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How Much Legs Should You Use To Power Your Swing?
By
Paul Wilson
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on January 30, 2015
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28 Comments
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Tags: DownswingLegs In Golf SwingUse Legs In Golf Swing
Author Description
Paul Wilson is the creator of Swing Machine Golf and founder of Ignition Golf. Paul's golf swing technique is based on the Iron Byron swing machine. YouTube Channels: Paul Wilson Golf and Ignition Golf Tips. Please Join me on Google+
28 Responses to “How Much Legs Should You Use To Power Your Swing?”
December 28, 2012
DominicErbaCan never hear this enough. Thanks for the reminder Paul
December 31, 2012
Paul WilsonDom,
I need to keep telling it to everyone because a lot of people want to run before they can crawl.
December 29, 2012
barrybowerHi Paul Great drills, use to slice the ball ,now only draws and hooks , ball sometimes starts off 5 ,10 yards off target line before draw or hook starts, is this do to not enough lower body,or too much roll over of wrist.I do not get many pushes to right,will it help if i try to get more tilt behind the ball as i start downswing.the draw 5-20yards very playable,and consistant ,the occassional hooks annoying. best shots when grip pressure very light 1,2 through out swing, is there any problem with keeping it this light through out swing. ( it keeps my arms from taking over)
December 31, 2012
Paul WilsonBarry,
If you are pulling it your arms are starting the downswing not your lower body.
Watch:
Pull: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-pulled-shot
Pull 2: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-pulling
If you are hooking it without trying to hook it you have a grip problem.
Watch:
Hooking: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-hooking
December 29, 2012
DanSebenaPaul, the thing that helps me most to do your swing method is your tip that the club should feel heavy. When I feel the weight of the club, I tend to relax my arms. Thanks for your tips!
December 31, 2012
Paul WilsonDan,
That is a great thought. If the club feels heavy you cannot be using your arms. Now, you just have to keep this feeling.
December 29, 2012
chadcarpenterThis tip is just what I needed to get back on track. Lower body going faster than I was ready for and club being left behind with shots mostly pushed to the right. Thanks!
December 31, 2012
Paul WilsonChad,
Seems this was a timely tip for a few golfers. Glad I posted it.
August 1, 2013
NelsKlyverYour method has been a wonderful break though for me Paul. I have been working on the body rotation with the swing speed radar and I find this is an especially helpful feedback tool.
Just like you have said, when I feel like I am swinging fast; swinging with my arms, my swing speed is actually lower. When I use your method and swing with my body, I feel slower, but the meter shows much faster speeds — and the ball is traveling much further. In three weeks of work I have increased my speed from 85MPH to 95MPH with my driver while maintaining straight shots. Since I’m swinging easy now I am confident I can gradually get my speed even higher while maintaining good control.
I can’t tell you how grateful I am to you for the help. I had been trying weight training to increase my arm strength — now I realize how wrong that was. It is really great to finally be seeing real progress!
August 1, 2013
Paul WilsonNels,
That’s great news. I guess this ties into my previous answer. The more you are lagging it the more power you are starting to generate. I would think you are getting this new found power due to loosening up the arms not because of the Orange Whip. Keep up the good work.
January 31, 2015
RonCalabreseHi Paul. I believe I read that Tiger Woods hurt his left knee by too violently straightening the left leg at the end of the swing. This happened under Butch Harmon. Your method seems to straighten the forward leg as a natural occurrence of rotating the hip in a circular motion. I don’t sense any violence in your swing or possibility of injury. Would you agree?
Ron Calabrese
February 1, 2015
Paul WilsonRon,
I do want the knee snapping if the person wants serious power. The difference is no one will be able to do this anywhere near as fast as Tiger. I have do this for 30+ years without and issue and I do it hard. You just have to know your limit. So it is okay to feel it lock. I refer to it as a snapping but if anyone feel any pain they should check it they are doing it right or do it a level that are not going to hurt themselves.
January 31, 2015
CraigMinnerHello Paul,
Sometimes my body takes over at the start of the downswing and I will start hitting crooked shots. Too much body turn from powering the hips and legs which then spins my body open and pushes the club to the outside, so I will swing across the ball and hit pulls and fades. The shoulders are opening too fast. Hence,the body races out of sequence, the arms lag behind, and the club cuts across the ball. Can you expand on the powering of the hips drill while mentioning how to better keep the shoulders in check to avoid getting so far ahead of the downward arm swing and stop hitting across the ball?
Thank You.
February 1, 2015
Paul WilsonCraig,
Sounds like when you are firing the hips hard you are also shifting onto your lead leg too fast. Understand if you are pulling it, you are leaning left in the downswing. Tilt left and you will start it left. Tilt too much right and you will start it too much right.
Watch:
Body Tilt – Left Right: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-pulling
Once you hit the top you should be loaded 80% onto your back instep. From here your weight does not immediately shift left. It is a gradual shift:
Watch:
Weight Distribution: https://ignitiongolf.com/weight-distribution
Here is how the plane should be flattening if you start the lower body first:
Flatten Plane 1: https://ignitiongolf.com/downswing-flatten-plane
Flatten Plane 2: https://ignitiongolf.com/downswing-flatten-plane-2
If you still have trouble getting the body to angle back int he downswing manual tilt. Get it. Then get the weight off the back foot. I recently did a tip on this here:
Cures β Manually Tilt To Stop Pulling: https://ignitiongolf.com/manually-tilt-cure-pull/
January 31, 2015
BillFreemanHi Paul,
Not sure if my questions is related to leg speed or not. But often when practicing in the garage, working on the legs starting the swing, I end up with the club touching the back of my head all right, but bent at the waist. Bent forward slightly rather than being erect or even leaning backwards. What does that suggest to you?
Thanks,
Bill
February 1, 2015
Paul WilsonBill,
Go slower and make sure you are totally over the lead leg. Watch yourself in a mirror too.
Also set up with your left hip 3″ from a wall. Do some swings with no club ending up with your chest touching the wall. This is a balanced position overtop of the lead leg. I have seen people doing this before and can usually fix them in a few mins. but you not being here is going to take you feeling taller overtop of the lead leg. Again, do it slow. Do it in practice swings. Then hit and hold your follow through and fix it if you are ending up in the wrong position … fix it. If you don fix it you are saying it’s okay to keep doing it wrong.
I usually get the person to hold the follow through and push their check back until it aligns tall over the lead leg.
February 1, 2015
RaymondCHASTELExcellent reminder ,Paul ,of YOUR basic ” engine lowering the swing “.This is what I have the most difficulties to acheive WELL :if any ,my move off the right Instep is not fast enough ,coupled with the straigthtening of the left leg :I also push the left cheek back to Speed up .The progress is there ,but it’ s damn slow to come ,but I do see my distance lengthening slowly ….
I keep patient and hoping !
February 1, 2015
Paul WilsonRaymond,
Start working on speed and the snapping of the lead leg. Be careful and gradually speed it up.
February 1, 2015
RaymondCHASTELSorry ,Paul ,II wrote “powering ” not ” lowering ” .This IPAD is terrible !
April 21, 2015
andreascappaturaHello from Italy Paul!!, I have a question, When I am at the top of the backswing and I try to begin with my hips rotation(I mean when I begin to press with my back foot)….. in that moment I have a problem, I don’t know what to do of my arms and hands.
Do I have to let them fall(without life). Because you say I don’t have tu use hands, but if I don’t use hands they fall dawn.
Please give me light on that precise moment, I need this and after that with your tips I can really say I changed my game(10 miles more with the driver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) ))))))))))
thank you
Bye
Andrea
April 21, 2015
Paul WilsonAndrea,
Great to hear from you.
Your arms should be powerless so you are doing nothing with them. You may have to purposely work on hinging and splitting your ears though because few people are doing these things right. So you work on the arms and add the body rotation with it. Then turn the arms off in the future.
Also, be aware that if you just work on lower body and driving it harder you are only speeding up 1 thing. Your wrist release is not timed for a faster leg drive so you may blow it right. Before driving the legs and hips harder you need to hook it first for a few shots.
Watch:
Driving Hips Harder But Hook It First: https://ignitiongolf.com/driving-hips-hook-first/
Finally,
You need to understand powerless arms. Watch a few of these videos:
What Is Powerless Arms?: https://ignitiongolf.com/what-is-powerless-arms/
Powerless Arms Test: https://ignitiongolf.com/powerless-arms-test/
How To Get Powerless Arms: https://ignitiongolf.com/how-to-get-powerless-arms/
April 22, 2015
andreascappaturaHi Paul,
Thank you so much, I believe that your way would be perfect(we all want to run before walking!!!! π )
bye
Andrea
By the way, how precise is the swing radar(by sport sensor)? can it be compared to the trackman(for the swing speed precision), I would like to buy one
April 22, 2015
Paul WilsonAndrea,
Yes, everyone wants it right away. Just got to take it one step at a time. Anyone can do this if they just do the positions and lots of practice swings. Easier said than done.
I find the SSR works great. Can’t get it from me for Italy. You would have to go here:
http://www.sportssensors.eu/en/
I am now also promoting this one:
https://ignitiongolf.com/ernest-sports-es12-review/
September 3, 2015
AlbertChungReferring to the three downswing triggers which you have advocated. I have found that pushing off the front right instep had given me a tendency slide sideways especially if I try to rotate hard while concentrating on straightening the left leg caused me to spinout. I have found that by rotating the belt buckle back toward the target WITH THE WEIGHT REMAINING ON THE BACK LEG (BACKING SWING PIVOT) FOR A FRACTION LONGER AT THE SAME TIME ALLOWING THE POWERLESS ARMS AND CLUB TO DROP BACK TO THE SIDE WHILE MAINTAINING THE WRIST ANGLE. AS SOON AS I FEEL THE RIGHT ELBOW CLOSE TO MY HIP I THEN PUSH OFF THE RIGHT INSTEP AND SHIFTING THE WEIGHT ONTO THE LEFT SIDE. It is a matter of TURN FIRST THEN SHIFT SEQUENCE in smooth and unhurried rhythm. Of course I needed to start slowly at first until I got used to the sequence
September 3, 2015
Paul WilsonAlbert,
If it works then keep doing it. That is why I give people choices.
You can get the feel for it doing this too:
Itβs Like A Throwing Motion: https://ignitiongolf.com/like-throwing-motion/
May 13, 2017
AaronRupertHi Paul,
Thanks for the many videos. I am hitting more quality shots. Now I need to learn to score. π
Why is it necessary to straighten the front leg? What are the benefits?
Aaron
May 14, 2017
Paul WilsonAaron,
Glad you like the tips. Thanks for the feedback.
You straighten the forward leg to turn your hips which turns your upper body. This straightening also stops you from sliding too much laterally. Because it is straight it allows the back leg to come around and physically touch it which gives you feedback that you did the position exactly right every time. This way this position will not fall apart long into the future. If they are touching today and touching 5 years from now you are still doing it exactly right.
The issue is human nature. It protects your knees. It doesn’t know that locking this knee doesn’t hurt. So you have to do it a few times so your mind will accept it is okay to do it. The funny thing is, you have already done it. Watch:
Itβs Like A Throwing Motion: https://ignitiongolf.com/like-throwing-motion/
March 2, 2019
EdwardJockersHi Paul, I was thinking of using my whippy tempo again, what do u think of that particular trainin/