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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Avoid Collapsing at the Top for a Better Backswing

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Understand the impact of collapsing at the top on your swing path
  • Identify the role of your spine and shoulders in maintaining swing width
  • Feel the difference in load distribution for a more powerful and balanced swing

Learn how to identify and correct the issue of collapsing at the top of your swing, leading to improved consistency and performance on the course. This video breaks down the mechanics behind a narrow backswing and how to maintain width for better ball striking.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.000
This kind of video, we're going to break down collapsing at the top on video.

2
00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:15.940
So collapsing at the top is essentially a term for a narrow backswing where I'm

3
00:00:15.940 --> 00:00:16.680
getting

4
00:00:16.680 --> 00:00:22.140
into more of kind of this position here at the top of the swing or potentially

5
00:00:22.140 --> 00:00:22.240
more of

6
00:00:22.240 --> 00:00:24.680
a position kind of like this.

7
00:00:24.680 --> 00:00:27.590
So we call it collapsed at the top because you can see that my hands are

8
00:00:27.590 --> 00:00:28.480
incredibly close

9
00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:32.080
to my body and my wrists are highly hinged like this.

10
00:00:32.080 --> 00:00:38.230
I've really loaded a strong downward vertical movement of the arms and so that

11
00:00:38.230 --> 00:00:39.440
is frequently

12
00:00:39.440 --> 00:00:44.900
going to cause some sequencing issues on the way down, possibly a cast,

13
00:00:44.900 --> 00:00:45.580
possibly a forward

14
00:00:45.580 --> 00:00:49.440
lunge, possibly some early extension to balance that out.

15
00:00:49.440 --> 00:00:54.660
So it sets us up for kind of a host of problems related to an upper body

16
00:00:54.660 --> 00:00:55.720
dominant swing.

17
00:00:55.720 --> 00:01:01.290
So and many golfers have discussed width as being one of the big keys to

18
00:01:01.290 --> 00:01:02.640
consistency.

19
00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:07.880
So the collapse at the top can be broken down into two different families.

20
00:01:07.880 --> 00:01:12.080
You've got either just the wrist or the wrist and the shoulders.

21
00:01:12.080 --> 00:01:16.760
What's happening with the shoulders is usually the spine hasn't moved enough.

22
00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:21.960
So the spine, the hips, my pivot is kind of staying down and turning kind of

23
00:01:21.960 --> 00:01:22.660
like this.

24
00:01:22.660 --> 00:01:28.480
And then often my body will stop and my arms will do all the lift.

25
00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:32.480
And when my arms do all the lift, I'm going to bend my elbows to make it not as

26
00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:32.920
heavy

27
00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:36.580
as it's lifting and a free up extra range of motion.

28
00:01:36.580 --> 00:01:42.930
So making sure that your body is getting some extension so that your body is

29
00:01:42.930 --> 00:01:44.180
pointing above

30
00:01:44.180 --> 00:01:48.790
the ground instead of pointing down at the ground, that can make it much easier

31
00:01:48.790 --> 00:01:49.520
to maintain

32
00:01:49.520 --> 00:01:50.680
the width.

33
00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:54.650
When you maintain the width, more of the load is going to happen in your

34
00:01:54.650 --> 00:01:55.580
shoulders and

35
00:01:55.580 --> 00:01:59.810
kind of your back where when you don't maintain the width and you just bend,

36
00:01:59.810 --> 00:02:00.780
most of the load

37
00:02:00.780 --> 00:02:03.830
is going to happen in kind of your triceps and your lats, like just kind of

38
00:02:03.830 --> 00:02:04.300
some of your

39
00:02:04.300 --> 00:02:06.020
arm muscles.

40
00:02:06.020 --> 00:02:09.660
The second piece is looking at the wrist.

41
00:02:09.660 --> 00:02:17.030
So oftentimes if I'm really pulling the wrist in, in and up kind of this way,

42
00:02:17.030 --> 00:02:17.860
the lead wrist

43
00:02:17.860 --> 00:02:22.160
will tend to go into extension to free up some range of motion.

44
00:02:22.160 --> 00:02:28.120
And I'll get into a place where if I was to keep turning and trying to maintain

45
00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:29.160
that width,

46
00:02:29.160 --> 00:02:32.680
I'm now pushing the wrist from two different directions.

47
00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:38.150
So when I go to bend the wrist and that lead wrist goes into extension, my

48
00:02:38.150 --> 00:02:39.320
brain is going

49
00:02:39.320 --> 00:02:43.280
to take away some of that tension by bending the elbows and that again is going

50
00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:43.680
to get

51
00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:47.440
things into this more vertical down position.

52
00:02:47.440 --> 00:02:51.950
So there's two ways or two big things that we'll have to do to work on that

53
00:02:51.950 --> 00:02:52.840
pattern.

54
00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:57.260
One is we have to get wider at the top which depowers this vertical movement.

55
00:02:57.260 --> 00:03:01.680
And then two is we'll have to figure out how to make a downswing where we don't

56
00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:03.140
rely on

57
00:03:03.140 --> 00:03:06.440
this downward pull of the arms.

58
00:03:06.440 --> 00:03:11.140
So if I'm very narrow here, the arms will tend to pull down and then kind of

59
00:03:11.140 --> 00:03:11.940
flip over

60
00:03:11.940 --> 00:03:18.010
kind of like this, it can create basically club face control issues as well as

61
00:03:18.010 --> 00:03:18.860
low point

62
00:03:18.860 --> 00:03:20.420
and contact issues.

63
00:03:20.420 --> 00:03:26.260
So a lot of inconsistency to get out of that pattern again, I have to get more

64
00:03:26.260 --> 00:03:28.500
of the width

65
00:03:28.500 --> 00:03:32.440
of the arms and full body turn and get more of the power happening from my hips

66
00:03:32.440 --> 00:03:32.820
and my

67
00:03:32.820 --> 00:03:34.580
core and less from the arms.

68
00:03:34.580 --> 00:03:39.220
So if you're struggling with inconsistency and you've identified narrowness at

69
00:03:39.220 --> 00:03:39.820
the top

70
00:03:39.820 --> 00:03:45.280
as one of your issues, figure out if it's happening more from the wrist or from

71
00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:45.820
the shoulders

72
00:03:45.820 --> 00:03:48.650
and pivot, that'll ultimately help you figure out which are going to be the

73
00:03:48.650 --> 00:03:49.300
drills that will

74
00:03:49.300 --> 00:03:50.700
help you solve it the fastest.
Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Avoid Collapsing at the Top for a Better Backswing

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Understand the impact of collapsing at the top on your swing path
  • Identify the role of your spine and shoulders in maintaining swing width
  • Feel the difference in load distribution for a more powerful and balanced swing

Learn how to identify and correct the issue of collapsing at the top of your swing, leading to improved consistency and performance on the course. This video breaks down the mechanics behind a narrow backswing and how to maintain width for better ball striking.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.000
This kind of video, we're going to break down collapsing at the top on video.

2
00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:15.940
So collapsing at the top is essentially a term for a narrow backswing where I'm

3
00:00:15.940 --> 00:00:16.680
getting

4
00:00:16.680 --> 00:00:22.140
into more of kind of this position here at the top of the swing or potentially

5
00:00:22.140 --> 00:00:22.240
more of

6
00:00:22.240 --> 00:00:24.680
a position kind of like this.

7
00:00:24.680 --> 00:00:27.590
So we call it collapsed at the top because you can see that my hands are

8
00:00:27.590 --> 00:00:28.480
incredibly close

9
00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:32.080
to my body and my wrists are highly hinged like this.

10
00:00:32.080 --> 00:00:38.230
I've really loaded a strong downward vertical movement of the arms and so that

11
00:00:38.230 --> 00:00:39.440
is frequently

12
00:00:39.440 --> 00:00:44.900
going to cause some sequencing issues on the way down, possibly a cast,

13
00:00:44.900 --> 00:00:45.580
possibly a forward

14
00:00:45.580 --> 00:00:49.440
lunge, possibly some early extension to balance that out.

15
00:00:49.440 --> 00:00:54.660
So it sets us up for kind of a host of problems related to an upper body

16
00:00:54.660 --> 00:00:55.720
dominant swing.

17
00:00:55.720 --> 00:01:01.290
So and many golfers have discussed width as being one of the big keys to

18
00:01:01.290 --> 00:01:02.640
consistency.

19
00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:07.880
So the collapse at the top can be broken down into two different families.

20
00:01:07.880 --> 00:01:12.080
You've got either just the wrist or the wrist and the shoulders.

21
00:01:12.080 --> 00:01:16.760
What's happening with the shoulders is usually the spine hasn't moved enough.

22
00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:21.960
So the spine, the hips, my pivot is kind of staying down and turning kind of

23
00:01:21.960 --> 00:01:22.660
like this.

24
00:01:22.660 --> 00:01:28.480
And then often my body will stop and my arms will do all the lift.

25
00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:32.480
And when my arms do all the lift, I'm going to bend my elbows to make it not as

26
00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:32.920
heavy

27
00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:36.580
as it's lifting and a free up extra range of motion.

28
00:01:36.580 --> 00:01:42.930
So making sure that your body is getting some extension so that your body is

29
00:01:42.930 --> 00:01:44.180
pointing above

30
00:01:44.180 --> 00:01:48.790
the ground instead of pointing down at the ground, that can make it much easier

31
00:01:48.790 --> 00:01:49.520
to maintain

32
00:01:49.520 --> 00:01:50.680
the width.

33
00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:54.650
When you maintain the width, more of the load is going to happen in your

34
00:01:54.650 --> 00:01:55.580
shoulders and

35
00:01:55.580 --> 00:01:59.810
kind of your back where when you don't maintain the width and you just bend,

36
00:01:59.810 --> 00:02:00.780
most of the load

37
00:02:00.780 --> 00:02:03.830
is going to happen in kind of your triceps and your lats, like just kind of

38
00:02:03.830 --> 00:02:04.300
some of your

39
00:02:04.300 --> 00:02:06.020
arm muscles.

40
00:02:06.020 --> 00:02:09.660
The second piece is looking at the wrist.

41
00:02:09.660 --> 00:02:17.030
So oftentimes if I'm really pulling the wrist in, in and up kind of this way,

42
00:02:17.030 --> 00:02:17.860
the lead wrist

43
00:02:17.860 --> 00:02:22.160
will tend to go into extension to free up some range of motion.

44
00:02:22.160 --> 00:02:28.120
And I'll get into a place where if I was to keep turning and trying to maintain

45
00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:29.160
that width,

46
00:02:29.160 --> 00:02:32.680
I'm now pushing the wrist from two different directions.

47
00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:38.150
So when I go to bend the wrist and that lead wrist goes into extension, my

48
00:02:38.150 --> 00:02:39.320
brain is going

49
00:02:39.320 --> 00:02:43.280
to take away some of that tension by bending the elbows and that again is going

50
00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:43.680
to get

51
00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:47.440
things into this more vertical down position.

52
00:02:47.440 --> 00:02:51.950
So there's two ways or two big things that we'll have to do to work on that

53
00:02:51.950 --> 00:02:52.840
pattern.

54
00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:57.260
One is we have to get wider at the top which depowers this vertical movement.

55
00:02:57.260 --> 00:03:01.680
And then two is we'll have to figure out how to make a downswing where we don't

56
00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:03.140
rely on

57
00:03:03.140 --> 00:03:06.440
this downward pull of the arms.

58
00:03:06.440 --> 00:03:11.140
So if I'm very narrow here, the arms will tend to pull down and then kind of

59
00:03:11.140 --> 00:03:11.940
flip over

60
00:03:11.940 --> 00:03:18.010
kind of like this, it can create basically club face control issues as well as

61
00:03:18.010 --> 00:03:18.860
low point

62
00:03:18.860 --> 00:03:20.420
and contact issues.

63
00:03:20.420 --> 00:03:26.260
So a lot of inconsistency to get out of that pattern again, I have to get more

64
00:03:26.260 --> 00:03:28.500
of the width

65
00:03:28.500 --> 00:03:32.440
of the arms and full body turn and get more of the power happening from my hips

66
00:03:32.440 --> 00:03:32.820
and my

67
00:03:32.820 --> 00:03:34.580
core and less from the arms.

68
00:03:34.580 --> 00:03:39.220
So if you're struggling with inconsistency and you've identified narrowness at

69
00:03:39.220 --> 00:03:39.820
the top

70
00:03:39.820 --> 00:03:45.280
as one of your issues, figure out if it's happening more from the wrist or from

71
00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:45.820
the shoulders

72
00:03:45.820 --> 00:03:48.650
and pivot, that'll ultimately help you figure out which are going to be the

73
00:03:48.650 --> 00:03:49.300
drills that will

74
00:03:49.300 --> 00:03:50.700
help you solve it the fastest.
Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
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