So what's the scoop? No benefit anymore? In Brian's latest video it sounds like he's not so keen on a big weight shift anymore. I remember when Tiger picked up Foley there was a bunch of talk about the video posted below:
Sean Foley Thoughts on Solid Contact Golf Video Golf Channel - YouTube
Have opinions changed with this? Who would benefit from keeping your weight left? Can it hurt certain players?
What about distance? Is distance decreased??
Any other thoughts/opinions are welcomed. Thanks
Dear curtisj76,
In Sean Foleys video,"Next Generation", from which this you tube segment was extracted, he describes this 'right foot back' as a good exercise. I see it as a GREAT way to DEMONSTRATE, and promote the validity, and more importantly the SCIENTIFIC CORRECTNESS of lower body dynamic stability from his version of 'Bumpy back, keep it back'.
So, IMO, EVERYBODY would be better off by, as you said, "keeping you weight left". Would it hurt certain players?, IMO, not with injury, but a player used to a large lateral shift, and the associated large 'force (not just weight) shift, would be very uncomfortable trying to do both.
I will discuss distance below, under background, but IMO and with significant testing now under our bely, distances are at least EQUAL.
Now, as background, in 2007, during a presentation to folks at the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI), involving Dave Phillips, Dr. Greg Rose and Phill Cheetham, I was noting the attributes of a 'dynamically balanced and stable', mostly rotary swing style with very little lateral movement, and the normal large right to left 'weigh shift' on the downswing.
There was agreement on the expected reduction in dispersion, and the potential for reduced injury potential of this swing style, but NOT on my noting/expecting equal or better distance in comparison to the large weight shift swing style. While we agreed to disagree, they very graciously allowed me to return and test on there 12 sensor system to get some insight into this remaining difference of opinion in distance, club head speed etc.
Fortunately, before we returned to test, I had the opportunity after some tennis with a friend and 'Black Belt Karate Master, and simply asked him, "Jesse, how can you develop more power with your hands going thru the golf hitting area, by a lateral or rotary body move ?" Without any hesitation, he answered "rotary, and would you like to see why ?" "Of course", I answered, expecting him to somehow demonstrate alone what I had questioned. Not so, he positioned me next to him, and said "Art, I am going to show you the power difference in a one inch test", and placed his closed fist one inch from my stomach, and asked "are you ready for the lateral force?". I said yes, and absorbed a significant blow to my stomach, but was able to maintain my balance.
Pride, and 'hurt' both prevent me from finishing this story, but believe me, Jesse developed significantly more 'damage' with his karate trained, rotary explosion, and I will NEVER ask that question again.
However, what that solidified in my mind was that Jesses' rotary demonstration, and the golf swing start with certain vertical forces in each foot, but just as soon as the rotation and 'dynamics' take over, the ground forces from the feet get very complicated, and so in ALL my research and writing I am careful to describe the time phased FORCE SHIFTS, AND NOT JUST THE WEIGHT SHIFTS.
Hope that answers your questions, regards
art
