More on Wrist Cock and Swing Plane

In some ways I suppose this post could be called The Bent Trailing Elbow Drill, Part 9 since it adds some thoughts to that series. But this is some general info that can help all of you, no matter what your swing looks like.

This publish is set how your swing plane can affect how your wrists cock and uncock throughout your downswing. How you reflect onconsideration on your swing has a lot to do along with your mechanics and how nicely -- or how badly -- you manage to maintain your swing operating.

I spent a honest quantity of time speaking about wrist cock in the elbow posts. I divided wrist cock into parts:

• The first was sidecock , the wrist movement you use if you make a karate chop with the side of your hand.
• The other I dubbed backcock , where the back of your hand hinges toward your forearm.

I also talked some about Downcock , a term most instructors use to describe wrist cock that happens during the downswing, after the change of direction. I said that we tend to think of it only in terms of sidecock, but backcock is actually a very important part of the action. Because of that, the place of sidecock in a swing is a bit difficult for most weekend players to get a handle on.

One of the reasons sidecock is a challenge has to do with your swing plane. Most of you know that your swing plane can be either flat or upright -- Dufner has a flattish swing while Bubba's is wildly upright, for example. If you're somewhere in the middle, teachers will often refer to that swing as a neutral swing.

But the a part of your swing from round waist excessive right down to the ball -- the impact area -- acts pretty a good deal the same irrespective of what your plane seems like. And that likely desires some explanation.

Here's the photo of HaNa Jang that I utilized in a variety of the elbow posts, displaying her as she enters the effect region:

At this factor, your wrist cock is broadly speaking backcock. Backcock is the easiest manner to chip, that is the way Pete Cowen, one of the top teachers in the world, teaches chipping. This publish covered a video where he demonstrates the technique. And as you swing again to the location where HaNa Jang is in the photo, you bend your trailing elbow and that brings your backcocked wrist up into the position she's in.

Is that clear up to now? No rely how flat or upright your plane is, at impact you are nonetheless swinging the club out far from your frame as you switch and shift your weight in your lead foot, so that you get the identical simple rotary motion no matter your swing aircraft. The distance your club travels in the impact sector is quite a lot the equal for an upright or a flat plane.

However, it is distinct with the top a part of your downswing, relying on how flat or upright your swing plane is.

• In a flat swing, the down part is roughly the same as the around part. That is, you travel downward very close to the same amount you're moving toward the ball in a flat swing. Because of that, backcock is responsible for a lot more in a flat swing. A good example of this is a two-handed tennis forehand, where it's all backcock and there's no sidecock at all, simply because your arms travel parallel to the ground throughout the stroke.
• But an upright swing travels more down than around. Because of that, you create a lot more sidecock in the upper part of your swing. The backcock becomes most pronounced as you near the impact zone, simply because the momentum of the clubhead tries to stay on the plane as you come down. You try to turn, the momentum resists, and your trailing wrist bends backward more as your body turns to face the ball. Otherwise the club would ALWAYS come over-the-top on the way down.

My point here is that sidecock performs a far bigger part in an upright swing than in a flat swing. This may be why many instructors believe an upright swing creates more power than a flat swing, but it's also why it's harder to square the clubface with an upright swing than a flat swing. The flat swing primarily uses backcock so there's very little rotation involved when you square the face. But in the upright swing, it feels like you need to twist your wrists in order to square the face.

In the elbow series I focused on a flatter plane swing -- which most modern instruction also teaches, so most of you are probably more familiar with it -- because the swing is simpler to understand. I have an upright swing so, although I use a lot of backcock in the swing, I use a lot of sidecock as well. But my understanding of my swing -- my swing image, if you will -- uses lead shoulder rotation (which I talked about in the first few elbow posts) to smooth out the transition from mostly sidecock to mostly backcock during the downswing. That's a lot more difficult to explain in blog posts although the drills would help you create the move, even if you didn't understand it.

The purpose of this post is much simpler. I just want you to understand that, if you have an upright swing and you're having trouble getting backcock early in your downswing, there's nothing wrong with you. But you should be able to use backcock in the impact zone with little or no trouble. If you're having a problem there, it's just a matter of understanding how your hands and wrists work during impact, and working with the drills in the elbow series will help you develop that understanding by "digging it out of the dirt", as Hogan would say.

I wish that clears up any issues you may have. As regular, you may post questions in the comment phase and I'll try and answer them.