Power Triangle

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Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
Power Triangle

2lnh0nq.jpg


When you see this movement in baseball hitters, you know it’s got to be a very instinctual movement because there’s no time to think. The players must make a decision to swing or not in tenth of a second. In this back view we can see how Puig’s triangle is moving. The left shoulder is pulled up/back. The left hip is pulled down/back. These two moves are coupled with the right elbow to produce rotation.

Source: 2015-07 : How Great Players Rotate In A Golf Swing
 
May 3, 2014
2,149
83
We started talking about slings last year. Develop your inner core muscles such as the QL's and rotation becomes easier to accomplish, but IMO the early action must be in the sagittal plane in the form of hip action. Pulling back into the hips creates anterior tilt and engages your core muscles and sling systems. This also helps keep your lower back in a form of extension that will protect your lower spine during rotation. Forcing lower back extension late (hip thrusting) can/will hurt your back. I had a player complain of back pain a year ago that hip thrusted and once we focused on pulling back into the hips during the entire swing - the pain went away.

So many good things we try to fix in isolation comes from developing your inner core muscles such as sending the rear shoulder into external rotation at the start of the swing as opposed to forcing scap action to create artificial movement (which then sticks the rear elbow to the rib cage)

Do KM's experiment

This time, while sitting on a chair again, let’s feel the powerful movement of the deep inner rotators. Hold your arms directly in front of you and parallel to the ground. Then try not to move your arms at all while rotating your spine and pelvis. If you have done this right, you should have felt your rib cage and pelvis rotating together. By the spine facet gear and myofascial connections we are designed with, the movement to rotate the spine will start to create a lateral bend and lordosis. The right lateral bend begins to pull on the right arm/shoulder to produce the “elbow move” we want in the golf swing (external rotation and transverse adduction).
 
May 3, 2014
2,149
83
WRT to this article - Mike Austin (deceased golfer) preached using the multifidus muscles to initiate the back swing and down swing. Most golfers, though, use the wrong side to initiate the back swing. Most use the rear side multifidus to initiate the back swing when Austin said to use the front side. Then most would use the front side to initiate the down swing when Austin said to use the rear side. Using the front side multifidus to initiate the back swing will bend the spine laterally pulling the front shoulder down. Using the rear side (as most people do) will roll the front shoulder up. Using the rear side multifidus to initiate the down swing will help bend the spine laterally and create external rotation of the rear shoulder. Using the front side (as most people do and because they used the rear side to initiate the back swing) causes and over the top swing bending the spine laterally to the front thereby keeping the shoulders level (not what you want)

Below shows how Bubba Watson initiating the down swing using the rear side multifidus muscles creates rear side lateral spinal bend and moves his sacrum (the yellow markers) rearward highlighting how much rotation is occurring.

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Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
The initiation of the downswing should begin with LPT and APT. The LPT created by left hip flexion (psoas and iliacus) will pull on the right lat muscle through the TLF (in white). Thus LPT will help to create the right lateral bend as well.

-5i_E4-8vBQD7YVFM0CXN8UKKDpB8WhJTDQY0Zo3jjad_Jy8T9AkWCP5voBQykIZb9xOiZsFR7B5ZxWYUBWrL5oFutX0oyHkJyAG-JMPqrozAS1bDIkGzigCqllG74573NdtiydD8rpO7RD9
 
May 3, 2014
2,149
83
It might be just me, but I only think about dropping my front heel like I am stepping on the gas while at the same time trying to rotate my inner core. I am already in APT from pulling into the hips. It happens so quick.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
Yes, the swing happens quick.

I had a lady in the cages that often struggles with self-awareness issues. Mid-session she diverted from the point-of-emphasis and told me she wanted to rotate more. I told her that if she would work on two things for me first, then I would show her how to cure what she considered a rotation deficiency. I asked her to flush all thoughts of rotation. First I had her work on rear-side lateral bend and lordosis ... simply by using a cue of dusting off our rear butt cheek (... will explain the cue later if it isn't obvious). Then had her work on front-side lateral bend as a precursor to this rear-side action. She was excited by her ability to hit shots to the back of the cage. Had to tweak her a bit, basically giving her various cues ... I need more "dusting off of the rear butt cheek" ... give me more "lead side lateral bend". She remained thrilled by the power ... oblivious to a change in her swing that she had earlier asked for. Then told her to do her best to 'freeze' her body on completion of her next swing. As she remained in a 'frozen' state after her next swing I asked ... "did you become rotated?" ... she answered "oh my gosh, yes I did" ... to which I asked ... "did you try to become rotated?" ... to which she said "no, it just somehow happened". To which I explained, that good hitters do NOT "try" to rotate, they simply move their body efficiently and become rotated as a result. The parent sitting in the back of the cage was mystified. Apparently they have been working on trying to rotate for years, and the parent was surprised that rotation could take place without consciously trying to rotate.
 
Last edited:

TDS

Mar 11, 2010
2,926
113
The best way (according to Kelvin) to feel APT is cat/cow/cat yoga movements. This movement is in the sagittal plane.
 
Jun 17, 2009
15,105
0
Portland, OR
Mike-Coach, I am assuming the interest is in understanding the cue to “brush off the rear butt cheek” to start your swing.

Imagine that you are standing and decide to sit on a bench. As you sit you sense that your rear butt cheek (right butt cheek for a RH hitter, left butt cheek for a LH hitter) sat on an object other than the bench. You are curious if something is now adhering to your rear butt cheek. So you stand up, and look behind at your rear butt cheek as you brush it off.

The act of looking behind and brushing off your rear butt cheek is meant to cause you to perform two actions simultaneously … 1) the rear side laterally bends, which basically brings the rear shoulder and rear hip closer together, AND 2) lordosis, which basically is the arching of the rear side lower back.

From this orientation, you simply redirect your vision forward and place your rear arm/elbow/hand in a semi-slotting position … and you’ll assume an orientation roughly something similar to the pause shown here …

b9d5hg.gif


Basically … brush off your rear butt cheek to start your swing.
 

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