Post by imperfectgolfer on Aug 3, 2022 12:11:11 GMT -5
John Erickson believes that Ben Hogan used his "holding shaft flex" technique, and in the following BeBetter Golf video he demonstrates how to swing like Hogan.
The following comments represents my understanding of the "holding shaft flex" technique described by John (JE).
JE believes that a golfer should should be accelerating the clubhead into-and-through impact by ensuring that a condition of lag tension continuously exists. Lag tension exists if the lead hand (+/- with some assistance from the trail hand) is pulling the club handle so that the clubhead end of the clubshaft is in a continuous condition of lag tension (where the peripheral end of the clubshaft is bent backwards). JE apparently believes that the clubhead should be reaching its maximum speed in the early followthrough, and not at impact (presuming that we ignore any clubhead slowing phenomenon due to ball collision). To achieve that JE-desirable goal, JE seemingly believes that the lead hand must be moving even faster during the early followthrough and that it should not slow down during the late downswing between P6 => P7 (as happens in most PGA tour golfers).
Let's consider a hand release action, which I think is the antithesis of JE's "holding shaft flex" technique - Brian Manzella's "rotation-about-the coupling point" technique.
Here is a capture image showing Richard Franklin demonstrating the "rotation about the coupling point" technique.
The top green graph shows the lead wrist flexion-extension graph and RF wants the lead wrist to move rapidly, and massively, towards extension through impact - note how RF's lead wrist is bent in the bottom-right image. Note that the clubshaft has bypassed the lead arm, and that he is flipping the clubshaft through impact. To achieve that goal through impact, RF states that the lead hand must slow down through impact and pull the club handle in an "up-and-away from the target" direction. In addition, RF promotes the idea of having a positive hand couple scenario through impact - note that the alpha torque graph (red graph in the bottom series of graphs) is positive in the late downswing and also at impact (although it is close to zero at impact). The alpha torque is produced by the trail hand applying a positive torque against the aft side of the club handle below the coupling point during the downswing, peaking in magnitude in the mid downswing-early phase of the late downswing and then becoming less positive just before impact. The presence of a positive hand torque being applied by the trail hand against the aft side of the club handle below the coupling point + a stalling lead hand pulling the club handle upwards-and-backwards through impact causes the clubshaft to bypass the lead arm in the early followthrough as the lead wrist breaks down (extends). Under those conditions, the lead hand is not actively pulling the club handle through impact and a condition of lag tension cannot obviously exist during the early followthrough.
Here is my mental image of how a golfer would look like during the early followthrough if he was using a "holding a shaft flex" technique post-impact.
Capture images of Cameron Champ's DH-hand release action.
Note that CC's lead wrist is bowed at P7 (image 1), P7.2 (image 2) and at P7.4 (image 3) and that he is not allowing the clubshaft to bypass his lead arm (from an angular rotational perspective). Also, note that his trail wrist remains extended between P7 => P7.4. I can imagine that CC is actively using his lead hand to pull the club handle targetwards between P7 => P7.4 at a speed that is compatible with a "holding shaft flex" technique and that the trail hand may be applying a positive push-pressure at PP#1 (which is at the base of the lead thumb and which is above the coupling point) to help keep the lead hand moving the club handle targetwards and prevent lead hand slowing (stalling).
However, although CC is using a DH-hand release action through impact to P7.4 (where the clubshaft does not bypass the lead arm from an angular rotational perspective) it does not mean that he is using JE's "hold shaft flex" technique. If he was using the "holding shaft flex" technique between P7 => P7.4 two additional conditions must be met - i) the lead hand must still be accelerating through impact and ii) the peripheral clubshaft must be bent backwards (thereby indicating the presence of lag tension). I have no evidence that those two conditions are met in CC's early followthrough.
Now, consider Ben Hogan's early followthrough action.
Here are capture images (from that video) of Ben Hogan's early followthrough action.
Note how Hogan is continuously opening his pelvis through impact so that his pelvis is more open at P7.4 (image 2) than it was at impact.
Note that Hogan seems to be maintaining a slightly extended trail wrist in image 1 and an incompletely straightened trail elbow - while he is moving both hands/club handle inside-left during his early followthrough. I don't know whether he is using a "holding shaft flex" between impact and P7.4 (image 2) because I don't know whether he is accelerating the lead hand/club handle during the P7 => P7.4 time period and I don't know whether his peripheral clubshaft is bent backwards (indicating the presence of lag tension).
Now, let's consider these capture images (from the BeBetterGolf video) where JE claims that he is demonstrating Hogan's "holding shaft flex" technique.
Image 1 is at ~P5.2 and the peripheral clubshaft is bent back indicating the presence of lag tension.
Image 2 is at ~P5.5 and the peripheral clubshaft is bent back indicating the presence of lag tension.
Image 3 is at ~P6.3 and the peripheral clubshaft is bent forwards, which suggests that the condition of lag tension does not exist.
Image 4 is at ~P7 (impact) and the peripheral clubshaft is bent forwards, which suggests that the condition of lag tension does not exist.
In other words, I can see no evidence that a condition of lag tension exists during his late downswing and/or at impact.
More importantly, consider what happens between P7 (image 4) and P7.4 (image 5) in JE's early followthrough. Note that the clubshaft is bypassing his lead arm (from an angular rotational perspective) and that his lead wrist is extending. Note that his trail wrist is straightening and it is overtly flexed at P7.4. I don't know whether JE is allowing his trail palm to be actively applying a positive push-pressure against the aft side of the club handle below the coupling point through impact (as his trail wrist straightens), or whether his trail wrist is simply passively straightening due to the fact that his clubshaft is flipping passed his lead arm.
However, I definitely don't think that his hand release action in those capture images is compatible with a "holding shaft flex" technique through impact - in fact, it actually looks like his lead hand is stalling (and not accelerating) soon after impact thereby allowing the clubshaft to flip passed his lead arm and there is no evidence of lag tension (evidenced by a peripheral clubshaft that is bent backwards).
Another point that JE makes in the BeBetterGolf video when discussing Hogan's "holding shaft flex" technique is that a golfer must slide the pelvis towards the target during the early downswing so that he can "save the pelvic rotation" for later. However, I cannot see JE rotating his pelvis like Hogan. Watch the Hogan video and you will see that his pelvis is continuously rotating counterclockwise between P4 => P7.4 in a non-stop (progressively opening) manner. By contrast, it looks like JE's pelvis is not opening more through impact - his pelvis looks open to the same degree at P7.4 (image 5) as it was at P6.4 (image 3).
In conclusion, I don't think that JE is swinging at all like Hogan (as seen in that Hogan swing video) where Hogan's pelvis is continuously opening non-stop (progressively) between P4 => P7.4 and where Hogan's clubshaft is not bypassing his lead arm (from an angular rotational perspective) between P7 => P7.4. JE is actually using a flipping sub-type of non-DH hand release action between P7 => P7.4 in the BeBetterGolf video, which I believe is biomechanically incompatible with a "holding shaft flex" technique where the lead hand is actually accelerating through impact and where lag tension is maintained (evidenced by a bent-back peripheral clubshaft).
Jeff.