Post by utahgolfer on Dec 28, 2019 19:22:45 GMT -5
I would assume most golfers, young and old, could perform a decent hip turn if it didn't require hitting a golf ball at the same time. Simply asking golfers to get into a golf stance and posture, and then instructing them to turn the hips back (clockwise) smoothly and then through (counterclockwise) as fast as possible would probably be relatively easy for most golfers. Young, agile golfers would certainly dominate any hip turning competition, but it may be surprising how well older golfers could do.
When hitting a golf ball, however, the ability to perform a correct downswing hip turn may be much more of a challenge, for golfers of any age. For example, certain swing faults may make it counterproductive or impossible to turn the hips correctly when it really matters. Consequently, the quality of the overall golf swing may dictate whether or not a capable golfer can perform a correct downswing hip turn during an actual golf shot.
The downswing hip turn is ideally performed as part of a proper kinematic sequence, with the hip turn reaching its peak angular (or rotational) velocity first, followed by the upper torso, then the left arm, and then the club. There is a specific window of time for the hips to turn and reach a peak angular velocity. The best golfers turn their hips parallel with the ball target line at about p5 (left arm parallel) and open to the target line at p7 (impact). If the hip turn is delayed for any reason, the hips will not be in the right place, at the right time, to satisfy a proper kinematic sequence. Likewise, if the upper torso, left arm, or club move prematurely or too quickly, this also disrupts the kinematic order of things, even when the hip turn is correct.
The optimal golf swing is like a series of gears that mesh together at the right time, position, and speed. One gear (the hips) may function fine by itself, but is of little value unless the other gears (the upper torso, left arm, and club) also sync up and all work together at the right time, position, and speed. The correct timing of these golf swing gears define a proper kinematic sequence. The result is a well-coordinated and powerful golf swing.
The first part of this post outlines possible reasons why golfers who perform a faulty hip turn, may do so not because of a lack of ability per se, but rather because of various swing faults that hinder or prevent a correct hip turn.
Here are a few examples:
Early hip and spine extension.
If the body extends or stands up early in the downswing, from p4 to p6, this can interfere with a correct hip turn. Obviously, it is difficult to turn the hips correctly when they simultaneously extend forward toward the ball target line. Often the hips turn very little when a golfer early extends, nor do the shoulders. This swing fault causes the shoulders to elevate early in the downswing, and leads to an early release of the right elbow and hinged left wrist (power accumulator #2) so the club head can swing low enough to contact the ball. This flips the club shaft past the left wrist before impact, resulting in a loss of power and accuracy. Consequently, the early extension swing fault interferes with a correct hip turn, promotes an arm-dominated swing, leads to a suboptimal kinematic sequence, and yields inconsistent results.
Shoulder turn over-the-top move.
During the early downswing, if the shoulders turns too horizontally toward the ball target line, it causes the club head to also move too horizontally toward the ball target line. This reroutes the club head's swing path down into the ball along an over-the-top (out to in) swing path, and leads to an arm-dominant swing with little time or reason to turn the hips properly. In fact, continuing to turn the hips, once the over-the-top move is initiated, often makes this swing path fault even worse. A common way to save the shot is to stall the hip turn, make the swing more arm-dominated, disrupt the proper kinematic sequence, early release the hinged left wrist, and flip the club head past the shaft before impact.
Early left forearm supination over-the-top move.
A golfer can also incorrectly tumble the club head across its proper swing path by prematurely supinating the left forearm (release of power accumulator #3) during the early to mid downswing. Premature supination of the left forearm (whether using a neutral or strong grip) causes the club shaft and club head path to move too horizontally, too soon, toward the ball target line. This leads to an over-the-top swing path with its previously mentioned problems, such as a stalled hip turn, a poor kinematic sequence, and suboptimal shot quality.
Lack of torso-pelvic speed separation.
Many older golfers are unable to rotate their pelvis/lumbar spine and thoracic spine at different speeds. A proper kinematic sequence indicates that the pelvis, rotating through the hip joints, reaches peak angular velocity first, followed by the upper torso, rotating around the facet joints of the thoracic vertebrae. This implies that the pelvis and upper torso need to be able to move independently in terms of speed. However, some golfers have an immobile thoracic spine and are unable to rotate it freely and independently of the pelvis and lumbar spine, from p4 to p7. In addition, these golfers are often unable to right lateral bend sufficiently along the thoracic spine. Consequently, the pelvis, lumbar spine, and thoracic spine all rotate together in unison at the same time, at the same rate, and within the same plane of motion, beginning at p4. The result is a kinematic sequence with no distinct peak angular velocity difference between the pelvis and upper torso, and a simultaneous and horizontal turning of both the hips and shoulders. This horizontal turning of the shoulders causes an over-the-top swing path with its many disadvantages. Surprisedly, these inflexible golfers may be able to rotate the hips correctly and quickly, but they can't prevent the right shoulder over-the-top move due to a lack of proper thoracic spine mobility. Thus, they are often forced to use more of an active upper torso and arm swing with a reactive hip turn, to avoid the over-the-top issue. Unfortunately, this approach does not provide a viable substitute for the standard kinematic sequence supported by an independent hip turn, optimal thoracic spine motion, and proper torso-pelvic speed separation.
The second part of this post outlines various swing skills that enable and facilitate a correct hip turn, performed at right time and at the right speed.
Here are a few examples:
Delay the club head in the early downswing.
Ideally, the club head is delayed during the early downswing, from p4 to p4.5, before it begins to accelerate and reach peak angular velocity at p7. There are two important ways to do this:
The first is to move the club head briefly in the opposite direction of the ball. For example, as the shoulders turn correctly, from p4 to p5, it will cause the hands and club head to initially move away from the target, in the opposite direction of the ball. This is like starting a 1/4-mile car race with the car first moving around the curved end of the track before reaching the straightaway. The car will move relatively slowly around the curve, but then can accelerate quickly and reach maximum speed by the finish line. A similar type of club head speed pattern should happen during the downswing.
A second way to delay the club head briefly is to make its path wider so it moves farther from the ball target line. This is done by shallowing the club shaft slightly, from p4 to p5. This is similar to the race car taking a wider turn around the curved end of the track versus a tighter turn. This increases the distance the car must travel before it can reach the straightaway. Likewise in the golf swing, a shallowed club head will travel a greater distance from p4 to p5, and this helps to delay the club head during the early downswing.
This essential delay of the club head gives the other body components (the hips, upper torso, and left arm) ample time to reach their peak rotational speeds before the club head reaches its peak rotational speed.
Here are a few specific swing skills that help to delay the club head during the early downswing:
--the shoulders turn on-plane (briefly explained below) to move the club head farther away from the ball during the early downswing (like a race car first moving around the curved end of the track before getting to the straightaway);
--the left elbow remains extended, and does not early flex; this keeps the hand arc path as wide as possible (like driving the race car on the outside of the track);
--the left wrist hinge and left forearm position are maintained and are not early released; this keeps the club head path as wide as possible (like driving the race car on the outside of the track);
--a pitched right elbow is employed from p4 to p6, involving simultaneous right arm adduction, right arm external rotation, and right forearm supination; this shallows the club head so it moves farther from the ball target line (like driving the race car on the outside of the track).
Again, a slight delay of the club head, from p4 to p5, provides extra time for the hips to turn and reach a peak rotational speed before the upper torso, left arm, and club head reach their respective peak rotational speeds. An early club head delay enables and promotes a correct hip turn. An early club head delay creates the opposite effect of the over-the-top swing fault. In essence, a golf swing can either promote a correct kinematic sequence, or it can disrupt it. An early delay of the club head promotes it.
On-plane shoulder turn.
The hand arc path and club head path are greatly influenced by the shoulder turn path. Ideally, the shoulders should turn on-plane, which means they rotate perpendicular to the inclined, tilted forward spine. An on-plane shoulder rotation prevents the right shoulder from moving too horizontally and helps to prevent the over-the-top swing fault.
On-plane left arm and left wrist release.
The left arm should not move independent of the left shoulder during the early downswing, but should follow its on-plane lead. Likewise the left forearm should not move independent of the left arm during the early downswing, but should follow the on-plane lead of the left arm. And, the left wrist should remain lined up with the left forearm, and should follow the on-plane lead of the left forearm. Consequently, the left arm flying wedge remains intact and combined with an on-plane shoulder turn, this leads to an ideal swing path and promotes a proper kinematic sequence.
Maintain or slightly increase hip flexion.
It is important to avoid any early hip or spinal extension. To prevent this, some players do the opposite and increase the hip hinge slightly between p4 and p4.5. This lowers the swing center slightly and serves to prevent early hip and spinal extension and its deleterious effects. A slight hip hinge also loads additional weight pressure through the feet into the ground, stretches the hip muscles, and prepares them to contract more effectively during the downswing. It is also acceptable, however, to maintain the same hip flexion from p4 to p6, as long as there is no early extension.
Torso-pelvic speed separation.
The pelvis and the upper torso need to be able to reach a peak rotational speed at different times, as does the left arm and club. Done correctly, the pelvis will reach peak rotational speed first, followed by the upper torso, then the left arm, and then the club. All four, the hips, upper torso, left arm, and club can begin moving at the same time, at p4, but they need to move at different rates. This spread in speed provides the underlying basis of the proper kinematic sequence.
To visualize the entire kinematic sequence, it may be helpful to apply the race car analogy. Again, think of a 1/4-mile race with the starting line marked before the curved end of a track and the finish line marked after a straightaway. The race includes four cars, all lined up on the starting line, with car #1 (the hips) on the inside, car #2 (the upper torso or shoulders) second from the inside; car #3 (the left arm) third from the inside; and car #4 (the club head) on the far outside. All cars start the race at the same time but will reach peak speed at different times based on their position and speed. Car #1 is on the inside lane, has a shorter distance to travel (the hips turn quickly around a short range of motion), and reaches peak speed first. Car #2 is next on the outside, but is right next to Car #1, has a bit longer distance to travel (the shoulders turn across a slightly longer range of motion), and reaches peak speed second. Car #3 is next on the outside, but is much farther to the outside of the track than Car #2, has an even longer distance to travel (the left arm moves across a longer range of motion), and reaches peak speed third. Car #4 is on the far outside of the track, is good distance farther to the outside than Car #3, has the longest distance to travel (the club head moves across the longest range of motion), and reaches peak speed last.
Summary.
The main message of this post is to support the premise that the hip turn is not an island unto itself. Simply because a golfer can turn the hips correctly during a practice swing does not mean he or she can do it correctly during an actual golf shot. A number of swing faults within the swing may prevent or hinder a correct hip turn, even though the golfer has the capacity to correctly turn the hips. Consequently, attempting to improve one's hip turn may be futile unless the swing faults are corrected first.
A second message of this post is to support the idea that a golfer needs ample time to perform the hip turn ahead of the upper torso, left arm, and club head. A major problem arises when the golfer wants to get the club head to the ball as fast as possible. This leads to a host of swing flaws such as an arm-dominated swing, an over-the-top swing path, and an early release of the left wrist hinge. The best way to allow extra time for the hip turn is to rotate the shoulders on plane, allow the left arm to follow the on-plane lead of the shoulders, and to delay the club head during the early downswing, as discussed. This approach promotes a proper kinematic sequence with its many advantages.
Finally, just a few caveats to conclude this post. First, this post does not apply to short wedge shots that often employ more of an arm-dominated kinematic sequence. It may also not fully apply to long drive competitors, who care mostly about distance. Second, there may be other swing faults not mentioned that can negatively influence the hip turn, and there may be additional explanations on ways to give the hip turn a head start, and ways to appropriately delay the upper torso, left arm, and club head. Third, all golfers need advice and guidance on how to maintain optimal joint mobility across the life span. This post did not address this topic. But, hopefully it did make clear that performing a good hip turn is much more likely to occur when there are no disabling negative swing faults and conversely, when there are plenty of enabling positive swing mechanics.
Jim
When hitting a golf ball, however, the ability to perform a correct downswing hip turn may be much more of a challenge, for golfers of any age. For example, certain swing faults may make it counterproductive or impossible to turn the hips correctly when it really matters. Consequently, the quality of the overall golf swing may dictate whether or not a capable golfer can perform a correct downswing hip turn during an actual golf shot.
The downswing hip turn is ideally performed as part of a proper kinematic sequence, with the hip turn reaching its peak angular (or rotational) velocity first, followed by the upper torso, then the left arm, and then the club. There is a specific window of time for the hips to turn and reach a peak angular velocity. The best golfers turn their hips parallel with the ball target line at about p5 (left arm parallel) and open to the target line at p7 (impact). If the hip turn is delayed for any reason, the hips will not be in the right place, at the right time, to satisfy a proper kinematic sequence. Likewise, if the upper torso, left arm, or club move prematurely or too quickly, this also disrupts the kinematic order of things, even when the hip turn is correct.
The optimal golf swing is like a series of gears that mesh together at the right time, position, and speed. One gear (the hips) may function fine by itself, but is of little value unless the other gears (the upper torso, left arm, and club) also sync up and all work together at the right time, position, and speed. The correct timing of these golf swing gears define a proper kinematic sequence. The result is a well-coordinated and powerful golf swing.
The first part of this post outlines possible reasons why golfers who perform a faulty hip turn, may do so not because of a lack of ability per se, but rather because of various swing faults that hinder or prevent a correct hip turn.
Here are a few examples:
Early hip and spine extension.
If the body extends or stands up early in the downswing, from p4 to p6, this can interfere with a correct hip turn. Obviously, it is difficult to turn the hips correctly when they simultaneously extend forward toward the ball target line. Often the hips turn very little when a golfer early extends, nor do the shoulders. This swing fault causes the shoulders to elevate early in the downswing, and leads to an early release of the right elbow and hinged left wrist (power accumulator #2) so the club head can swing low enough to contact the ball. This flips the club shaft past the left wrist before impact, resulting in a loss of power and accuracy. Consequently, the early extension swing fault interferes with a correct hip turn, promotes an arm-dominated swing, leads to a suboptimal kinematic sequence, and yields inconsistent results.
Shoulder turn over-the-top move.
During the early downswing, if the shoulders turns too horizontally toward the ball target line, it causes the club head to also move too horizontally toward the ball target line. This reroutes the club head's swing path down into the ball along an over-the-top (out to in) swing path, and leads to an arm-dominant swing with little time or reason to turn the hips properly. In fact, continuing to turn the hips, once the over-the-top move is initiated, often makes this swing path fault even worse. A common way to save the shot is to stall the hip turn, make the swing more arm-dominated, disrupt the proper kinematic sequence, early release the hinged left wrist, and flip the club head past the shaft before impact.
Early left forearm supination over-the-top move.
A golfer can also incorrectly tumble the club head across its proper swing path by prematurely supinating the left forearm (release of power accumulator #3) during the early to mid downswing. Premature supination of the left forearm (whether using a neutral or strong grip) causes the club shaft and club head path to move too horizontally, too soon, toward the ball target line. This leads to an over-the-top swing path with its previously mentioned problems, such as a stalled hip turn, a poor kinematic sequence, and suboptimal shot quality.
Lack of torso-pelvic speed separation.
Many older golfers are unable to rotate their pelvis/lumbar spine and thoracic spine at different speeds. A proper kinematic sequence indicates that the pelvis, rotating through the hip joints, reaches peak angular velocity first, followed by the upper torso, rotating around the facet joints of the thoracic vertebrae. This implies that the pelvis and upper torso need to be able to move independently in terms of speed. However, some golfers have an immobile thoracic spine and are unable to rotate it freely and independently of the pelvis and lumbar spine, from p4 to p7. In addition, these golfers are often unable to right lateral bend sufficiently along the thoracic spine. Consequently, the pelvis, lumbar spine, and thoracic spine all rotate together in unison at the same time, at the same rate, and within the same plane of motion, beginning at p4. The result is a kinematic sequence with no distinct peak angular velocity difference between the pelvis and upper torso, and a simultaneous and horizontal turning of both the hips and shoulders. This horizontal turning of the shoulders causes an over-the-top swing path with its many disadvantages. Surprisedly, these inflexible golfers may be able to rotate the hips correctly and quickly, but they can't prevent the right shoulder over-the-top move due to a lack of proper thoracic spine mobility. Thus, they are often forced to use more of an active upper torso and arm swing with a reactive hip turn, to avoid the over-the-top issue. Unfortunately, this approach does not provide a viable substitute for the standard kinematic sequence supported by an independent hip turn, optimal thoracic spine motion, and proper torso-pelvic speed separation.
The second part of this post outlines various swing skills that enable and facilitate a correct hip turn, performed at right time and at the right speed.
Here are a few examples:
Delay the club head in the early downswing.
Ideally, the club head is delayed during the early downswing, from p4 to p4.5, before it begins to accelerate and reach peak angular velocity at p7. There are two important ways to do this:
The first is to move the club head briefly in the opposite direction of the ball. For example, as the shoulders turn correctly, from p4 to p5, it will cause the hands and club head to initially move away from the target, in the opposite direction of the ball. This is like starting a 1/4-mile car race with the car first moving around the curved end of the track before reaching the straightaway. The car will move relatively slowly around the curve, but then can accelerate quickly and reach maximum speed by the finish line. A similar type of club head speed pattern should happen during the downswing.
A second way to delay the club head briefly is to make its path wider so it moves farther from the ball target line. This is done by shallowing the club shaft slightly, from p4 to p5. This is similar to the race car taking a wider turn around the curved end of the track versus a tighter turn. This increases the distance the car must travel before it can reach the straightaway. Likewise in the golf swing, a shallowed club head will travel a greater distance from p4 to p5, and this helps to delay the club head during the early downswing.
This essential delay of the club head gives the other body components (the hips, upper torso, and left arm) ample time to reach their peak rotational speeds before the club head reaches its peak rotational speed.
Here are a few specific swing skills that help to delay the club head during the early downswing:
--the shoulders turn on-plane (briefly explained below) to move the club head farther away from the ball during the early downswing (like a race car first moving around the curved end of the track before getting to the straightaway);
--the left elbow remains extended, and does not early flex; this keeps the hand arc path as wide as possible (like driving the race car on the outside of the track);
--the left wrist hinge and left forearm position are maintained and are not early released; this keeps the club head path as wide as possible (like driving the race car on the outside of the track);
--a pitched right elbow is employed from p4 to p6, involving simultaneous right arm adduction, right arm external rotation, and right forearm supination; this shallows the club head so it moves farther from the ball target line (like driving the race car on the outside of the track).
Again, a slight delay of the club head, from p4 to p5, provides extra time for the hips to turn and reach a peak rotational speed before the upper torso, left arm, and club head reach their respective peak rotational speeds. An early club head delay enables and promotes a correct hip turn. An early club head delay creates the opposite effect of the over-the-top swing fault. In essence, a golf swing can either promote a correct kinematic sequence, or it can disrupt it. An early delay of the club head promotes it.
On-plane shoulder turn.
The hand arc path and club head path are greatly influenced by the shoulder turn path. Ideally, the shoulders should turn on-plane, which means they rotate perpendicular to the inclined, tilted forward spine. An on-plane shoulder rotation prevents the right shoulder from moving too horizontally and helps to prevent the over-the-top swing fault.
On-plane left arm and left wrist release.
The left arm should not move independent of the left shoulder during the early downswing, but should follow its on-plane lead. Likewise the left forearm should not move independent of the left arm during the early downswing, but should follow the on-plane lead of the left arm. And, the left wrist should remain lined up with the left forearm, and should follow the on-plane lead of the left forearm. Consequently, the left arm flying wedge remains intact and combined with an on-plane shoulder turn, this leads to an ideal swing path and promotes a proper kinematic sequence.
Maintain or slightly increase hip flexion.
It is important to avoid any early hip or spinal extension. To prevent this, some players do the opposite and increase the hip hinge slightly between p4 and p4.5. This lowers the swing center slightly and serves to prevent early hip and spinal extension and its deleterious effects. A slight hip hinge also loads additional weight pressure through the feet into the ground, stretches the hip muscles, and prepares them to contract more effectively during the downswing. It is also acceptable, however, to maintain the same hip flexion from p4 to p6, as long as there is no early extension.
Torso-pelvic speed separation.
The pelvis and the upper torso need to be able to reach a peak rotational speed at different times, as does the left arm and club. Done correctly, the pelvis will reach peak rotational speed first, followed by the upper torso, then the left arm, and then the club. All four, the hips, upper torso, left arm, and club can begin moving at the same time, at p4, but they need to move at different rates. This spread in speed provides the underlying basis of the proper kinematic sequence.
To visualize the entire kinematic sequence, it may be helpful to apply the race car analogy. Again, think of a 1/4-mile race with the starting line marked before the curved end of a track and the finish line marked after a straightaway. The race includes four cars, all lined up on the starting line, with car #1 (the hips) on the inside, car #2 (the upper torso or shoulders) second from the inside; car #3 (the left arm) third from the inside; and car #4 (the club head) on the far outside. All cars start the race at the same time but will reach peak speed at different times based on their position and speed. Car #1 is on the inside lane, has a shorter distance to travel (the hips turn quickly around a short range of motion), and reaches peak speed first. Car #2 is next on the outside, but is right next to Car #1, has a bit longer distance to travel (the shoulders turn across a slightly longer range of motion), and reaches peak speed second. Car #3 is next on the outside, but is much farther to the outside of the track than Car #2, has an even longer distance to travel (the left arm moves across a longer range of motion), and reaches peak speed third. Car #4 is on the far outside of the track, is good distance farther to the outside than Car #3, has the longest distance to travel (the club head moves across the longest range of motion), and reaches peak speed last.
Summary.
The main message of this post is to support the premise that the hip turn is not an island unto itself. Simply because a golfer can turn the hips correctly during a practice swing does not mean he or she can do it correctly during an actual golf shot. A number of swing faults within the swing may prevent or hinder a correct hip turn, even though the golfer has the capacity to correctly turn the hips. Consequently, attempting to improve one's hip turn may be futile unless the swing faults are corrected first.
A second message of this post is to support the idea that a golfer needs ample time to perform the hip turn ahead of the upper torso, left arm, and club head. A major problem arises when the golfer wants to get the club head to the ball as fast as possible. This leads to a host of swing flaws such as an arm-dominated swing, an over-the-top swing path, and an early release of the left wrist hinge. The best way to allow extra time for the hip turn is to rotate the shoulders on plane, allow the left arm to follow the on-plane lead of the shoulders, and to delay the club head during the early downswing, as discussed. This approach promotes a proper kinematic sequence with its many advantages.
Finally, just a few caveats to conclude this post. First, this post does not apply to short wedge shots that often employ more of an arm-dominated kinematic sequence. It may also not fully apply to long drive competitors, who care mostly about distance. Second, there may be other swing faults not mentioned that can negatively influence the hip turn, and there may be additional explanations on ways to give the hip turn a head start, and ways to appropriately delay the upper torso, left arm, and club head. Third, all golfers need advice and guidance on how to maintain optimal joint mobility across the life span. This post did not address this topic. But, hopefully it did make clear that performing a good hip turn is much more likely to occur when there are no disabling negative swing faults and conversely, when there are plenty of enabling positive swing mechanics.
Jim