Golf is a System of Gears (The Sway Misunderstood) Part 1

Take a minute to look at the gif image to the right.  Notice how it takes you awhile to grasp how this gear would actually work. 

One of the most important findings in the kinematic sequence of the golf swing between amateurs and professionals is that professionals have a greater degree of separation in the parts of the body mainly between their upper and lower body.  However, there is so much misinformation out there and many people are trying to achieve this the wrong way ie. getting more separation by simple trying to clear your hips more LOL!  It's not going to work.  You're just going to get more stuck!

There is an article I wrote earlier about how the proper footwork creates a type of gliding effect in the golf swing.  This article is a sort of extension to that.  See, the proper rolling of the feet is also and indication that the rest of the body is working in direct proportion to each other.  I tell my students to imagine themselves as a system of gears.  The reason for this is that when you think gears, you don't think twisting, instead you think rolling.  Also when you think of a gear, you can imagine every single body part working as a part of a whole, one section does not move unless the other does and vice versa. This is very important to understand because most amateur golfers have too much excess motion going on with a particular body part.  Your hands, arms, chest, hips, legs, and literally every body part must have a direct relationship in movement with each other.  

How is this movement achieved?  This motion is achieved by creating the same type of motion that is in the rolling of the feet but with the rolling of the lower and upper body.   

---

I chose Jordan Spieth's swing because he exaggerates this motion more clearly.  Pay close attention to the transition around 7 seconds in.  You will notice how his hips actually tilt at the transition with his left hip lowering and his right hip straightening, this is because the base of his upper body is also rolling against the top of his hips creating a "Gear" type effect.  When done correctly, this motion will show a drastic change in vertical downward force (Only able to be measured on a vector plate).  Doing this correctly will also show a spiked increase in consistency and accuracy.  Please stay tuned for Part 2 of this article.  
​