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Lesson
4 - The Down Swing.
-(Changed
- 05/05/2008)
The main objective of the down swing movement is
use the movement
of the hips to force a very compact twisted body
unit to rotate about its axis thus automatically returning
the shoulders back to the original address position.
( As long as the hips continue to rotate/pivot towards
the target area even after the ball has been struck,
thus forcing the whole twisted body unit to continue
to rotate about its axis, the shoulders will automatically
rotate right through to the completion of the golf swing
movement.)
But importantly, as the shoulders automatically
and slowly returns to the original address position,
the golfer must judge the precise moment when to release
the torsion which was built up within the muscles of
the shoulder region in order to return the club head
to the golf ball at speed and square to the target line,
and if you wish to hit the ball straight, the club head
must also be moving along the straight to the target
line at the precise moment the club head strikes the
ball.
Therefore you must ensure that the shoulders are parallel
to the target line at the precise moment the club head
makes contact with the ball.
Therefore it is absolutely vital that the shoulder/arms-unit
is firmly held together as a very compact unit throughout
the down swing and the follow through movement and I
mean very firmly held together, by keeping the elbows
held as close together as is physically possible, especially
as the club head swings into and through the contact
area.
However to achieve the perfect down swing movement
you must keep the twisted body unit totally
passive to the movement of the hips even whilst
the torsion within the muscles of the shoulder region
are released, so that the club head continues to swing
with a smooth gradually accelerating movement right
through until the both arm are straight.
You must aim to swing the club head into and through
the contact area at a constant accelerating speed -
without any attempt to alter the tempo
of the movement of the club head.
Therefore
you must ensure that the shoulders are parallel to the
target line at the precise moment the club head makes
contact with the ball -- and then simply allow the arms
to interact without trying to force the movement.
To stop yourself from trying to "HIT"
the ball, take a few practice swings prior
to playing the actual golf swing. ( I can assure
you that during the practice swings most golfers correctly
perform a gradual accelerating movement of the club
head into and through the contact area. However when
they have to strike the ball, something happen within
the brain that causes the golfer to put that little
bit extra into the swing movement just before the club
head makes contact with the ball and it is that little
bit extra that causes the muscles of the forearms
to tighten up and cause the club head to twist off line.)
So when it comes to play the shot, try to repeat
exactly the same swing that you used during the practice
swing of using the movement of the hips to force the
twisted body unit to rotate about its axis, thus swinging
the club head through the contact area at a smooth constant
accelerating speed - without trying to add that extra
bit -- and you will be quite surprised that when you
do not try to "HIT" the ball, how far the
ball goes, but importantly how straight the ball goes
Higher velocity of the club head.
If you want to increase the velocity
of the club head, simply increase the speed of the hips
during the down swing and follow through movements,
thus forcing the twisted body unit to rotate faster.
Assuming that you have correctly used the left shoulder
to control the rotational movement of the very compact
shoulder/arms-unit as it rotates around the central
core of the spine, but using the rotational movement
of the shoulders to literally push the passive arms
to the end of the back swing movement.
As the shoulders reach the
end of the back swing movement, they are held in this
position for a milli-second whilst the left foot is
gently pressed to the ground and simultaneously the
hips are forced to rotate/pivot/sway towards the target
area which almost instantaneously forces the twisted
body unit to rotate about its axis, thus causing the
shoulders to rotate into the down swing movement.
However it is important to
note that from the moment the back swing movement begins
right through the back swing and the down swing until
the torsion of the muscles within the shoulder region
is released, the tempo of the golf swing is very slow.
The tempo of the golf swing only gradually begins to
increase when the torsion of the muscles within the
shoulder region is released thus accelerating the club
head into and through the contact area.
Therefore the movement of
the hips must always remain in over-all control whilst
the twisted body unit remains in a totally passive condition.
( I can assure you that it is physically possible
to keep the twisted body unit in a passive condition
whilst the hips rotate/pivot/sway towards the target
area - you simply have to concentrate.
However when you do succeed in keeping the twisted body
unit totally passive to the movement of the hips, you
will achieve a strike of the ball that is so sweet and
beyond belief for mere amateurs.)
However, regardless of how
firmly you hold the shoulder/arms-unit together, the
inertia
effect will not allow the passive arms/golf club
to immediately follow the movement of the shoulders
- ( this delay is minuscule but nevertheless it
occurs) - Therefore the passive arms/golf club begin
to lag slightly further behind the movement of the shoulders
thus storing up a large amount of torsion/energy within
the shoulder region which will be released during the
later stages of the down swing.
( I use the description "passive" to describe
the condition of the arms, but it should be understood
that the arms are all held in a very firm condition
as the shoulders/arms-unit rotates into the down swing
movement -- In fact the arms should be considered as
an integral part of the shoulder/arms-unit in so much
that the arms will immediately respond to any movement
of the shoulders regardless of how small this movement
may be. Therefore the description"passive"
means that the muscles of the arms are completely dormant,
except to hold the elbows as close together as is physically
possible.)
Therefore as the shoulders
get very close to the original address position, the
golfer allows the energy that was built up within the
muscles of the shoulder region to be released, thus
allowing the passive arms/golf club to accelerate into
the contact area and therefore catch up with the shoulders
at the impact position.
Therefore it is the skill
of the golfer to judge the down swing movement so that
the club head returns to the golf ball at the precise
moment the shoulders return to the original address
position.
At the precise moment the club
head makes contact with the ball, the shoulders must
be in the original address position, the head
must be positioned so that the left eye is slightly
behind the ball, the hands
must not be ahead of the original address position and
the weight of the body predominantly over the left leg.
However as soon as the shoulders
return to the original address position and simultaneously
the club head makes contact with the ball, the shoulders
almost stop rotating whilst the passive arms interact,
thus causing the right
arm to fully straighten but also swinging the club head
at a constant accelerating speed to the bottom of the
swing arc.
However, although the professional
golfer will at this point forcibly straighten the right
arm, any attempt at this stage by a high handicapper
to inject extra power as the arms interact will simply
cause the muscles of the forearms to become tense and
cause the club head to turn thus causing the sliced
shot. - but this is all covered in the next
lesson - The "Follow Through"
There are seven things that contribute to a successful
strike of the ball:-
1) Watching
the ball whilst the club head swings into and through
the contact area, but importantly, continuing to look
at the spot the ball was resting until the head is forced
to move away from this position.
( Most golfers take their eyes off the ball a fraction
of a second before the club head makes contact
with the ball.)
2) Holding the shoulder/arms-unit
very firmly together as a very compact unit whilst the
movement of the hips force the twisted body to slowly
rotate about its axis.
3) The hands
must not return to the original address position until
the precise moment the club head makes contact with
the ball.
( The original address position is the position that
you set your own hands at the address position.)
4) The shoulders must be Parallel
to the Target Line at the precise moment the club
head makes contact with the ball.
5) The head
must be positioned so that the left eye is slightly
behind the ball at the precise moment the club head
makes contact with the ball.
( Failure to keep the head positioned so that the left
eye is slightly behind the ball at the precise moment
the club head makes contact with the ball is one of
the major faults that contribute to poor strike of the
ball.)
6) You must use the movement of the hips to force
the twisted body unit to rotate about its axis which
automatically returns the shoulders back to the original
address position.
7) Whilst the shoulders automatically return to
the original address position, judging the precise moment
to release the torsion of the muscles of the shoulder
region in order accelerate the passive arms/golf club
into and through the contact area at a steadily increasing
tempo.
(You must not try to alter the accelerating tempo of
the swinging action of the club head.)
7) The weight of the body must be predominantly
over the left leg at the precise moment the club head
makes contact with the ball.
In
the first photograph, the hips force the twisted body
unit to smoothly and slowly rotate about its axis, thus
automatically rotating the shoulders into the down swing
movement, but causing the passive arms/golf club to
lag further behind the movement of the shoulder/arms-unit
thus building up the torsion within the the muscles
of the shoulder region.
( From the very beginning of the down swing movement,
the twisted body unit must remain totally passive to
the movement of the hips.)
In
this second photograph the movement of the hips continue
to slowly rotate the twisted body unit around its axis
thus returning the shoulders back to the original address
position whilst the energy that was stored within the
the muscles of the shoulder region is released, thus
allowing the passive arms to accelerate into the contact
area but correctly timed so that the club head makes
contact with the ball at the precise moment the shoulders
return to original address position.
In
this third photograph you will notice that the hips
and the shoulders have not moved very far beyond the
previous photograph, but the shoulders are now back
in the original address position and the weight of the
body in predominantly over the left leg, whilst the
passive arms are about to interact.
However as the passive arms interact, the movement of
the shoulders slow down quite significantly thus allowing
the right arm to fully straighten.
The weight of the body will remain predominantly
over the left leg whilst the arms interact, thus swinging
the club head at a constant accelerating speed to the
bottom of the swing arc.
I cannot overstate how smoothly the club head swings
through the contact area as the arms interact- I simply
allow the arms to interact without any attempt to force
the movement.
But importantly, you must keep the head
positioned so that the left eye is slightly behind the
ball until the precise moment the club head makes contact
with the ball.
Therefore just to reiterate, you must ensure that
at the precise moment the club head makes contact with
the ball that the head
is positioned so that the left eye is slightly behind
the ball, the shoulders are parallel
to the target line, the hands
are exactly in the original address position and the
weight of the body predominantly over the left leg.
But equally important, you must also ensure that
the elbows
remain held as close together as is physically possible,
the left
arm must remain in over-all control and you must
maintain the upper
body angles.
Down
Swing Movement animation.
As the movement of the hips slowly force the twisted
body unit to rotate about its axis, it will automatically
cause the shoulders to rotate into the down swing movement
and as long as the hips continue to rotate/pivot towards
the target area, the shoulders will automatically return
to the original
address position of being "Parallel to the
Target Line"
However as the shoulders return to the original
address position and simultaneously the club head makes
contact with the ball, the upper body must be in the
same configuration as it was set at the address position,
for example, the upper body slightly tilted to the right,
the left shoulder slightly higher than the right shoulder,
the shoulders are parallel to the target line and the
head
remains slightly behind the ball.
It is absolutely vital that your main priority as
you perform the down swing movement is ensuring that
the club head makes contact with the ball at the precise
moment the shoulders return to the original address
position and as soon as the club head makes contact
with the ball you must force the arms to interact.
( But do not try to "HIT" the ball - simply
allow the club head to swing at a constant accelerating
speed as the arms interact.)
(If the picture does not have an active element, click
the mouse whilst it is over the picture and refresh
the page.)
If you want to increase the velocity
of the club head, simply increase the speed of the hips
during the down swing and follow through movements,
thus forcing the twisted body unit to rotate about its
axis at a faster rate.
This is an article by Jim McLean in Golf World about
the down swing movement, which reinforces my interpretation
of the golf swing.

By Jim McLean with Pete McDaniel
Illustrations By Jim Luft And Jason Lee
Photos By Stephen Szurlej
One of the biggest misconceptions about the X-Factor
is that it maxes out at the top of the backswing. The
truth is, the gap between your shoulder turn and hip
turn should increase during the early part of the downswing.
Because the X-Factor measures the amount of coil between
the shoulders and the hips, the X-Factor stretch is
how much that coil increases from the top to the first
move down.
Here's how it works: When you coil into your right
side during the backswing (above left), energy is transferred
and stored into that side. You release it properly through
the correct sequence of body motion at the transition,
starting with a substantial lateral move of the hips
toward the target. Your shoulders and arms follow. That's
right: The upper body and lower body should work independently.
The hips and legs separate from the upper body and start
forward (above right). That's when the X-Factor peaks.
To maximise your stretch, learn to start the downswing
with your lower body. Place your left hand on your left-front
pocket and simulate a backswing with your right arm.
Then shift your hips toward the target, feeling your
front-left pocket move forward before you start your
right arm down. That's the X-Factor stretch -- the primary
reason an average-size tour player can drive the ball
so far.
Courtesy
of "Golf World"- open the instruction
section in Golf World to learn more.
This brings us on to the follow
through position.
Please Note.
If you have any comments relating
to this website, or if you want anything clarified about
the golf swing as described, please contact me:- Here
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