Pushing vs pulling on downswing

[onthehunt526]

I've been hearing this theory of push vs pull on the downswing. 

I've watched a couple of videos (which I'll embed later), that explain that you shouldn't push with your left thumb on the downswing, but you should pull with the last three fingers of your left hand (for a right handed golfer).

I was wondering if this motion, fits into the 5 simple keys at all. Specifically, SK3... thanks.

 

Shane

[SavvySwede]

25 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

I've been hearing this theory of push vs pull on the downswing. 

I've watched a couple of videos (which I'll embed later), that explain that you shouldn't push with your left thumb on the downswing, but you should pull with the last three fingers of your left hand (for a right handed golfer).

I was wondering if this motion, fits into the 5 simple keys at all. Specifically, SK3... thanks.

 

Shane

That sounds like a "feel" more than technical advice to me. That or some new formulation of the old "swinger vs, "hitter" debate.

[Mike Boatright]

Yet another reason to swing a driver shaft with no head on it only then can you see what your grip does on the backswing and downswing. The head has a specific weight  your fingers support this weight and with a little applied force and the help of gravity it becomes the down swing. For a right hand player i'd say the left hand and finger makes this force possible and the right hand applies the stored whip and the bottom of your swing. It's really about understanding gravity and applied forces.

 

 

Edited March 13, 2016 by Mike Boatright

[Dave325]

6 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

I've been hearing this theory of push vs pull on the downswing. 

I've watched a couple of videos (which I'll embed later), that explain that you shouldn't push with your left thumb on the downswing, but you should pull with the last three fingers of your left hand (for a right handed golfer).

I was wondering if this motion, fits into the 5 simple keys at all. Specifically, SK3... thanks.

 

Shane

Hi Shane - I am not the expert, but from what I understand it is not neither of these pieces of the hand, though thinking of these my help your feel. I think of the downswing as more Key #2 and using the core and hips to initiate and follow through to finish. Of course, this is something I am continually working on. For me, it seems that when I put my focus on anything other than this weight forward hip thrust on the downswing... My shot gets pretty erratic. My specific feel now is to end with weight on the outside of the left foot to ensure the hip thrust and weight forward on downswing. Hope this helps.

[onthehunt526]

2 minutes ago, Dave325 said:

Hi Shane - I am not the expert, but from what I understand it is not neither of these pieces of the hand, though thinking of these my help your feel. I think of the downswing as more Key #2 and using the core and hips to initiate and follow through to finish. Of course, this is something I am continually working on. For me, it seems that when I put my focus on anything other than this weight forward hip thrust on the downswing... My shot gets pretty erratic. My specific feel now is to end with weight on the outside of the left foot to ensure the hip thrust and weight forward on downswing. Hope this helps.

I'll buy that....

I'm thinking it might be more of a feel thing, or mental picture thing. I also read an article on it in the April issue of Golf Digest... When I find the video I will post it.

[onthehunt526]

There's one video, I'll look for the other one today.

[Mr. Desmond]

Pushing, pulling, left hand, right hand... my instructor says I think too much already and don't think about that... I believe both arms work together. 

[natureboy]

9 hours ago, Mike Boatright said:

Yet another reason to swing a driver shaft with no head on it only then can you see what your grip does on the backswing and downswing. The head has a specific weight  your fingers support this weight and with a little applied force and the help of gravity it becomes the down swing. For a right hand player i'd say the left hand and finger makes this force possible and the right hand applies the stored whip and the bottom of your swing. It's really about understanding gravity and applied forces.

If it works for you, great. On the physics, you may have the trail hand role completely backwards. Look at how they are holding the whip / towel in the Mythbusters segment. How many hands? The speed of the clubs along the arc plus gravity forces release. A little parametric acceleration may give it a boost too.

 

Edited March 13, 2016 by natureboy

[iacas]

15 hours ago, Mike Boatright said:

Yet another reason to swing a driver shaft with no head on it only then can you see what your grip does on the backswing and downswing. The head has a specific weight  your fingers support this weight and with a little applied force and the help of gravity it becomes the down swing. For a right hand player i'd say the left hand and finger makes this force possible and the right hand applies the stored whip and the bottom of your swing. It's really about understanding gravity and applied forces.

Gravity plays only a small role in the downswing. The hands and arms (and shoulders, etc.) are responsible for bringing the clubhead down to the ball. Gravity doesn't do much, and if it did, the downswing would not only take a long time it would hit the ball nowhere.

The "applied force" greatly adds to gravity's contribution to the downswing. Let's not over-state the importance of gravity, particularly when that's something everyone "gets for free."

Usually, btw, pushing and pulling has to do with the left and right arms: the left pulls, the right pushes (for a righty).

[onthehunt526]

Erik,

Thank you, for that physics explanation... 

What do you mean the right hand pushes? Is it because it has to in order to be going in the same direction as the left?

Shane

P.S. I've been reading a little and a pro also once told me, you more or less Push the club back (weight transfer and everything), And Pull the club through.

[iacas]

11 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

What do you mean the right hand pushes? Is it because it has to in order to be going in the same direction as the left?

It's "behind" or "under" the club so it pushes while the left hand "pulls." There's a lot more to it than that, but some people have attempted to simplify the swing into being either/or (push or pull). It's both and then some.

11 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

P.S. I've been reading a little and a pro also once told me, you more or less Push the club back (weight transfer and everything), And Pull the club through.

You do both. What you feel that you do is somewhat unique to you, though.