Fitness Friday Article: Your downswing starts here

[boogielicious]

From http://www.golfdigest.com/story/fitness-friday-your-downswing-starts-here

Interesting article: @mvmac and @iacas, your thoughts?

By
Ron Kaspriske

Golf instructors often highlight the change of direction in the golf swing from backswing to downswing as the one spot where tour pro swings really differ from most amateur swings. If you watched this transition in slow motion, you would see most pros initiating the downswing with their lower body while they are still completing the backswing with their upper body. This "magic move" is key to synchronicity, rhythm and power.

So how do you ingrain this change-of-direction move into your swing? Many golf instructors will advise you to focus on letting your lead hip shift toward the target just as you're completing the backswing. It's good instruction, but without the necessary muscle function just south of the pelvis, it's going to be extremely difficult to do. There are many muscles responsible for this shift, but the ones you should focus on the most are found on the inside of your thighs. They are called the adductors, and are not to be confused with the muscles on the outside of the thighs known as the abductors.

The adductors are really the key muscles to control any type of lateral movement in the golf swing. Not only will they stop you from swaying away from the target too much as you take the club back—which makes solid contact a real challenge—they also are the ignition for that whip-like action that you see tour pros get with their club through impact. In these photos of Rickie Fowler (below), you'll notice a subtle shift of his lower body as he starts down with the club. This occurs when the adductors fire in his lead leg. Try it yourself. Wherever you are right now, get into your golf posture and mimic a backswing. When you are at the top, literally think about squeezing/clenching the muscles on the inside of your lead thigh. If you feel it contract, you've activated it and are now in position to let it help the lower body shift slightly toward the target. This is the power move you've been hoping for. To recap: 1. Take the club to the top of the backswing. 2. Clench the adductor muscles. 3. Swing down.

[nevets88]

If you look at all good players, their thighs are really squeezed together after the followthrough. Nary any daylight seen on a DTL video. In addition to the downswing, imho, I think they are active very much so I'm guessing around A7.5 onwards?

 

[saevel25]

"This is the power move you've been hoping for. To recap: 1. Take the club to the top of the backswing. 2. Clench the adductor muscles. 3. Swing down."

Not sure that is going to happen. For those who don't know what an adductor muscle is. It's the groin muscles. They are not really muscles you can actively engage, especially when you are engaging your quads being in a golf stance. Also, you are really not thinking of engaging specific muscles. The muscles work how they should because you are thinking of feelings that produce the movements you want. 

To me the lateral movement comes from a proper turn on an incline. The right hip being higher than the left at A4 causes a lateral shift. Also, the outside of the lead hip activates more. AT least that area for me can get a work out after hitting a lot of golf balls. 

 

[iacas]

Some pros start the change of direction like Rickie Fowler (very early). Some don't and start down almost simultaneously.

Just as some regular golfers do.

Tough to see in still frames, but these are about 1/20th of a second apart (it's 29.94 FPS video, but it's slow motion). The first frame at 3.08 is when his hips start going forward and the second frame (3.17) you can clearly see that his left arm has started coming down too, while the clubhead is just starting to move forward after going on a little bit farther.

The number of pros with a BIG transition move where the hips start to slide and turn WELL before the upper body seems to be on the decline… perhaps (off the top of my head) because pros are more likely to keep the front heel down on the ground more in transition these days. As Hogan mostly does above.

[mvmac]

Interesting article: @mvmac and @iacas, your thoughts?

Looking at that sequence of Rickie I'm seeing the opposite happen, looks like he's "pushing" his knees/thighs out at the start of the downswing. To me, if I'm clenching my inner thighs I'm squeezing them together.

At 4 you see a lot of players with the lead knee inline or a little inside the lead hip. By 5 or 6 the knee will be outside the hip (obviously rotation plays a role here). So I don't think the feeling of squeezing inward with the groin/thighs is going to give golfers that separation that you see with good player.

Also agree with what @saevel25 posted, you use a feel to engage the muscle. To activate a muscle you don't just "tell" the muscle to activate. I think a good, general feel for this is "lead knee down and around."

[boogielicious]

Looking at that sequence of Rickie I'm seeing the opposite happen, looks like he's "pushing" his knees/thighs out at the start of the downswing. To me, if I'm clenching my inner thighs I'm squeezing them together.

At 4 you see a lot of players with the lead knee inline or a little inside the lead hip. By 5 or 6 the knee will be outside the hip (obviously rotation plays a role here). So I don't think the feeling of squeezing inward with the groin/thighs is going to give golfers that separation that you see with good player.

Also agree with what @saevel25 posted, you use a feel to engage the muscle. To activate a muscle you don't just "tell" the muscle to activate. I think a good, general feel for this is "lead knee down and around."

The other part of the article talked about the lower body starting the downswing before the upper body finished the back swing. Is this something to work towards or does it just happen if we do other things correctly?

[mvmac]

The other part of the article talked about the lower body starting the downswing before the upper body finished the back swing. Is this something to work towards or does it just happen if we do other things correctly?

I think it's only something to work towards if it's something you need to do for your game. Like @iacas pointed out, there are a variety ways to do it. Some pros start down at around A3 and some do it at A4.1.

[boogielicious]

I think it's only something to work towards if it's something you need to do for your game. Like @iacas pointed out, there are a variety ways to do it. Some pros start down at around A3 and some do it at A4.1.

Thanks.