As a golf instructor, I see no reason why golfers should not take a vertical swing, regardless of their physical condition or flexibility.
However, if you go online to look for a “golf swing,” you will see many explanations on this subject and as many different versions of what is right and what is wrong.
As I will show briefly from a purely mechanical and physical point of view, the advantages in distance and accuracy far exceed those of a flat swing, and for just those reasons I recommend and teach the concept of taking more vertical oscillation for all my students,
Flat turning angles are usually associated with the height of the golfer.
Golfers who are shorter in height are said to have a flat swing.
It is also widely believed that golfers take a flat oscillatory motion due to their body characteristics, which limit the range of their swing flexibility, such as the size of the chests and the middle section.
On the other hand, taller golfers naturally swing with a more vertical turn of the plane simply because of the elevated height of their shoulders off the ground.
But the physical characteristics of the golfer are not the only things that regulate their turning angle.
What the swinging plane also determines is how they position themselves in their installation, and how they rotate their shoulders in the background ...
Swing Angle
Before I delve into the particular vertical wobble, let me first determine how often the angle of rotation is understood.
I say that because I’m sure that, like most passionate golfers, you read Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons book. Modern golf basics and its explanation of the swing of an airplane is probably the one that is firmly in your mind.
Here is his explanation ...
Try to portray a golfer who forms a right triangle in his installation position.
The vertical side of the triangle is formed from the top of the shoulders / neck to the base around their legs. The horizontal side is formed from the head of the club and the position of the ball at this point on the ground, which corresponds to the vertical side of the triangle.
The hypotenuse, or long side of the triangle, is determined from the head of the club to the point on their shoulders.
The classic understanding of the angle of the swing plane is that it is the angle between the hypotenuse and the horizontal side of this triangle. (Remember the glass plate in Hogan's book, which rests on the shoulder of golfers ...)
Now you can imagine how this angle will increase or decrease due to the height of the golfer, and why the swinging plane is often associated with the height of the shoulder of the golfers.
The reason why I say this is that the angle of the plane of rotation is often determined, since there is a big premise with this theory, which in most cases is wrong ...
What he collects is that the trajectory of the head rotation in the club passes through the same angle through the gap, so that the upper swing point lies on a long line that stretches from the ball through the upper part of the arms to the arms at the top of the swing ...
The reality is that the swing angle “in fact” may be completely different, with the result that hands reach the upper swing point either below or above the “Hogan glass definition” point.
The reason for this is that the angle of the plane of rotation depends not only on your installation, but is mainly determined by the plane around which your shoulders rotate.
Your installation may display a single angle of rotation, which can be very different from the actual plane of rotation of your shoulders.
That's why ...
Rotational aircraft of your shoulder
Stand in front of the mirror to understand the movement of your shoulder. Keep your arms straight on each side. You can rotate your shoulders in a horizontal plane around the axis of your spell ... which is easy to do.
Now try and rotate your shoulders in a vertical plane, raising your right hand and lowering your left hand so that you maintain a straight line from hand to hand through your shoulders. The axis of rotation in this plane is a point on your chest just below your chin ... this movement is not so easy to perform.
The reality of your shoulder involves reverse, so that it works in a combination of both vertical and horizontal movement.
As expected, the rotation of the shoulder, which moves more in the horizontal plane, will create a flatter pendulum.
One that works more in the vertical plane will create a more vertical plane of rotation.
So when we return to Hogan’s classic explanation that the swing plane is governed by the setting and height of the golfer, the only way the golfer will be on the same plane at the top of his swing is if the combined horizontal and vertical their shoulder movements coincide with this angle.
It rarely happens ...
Having this understanding that the rotation of your shoulder affects the plane of rotation than your settings and height, you can make adjustments to your answer to get some benefits from the vertical swing path.
These are some of the main reasons why I always recommend a more vertical swivel plane based on swing mechanism and physics.
Improved consistency of your Swing accuracy
The first reason affects the accuracy and trajectory of the ball of your shot.
If you’ve ever watched my free video on Understanding the Mechanics of General Reversal Mistakes, where I set out physics, why your shots “fly” like they do, the result of all your golf shots comes down to two main factors:
o The direction of your shoulders is aimed at the point of contact with the ball.
o The orientation of the head of your club at the point of contact with the ball
The tighter your swing, the more your shoulders move in a horizontal plane.
This means that they only “aim” at the target at the point immediately before the contact and soon after the contact. This is due to the fact that the movement in the head of the club moves more "across" the target line, like a baseball swing, and not to the target line, like a swing.
Outside this very small region, the direction your shoulders are aiming is farther to the right of the target for a downward turn and farther to the left of the target for the next one (opposite for left-handers).
The success of a flat swing plane requires a high degree of “synchronization” and balance when swinging through a contact point, since there is very little for error.
The level of "ball rotation", created by a weakly synchronized oscillation, also determines the accuracy of the shot.
The relative difference between the swinging plane of the shoulder and the orientation of the club’s face at the point of contact determines the amount of spin generated on the ball.
The more shoulders move “through” the target line, the more the ball is created, creating exaggerated hooks or cuts.
On the other hand, the vertical oscillation is created due to the fact that the shoulders move more in the vertical plane, which means the time when the shoulders move along the target line is much longer during the swing.
As a result, the club head moves down the target line above a larger swing area, which gives a higher margin of error for time and balance issues.
The effect on ball rotation also decreases, because the shoulders swing less “across” the target line upon contact for a poorly synchronized picture.
In both cases, the consistency of your turning accuracy will improve a more vertical turning angle ...
Higher power and distance
Watch out for all the big hitters on a tour, and one of the common features you'll notice is most susceptible to vertical vibrations.
I wrote about this in the previous Turnberry news release, but it's worth considering the reasons why a vertical swinging plane generates more energy for a swing:
o Hands and club head will be higher off the ground at the top of the swing, creating more “potential energy” for the swing. When you think about the energy that can be created by lifting 20-30 pounds above your shoulders and lowering it, you will understand where the energy for the swing is growing. This weight is the total weight of your club and hands.
o You use your powerful muscles on the right side and the upper part of your left shoulder, which can generate more energy for rocking than using the strength of your lower back muscles, rotating around the base of your spine, in a tighter swing.
Improved balance
Your balance during delays and drops is influenced by the centrifugal force of rotation of the club head when it is in motion, and on what angle of force affects your trunk.
The centrifugal force created by a club head moving in a circular path affects your shoulders forward to the ball, which can affect the stability of your trunk during your hesitation.
To give you an exaggerated example of the effect it may have on your balance, try to imagine the action of an athlete throwing a hammer.
In this case, the athlete must overcome the intense centrifugal force necessary to turn the hammer, “leaning back” in order to remain balanced during rotation.
A flat swinging plane has a similar effect on the balance of a golfer, who has to counteract the influence of centrifugal force in order to rotate the club head with the muscles of the lower back in order to keep the body in position during the swing.
During vertical oscillation, this centrifugal force is generated more through the torso and legs from the ground, which results in less effect on your lower back muscles, allowing your trunk to remain more stable.
How to create a vertical turn
No matter how much you expect your installation to affect the angle of the plane, this has most likely affected your shoulder rotation.
I urge you to start your swing with the “turning rotation” of your left shoulder ...
Many golfers begin their vibrations by moving their arms.
For golfers who may be stiff in their flexibility in the trunk, shoulders or may have several inches more around their middle section than they would like, starting with swinging their arms with their own hands to “wrap” their swing around their body, which led to a flat swing,
This is because their shoulders move more in a horizontal plane.
Net swing results may be excessive cuts, whereby the ball begins its flight path to the left or directs the ball to the right.
This is due to the fact that the area where the club head is moving down the target line is very small, reducing the error for accuracy in the swing, as I mentioned earlier.
Start your swing with a downward movement of your left shoulder, and you will cope with this problem.
This ensures that your swing starts with a larger vertical rotation of the shoulders. Thus, your shoulders will rotate further along the target line.
Mirror exercise for correct setting
Another area that will affect your swing is your setting.
I recommend that you practice this training session with a swiveling left shoulder in front of a mirror at home.
When you follow the movement of the hand. Adjust your setting to make it easier to rotate vertically and move your hands along a more vertical plane of rotation.
Here are a few things to help you:
o Let your hands hang vertically down in a rack when your hands are no more than six inches from your leg.
o Keep your back straight from the hips. Do not let your shoulder guess
o If you are in a big cache, you may want to lean forward more in place to give your weapon more clearance to move straight back rather than wrap around your body.
When you go through this procedure, you will probably feel muscle stiffness in the back, which you are not used to ... especially in the left shoulder.
This is because it is much easier to rotate your shoulders horizontally around your spine than to turn them vertically.
This is normal, as vertical movement uses different muscles in your golf swing.
Shoulder flexibility
Many golfers are too stiff at the shoulders to do this effectively, and when they first try a vertical swinging plane in a range, they find the results disappointing.
If this is the reason, shorten your answer, given that the rigidity of your golf muscles in a vertical swing leads to the breakdown of other areas of your wobble.
Caution: never let your left elbow break, trying to swing vertically. You will defeat the tuning goal to a higher swinging plan and just cause more synchronization problems.
The exercise recommended to improve the flexibility of the shoulders in a vertical plane is to take a broomstick and place it across the shoulders, and then wrap elbows and hands over the top of the handle.
For some people, this may be a stretching exercise in itself, so do it carefully, without emphasizing the muscles of the shoulder.
Now move the pen straight to one side as far as you can and hold it for 60 seconds. When you hold the stretch, do not let the hips move sideways in the opposite direction, as this will resist stretching.
Similarly, keep your chest upright and level as far as possible during stretching.
Now make the same movement in the opposite direction.
A few days after this stretching, you will find that your distance at a distance will improve as you begin to widen your lag more. However, you should see a noticeable improvement in your alignment accuracy from the very beginning, the more you roll along the target line.
Good luck!
With respect,
Les
