughout the down swing and the
follow through movements.)
If you have any doubts about the
importance of the hips during the down swing, have a
look
at this video regarding long distance driving.
All these changes to your golf swing
will not happen "overnight" -- so remember,
the more you practise a new movement, the more natural
the movement will become.
However, only practice one new movement
at a time until the movement becomes
automatic, then you can move on to the next new
movement.
Therefore when you have fully absorbed
and thoroughly practised the movements as described
within this lesson, proceed to Lesson 2, the "Upper
Body Turn" --- and learn how take complete control
of your golf shots.
The golf swing movement will feel very
mechanical and wooden when first performed with the
upper body held in this condition and with heels of
both feet firmly on the ground and by allowing the hips
to pivot, but what you should immediately feel is a
sense of control over the club head and what you will
achieve is an increase in the accuratcy of your shots.
Do not worry about generating enough
energy because as long as you keep the elbows held close
together thus holding the upper body unit firmly held
together as a one piece unit during the back swing movement
- and then during the down swing movement, simply press
down on the ground with the left foot to reverse the
hip movement thus forcing the shoulders to rotate around
the central core of the spine and simultaneously performing
the magic move
- whilst the heel of the right foot remain firmly on
the ground until the precise moment the club head strikes
the ball - the ball will sail away into the distance.
Obviously you have to judge the down
swing so that the club head strikes the ball at the
same time the shoulders return to the parallel to the
target line, but hold the elbows close together so that
the arms remain an integral part of the upper body unit
and see how effective this action is.
However I can assure
you that all of this action will be wasted unless you
teach yourself:-
1) Keep the left eye
positioned slightly behind the ball position at all
times, without any lateral movement of the head.
2) Watch
the ball move away from its resting place. - you
must look at the golf ball right up to the point when
the club head strikes the ball and continue to look
at the ball position well until after the ball has been
struck.
3) Keep the heel of
the right foot firmly on the ground until a fraction
of a second before the club head strikes the ball.
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