Ulnar deviation with Hack Motion
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Dave Samborsky
1 year, 7 months ago
Hi Tyler,
I have been using the Hack Motion. I was really surprised to see the discrepancy between “pro” ulnar deviation (knuckle down release pattern) and mine. The pro in this graph never reaches radial deviation territory. The first graph is my normal 8 iron swing without thinking about anything. The second graph was me focusing on maintaining ulnar deviation and I still reached radial deviation territory. My swing felt really short but the contact was pure. I’m wondering if I’m doing too much radial deviation and/or improper wrist hinging? Or maybe you see another issue in the graphs?
5 Replies
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Tyler Ferrell
Coach
1 year, 7 months ago
One of the key links to radial deviation in the backswing is looking at the pivot and elbow bend. Ulnar deviation has a strong relationship with the vertical movements in the body. So it's important to compare the graphs with the video so that you can see the influence of the pivot. In the back swing, pros tend to have more spine extension to help elevate the club, and a lot of amateur golfers stay flexed forward and then lift the club with their arms or wrists. In your graph, there appears to be a little extra wrist extension as you approach the top, which could fit you in the category of finishing your backswing with an arm lift rather than with a blended body-loaded movement.
If you want to investigate it further, then post a face on swing so we can look at the pieces related to ulnar deviation. Happy to help,
Tyler
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Dave Samborsky
1 year, 7 months ago
Really interested to see where this goes…..here is a face on video with my regular swing.
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Tyler Ferrell
Coach
1 year, 7 months ago
The excessive radial deviation at the top of the swing is related to the way you set the club. You finish your backswing more by lifting the club with the arms and wrists while your thoracic spine stays in flexion. It's not a bad move, but it is how you get the club all the way to parallel without getting extension of the spine.
This means that if you just focus on the wrist staying less radial deviated, you would have a feeling of a very short swing. Also, by extending the spine and keeping the right arm straighter with less radial deviation, you would have to feel more of a lower body driven transition. Right now, your power source in transition is a bit upper body driven. If you did that from a better backswing position, then you would tend to get steep. But, I've seen it many times, if you can get a little more width at the top, and finish the backswing with the body instead of the arms, and start the downswing more with the hips, then your consistency and contact quality improves dramatically.
Happy Golfing,
Tyler
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Dave Samborsky
1 year, 7 months ago
Thanks for the reply.
I watched “How to extend to finish your back swing”, “Horizontal backswing then bend”, and “Backswing Part 1-Takeaway”. I’m working on some drills from the videos with a focus on backswing (stand up, side bend and rotate), spine extension and arm width. In one video, I have the “Swing Extender” and “Power Angle Pro” training aid.
In the past, I’ve been told to simply rotate in the backswing instead of left side bend, extend and rotate. If I just rotate, my shoulders remain flat. This is a new move for me.
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Tyler Ferrell
Coach
1 year, 7 months ago
Those backswings are looking much better. I think you have a few good options for feeling a backswing that is better than just "rotating". Keep it up!
Tyler