Backswing To Downswing Ratio

[1badbadger]

I searched for this topic and didn't see anything, so I apologize if it's been discussed before.  @iacas, I was reading LSW and have a question about the ratio of backswing to downswing.  For those who haven't read the book, there is a chapter on maximizing clubhead speed, and one of the sections discusses how fast your backswing is compared to your downswing.  Good players/fast swingers have a ratio of between 2.5:1 to 3:1.  Most amateurs and slower swingers have a ratio of 4:1 to 5:1.  To improve this ratio, the recommendation is to increase the speed of the backswing.

My question is, isn't it possible to improve the ratio without increasing clubhead speed?  If the backswing speed is faster, but the downswing stays the same, the ratio would be better, but the end result would be the same, would it not?  Or, if the backswing speed is increased, and the downswing speed is increased, wouldn't the ratio still not be very good, even though more swing speed is being generated?  Help straighten me out on this concept.

(BTW, I'm impressed with the book so far...it's a really different approach than anything else I've read and I'm on board with everything else, I just don't understand this part)

[iacas]

32 minutes ago, 1badbadger said:

My question is, isn't it possible to improve the ratio without increasing clubhead speed?  If the backswing speed is faster, but the downswing stays the same, the ratio would be better, but the end result would be the same, would it not?

The point is… increasing your backswing speed often leads to an increased downswing speed. A lot of amateurs, we've found, are just swinging slowly. They need to learn to "let it go" a little more. Making a faster backswing helps them do that.

And there are obviously exceptions, particularly on the LPGA Tour, of pros who have slow backswings. I'd be curious though if they too wouldn't swing a little faster with a faster backswing.

32 minutes ago, 1badbadger said:

Or, if the backswing speed is increased, and the downswing speed is increased, wouldn't the ratio still not be very good, even though more swing speed is being generated?  Help straighten me out on this concept.

That would be true but only if they increased the same percentage.

4:1 might speed up to 3:0.95. Faster downswing, much different ratio.

32 minutes ago, 1badbadger said:

(BTW, I'm impressed with the book so far...it's a really different approach than anything else I've read and I'm on board with everything else, I just don't understand this part)

You're a more experienced player, too. And this advice isn't universal for everyone. It's just something to try that works for a lot of people.

[Buckeyebowman]

And I've noticed this with my own swing, following the "old" advice of a slow backswing. If I do that I tend to "jump" or "lunge" from the top! And the swing goes haywire!