Every golfer has a unique swing. Like Rory McIlroy's powerful turn, Jon Rahm's shortened backswing, Bryson DeChambeau's violent swing, and Scottie Scheffler's unique foot movement. These individual swing styles not only show their unique talents, but also reflect the diversity and inclusiveness of golf. But despite the differences in each player's movements, they all have some common characteristics, especially the key factor that allows them to generate faster swing speeds - "upper body and lower body separation."

The power source of golf swing rotation

The speed of the golf club head comes from the speed of the rotation of the person and the club, and the rotation speed increases from small to large due to the rotation driving effect of the human body on the body parts and the club during the downswing. Since the human body is composed of some parts and some movable joints connecting these parts, in order to simplify the analysis, we need to simplify the movement of the human body and the club into the movement of the three main parts of the hip, shoulder and left arm, and the club.

Correspondingly, we can simplify the rotation drive of the human body into three main rotation drives: the rotation drive of the legs on the hip; the rotation drive of the waist twisting on the shoulder and arm; the rotation drive of the hands on the club. The rotation effect of the legs on the hip comes from the staggered movement of the two legs and thighs, forming a push and pull of the thighs on the hips. The rotation effect of the waist twisting on the shoulder comes from the pull and twist of the waist muscle and shoulder muscle on the shoulder. The direct rotation effect of the hands on the club comes from the coordinated rotation of the wrists and the right elbow, forming a direct rotation of the hands on the club grip.

The horizontal rotation driving effect in the golf swing is often ignored by beginners. In fact, as long as we experience the action of skipping stones, we will understand the role of horizontal rotation drive. There are several ways to skip stones: wrist rotation, arm swing + wrist rotation, horizontal shoulder rotation + arm swing + wrist rotation, hip rotation + shoulder rotation + arm swing + wrist rotation. Obviously, the further you play, the better the effect. The horizontal rotation drive of the golf swing mainly comes from the drive of the two legs to the hips.

In the horizontal drive process, the left hip is basically similar to the fulcrum of the lever system, the right hip is similar to the power point, the thrust of the right leg on the right hip is similar to the power, the connecting line of the left and right hips is similar to the power arm, the club head is similar to the resistance point, the horizontal inertia force of the club head is similar to the resistance, and the arm and club raised by the waist are similar to the resistance arm. From the dynamic balance analysis and motion analysis of this lever system, it can be seen that since the power capacity (maximum thrust of the right leg) and the power arm are relatively large (relative to other parts of the body), the driving force on the resistance point is also large, and the horizontal movement speed of the right leg pushing the right hip can be amplified many times through the transmission of the lever, and its effect can be imagined.

Not only that, in the early stage of the downswing, the rotation of the hips tightens the waist muscles in the lower body in the opposite direction, which reserves elastic potential energy for the twisting waist and shoulder, and can double the strength and explosiveness of the twisting waist and shoulder. How to apply this principle in behavior to improve the starting force of the hip rotation? You can refer to the action of hitting a right straight punch in the horse stance in boxing. This stance promotes a large rotation range of the hips, which is more powerful and more stable. In addition, this stance automatically overcomes the problem of beginners moving the hips left and right instead of rotating the hips to drive the club. Moving the hips left and right obviously has no speed amplification effect on the club head.

The three main rotation effects of the human body are like three rotating engines installed in the human body. During the human swing, the three rotation effects can drive the club to hit the ball separately, but the rotation directions of the three rotation effects are different, and the time required to apply the effects is different. How to make them fully play their respective roles and coordinate them is the key to the swing technique. To this end, it is necessary to understand the consistency of these three rotation coordination effects and their characteristic differences.

Conditions for controlling the direction of the club head speed

For a single rotating object, the direction of the head speed during rotation must be perpendicular to the line connecting the head and the axis. However, the direction of the head speed of multiple connected rotating bodies is not necessarily the same. To understand the direction of the head speed, let's first look at the example of two connected rigid bodies rotating.

Generally speaking, the direction of the speed of the head relative to the ground when the two rods rotate will not be perpendicular to the line connecting OO2. Only when the two rods are in a straight line, the absolute speed of the head is exactly perpendicular to OO2. At this moment, the speed of the head O2 affected by the rotating L1 rod is perpendicular to the L1 rod, and its magnitude is equal to the angular velocity of the L1 rod multiplied by L1 + L2. At this moment, the direction of the speed of the head O2 relative to O1 is also perpendicular to L1, and its magnitude is equal to the angular velocity of L2 rotating around O1 multiplied by L2. According to the speed composition theorem, the direction of the speed of the head relative to the stationary ball must be exactly aligned with the perpendicular direction of the line connecting the head and the fixed axis of rotation, and its magnitude is equal to the sum of the above two speeds.

It can be seen that only when the rotation axes and outer endpoints of two rotating objects are on the same straight line, the direction of the absolute velocity of the outer endpoint is exactly perpendicular to the line connecting the rotation axis and the outer endpoint.

Through mechanical analysis, a general conclusion can be drawn: when multiple connected rigid bodies are rotated separately, only when the rotation axes and outer endpoints of all these rotating objects are on the same plane, the direction of the absolute velocity of the outer endpoint must be perpendicular to this plane.

Applying this conclusion to the golf swing, according to the simplified mechanical model of the previous three rotations, as long as the control of the club head when hitting the ball makes the axis of the hip rotation around the left leg, the axis of the shoulder rotation around the spine, the axis of the club rotation around the left wrist and the club head basically in the same invisible board wall, the club head speed must be perpendicular to this surface. As long as we point this board wall toward the target, the direction of the club head speed will be aimed at the target. This board wall can be determined according to the target, ball position, and stance when we are preparing for the swing, and it will be referred to as the target board wall in the subsequent analysis.

In the actual golf swing, we looked at the photos of professional players at the moment of hitting the ball and found that at this time, the left heel, left hip, left arm joint, left wrist and club head are basically in the same plane, which is a little bit different from the theoretical conclusion, but the movement characteristics are basically the same. The reason for the deviation is the difference between our simplified mechanical model and the actual swing of the body. For example, the body parts are deformed to a certain extent rather than completely rigid objects, especially the left arm and shoulder have a certain relative rotation during the downswing process, and in the simplified model of the previous three rotations, this rotation and the twisting waist and shoulder are simplified into one main rotation.

Therefore, according to the basic rules of theoretical analysis, considering the difference between the actual swing and the theoretical analysis model, and referring to the standard results of professional athletes, the conditions for controlling the direction of the golf club head speed to the target can be more intuitively expressed as follows: as long as the three axes of the hip rotation around the left leg, the left arm rotation around the shoulder, and the club rotation around the left wrist, as well as the club head, pass through the left heel and the vertical board wall passing the ball at the same time when the club head hits the ball, the club head speed must be directed to the target.

The golf swing is the result of a series of complex movements, and the most important core is the correct "separation movement". Specifically, when top golfers swing, the upper body and lower body do not rotate synchronously. This technique is called "separation" and is the key to creating power, balance and speed in the golf swing.

What is upper-to-lower body separation?

“Upper-to-lower body separation” refers to the fact that the upper body (shoulders, chest, etc.) and lower body (hips, legs, etc.) do not rotate in perfect sync during the swing. Many beginners’ swings have the upper and lower body rotating together, which is simple but limits the power a golfer can generate. By separating the upper and lower body movements, more energy can be stored during the return, which allows for more speed during the downswing and impact.

Top golfers’ separation often occurs at the top of the return and the beginning of the downswing. When a golfer pulls the club to the top of the return, the lower body has already begun to prepare for the downswing in advance, while the upper body is still rotating. This separation creates a strong “torque”, just like a rubber band stretched to its limit, creating a strong tension. In this way, the golfer can use this stored energy to generate extremely high swing speed and power during the downswing.

Why is separation so important?

The core value of separation technology is that it provides golfers with an additional source of power and speed. First, it helps golfers build up "potential energy" during the return. This energy is like a spring that is ready to go, allowing the golfer to quickly release this power as the downswing progresses, pushing the club head to hit the golf ball at a higher speed. Second, this separation also helps golfers maintain balance in their swing. As the lower body leads the downswing, the upper body can lag slightly, allowing golfers to maintain power while maintaining stability in their swing.

For example, McIlroy demonstrates the power of separation in every swing. His strong lower body works in harmony with his flexible upper body to create a sufficient reserve of energy at the top of the swing, which is finally released at an amazing speed during the downswing. With this technique, McIlroy is able to hit extremely penetrating long shots while maintaining relatively stable ball control.

How to apply separation in your swing?

To apply this technique to your swing, you need to start with the basics. First, focus on the hip rotation during the return. Practice getting your lower body (especially the hips) to start rotating early as you pull the club to the top, while keeping your upper body in a delayed state. You can simulate this at home by doing a "slow motion swing" to gradually feel the power reserve generated by the asynchronous rotation of the upper and lower body.

Once you are familiar with this feeling, you can try to apply it to the full swing. As you practice more, you will find that although the separation of movements increases the complexity of the swing, it also brings about an increase in power and speed. If you can incorporate this separation technique into your swing pattern, even a small improvement can add significant speed and distance to your shots.

Summary

The reason why top golfers are able to produce powerful and stable shots on the course is because they have mastered the technique of "upper body and lower body separation". By creating a separation between the upper and lower body in the swing, golfers can accumulate more energy during the return and release this energy quickly during the downswing, generating huge speed.

This technique not only increases the power of the shot, but also helps golfers maintain balance and stability in the swing. If you want to hit the ball farther and faster like the pros, then learning and mastering this technique is absolutely crucial.