The Step Drill - It's a PRESSURE shift, not a WEIGHT shift!

[TheDeanAbides]

9 minutes ago, TurnDog69 said:

 

You're definitely right. I hope I don't come off as argumentative - not my intent. More saying that I function so much better with a feel than the minutia of physics. And The more topics spiderweb and spin out into greater detail, the better than chance I never am able to apply it. 

 

In your opinion, what's the best feel for the pressure shift you've seen?

Honestly, I've never worked on it - for me it's a function of a correct pivot. As long as my pivot is functional - my COM moves correctly - then the pressure shift just happens. 

 

Edit: if I was going to show someone how to do it, I'd use the step drills that Dr Kwon uses.

Edited March 31, 2021 by TheDeanAbides

[TheDeanAbides]

6 minutes ago, glk said:

As I mentioned earlier, the forces are much more interesting than just pressure.   The old pressure mats only measured one dimension of force - vertical.   With the force plates, swing catalyst and gasp for two examples, becoming more prevalent the horizontal and torque forces are also being measured.   Like lm’s open up insight into club/ball impact conditions that weren’t possible with previous technology so have force plates started to give insights to how we use the ground in the swing - something tHe eye can’t really see.   So cool stuff.    I really recommend taking swing catalyst certification level 1 - it is free and provides a basic understanding - further certifications come at a small cost and only takes a few hours at most.   I’m thinking of getting kwonified, too but then again maybe not.

I love watching Kwon's videos on Instagram. Those processes he go through with students make the shifts look so dynamic. 

[torbill]

10 hours ago, MtlJayMan said:

I think your last edit nailed it... (don't kill the messenger here) but I'm guessing it's semantics as torbill seems to be using 'weight' with a physics definition in mind; the gravitational force exterted on an object... as others refer to the 'mass' (and center of it)... for example, if you jump and are momentarily in a free fall - you are weightless (talk about a diet plan!) as obviously your inherent mass hasn't changed...

 

I just used weight shift because it’s a term that’s familiar to all of us and was used in the title of this thread.  I’m fine with mass and center of mass.  

 

Expanding on Simsonia, we can march in place, keeping our weight/mass as centered as possible.  And the force between the ground and the feet will fluctuate, as Simpsonia explains.  But I would argue that it’s a purely vertical fluctuation of force/pressure, and this sort of dynamic isn’t going to allow much of a swing for hitting a golf ball.

 

What’s required is a horizontal/lateral force component between the ground and the feet, enabled by friction or interlocking between the ground and feet.  Those who don’t agree should try hitting golf shots off a skating rink.  We need to be able to generate a lateral force at the ground.

 

So, what creates the lateral force?  Well, one thing is, we can gradually shift all of our weight onto our back leg, lift our front leg off the ground, like a baseball pitcher, and as we fall forward our geometry will change such that a lateral force can be generated, which we can use to push our weight into a forward with a sort of shift and rotate, which creates a throw/swing.  Well, we wouldn’t actually lift and kick in golf, but you get the idea.  We can also achieve a lateral ground force through inertial effects - less weight shift, but do it more quickly, and as the shift decelerates there will be inertial effects that allow us to build a lateral ground force/pressure, which can be used to propel a recoil into the downswing.  We can some of both, which is likely what most of us do.  At the bottom, I’m not sure how to do a good golf swing without some sort of shift of the center of mass/weight because I don’t know how a marching in place sort of pressure fluctuation would work.

 

If the head or some part of the torso appears to be stationary, does it mean that there is no weight shift?  Absolutely not.  If nothing else, the arms and club have mass/weight, and swinging them backward from the address position changes the location of the center of mass.  And if we move them at a good pace, inertial effects support an increase in the lateral ground force. And if the body is tipped forward, so as to prevent the center of mass from actually changing position, I think that the next thing that develops is likely to be a reverse pivot in order to restore balance.

 

This is my sense of what goes on.   Maybe what generates the “this but not that” (pressure-but-no-weight-shift) sense is the inertial effects associated with a small weight shift, which would definitely register on pressure plates.   

[torbill]

Duplicate, deleted.

Edited April 1, 2021 by torbill

[me05501]

I've digested a ton of the content from AMG and Swing Catalyst on this topic and one really important thing has stuck out to me. That is that each player will have more success with one type of force than the rest. Some are better at vertical force than rotational or horizontal, or whatever. This is true among the best in the world and among we ams too. 

 

This video from Larry Cheung has really helped me pinpoint the way I need to apply the force in my trail foot to start the downswing. After experimenting with several other similar ideas, this is the one that helps me move the needle on my swing speed without feeling like I'm exerting extra effort. 

 

But everyone is different!

 

 

[Lefthook]

On 3/31/2021 at 5:12 AM, glk said:

Pressure can be shifted without weight shift.    Force comes before movement - if you need to move weight to create force that is backwards.

I can stand and push off my left foot to move right without shifting my weight but my weight will then shift due to the force.  Basic physics.    Newton first law.  You need a force to move the body, moving the body does not create the force.

Spot on. 

[leekgolf]

I just watched these and if I understand this correctly, it sounds like they are saying it's almost a falling or tipping onto the target side before the club reaches the top. How is this different than a reverse weight shift or the left centering of Stack and Tilt? What am I missing?

 

 

 

AMG How To Do Our Favorite Drill

 

AMG Our Favorite Drill For Stopping The Slide

 

 

 

Edited April 10, 2021 by leekgolf

[TheDeanAbides]

6 minutes ago, leekgolf said:

I just watched these and if I understand this correctly, it sounds like they are saying it's almost a falling or tipping onto the target side before the club reaches the top. How is this different than a reverse weight shift or the left centering of Stack and Tilt? What am I missing?

 

 

 

AMG How To Do Our Favorite Drill

 

AMG Our Favorite Drill For Stopping The Slide

 

 

 

This is what every single good swing does. It's pressure not weight. 

 

As I understand it, S&T has the weight on the left side. 

Edited April 10, 2021 by TheDeanAbides

[leekgolf]

11 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

This is what every single good swing does. It's pressure not weight. 

 

As I understand it, S&T has the weight on the left side. 

Do I understand the drill correctly? Is it a falling or tipping onto the lead side?

[TheDeanAbides]

43 minutes ago, leekgolf said:

Do I understand the drill correctly? Is it a falling or tipping onto the lead side?

Falling is closer. I'm not sure what you mean by tipping. 

[leekgolf]

11 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

Falling is closer. I'm not sure what you mean by tipping. 

I guess I'm thinking of something quiet, versus a baseball or tennis hard stride into the ball?

[rondo01]

On 3/31/2021 at 12:25 PM, TurnDog69 said:

 

In your opinion, what's the best feel for the pressure shift you've seen?

maybe not “the best”, but this exaggerates the feel enough for me to have a clear direction to go in when I have the club.

 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CNI4t3mFIQI/?igshid=lthuasd1v8v2

[leekgolf]

On 3/31/2021 at 12:29 PM, TheDeanAbides said:

Honestly, I've never worked on it - for me it's a function of a correct pivot. As long as my pivot is functional - my COM moves correctly - then the pressure shift just happens. 

 

Edit: if I was going to show someone how to do it, I'd use the step drills that Dr Kwon uses.

Thanks posting this. His videos really helped me understand. I wonder how long these students take to go through the process?

 

It's funny/interesting my wife's teacher had her do a very abbreviated version of this.

[TheDeanAbides]

6 minutes ago, leekgolf said:

Thanks posting this. His videos really helped me understand. I wonder how long these students take to go through the process?

 

It's funny/interesting my wife's teacher had her do a very abbreviated version of this.

I think @glkknows more about the process. 

[leekgolf]

1 minute ago, TheDeanAbides said:

I think @glkknows more about the process. 

@glk is not just a good guy, he knows a lot about the golf swing, teachers, and process. He's a real asset to golfwrx.

[TheDeanAbides]

1 hour ago, leekgolf said:

@glk is not just a good guy, he knows a lot about the golf swing, teachers, and process. He's a real asset to golfwrx.

100%.

[zacgolf]

Interesting video and good drill.