Slowing Down To Increase Clubhead Speed
Now, I’m well aware that this sounds like it doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. Just hear me out though. You still want to work on swinging fast to increase your clubhead speed. But being able to control rotation at high speeds and effectively slow down can be just as important, if not more important than swinging fast.
Efficient Golf Swing For Maximum Clubhead Speed
Titleist Performance Institute has done research on hundreds of PGA tour players and thousands of amateur golfers on what makes an efficient golf swing. The body should move in a specific sequence that will allow for the most efficient transfer of force from the ground to the club head. That sequence is as follows for the downswing: pelvic rotation, trunk rotation, arms, and clubhead.
When moving through this sequence, the pelvis will rapidly speed up and then rapidly slow down by transferring that energy to the trunk. This process of speeding up and slowing down repeats through each segment until the ball has been contacted by the clubhead. This entire sequence is like cracking a whip, so you can think about it in that manner.
Generating Force From The Ground
Being able to generate maximum force is key for creating maximum clubhead speed. The ground is the golfers closest friend when it comes to generating force in the swing. Research that has looked at ground force generation has found that the greater the ground force generated, the higher the clubhead speed (Wells et al, 2018).
Force Leaks
The biggest issue when generating high ground forces is that some of the energy can be lost if the transfer of energy in the swing is inefficient. This could happen if one of the body parts moves out of order in the downswing. Or if there isn’t enough strength/stability to efficiently slow down and transfer the force to the next section. One of the best ways to combat losing this transfer of energy is to perform anti-rotation drills.
Anti-Rotation For Increasing Clubhead Speed
Anti-rotation is exactly what it sounds like, resisting rotation. Now when it comes to resisting rotation, this is mainly occurring throughout what most people consider the core. By being able to increase the strength in the muscles that control anti-rotation (the core), you will be able to rapidly decelerate effectively and efficiently. Therefore minimizing loss of force from the ground to the clubhead, which means more clubhead speed. You’ll also help to reduce your risk of back pain by working on these anti-rotation drills!
3 Anti-Rotation Drills You Can Do
Palloff Press
Shoulder Taps
Plank Reach
Add these 3 drills into your current routine to start getting faster and help with back pain. If any of them are too hard or easy, let me know and I can help you with exactly what you need.
If this was helpful, I’d love to know. Or if you have any questions about anything, please ask. You can reach me directly via email at joe@puredrivephysio.com.
If you’re local to the Portland, Maine area and would like to work with me to increase your clubhead speed, you can book an evaluation at this link here. If you’d like a little more information, you can set up a free in-person session to really dive into what’s going on and how we can help you.
Not local to the Portland, Maine area but would still like to work with me or want more information on how we can specifically help? You can set up a free call here to get started.
References
Wells, J. E., Mitchell, A. C., Charalambous, L. H., & Fletcher, I. M. (2018). Relationships between highly skilled golfers’ clubhead velocity and force producing capabilities during vertical jumps and an isometric mid-thigh pull. Journal of sports sciences, 36(16), 1847-1851.
Graph is from – Langdown, B. L., Bridge, M., & Li, F. X. (2012). Movement variability in the golf swing. Sports Biomechanics, 11(2), 273-287.
