 Question 65 Scott, I have been trying out single axis methods for about a year now - Natural Golf, Jerry Heard "Super Swing" and now your IMA swing. None of the instructional tapes for these methods explains what exactly powers the start of the downswing. Is it a pushing motion of the right arm away from the shoulder, or is it a pulling motion of the left arm and shoulder? This "Pullers Vs. Pushers" or "Hitters Vs. Swingers" is quite the debate on a couple of golf bulletin boards I'm on, and it seems all the single axis users seem to state that method is strictly "pusher", I'm not so sure because I seem to lack power doing the push, and tend to go over the top a lot with that move.
Thanks, Dear Charles, What powers the start of the down swing are exact muscle contractions. There are no pushers, and there are no pullers. The down swing begins because of the contraction of muscle groups. The question is which muscle groups are primary power producers and which muscle groups are used as trunk stabilizers. You have asked the person that knows. There are five major muscles that move the humerus which is the upper part of the arm. I have named these muscles several times in other questions. The initial start of the down swing must be a movement of your rear elbow into your side and then in front of your hip bone. The point to which I am referring to is the spine of the iliac anterior superior crest. When you try to make the motion based on a perception, your motion seldom, if ever will be correct. This is why I can only refer to muscles, and bones in regard to the motion of a correct golf stroke. Everything that I explained can and will be observed by anyone that looks at frame by frame pictures of the greats of the day or Moe Norman's Magic move. When you look at anyone's first move down who can play at a world-class level, you will see that they will have a transfer of their lower body from the rear side to the forward side, and the humerus (upper arm) will move downward into the side while the elbow is still bent and the wrist still has a radial deviation (wrist cock). If your elbow's first move is backward then your hands are pushed out. Normally when this happens you also lose the angle between the back of the hand and the forearm. This is what your brain thinks pushing is. The nerve endings in the muscles relate information so as to reduce or minimize torque. The brain selects hierarchical actions in advance, and because of the joint angles of the wrist and the elbow, your brain activates the muscles to straighten them out. This is why over-the-top is such problem. In conclusion, your brain and your muscles must be trained to repeat the correct movement. I have not, nor will I ever see a phrase that will magically make everyone have the correct motion. The motions that were learned as a small child in either pushing or pulling have nothing to do with the concepts of striking a golf ball. This is why my impact backwards drills have proven so effective. They train you on the correct motion of the down stroke without any SLOGAN MONGERING.
Scott Hazledine, PGA Professional
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