Post by imperfectgolfer on Sept 4, 2023 12:01:05 GMT -5
Watch this BBG video where Lee Deitrick uses the Cowen Drill (involving a cross-hand grip) to correct a golfer's tendency to swing his arms/club too much outwards towards right-field (1st base) through impact - representing the equivalent phenomenon of an exaggerated CF-arm release action in the early followthrough.
Many amateur golfers have a tendency to use an exaggerated CF-arm release action in their early followthrough where the club is swung too much outwards towards right-field (1st base), which predisposes to a pushed ball flight, or push-sliced ball flight, pattern.
Many amateur golfers have a tendency to use an exaggerated CF-arm release action in their early followthrough where the club is swung too much outwards towards right-field (1st base), which predisposes to a pushed ball flight, or push-sliced ball flight, pattern.
Lee Deitrick uses the Cowen drill (involving the use of a cross-handed grip) to foster a more CP-arm release action where the arms/club are directed more inside-left after impact.
I think that his golf instructional approach is sub-optimal (and ass-backward) because it attempts to use an arm motion (particularly a trail arm motion) to change the body's pivot motion so that the pelvis and upper torso are induced to rotate more efficiently counterclockwise in the early followthrough.
I think that a much better golf instructional approach is to work directly on improving the pivot motion so that an improved counterclockwise rotation of the pelvis/thorax through impact makes it easier for a golfer to execute a CP-arm release action in the early followthrough.
My golf instructional approach would focus on improving three features of the body's pivot motion through impact.
1) First of all, a golfer needs to continue to actively rotate the pelvis counterclockwise between P7 => P7.5+. To achieve that goal a golfer should improve the motion of his lead buttock back towards the tush line starting soon after P5.5. That can be achieved in a flexible golfer if the lead forefoot pushes against the ground in a direction that is towards the ball-target line thereby generating a rotary torque GRF that will induce the lead pelvis to continue to rotate counterclockwise so that the lead hip joint moves back away from the ball-target line. A golfer should simultaneously be straightening his lead leg, which will cause the lead hip joint to become more elevated between P5.5 => P7+.
Consider Ben Hogan's execution of his pelvic motion during his late downswing and early followthrough.
Image 1 is at P4, image 2 is at P5, image 3 is at P5.5, image 4 is at P7 and image 5 is at P7.5.
Note that Hogan's pelvis is square at P5 and then it starts to become more open at P5.5.
Note how much Hogan's lead buttock moves away from the ball-target line, and also slightly away from the target, between P5.5 => P7 while he straightens his lead leg and elevates his lead hip joint. That requires the generation of a finite amount of rotary torque GRF and a finite amount of vertical GRF under the lead foot, which is assisted by the active muscular contraction of the lead vastus lateralis muscle and lead gluteus maximus muscle.
Note how Hogan's pelvis continues to rotate counterclockwise between P7 => P7.5.
2) While the pelvic motional phenomenon described in 1) is happening, the golfer should stretch-out the lead-side of his mid-upper torso and pull the lead shoulder upwards and also in an inside-left direction while arching his thoracic spine slightly away from the target. That biomechnaical phenomenon can be seen in Hogan's capture images above, and also in the following capture images of Dustin Johnson.
Image 1 is at P6, image 2 is at P7 and image 3 is at P7.5.
Note how DJ is actively rotating his pelvis counterclockwise between P6 => P7.5 while elevating his lead hip joint.
Note how much DJ elevates his lead shoulder upwards between P6 => P7.5 while maintaining a constant spinal bend inclination angle and ensuring that he keeps his head behind the ball.
3) The third component of a desirable pivot motion is to ensure that the shoulders turn in a more ferris-wheel manner between P6 => P7.5 as can be seen in the DJ capture images above. That requires that the trail shoulder moves more groundwards, which is partly due to crunch-compression of the soft tissues in the trail mid-torso area and partly due to the acquisition of right lateral bend. It is biomechanically much easier to acquire right lateral bend if the pelvis is rotated more counterclockwise than the thorax during the P5.5 => P7.5 time period.
A pro golfer who performs those three described pivot motions perfectly is Viktor Hovand - as seen in the capture images below.
Image 1 is at P7 and image 2 is at P7.5.
Note how well VH rotates his pelvis counterclockwise between P7 => P7.5.
Note how well VH elevates his lead shoulder socket while simultaneously getting his trail shoulder to move more groundwards so that his shoulders rotate in a more ferris-wheel (steeper) manner through impact.
Note how VH directs his hands to move inside-left between P7 => P7.5, which allows him to generate a clubhead path that moves inside-left in a desirable way - and that CP-arm release action is much easier to execute if the pivot motional pattern is first optimised.
Jeff.