3 Torques in the Golf Swing

[billchao]

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2015-04/3-moves-to-smash-it

Quote:

To get that seemingly effortless power, tour players aren't just relying on centrifugal force to sling the club through impact on a single plane. They're actively torquing—or twisting—the club in three specific ways during the downswing to help produce those high speeds.

The concept comes from research by Dr. Steven Nesbit, a professor of mechanical engineering at Lafayette College and an expert in mechanism analysis and design. He decoded the pro swing and identified the torques at work.

Using the Gears Golf system for tracking body and club movement—the same technology that produced the 3-D swing images in this story—we're able to pinpoint the moves that create those torques and compare them from player to player.

To produce peak repeatable speed in a swing, the player needs to use the three torques (or twisting motions) in the correct order and degree. In swing-geek shorthand, we call the torques Alpha, Beta and Gamma, but it might help you to think of them as "Out," "Over" and "Around," because that's how each torque moves the club on the downswing.

These twisting movements are what make a great swing take on its characteristic look. Alpha torque changes the relationship between the club and arms from an L shape at the top of the backswing to more of an I shape near impact. Beta torque sets the club in the right position in relation to the body during the downswing. Gamma torque helps square the clubface. In short, to get from the top to impact powerfully, the club has to move out, over and around—and the three torques make that happen.

I usually don't pay much attention to magazine instructional articles, but this seemed interesting, and wanted to get everyone's opinion on it.

[boogielicious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by billchao

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2015-04/3-moves-to-smash-it

Quote:

To get that seemingly effortless power, tour players aren't just relying on centrifugal force to sling the club through impact on a single plane. They're actively torquing—or twisting—the club in three specific ways during the downswing to help produce those high speeds.

The concept comes from research by Dr. Steven Nesbit, a professor of mechanical engineering at Lafayette College and an expert in mechanism analysis and design. He decoded the pro swing and identified the torques at work.

Using the Gears Golf system for tracking body and club movement—the same technology that produced the 3-D swing images in this story—we're able to pinpoint the moves that create those torques and compare them from player to player.

To produce peak repeatable speed in a swing, the player needs to use the three torques (or twisting motions) in the correct order and degree. In swing-geek shorthand, we call the torques Alpha, Beta and Gamma, but it might help you to think of them as "Out," "Over" and "Around," because that's how each torque moves the club on the downswing.

These twisting movements are what make a great swing take on its characteristic look. Alpha torque changes the relationship between the club and arms from an L shape at the top of the backswing to more of an I shape near impact. Beta torque sets the club in the right position in relation to the body during the downswing. Gamma torque helps square the clubface. In short, to get from the top to impact powerfully, the club has to move out, over and around—and the three torques make that happen.

I usually don't pay much attention to magazine instructional articles, but this seemed interesting, and wanted to get everyone's opinion on it.

Aren't these just the Power Accumulators from The Golfing Machine by Homer Kelly?  The gamma torque could be the 5th accumulator.

Quote:

Accumulators in the Golf Swing
1: A bent right elbow
2: Leading (top) wrist cock
3: Angle between shaft and lead forearm (expressed as rotation about that lead forearm)
4: Angle between lead arm and shoulders
Each accumulator has a corresponding pressure point.

[SavvySwede]

Considering we live in a three dimensional world and the golf club moves through all three dimensions, I don't think saying there are three torques on the golf club reveals anything at all. #1 is basically lag, #2 is basically dropping into the slot, and #3 is the release. The real merit of the article is that it is worded very differently from conventional instruction so perhaps it might get the ideas to click for someone who never  grasped the concepts from previous presentations they have encountered.

[boogielicious]

Considering we live in a three dimensional world and the golf club moves through all three dimensions, I don't think saying there are three torques on the golf club reveals anything at all. #1 is basically lag, #2 is basically dropping into the slot, and #3 is the release. The real merit of the article is that it is worded very differently from conventional instruction so perhaps it might get the ideas to click for someone who never  grasped the concepts from previous presentations they have encountered.

I would add that they are confirming the power accumulators with modern technology.

[billchao]

Aren't these just the Power Accumulators from The Golfing Machine by Homer Kelly?  The gamma torque could be the 5th accumulator.  [CONTENTEMBED=/t/57876/what-are-the-power-accumulators layout=inline]​[/CONTENTEMBED]   [CONTENTEMBED=/t/44717/is-there-a-5th-power-accumulator layout=inline]​[/CONTENTEMBED]

I'm not the most knowledgeable person on TGM, but it seems to me like these torques combine several elements of the accumulators together into three components, whereas in TGM they are four separate accumulators that you have to use in conjuction with each other. I guess what I'm trying to say is that these torques seem to simplify things. Anyway, I just thought about the instructional piece some more, and it's conpletely useless if, for example, you have a Key #1 issue.

[EverythingGolf]

Here is a video of it, Brian Manzella.

[mchepp]

I have a couple of questions.

1. How does Gears Golf measure torque? Seems like an awful hard thing to do.

2. Who was the model for this experiment. Mulitple PGA Tour players? Hard to tell from the article.

Probably won't get answers, but Golf Magazine doesn't care if I get better anyways.

[natureboy]

I read the article and found it lacking a bit in helpful and potentially important details.

1. The wall drill for torque one doesn't say where in your body you should feel the torque against the wall. From the description and image a reader might think that active release (ulnar deviation) of the wrists at this point is a good idea. But from the swing models I've read about, you actually get maximum clubhead speed at impact with delayed wrist release (negative wrist torque) that can be passively achieved by torquing / forcing the hinge (the hands) ahead of the releasing clubhead (trying to get hands ahead of the ball). I feel the torque at this point in the d/s in my L hip, and both shoulders (lat squeezing), as well as R rotator cuff related to the elbow move in torque two. Nicklaus said you 'can't release too early if the body is leading' so I could see that some may feel R arm extensor action at this point. A 'late hit' intention works better for me, but this could be because my body isn't fast / leading / active enough.

2. Technically the lowering of the R elbow (moving it to 'stone skipping' position) is a torque flattening the club shaft moment arm, but for me it's more of a positioning of the club (by R shoulder rotator cuff & lat) than the 'hard work' that I read into the everyday connotation of the word 'torque'. It's a good move for power, but doesn't require a lot of muscle effort relative to the legs and core moving the upper torso / shoulders. Some readers might construe this as a 'heavy effort' move.

3. Unclear to me which torque they are talking about with the last one from delivery through impact. Could mean two different torques:

3a. There could be active torque (from R arm extension carrying the shoulder torque through the ball) in the R arm pronation / L arm supination of release which 'squares' the club (really just delivers the clubhead on the arc / path to which it is already square / mostly square - depending on swing style). I think this is similar to the R elbow lowering...more about positioning than muscle effort. You could probably add some hit / punch with the R arm from delivery too, but I think the bulk of the energy would still come from the R arm 'launching' off the much larger R shoulder torque. The forearms rotate, but I think the forearm muscles are pretty passive for this motion - allowing it to happen / going along for the ride.

3b. The third torque could also be a reference to the old school 'changing the chuck' / 'wringing the towel' move which does close the clubface to the arc a bit, but mostly delofts the club and unlike (for me) the forearm pronation / supination does involve some active forearm / wrist muscle work (but not much power / effort) around the axis of the clubshaft. If you do this move without keeping the hands ahead (or if the pivot stalls) I think you could end with a closed face at impact rather than square. It may help chronic flippers / slicers who have trouble keeping the face fairly square to the arc / path throughout the swing or chicken wing through impact, but may be only a (helpful) band-aid to those issues rather than a solid fix.

So I think the article is fairly accurate, but the descriptions could be clearer. I think the video is better.

[dchoye]

the only torque that makes any sense to the meaning of the word torque is what he refers as "gamma torque"

torque is the twisting of the the clubshaft.

the other two torque he calls 'alpha' and 'beta" are really not a twisting force .

would be better communicated if he substitutes those word with 'leverage' and 'hinge'

[natureboy]

the only torque that makes any sense to the meaning of the word torque is what he refers as "gamma torque"

torque is the twisting of the the clubshaft.

the other two torque he calls 'alpha' and 'beta" are really not a twisting force .

would be better communicated if he substitutes those word with 'leverage' and 'hinge'

Rotation around axis, fulcrum, or pivot...not just axis.