Something that is often not understood is that your body should bend sideward during the swing. It will bend sideward’s to the left in the backswing, and sideward’s to the right in the downswing.
I know at first you will be thinking that I have lost my mind, but hang in there and let me explain.
If I bend my upper body sidewards to the left at address, and then turn my shoulders you can see that it is the combination of these 2 movements (side bend & rotation) that creates the backswing body movement.
In the downswing it is just the opposite, again if I bend my upper body to the right, and then turn my shoulders, it is the combination of these 2 movements that creates the correct body movement to impact.
For the purpose of this article I am separating the 2 movements, but in reality, bending sideward and rotating will blend together smoothly during the swing.
If you do not have enough side bend in your backswing your swing it can cause your posture to change, a high left shoulder, or disconnected arms. If you do not have enough side bend in the downswing it can cause an over the top swing, slice shots, and bad ball contact.
Perhaps now you are understanding the mechanics, but understanding the mechanics and having a feel for the movement are sometimes 2 different things. The easiest way I have found to teach players the combination of side bend and rotation is using the following drill.
Windmill Drill
- Taking your golf posture hold your arms out so they are parallel to the ground.
- Keeping your arms in this extended position, turn your body to the right and point your left arm at the ball, with your right arm behind you at a 45% angle. This will insure you have bent your upper body sidewards to the left during the backswing.
- Now turn to impact, but this time point your right arm at the ball, again this will insure you bend your upper body sideward’s to the right in the downswing.
- Repeat the exercise until you can perform the drill with the same tempo as your regular golf swing.
Once you have the feeling pick up your club and move your body in the same way as you did in the drill, learnt to bend your body the correct way can really help straighten out your shots as well improve your ball striking.