My Swing (mvmac)

[mvmac]

Got connected last week with Brian Chandler, a performance trainer who specializes in golf, works with Ryan Moore, few Korn Ferry pros and a bunch of college players. Typically not into that sort of thing but figured it couldn't hurt to get an assessment, glad I did because it was very informative. Connected with everything I've been trying to do with my swing for the past couple years and why some of it has been a struggle:

- Why the club head tends to bank inward at 2
- Lack of speed (driver is 106-108mph)
- Over-rotation of pelvis on backswing
- Sweep/flippy release with knee sag

Below are notes I sent to Mario, he came with me for my first session Monday. 

- I have a wide rib cage which makes core compression harder to do and speed wise isn't very good. Tiger has a perfect ratio with wide shoulders and narrow hips, optimal for ground forces (funnel concept). Narrow rib cage can create a lot of speed but lacks control.

- My thoracic is compressed, lacks mobility. It's straight and doesn't have any kyphosis. 

- Easier for me to go anterior pelvic tilt and elevate the rib cage. Tend to stand more anterior with a disengaged core. I'm already "stretched" out so there is nothing to expand from P1-4.

- Really good ER with the hips and very poor IR

- Overall mobility really good, especially with the feet/ankles and arms/shoulders. My good feet/ankles compensate for my lack of IR and thoracic mobility. 

- Need to expand more in the backswing via spine, more eccentric stretch of fascia slings.

- Use all three power sources evenly, which is why I hit it straight. Deceleration side is faster than my dominant side, another reason I hit it straight.

- Currently use pelvis rotation and a lot of arms (scapulas, shoulder elevation/flexion) to "cheat" backswing pivot. No stretch of sling from left hip to right shoulder. Makes it hard to compress the core in transition and into the downswing. 

- P1 will feel like my belt buckle is rotating upward (posterior, core compression) then hip hinge from there. Feel a little stretch up the hamstrings and glute engagement. "Weight" will feel more middle of the foot or even a bit on the heels.

- First thing he gave me was four breathing drills to expand the upper back and compress the rib cage as the posterior chain is engaged.

Next month the plan is to do four workouts a week and breathing corrective exercises three times a day. We'll see how it goes, I'm willing to give it a shot and encouraged by the way the swing looked today after three sessions with Brian. Here are swings after the workout today. Really good facility, Brian is planning on adding a motion capture system and force plates. 

Focus is on the setup, feet square, pelvis tuck/ribs down, hip hinge while not adding knee flex. Swing cue was to move my sternum/ribs to move the arms/club back and at 3, feel the shoulders protracted and the upper back expanding (pic below). Basically trying to create as much space as I can from the grip to the chest but doing it with my upper back and not stretching my arms. Difference from previous swings is that I'm getting more pure thoracic rotation and not using excessive extension.

Ideally the femurs would be a little more ER, best example would be the guy below me, lower leg IR, upper leg ER so it's much easier to go IR in the trail hip as I rotate back.

Example of a couple of the breathing exercises,  this is one of his coaches.

 

[saevel25]

8 hours ago, mvmac said:

Sweep/flippy release with knee sag

What did they say specifically would help with this? 

8 hours ago, mvmac said:

Need to expand more in the backswing via spine, more eccentric stretch of fascia slings.

Does this feel like the shoulders get steeper and there is a stretch in the right side?

8 hours ago, mvmac said:

Currently use pelvis rotation and a lot of arms (scapulas, shoulder elevation/flexion) to "cheat" backswing pivot. No stretch of sling from left hip to right shoulder. Makes it hard to compress the core in transition and into the downswing. 

Do you think that this causes the arms to travel more than they should in the backswing? What does this cheat specifically cause? 

8 hours ago, mvmac said:

- First thing he gave me was four breathing drills to expand the upper back and compress the rib cage as the posterior chain is engaged.

I am interested in this. The more I hear on breathing techniques, the more it intrigues me. 

The swing looks good! great work! I enjoy watching your progression. 

[mvmac]

On 6/25/2020 at 6:52 AM, saevel25 said:

What did they say specifically would help with this? 

 

On 6/25/2020 at 6:52 AM, saevel25 said:

Does this feel like the shoulders get steeper and there is a stretch in the right side?

 

 

On 6/25/2020 at 6:52 AM, saevel25 said:

Do you think that this causes the arms to travel more than they should in the backswing? What does this cheat specifically cause? 

Yes and why I get narrow with the wrist angles on the backswing. Can't stretch of expand on the backswing.

On 6/25/2020 at 6:52 AM, saevel25 said:

I am interested in this. The more I hear on breathing techniques, the more it intrigues me. 

The swing looks good! great work! I enjoy watching your progression. 

He explained it to me by describing how the body is made up, of mostly gas and liquid. How air is distributed is very important. I will say this, when I do my breathing my feet feel like I just got a massage, no tension. I can flex from the hips without any tightness and my hip IR doubles.

4th workout this week, burned 1K calories!

---

Swings from yesterday face-on view was a bit off but definitely some improvements. More "compression", 2 is better and 6 is probably my best.

 

 

[saevel25]

Wow, a bit more detail than I was expecting! Thanks for the info. 

[DaveP043]

1 hour ago, saevel25 said:

Wow, a bit more detail than I was expecting! Thanks for the info. 

We'll duh, what did you expect?  I learned a few years back that Mike's understanding of the details was way beyond what most of us could aspire to.  Mike, nice to see that 65, great playing.

[mvmac]

For the one or two people following this thread, want to clarify that I don't think you need to do all the fitness stuff I'm doing to become a decent player. I've been steadily improving the last 3-4 years without it. 

To get to where I want to go with my game I'm open to giving this fitness/corrective exercise stuff a try. To do that I have to do my best to fix some mechanical/movement issues, some that may stem from my body's ability to "load" properly. 

On 6/26/2020 at 4:05 PM, saevel25 said:

Wow, a bit more detail than I was expecting! Thanks for the info. 

💪

On 6/26/2020 at 5:18 PM, DaveP043 said:

Mike, nice to see that 65, great playing.

Thanks Dave!

[TN94z]

I may not post much on the thread (or on the site overall), but I have followed your work for a long time. I really enjoy watching your progression and the work you put in. I also really enjoy the detail provided as well.

[mvmac]

13 hours ago, TN94z said:

I may not post much on the thread (or on the site overall), but I have followed your work for a long time. I really enjoy watching your progression and the work you put in. I also really enjoy the detail provided as well.

Thanks. It's also helpful to me to document it all and easy to share if someone asks what I've been working on.

[GolfLug]

@mvmac you said your deceleration side I'd faster than your dominant side, another reason you hit it straight. Care to explain this? 

[mvmac]

On 7/2/2020 at 12:15 AM, GolfLug said:

@mvmac you said your deceleration side I'd faster than your dominant side, another reason you hit it straight. Care to explain this? 

My interpretation is that it's similar to cracking a whip. With pros, their hips start the transition/downswing with a rapid acceleration followed by a rapid deceleration. So the speed or "work" you're putting into the club is the results of the torso, arms, legs accelerating and decelerating. There is kind of a chain reaction from one body segment to the other, so you need the deceleration to provide the sequential transfer of energy.

Basically I "brake" or stabilize very well and will never be able to override it. I need more juice on the acceleration side. Honestly, I most likely should have started playing lefty, it's my faster side and I throw lefty.

This also makes sense for because I hit it the straightest when I feel like I'm swinging hard/fast. I get in trouble when I try to guide shots and then I can hit it all over the place. 

[mvmac]

 

 

[mvmac]

Upper back expansion has improved, been able to change my rib cage from a wide to a narrow in two weeks. This week the focus was more on the hips. Ties into what Dr. Kwon recommended with more pelvic tilt and less hip turn.

 

Really like how the club and shaft are loading, not banking inside like I tend to do. Hit some really solid shots, whole idea is create some more inclination and loading with the pelvis so it's easier to "compress" it on the downswing.

Here's a swing from today after the round. Sticking with the same theme and experimenting with a slightly different feel to get the internal rotation. Feeling like I'm "pushing" the ground away with the inside of my right foot on the backswing and with both feet on the downswing.

Compared to a random swing from a couple months ago. Can really see the difference with the right leg/hip.

 

[colin007]

I'm so glad I don't have to worry about my kyphosis...that would be a nightmare....

[iacas]

I'd called or left a voicemail or text about it, but I wonder if you don't feel that your right knee twists inward during the backswing. Almost the opposite of the old sevam1 direction, where the knee (through the quads/hammies more than the lower leg) twists inward during the backswing a little.

The feeling can work — that's not my question. The question is do you ever feel it that way?

Another general question but for you specifically: if your issue (one of) is with your left hip flexion stuff, do you feel it during the backswing or is it a downswing thing only, and if it's the former, do you have any left hip feels or is it mostly right side feels for you?

[mvmac]

17 hours ago, iacas said:

I wonder if you don't feel that your right knee twists inward during the backswing. Almost the opposite of the old sevam1 direction, where the knee (through the quads/hammies more than the lower leg) twists inward during the backswing a little.

Yes for sure. Have been going back and forth between that feel and the pushing from the inside of the feet. When I "see" myself do it, I'm seeing my belt buckle get closer to my thigh but my thigh isn't rotating to my right.

17 hours ago, iacas said:

Another general question but for you specifically: if your issue (one of) is with your left hip flexion stuff, do you feel it during the backswing or is it a downswing thing only, and if it's the former, do you have any left hip feels or is it mostly right side feels for you?

Priority for me is changing how the right leg/hip load otherwise I won't be able to create any force into the lead side or create any stretch going back. 

But I do have to work on both. For right now the left hip feel is similar to the right with the inside of the left foot pushing away, almost doing a skater stride or floor board slide. Gets me to loads the leg and "post up" into it.

Brian mentioned that when he tests my right hip, it moves fine. He thinks I don't tilt/rotate IR because my left hip basically can't deal with the result of the transitional "fall" you get when the hips are tilted properly. So my brain/body figured out that I should rotate more level with the right to accommodate my crappy left.

Not sure I buy into it 100% but I think there is something to it. Even though my right side can work fine, I have to train it to do the correct thing because it's use to rotating more ER, rotating too far and with not much tilt.

This was yesterday, doing these for the first time. Cable pulls with my foot on an incline which forces it pronated. Compliments the corrective exercises I'm doing a couple times a day with holding the side shift lunges (holding on to a barbell or sink, shifting right/left with the foot pronated/knee flexed inside the foot and hold for 5-6 breaths).

Then a few swings after, slower backswing into a fast downswing, taking advantage of turning on all those muscles from the cable pulls. Really focusing on pressing out with the inside part of the foot and belt buckle rotating into the hip, never seen my impact look like this.

 

 

[Tepi90]

Great stuff, been following this thread every now and then out of interest, but the stuff goes way over my head usually. 😄

In the gym swing your lead shoulder looks to be in much more stronger position, in the right pic it looks collapsed/hugging yourself.

Do you think this has alot to do with how you land/brace against your lead side now? I feel like I personally just slide on top of my lead leg/hip and all the torgue I've created in backswing disappears and my upper body has nothing to rotate against, it just floats in space waiting for clubheads momentum to pull it through. I guess it's time to start skating again, please keep posting these updates and the stuff you do in the gym, it's priceless!

 

[mvmac]

20 hours ago, Tepi90 said:

Do you think this has alot to do with how you land/brace against your lead side now?

Yes, I basically put myself in a position to "push off" against. Biggest difference in those pics is the location of the left hip, compare it to where it is to my left foot. That'll change the handle location.

Goal now to to inch my way towards the left pic when I hit shot off turf because it will regress more towards the right pic.

20 hours ago, Tepi90 said:

I feel like I personally just slide on top of my lead leg/hip and all the torgue I've created in backswing disappears

I'd first look at what's going on with the backswing or even before.

[mvmac]

 

Updated swing and a drill I'm doing to encourage more body and less arms in transition.

What Mario was happy about 😉