This represents my personal opinion about the "correct" use of the right arm/forearm in controlling the hand arc path, and therefore the club release pattern.
Natep has stated that he much improved his swing by
not pulling his hands down to the ball (in response to a left shoulder tug) - but by using version b of BM's out-toss maneuver. As I previously explained in the out-toss thread, version b is not an out-toss action as the distance between the right shoulder and hands does not increase between P4 and P5. Any movement of the hands downwards-and-away from the target between P4 and P5 (as seen from a face-on view) is due to an upper torso rotation combined with a right arm-controlled motion of the RFFW.
Consider Natep's hand arc path.
perfectgolfswingreview.net/NatepHandArcPathTwo.jpg [/img]
The red splined path represents his present-day hand arc path. The blue arrowed hand arc path is what would happen if the golfer directed his hands in the direction of the ball (as if aiming the hands at the ball). What "effect" does this different hand arc path have in terms of the power of club release? As I explained in my review paper on the endless belt concept, the club releasing power of a specific hand arc path is increased if the hand arc path is more tightly rounded at the P5.5-P6 location.
Here is a diagram (using Jamie Sadlowski) which I used in my review paper.
Note that Jamie Sadlowski's hand arc path is more tightly-rounded at the P5.5-P6 location (like Natep's hand arc path) and this is equivalent to a "tight turn" (smaller pulley) hand arc path. The second diagram shows a a "gradual turn" (larger pulley) hand arc path that has less club-releasing power - and that is equivalent to the blue-arrowed path in the modified Natep image. To get a driver (which has a larger clubhead arc width) to release completely by impact, a golfer needs to use a smaller pulley hand arc path, and Natep (like Jamie Sadlowski) has accomplished that goal.
How does one biomechanically produce the equivalent of a small pulley hand arc path?
I think that two major biomechanical factors are in play.
1) First of all, one must retain one's secondary axis tilt and ensure that the right shoulder moves downplane relative to a rightwards-tilted spine. One must specifically avoid any sliding of the pelvis, and therefore spine, in a targetwards-direction.
2) Secondly, one must simultaneously direct the hands more downwards-rather-than-forwards during the power package slotting process (between P4 and P5.5). That is where the right arm/forearm play a critical role.
Consider an animated gif of Alvaros Quiros' power package slotting action.
Note how he maintains his angles - the angle of the right arm/RFFW - during the power package slotting period. That requires a lot of isometric right arm/forearm muscle power. In other words, right forearm power is needed to
maintain the angles between P4 and P5.5, and to avoid prematurely releasing the angles. One can also clearly see how the right arm/forearm controls the directional motion of the straight left arm (which is merely a passive lever) and
shapes the hand arc path. In other words, by controlling the shape of the hand arc path using the right arm/forearm, a golfer has control of the club-releasing phenomenon (passive CF-release of PA#2) and it does not involve an application of a positive torque on the aft side of the grip (as BM recommends in his rotation-about-the-coupling point swing philosophy).
Addendum: Here is a BM video where he claims that Rory McIlroy is pushing on the aft side of the club between P5 and P6, and he claims that it allows Rory to avoid hitting the ball right.
www.golf.com/video/big-play-rory-mcilroys-key-victory-honda-classicI think that BM is totally wrong to imply that Rory is
pushing on the aft side of the club between P5 and P6. I think that Rory is simply controlling his hand arc path using the "correct" downplane motion of his right shoulder while he
simultaneously uses his intact right arm/RFFW to control his hand arc path (as explained above). Any push-force applied by the right arm/forearm during that time period is applied at PP#1 and not PP#3.
Jeff.