Post by imperfectgolfer on Jan 1, 2024 11:57:29 GMT -5
Eric Cogorno posted this video yesterday - on the last day of the year 2023.
Eric hosted the golf instructor, Trevor Salzman, for this video presentation and together they have produced one of the worst golf instructional videos ever featured by Eric Cogorno on his you-tube channel.
Eric hosted the golf instructor, Trevor Salzman, for this video presentation and together they have produced one of the worst golf instructional videos ever featured by Eric Cogorno on his you-tube channel.
Eric states that the right shoulder must move downplane in the optimum manner if a golfer wants to hit the ball solidly with forward shaft lean and with optimum low point control. I do not disagree that the trail shoulder must move downplane so that the golfer can reach impact where the trail arm is still partially bent and where the trail wrist is still partly extended. However, I totally disagree with Trevor's claims made between the 4:00 - 4:47 minute time point of the video - where he states that the downswing must start with the downplane motion of the trail shoulder leading the kinematic sequence and where the trail shoulder's motion is causally responsible for driving the clubhead down to low point.
I think that most pro golfers use a pivot-driven TGM swinging action (lead arm swinging action) where the pivot-induced motion of the lead arm is causally responsible for moving the club downwards-and-forwards at the start of the downswing and where the motion of the lead side of the body is causally responsible for low point control and where low point is situated vertically (or near-vertically) under the lead shoulder socket at impact (from a face-on viewing perspective). I believe that the downswing's kinematic sequence should optimally start with the motion of the legs/pelvis where the pelvis shift-rotates during the hip-squaring phase that happens between P4 => P5. The upper torso should rotate momentarily thereafter with a variable degree of torso-pelvic separation (dynamic X-factor) and when the upper torso secondarily rotates counterclockwise (due mainly to the muscular contraction of the abdominal oblique muscles) the trail shoulder will passively move in a more downplane manner if a golfer develops i) secondary axis tilt (due to shifting the lumbar-sacral joint area targetwards while keeping the head stationary back near its address location) and a variable degree of ii) right lateral bend (due to the thoracic spine tilting away from the target relative to the lumbar spine). I believe that one should never think of moving the trail shoulder first so that it leads the kinematic sequence and one should never think of driving the trail shoulder downplane as the first downswing action. Which muscles does Trevor envisage should be used to drive the trail shoulder downplane if the kinematic sequence starts with a pushing-forwards motion of the trail shoulder socket area of the torso? I believe that it must obviously involve muscles on the trail side of the torso (both in front of the trail side of the torso and on the back side of the trail side of the torso). If those trail-sided torso muscles are primarily the major activating force that actively moves the trail shoulder at the start of the downswing while keeping the pelvis static, then it is very likely that it will cause the head and thoracic spine to move targetwards in a leftwards-tilting manner - as demonstrated by Trevor between the 3:07 - 3:27 minute time point of the video. Trevor claims that it is the incorrect motion of the lead shoulder socket area that predisposes to that swing fault, but I totally disagree because I think that it is more likely to happen if one uses the trail-sided torso muscles to push-drive the trail shoulder socket area of the upper torso in a targetwards direction (especially if the pelvis is static).
Note that Trevor has placed a stick (alignment rod) just inside his trail foot and he states that if one drives the trail shoulder forward that it will be casually responsible for the clubhead missing that stick as the clubhead moves down towards low point. I totally disagree when it comes to a pivot-induced TGM swinging action. I believe that controlling the clubhead path's attack angle and the position of low point is due to the interplay of a number of biomechanical factors that happen between P5.5 => P7.
Consider Dustin Johnson's' later downswing action.
Image 1 is at P5.5, image 2 is at P6.5 and image 3 is at P7.
The red splined path is his hand arc path.
I have drawn a blue circular marker over his lead shoulder socket at P5.5, a green circular marker over his lead shoulder socket at P6.5 and a red circular marker over his lead shoulder socket at P7. Note how his lead shoulder socket is moving vertically upwards between P5.5 and P7 due to straightening of his lead leg and elevation of his lead hip joint, that is combined with a stretching-out of his lead sided mid-upper torso - and that causes his lead hand path to be near-horizontal with a slight uplifting phenomenon happening between P6.5 => P7. While that is happening he is releasing his club (representing the release of PA#2) and it is the interplay between those two phenomena that influences the clubhead attack angle and the position of low point. It is not the downplane motion of DJ's trail shoulder socket that is causally responsible for controlling his clubhead attack angle and the position of low point. DJ's trail shoulder does move very efficiently downplane so that he can reach impact with a slightly bent trail arm and extended trail wrist - but it is not the major controlling factor that controls the clubhead attack angle and the position of low point because DJ is using a pivot-induced TGM swinging action technique and he is not performing a right arm swinging action.
Between the 7:25 - 7:45 minute time point of the video, Trevor claims that his drill is the best drill on you-tube and that it applies to every type of player. I disagree with his delusional opinion!
In the 2nd half of the video, Trevor presents a 2nd drill where he places a short alignment stick between his right upper arm and the right side of his torso. He then wants that stick to point targetwards during his later downswing action while he keeps his head stationary. I agree that the front end of that stick should progressively point more targetwards between P5.5 => P7 as the trail shoulder socket moves more downplane during the later downswing action, and that would obviously happen in Dustin Johnson's later downswing action as he acquires more secondary axis tilt and more right lateral bend. But that later downswing's downplane motion of the trail shoulder socket does not mean that the trail shoulder socket must move first at the start of the downswing in a push-driving manner. It will happen naturally/automatically in a more passive manner if one performs the kinematic sequence in the efficient manner manifested by Dustin Johnson.
Watch Eric's superb golf swing action that he performs between the 14:50 - 15:01 minute time point of the video where he does get his trail shoulder socket to move downplane and then under his chin during his later downswing and followthrough. I agree with Eric that his trail shoulder socket must move in that very desirable manner - but he is obviously performing a pivot-induced TGM swinging action with an optimised kinematic sequence that causes his trail shoulder to move secondarily in an optimum manner.
Jeff.