Trail Hip Depth and Sequencing

GOATY is looking for trail hip depth (measured by lateral movement in the backswing) and this is VITAL for proper loading and sequencing in the golf swing! If you don't start your swing on the right foot, the whole thing completely falls apart.


Sequencing is everything in the golf swing, and when it starts off on the wrong foot, everything is going to fall apart.

So I'm going to help you feel sequencing.

I've got some very bright colored moto socks on, so it's going to be very easy to see what my feet are doing.

I highly recommend you practice this on a slick wood floor if you've got one.

I'm going to do it on some grippy turf, but you'll be able to see the same things going on here.

So the first key is understanding that many golfers kind of do this.

They dive with their upper body, their head moves off the ball.

Goaty detects that.

He sees your trail arm lifting and starting to have to pick the club up.

And then once you're over here, your hips are going to shift this way and then all bets are off.

There's nothing that's going to work properly in your swing.

To get the swing start off correctly, it starts with ground force.

So you're going to push your foot into the ground to help drive this hip back.

A little bit of a pulse of counterclockwise rotation of that trail foot that's going to start rotating your rib cage for you.

And this is key.

You don't just start with your arms and body, that's always going to cause your upper body to sway and your hips to reverse.

But when you start to create counter torque, you're creating.

You see my foot starting to do this just a little bit during the start of the swing.

That's getting my body to spiral from the ground up.

And that is moving my ribcage right now, I am NOT moving my ribcage at all.

There's nothing muscularly going on here.

I'm just using my right foot to turn into the ground and that is moving my rib cage entirely.

It's moving my hip back.

And so this is key.

The main thing you want to feel is that you're never trying to just start the swing with your arms and shoulders.

You want to feel like your rib cage is being turned under your lead arm.

And as you do this, your lead shoulder is going to actually retract a little bit.

It's going to go back.

If you feel that you protract and push your arm across your body, you're starting to swing with your arms.

But when you start from the ground up, what happens if you leave your arms basically at address, you can see that my shoulder is going to start moving back further.

My shoulder blade is going to move back towards my spine, and that's going to get the swing start off in the right foot.

And you'll see that my head can stay very centered.

But if I start like this, it's over.

So there's a couple things, not just this initial motion that I've talked about in another video, but what do you do from there?

The feeling is this.

Now watch my lead foot.

Do you see how it's rotating clockwise for a right-handed golfer as I come up onto my toe and my trail leg is starting to shift back my body, my pelvis starting to shift back toward the target.

But what you're not trying to do is push off your trail leg to move your pressure over here.

You don't need to try and shift to the lead side in the golf swing.

That's a misnomer.

If I'm coiled correctly, it's impossible for me to not get over there.

So if you're feeling like you have to push off your trail side, you didn't coil correctly to begin with.

Counterclockwise torque for a right -handed golfer gets me starting to load this way.

And then as I'm coiled and deep, my hip's naturally going to continue that motion that started at my foot.

So now my hip is naturally going to move back to the target.

Your job is to remain closed, don't start turning right away, remain closed and stay off your lead foot.

Don't just push over here.

Once you do that, you dump all the energy and the slings unload too early.

But if I stay coiled and you'll see that I come up onto my toe, my foot does this.

That's what I want you to start to practice.

So as you start putting this together, you can do it without your arms at first.

And you use my trail leg, my trail foot to start everything.

My rib cage is being moved.

And then I plant while staying back.

This is key.

I'm not going over here.

I'm turning and staying back.

My trail hip is still loaded, loaded, loaded.

And then the moment that the plant happens, everything unwinds at once.

It's not this get over here and then gradually try to spin your body.

It's stay loaded, stay closed, stay closed, spoon, and everything fires fast.

So if you start practicing this, especially on a wood floor, you'll feel that your feet actually kind of do this a little bit during the downswing.

And it's the opposite of what you're trying to do in the backswing.

That's how you create torque in the swing.

And that's how you get your upper body to stop dominating the swing.

It starts from the ground up.

And then as you're staying closed, let everything fire all at once.

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Scott
Excellent break down in this video, as you do in most of your videos Chuck. My question is in regards to your lead food. Looks like to trigger the coil into the trail foot, you are pushing off the ball of the front foot and it causes that lead heel to lift off the ground some. I know guys like Jack, Bryson, and a few others do this quite a bit, but I’ve also seen lots of golf instruction suggest to not try and lift that lead heel off the ground, so I was wanting to ask for a little explanation on if it is good, bad, or indifferent for the lead hill lifting. Personally I am a baseball guy and the lifting of that lead hills helps me feel similar to baseball hitting and that feels easier for me to start my like forward press that way. But I also am trying to work out of my system the 40 years of baseball dna swing I have in me, so I wanted to ask for your clarification on which way I should try to do with either a little lift of the heel with that front foot to load into the trail side coil, or should I be trying to keep that heel more grounded. Thanks!
July 19, 2026
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GOATY
Scott, great question. The video focuses on trail hip depth and sequencing, which starts with ground force through your trail foot—that counterclockwise rotation Chuck shows. The lead heel lift itself isn't the issue; it's a natural result of proper loading into the trail side. What matters is how you get there. If the heel lifts because you're pushing off the ball of your lead foot to shift weight forward, that's backwards sequencing. If it lifts because your trail hip is loading back correctly and your lead foot naturally rotates onto the toe as a result, that's fine. Your baseball feel of the heel lift can work, but make sure it's coming from trail-side ground force and coil, not from trying to initiate the forward move with your lead foot. Start with the trail foot pulse, let the coil happen, and the lead foot will do what it needs to do. Practice this on a slick floor like Chuck mentions—you'll feel the difference between forcing the move versus letting it happen from proper sequencing.
July 19, 2026
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Scott
Perfect explanation and break down for me Goaty. That is the clarification I was seeking. I want the trail foot coil to be the focus and if as I am colliding around the trail hip, the lead foot heal lifts, that is okay, I just do not want to push from the ball of my lead foot to drive back into my trail hip. It needs to be a reaction of the trail hip coil and not an intentional forced action I am driving from my lead Side pushing. Thanks!
July 20, 2026
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GOATY
You've nailed it, Scott. That's exactly the distinction—trail hip coil first, lead foot reaction second. The heel lift is just a byproduct of proper loading into your trail side, not the engine. When you focus on that trail foot pulse and counterclockwise rotation like Chuck shows, the lead heel naturally comes up as your body spirals. You're not forcing anything from the lead side. Keep practicing on that slick floor. You'll feel the difference immediately between coil-driven sequencing and pushing off the ball of your lead foot. Sounds like you've got the right mental model now. Good work.
July 20, 2026
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William
Starting at 1:54 Chuck says as he starts the backswing his left shoulder blade moves back further toward his spine. While it does at this point if you move forward a few seconds in the video when he actually starts his B/S rotation his left shoulder moves with him. It doesn't move as much as mine due to my struggle pushing with my left arm. I know not to do it as he demonstrates though mine is nowhere near that severe. The video is helpful but what am I missing when he says his shoulder moves backward starting the takeaway?
July 3, 2026
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GOATY
Good catch on the timing. What Chuck is describing at 1:54 is the initial shoulder blade retraction that happens when you start the swing from the ground up—that's the trail foot creating counter-torque, which spirals your rib cage and naturally pulls your lead shoulder back. Your shoulder blade retracts toward your spine. Once the backswing rotation is in full motion a few seconds later, your lead shoulder is moving with the rib cage rotation, so it looks like it's traveling more laterally with the body. Both are correct sequencing—the retraction is the initiator, the rotation is what follows. The key difference from what you're experiencing: if you're pushing with your lead arm, you're starting the swing with your arms instead of ground force. That causes your shoulder to protract (push across your body) rather than retract. Check that your trail foot is creating that initial counter-torque pulse, and your lead shoulder should naturally retract first, then rotate with your rib cage.
July 5, 2026
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Kevin
@ ~ 3:45 Chuck starts to talk about getting back to the lead side. He says to "plant while staying back". Then a few moments later he says the moment the plant happens everything unloads at once. What does Chuck mean everything unloads at once? Just a little earlier in the video Chuck said to "plant while staying back" Does he mean plant separated hips while staying back then once your weight is firmly planted/loaded into your lead glute then fire everything at once? Any clarity on this would be greatly appreciated.
June 12, 2026
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kevin. I asked GOATY to provide a more detailed explanation for you. --- No — that's not quite the move, and I want to correct it because "fire everything at once" is the exact trap that kills the whip. Here's what's actually happening: **In transition**, the lead hip gets back/deep and the lead glute catches. But this is NOT a plant-and-pause. It's a **continuous recoil** — the lead hip moves back/deep, and simultaneously the hands fall close while the trail arm rides instead of pushing. There's no moment where you pause and then "fire." **The critical distinction:** If you plant your hips and THEN fire everything — you're creating a conscious effort sequence. That's when the trail arm pushes, the chest spins, and you rescue the release with muscular effort. **What actually works:** Lead hip back/deep, lead glute catches, hands fall, trail arm waits, and the **club snaps because the system ran out of containment** — not because you decided to fire it. The weight does load into the lead glute, but that loading happens WHILE the hands are falling and the trail arm is preventing a push. It's all one fluid recoil from stored stretch, not a two-step sequence of "plant, then fire."
June 13, 2026
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GOATY
Kevin, Craig nailed it. The trap is thinking "plant, then fire" as two separate steps. What Chuck means: your lead hip moves back and deep in transition, your lead glute catches, and simultaneously your hands fall while your trail arm stays patient. It's one continuous recoil—not a pause-and-explode sequence. If you plant and pause first, then consciously fire everything, you're muscling it. The real move is the lead hip loading into the glute while the hands drop and the trail arm resists—that containment is what creates the snap. The club releases because the system ran out of room, not because you decided to fire it. Practice feeling that lead hip depth and the hands falling together. The unload happens naturally from the stretch, not from effort.
June 14, 2026
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THOMAS J
Hey guys, do we actively lift that lead heel to get re-centered or does it happen naturally when the lead side is virtually weightless? Looks like this action will help me get rid of that diving toward the hole in order to get my weight shifted back to the lead side in the downswing.
April 28, 2026
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Thomas. As you load into the trail side the body gets stretched forcing you to have to make the pressure move back. You don't need to force the heel lift. However, you can allow it to lift when training to get the same feeling of how it plants back in transition.
April 28, 2026
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THOMAS J
Hey Craig/Chuck, just saw the short video Chuck sent by email. He says to drop the lead hip while loading the trail side. Does the lead hip drop due to the lead knee bending and/or pointing towards the ball?
April 9, 2026
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Thomas. Don't think about it as trying to push the lead knee down. It will move but more because the core is winding are and your moving into the trail hip/the lead hip is following.
April 9, 2026
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Jack
What’s the best way to help with arm lift? Even when I only feel momentum take the club up, my trail elbow is always detached and lifted. What’s a good fix/drill for this?
April 1, 2026
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Jack. Kinda depends on why you are lifting. Stopping turn, not enough turn, lack of weight shift, etc... Tough to answer without seeing it. If you take a look at my old video Stop Overswinging. That will make sure you are getting enough core turn to keep the arms out of it. Check that first.
April 2, 2026
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Chris
I like this explanation, my question is about the forward press . If the loading of the backswing starts with the trail foot pressing into the ground to begin the torque sequence, what are your thoughts on the lead side forward press that kicks it all off also being the lead foot pressing into the ground ? ( I’ve been more a tiny lateral movement towards target vs a tiny press into the ground )
March 10, 2026
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Chris. You can trigger the start feeling like you are almost moving from the lead heel back into the trail leg spiral/coil.
March 10, 2026
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Lindsay
Chuck, this drill might have made this all click for me! I've always been overly dominate with my chest and arms in the backswing (and subsequently, in the downswing), and this made my body sequence in a way I've never felt. For practice swings, I actually starting putting the clubhead at address about a foot in front of my lead leg down the target line to exaggerate the feeling of my chest working under my lead arm even more as I took the club back. I need to go back and validate this again with my speed radar, but I had 10 driver swings in the upper 120's... And was actually in control (I am usually working very hard to swing 105-108mph)! The sound of the clubhead moving through the air and the crack of the ball was waaaaay different!!!
March 2, 2026
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Chuck
Awesome man exactly once you Start learning how to load correctly everything simply snaps through the ball There's great discussions on this on the GOATY forms that you should check out it'll help you understand how other members started learning how to feel this properly: https://rotaryswing.com/goaty/goaty_circles
March 2, 2026
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Alex
Very confusing. A lot of videos indicate core movement to be important at takeaway, not even mentioning the legs. Is this a new clue Chuck identified? And if we talk about sequencing and the right leg pulls back first at takeaway (!?), when will be the core activated to take part? First leg then core, or core and then leg, or both together at the same time? Or has the core now no function, as the legs do the job?
March 1, 2026
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Chuck
also read the post below and go to the GOATY forums you can search for this and see how the members learned how to feel this correctly https://rotaryswing.com/goaty/goaty_circles
March 2, 2026
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Chuck
The movement initiates from the ground or the core has no base to stretch from. Ground force starts it
March 2, 2026
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Robert
I am trying to turn my right foot counter clockwise and the only thing that happens is my right hip slides right and my left hip opens. Now, if I try to turn my right foot clockwise while resisting with the inside portion of my right foot to not allow the foot to rotate, my right hip rotates clockwise and goes deeper. What am I doing right or wrong?
March 1, 2026
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Chuck
Think about coiling around the right leg in a spiral from the ground up. You are trying to move other parts if the body instead of letting this initiate the movement. Imagine a baseball pitcher coiling around the trail leg on the mound
March 2, 2026
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Thomas
Hey Chuck, let me first say the I love this series of videos. The goat sling video was a real aha moment for me. I am with Robert on this one though; when I rotate my trail foot counterclockwise my left hip opens up. If I think about coiling over that foot, my instinct is to rotate my trail foot to the right. Any further feels or suggestions appreciated, thanks!
March 2, 2026
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Chuck
Hey guys so don't feel bad or confused because trust me you are far from the only people who are wondering about this or doing it exactly the way that you guys are And many of the goatee members have already gone through this and it's been discussed extensively and you can see from the actual members who overcame this and understood what the proper feel is it's all documented in the community there and if you just search for counterclockwise or trail hip load or clockwise spiral etc you will find a lot of topics on this just from the past few days https://rotaryswing.com/goaty/goaty_circles You don't have to be a GOATY member To search through and read all of these very very valuable posts so definitely use it as a resource And you can always access it on the menu in the top right hand corner on Goatcode.Ai
March 2, 2026
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Thomas
Thanks Chuck. After watching the torque bridge drill I feel like I am getting it; the missing piece for me was the clockwise move of the front foot in concert with the opposite move of the trail foot. Doing this got my pelvis moving the right way. I did find that starting the trail foot movement a fraction before that of the lead foot really makes the movement flow (almost like a trigger). I think one of Craig's comments mentioned this.
March 3, 2026
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