Pete Cowen Load the Right Shoulder

[tshambl2]

Anyone able to explain the feeling of loading the right shoulder as Pete Cowen describes? I hav his DVD's, but don't find this concept in them. I've heard the "point the right elbow down throughout" and the whole "keep the upper right arm close to the torso". However, Stenson does not do these things and Oosthuizen's swing has changed over time and his elbow tends to drift away from the torso now and is not pointing down as much as it used to. So I am just curious what ways are there to feel as though you are loading or packing the right shoulder?

[getitdaily]

I have tried to understand this too. I believe the term is trying to relate to a more upright shoulder turn rather than a flat shoulder turn. In essence, I believe the term is meant to say to swing the arms up rather than around.

 

But I'm not 100% on that.

 

I have to constantly make sure my shoulder turn isn't flat. The less my right shoulder moves back from the ball (not down the line back) the better my ballstriking is. This means my arms have to work more up than around. Typical position check for me is at the top of the backswing, if I can't see my right shoulder through the arm triangle then I'm too flat/ too open with the shoulder.

 

I have long struggled with the right feeling to "pack/load the right shoulder". I believe Jim waldron's arm swing illusion perspective helps alot.

 

Then again, I could be completely wrong on what Cowan means...

[BigBad]

The right shoulder should be slightly Internal at the top then go into External in transition. Most lesser ball strikers do the opposite. I really struggle to do this and end up going internal from the top.

 

For examples see:

 

 

[Millbrook]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFrQrVOkOjU

[getitdaily]

The right shoulder should be slightly Internal at the top then go into External in transition. Most lesser ball strikers do the opposite. I really struggle to do this and end up going internal from the top.

 

For examples see:

 

 

 

Hard for me to envision and feel how the shoulder can be internal unless we're talking about steep (internal) vs flat (external)...

[jaydro]

I believe the same concept has been talked about alot recently in other threads. A centered turn with proper extension of the spine gets my shoulder in a high "loaded" or powerful feeling position. In another thread someone suggested that instead of 'turning' in the backswing try to feel like your extending the spine as soon as possible which seems like it matches Pete's "spiral staircase" model.

[moehogan]

The right shoulder should be slightly Internal at the top then go into External in transition. Most lesser ball strikers do the opposite. I really struggle to do this and end up going internal from the top.

 

For examples see:

 

 

 

But if one starts the external rotation of the trail shoulder between P3 and P4, it doesn’t require such a big move in transition to get the club on the trail forearm in the DS.

 

Like this guy ... I’d take his game any day! lol

 

[BigBad]

But if one starts the external rotation of the trail shoulder between P3 and P4, it doesn't require such a big move in transition to get the club on the trail forearm in the DS.

 

 

If someone has limited mobility, which I do, starting out in external and then trying to hold it in transition is basically impossible.

[moehogan]

But if one starts the external rotation of the trail shoulder between P3 and P4, it doesn't require such a big move in transition to get the club on the trail forearm in the DS.

 

 

If someone has limited mobility, which I do, starting out in external and then trying to hold it in transition is basically impossible.

 

Obviously one should do what works best for him. Not saying one should be necessarily completely externally rotated at P4 ... just that starting the process earlier and more gradually should be easier to accomplish for most, requiring less of a dramatic reversal move.

[Calamity Todd]

I think this is a pretty good video on the subject....

 

[moehogan]

I think this is a pretty good video on the subject....

 

Yep, Dan is promoting being at least partially externally rotated at the top. Good checkpoint is a vertical right forearm (assuming some degree of spine tilt) at the top rather than the elbow pointing behind. Keeping the trail shoulder protracted is critical.

[BigBad]

Yep, Dan is promoting being at least partially externally rotated at the top. Good checkpoint is a vertical right forearm (assuming some degree of spine tilt) at the top rather than the elbow pointing behind. Keeping the trail shoulder protracted is critical.

 

Does Stenson look anywhere near external at the top?

 

[moehogan]

The vid you posted of Stenson is a bad camera angle ... should be DTL, but he is definitely rotating externally from P3 to P4. In the pics below, the trail forearm gets more vertical than his spine angle at the top putting him on the external side of neutral.

 

 

 

 

[BigBad]

From that picture how can you tell if his hands or elbow are closer to the camera? What I mean by external is 90 degrees or more. Any less than that its still internal but could be moving external. If you look at most pga tour guys from the angle of the Stenson video I sent or from above you can see they are less than 90 degrees before the weight shift of the transition.

[moehogan]

From that picture how can you tell if his hands or elbow are closer to the camera? What I mean by external is 90 degrees or more. Any less than that its still internal but could be moving external. If you look at most pga tour guys from the angle of the Stenson video I sent or from above you can see they are less than 90 degrees before the weight shift of the transition.

 

Are you talking about internal/external shoulder rotation, shoulder abduction/adduction or elbow flexion/extension?

[BigBad]

Shoulder rotation.