WEBVTT

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This concept video is discussing the classic backswing drill, turn then extend.

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So I had a member question come in about a backswing drill, and basically do I

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like it,

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which is the old classic, hold the club on your shoulders just like this, and

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then you're

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going to make a turn, and then you're going to extend your arms, and basically

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saying

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that this is an appropriate top of backswing position.

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So I wanted to talk through what I think is the good and the bad.

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I don't think it's a terrible drill, but there are a few common pitfalls that

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you

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have to watch out for.

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First, there's a tendency when we do this drill that a lot of golfers kind of

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rotate

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the whole pelvis as a unit and stay flexed forward, kind of like this, almost

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more like

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I was loading up in baseball, rather than still getting a little bit more of

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extension

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and staying more centered.

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So if I was going to put this here and then make a really good pivot, my chest

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would point

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a little bit more up towards the sky and stay a little bit more centered, and

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this leg would

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help create some of the side tilt of the pelvis.

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As opposed to when I turn this way and then go to extend, it's likely that I

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might turn

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my shoulders a little bit to level and have too much upper body sway or upper

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body translation

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off the golf ball.

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So again, focusing on this movement here of the spine where I have a little bit

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of shoulder

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tilt, a little bit of extension, still got my core engaged and a little bit of

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hip tilt

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from the right leg straightening just a bit.

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That gets me in a position where now I could extend my arms, and the good part

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about this

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drill is the extension of the arms helps keep the arms more in front of the

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chest, so it's

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a good way to get with it and kind of keep a little bit more of that trail arm

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connection.

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I think the thing you have to watch out for is some people when they go to

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extend the

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arms, kind of do it more like this where the arms are going more into internal

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rotation

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like this, so kind of like a baseball position where the elbows are pointing

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out rather than

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having a little bit more of this trail arm external rotation like so.

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So when you go to extend your arms, the club should feel heavy.

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If it feels a little bit too balanced, then it's likely too vertical and your

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arms are

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likely in more of this kind of baseball position instead of a little bit more

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golf.

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So one way that I was just showing that I think you can highlight the rotation

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of the

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arms a little bit better is if you choke up so that you're all the way down at

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the grip

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and then you were to do this where we make that good pivot and then I extend

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the arms

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and want that club pointing more almost parallel to the bottom of your rib cage

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, kind of more

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like this rather than pointing straight up and down or permanently or spine,

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kind of

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like this.

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So I don't dislike the drill, especially as a checkpoint for golfers who tend

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to have

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more of kind of like a, actually that was a bad pivot for the version, but for

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golfers

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who tend to get the arms around especially without a lot of rotation.

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So some golfers tend to kind of get into a backswing pivot where they've really

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loaded

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the shoulder kind of like this, where it gets behind.

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I think this drill can be really helpful for kind of identifying that pattern.

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It does a good job of getting width, so getting the arms to extend, but you

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have to be careful

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with the pivot.

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The last point that I almost forgot is when you go to extend, the shoulder

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rotation is

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a big piece to focus on.

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But the other piece that I see some people mess up is when they go to extend,

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they do

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it more from the shoulder blades and not just the arms.

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So in order for me to make this good pivot, then when I extend my arms, my

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trail shoulder

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is still going to have a little bit of a retraction.

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But what will happen is when golfers do this and then they go to reach their

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arms, you'll

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see oftentimes they will bend or round their spine, go into more of a flex

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position and

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kind of push out.

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And now if I was to do that, you could see that the contact would move way

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behind the

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golf ball.

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I'd struggle with fat thin.

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So few keys that you, if you want to use this drill because you tend to have

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not enough

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body rotation and your arms get behind, I don't mind it.

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It can be a good drill for working with a little pause at the top, which can

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help with

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sequencing in the downswing.

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But you do have to be careful.

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It's not a silver bullet drill that everybody needs, which was kind of how it

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was presented

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in the golf magazines when I was growing up.

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So if you are struggling with your backswing, look at it on video, double check

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the arm drills

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or the body drills to help you develop a little bit more solid pivot.

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That'll get you in better position to make a really good torque quality down

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swing.

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All right, so quick little demo.

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So the classic drill, I'm going to bring the club up on my shoulders, I'm going

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to make

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my pivot, and then I'm going to extend my arms.

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And I want to double check a few things I like having just a little bit of kind

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of a weight

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shift, and so you'll see even though I hung out there for what felt like an

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eternity,

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it allowed me to get good sequencing, good positions, hit a pretty good shot.

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Let's say I did 10 of those, it did allow me to feel a little bit more arms in

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front,

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a little bit better width than what I was doing during warmups.

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So not a bad drill for me today.

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Now let's try to apply it, so we'll try to get a similar, that was a pretty

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good strike.

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That felt good about the top of the backswing.

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So it's not a bad drill, but it does have a few little nuances that you have to

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watch

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out for.

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If you do focus on it, it can help with width, it can help with the centerness

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of load if

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you use it correctly, and it can set you up for a really good centered position

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where

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you can then apply a lot of the transition and release fundamentals.

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So give it a try if you're struggling with the arms kind of getting a little

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bit too

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narrow at the top of the swing, just be careful without your pivot location.