Weight Shift Part 2 - Right Hip Line

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In this second video on understanding weight shift in the golf swing, I discuss specifically the "right hip line" and how understanding what it is will help you understand how the weight shift and hips work in the golf swing. For many golfers, they will find that this simple video helps them understand why they've always struggled with getting into the proper, powerful position at the top. Unfortunately, numerous golf instructors teach their students how to do the exact incorrect movements I demonstrate in the video and it has hurt many golfers games and their wallets. This video will dispel some of those myths and show you to properly transfer your weight for maximum power and efficiency.

  • Look at your own swing on video to see if you're maintaining the right hip line
  • Some golfers work so hard to stay centered they get off the hip line and shift their weight forward
  • For serious golfers, weight shift is the key to staying on the hip line
  • Shift your weight 1-2 inches to the right, rotating at the same time to load into the right glute
  • Make sure you're not just pivoting your hips, but rotating the right leg in its hop socket
  • This internal rotation should create a crease in your pants across the right hip


With the weight shift in the golf swing part one video, I talked about just how critical weight shift is during the golf swing. There, I was specifically talking about during the golf downswing, because that's where all the magic happens. That's where the pay off is. You can do a lot of things wrong in the back swing, but if you screw up the down swing and you screw up the sequencing of it, the ball's not going to go where we want it to.

                                It's critical that you understand how important it is to shift your weight correctly during the back swing to set up a proper weight shift during the downswing. The key is if you look back at the video I did on how to swing from the ground up, right ... It's a term we've heard a million times, and I go in depth about how critical it is to load yourself up on the right side during the back swing. What that's going to do is help give you the momentum and the stored energy to help you shift back to the left.

                                So many golfers are terrified of this term of swaying. They don't want to sway. They've heard that they don't want to have their hips sliding all over the place, and so what they do is they lock themselves in place, and then they can't move anything except for up top. Their legs can't do anything to help facilitate power in the swing, which is one of your primary sources of power from the ground and from your big muscles in your trunk, but also sequencing. Sequencing, as I talked about on the part one video, helps you maintain lag, helps you get into a proper impact position, helps you set the club in play during the down swing.

                                It's critical that you understand how to shift to the right and first of all understand that it's okay and you need to shift to the right. It's necessary for power in the swing. Think about any other sport you've ever done or seen in life, whether it's a hitting or throwing sport. All of them involve weight shift. You've never seen a baseball player throw a ball like this without shifting their weight or shifting their weight to their front foot and then tilting back. None of that makes any sense. It's not an athletic motion.

                                Every sport follows the same sequence. You're going to load your weight up to your back foot, and then you're going to transfer your weight to your left foot, and then you're going to pivot your hips, and then you're going to throw the ball. Same thing if you're hitting. You're going to have your weight loaded up on your back leg, and then you're going to go to your left, and then you're going to rotate your pelvis, and you're going to produce power from your trunk. So many people are so afraid of swaying and getting into this reverse pivot motion, that they don't allow themselves to shift to the right. Then once I tell them, "Hey, it's okay. You need to allow yourself to shift," then they start sliding too much.

                                How do you find the balance? Where's the medium spot? Well, the right hip line is your check point here. You want to imagine that if you drew a line ... Of course, if you're using our swing analyzer software on the site, you can video yourself and draw lines on your hip, which I highly encourage you to do, so that you can see what's really happening. For the purposes of this video, I'm going to put a golf shaft over here. What I'm going to do is as I make my back swing, I'm going to try and keep that shaft from ever moving backwards away from the target or toward the target.

                                As I do this, you'll notice that my right hip line ... This is this outer line here ... appears that it never changes direction away from the target or toward the target. Now, if I slide my hips too much and I don't rotate them, you'll see that I'm moving into that right hip line. This is a slide. We don't want this. This is a very weak, awkward, unathletic position to be in. Very hard to shift your weight back to the right. I've let my weight move to the outside of my right foot, and I'm in trouble here. It's a very weak position to be in. What I'm trying to do is let my weight push my ankle into the ground and keep it centered over my foot. I never want to roll to the outside of my foot. This is a death move. You've got to allow yourself to move into the middle of your foot and load your ankle without this hip sliding out this way.

                                The other problem that I see all the time is people ... Again, this goes back to being afraid of swaying, so what they do is they try to not move their hips at all in terms of laterally. It's okay to move laterally, and so they just turn and they stay really centered, and so their hip moves toward the target.  The reason is your hips are turning during the back swing, obviously. What you're really doing to keep this hip in position the whole time is that you're moving laterally while turning at the same time. That makes it look like it didn't actually move laterally at all. Because it's turning back, it's moving away from the target line, it makes it look like it's staying in the same position.

                                I've also talked about imagining that you're creasing the pant leg in your groin area where your hip flexors are right here. If you imagine that you're turning into this right leg and just increasing pressure on the right foot, if you're one of those people that tends to slide. Think about increasing pressure on your right leg and creasing that pant leg. The opposite of that would be letting your right leg rotate out. Let your weight go to your outside of your foot, and you'll see now that my pant leg is not creased because I've let my leg rotate with me.

                                I don't want this leg to rotate out very much. You can imagine that your right knee is pointing at the ball the whole time. If I keep it there, as I start to shift this way while turning into that right leg, my pant leg creases and my right leg stays as an anchor. It's a rock to allow me to load up and store a lot of energy in the back swing. You don't want to sway, but you do have to shift laterally while you're turning your hips. That will get you loaded up properly to make a powerful shift in the down swing.

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Bryan
Hello, I had a couple swing reviews with Anthony and am posting a follow up question for him here since I’m not able to reply directly. Thanks Anthony for the feedback so far - I’m really liking it. When you are pushing your right foot down into the ground should you also feel like you are twisting your foot counterclockwise to prevent the knee from rotating clockwise (like in the laser beam drill)? I find I feel more activation in the gluteus medius/minimus and less knee tension if I twist my foot this way into the ground but want to check if this is right or wrong. Also, when you are pushing your right foot into the ground, how much should it feel like you’re pushing vertically down vs to the right (opposite direction of the target)? I find I can create more overall tension in my leg, especially my gluteus medius/minimus, and feeling of pressure if I push more to the right. If I only push down vertically I’m unable to increase pressure / tension very much as I rotate. Related to this, should you feel most of the tension in the gluteus medius/minimus or gluteus maximus? I have trouble feeling and building tension in the gluteus maximus as I rotate so I want to know if this is normal or an issue. It seems like pressure to the right leads to tension in the gluteus medius/minimus and vertical pressure leads to tension in the gluteus maximus? Second question - other than pushing the right foot into the ground and feeling activation in the leg / right glute, are there any other specific feels you have for keeping the shoulders and arms quiet so that you lead the backswing with the hips / torso and let the arms / shoulders follow? Or is this something that should happen naturally once I narrow my stance and reduce knee flex while continuing to generally focus more on lower body activation (feeling glute activation, imagine I’m throwing the ball at the ground or throwing a baseball, etc)? I do feel activation in my gluteus medius/minimus as described above but as you say I’m still doing too much with my upper body, so I’m wondering if I should just keep focusing on glute activation or if I need to focus on something additional. I come from a tennis background so I think I have some deeply ingrained habits that make my upper body very active. Thanks, Bryan
October 24, 2024
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Anthony (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Bryan, Very happy to hear that you are enjoying the feedback and that we are working well together. As far as the activation of the right glute and what you feel. My first piece of advice is do not overcomplicate the motion. You are an athlete as proven by your tennis background. When you throw a ball at the ground as the example you cited, there isn’t a lot of thought going through the motion. You react. Be careful of missing the forest through the trees. I know that you understand how to use your body in your tennis backhand to drive more power into your swing. You step into it, which is your lower body beginning the sequence. You are using the same natural sequence and athleticism to accomplish this in the golf swing. Just by weight shift, hip rotation, and core rotation, (in that order) your shoulders will follow because its all connected. We can definitely get into more detail on reviews moving forward. Looking forward to the next one my friend.
October 25, 2024
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Bryan
Got it. Thanks for the reply. During my practice before the next swing review I’ll try to simplify my thoughts and just think about loading the right leg as if I were throwing a ball and “turning off” my upper body.
October 25, 2024
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Anthony (Certified RST Instructor)
Looking forward to it my friend
October 25, 2024
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Bryan
Hi Anthony, I think I now better understand your analogy of throwing a baseball and how the weight shift / lateral shift starts the movement, then you stabilize by bracing / pushing with the right leg, and lastly you rotate. I think I was taking the right hip line checkpoint too literally and thinking you shouldn’t break it at all. But it seems you will break the right hip line by about 1-2 inches due to that initial lateral movement / weight shift that starts the swing. Could you let me know if my weight shift looks better in the attached video? I submitted my swing review yesterday before this realization. Bryan

October 28, 2024
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Anthony (Certified RST Instructor)
This is looking great Bryan. I addressed this in your swing review. looking forward to your progress my friend.
October 28, 2024
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Mark
Where is the swing analyzer software
September 18, 2022
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Mark. We had to discontinue the software as it was Flash Based and Chrome stopped supporting it.
September 19, 2022
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Bob
I'm having issues with keeping my right knee not pointing out. to keep my legs more stable can you put more weight on the inside of my left and right feet so they stay more stable?
August 23, 2022
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Bob. You can roll in ankles inwards slightly to provide more stability. This will allow you to engage the inner thigh adductors better.
August 24, 2022
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Bob
I've always had a hard time understanding weight shift. Do I move my hips an inch or two back while turning or is it I Push my trail leg into the ground while turning. I seem to have better luck with push weight into the ground, but I want to do it correctly.
August 19, 2022
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Bob. Pushing the trail foot into the ground to start weight shifting/load into the trail side perfectly fine. The hip will still move a little laterally and behind you as you perform this move. Just like in the Clamshell Drill Video.
August 19, 2022
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Bob
So I have a few questions. What percentage of weight should be on my front foot at setup? Is it 60 percent or what? I would think you would want more in the front to do the weight shift to the back foot. Then when you start the weight shift should you be turning at the exact same time to avoid swaying correct?
July 9, 2021
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Bob. 50/50 at setup is the goal. A few percentage points here and there won't be an issue. The sway will typically occur from push, or over shifting the weight. To shift weight you don't need much movement. Only take about an inch to get enough pressure in the backswing 70-80%.
July 10, 2021
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Sean
Is the lateral movement in the hips in the backswing a gradual thing? I’ve heard in various videos, as well as from an instructor in a review, that the hips get bumped back an inch to start the backswing (there is mention of this in the Dead Drill 1 video). If you move them laterally (shift your weight onto your trail ankle) to start the takeaway, you would def break the hip line, since they arent rotating yet. If the hip line is to be maintained, they would always have to move laterally and also rotate in unison. Which is it, can you please elaborate?
March 30, 2021
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Sean. The hips won't stay perfectly static in the TW. You don't want a ton of active rotation, but allowing some rotation won't hurt you. You don't slide the hips an inch and then rotate to the top. Take a look at How to Swing from the Ground Up Video. If you are breaking the hip line you either need more rotation, or overcooking the movement of weight.
March 30, 2021
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Sean
Thank you Craig, appreciate the detailed response, I will work on the drill in that video. Looking at some slow-mo videos of tour pro’s (mainly Tiger, 2018+ swing), he definitely starts his takeaway with a lateral hip shift. I’m not saying that it’s right, but he definitely does it.
March 30, 2021
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Sean. Yes. He moves into the trail side (My Golf Backswing Secrets Video). I'm just watching out for you don't just have solely a lateral move without any rotation because then you will slide.
March 30, 2021
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Kyle
Hi, I’ve always wondered about something with this drill. I’ve avoided sitting into my right hip and keeping the flex in the right leg because of my lower back pain. Will this affect my lower back tightness and soreness? Thanks!
March 3, 2021
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kyle. Only if you restrict the hips too much. You must allow for the hip to turn to achieve the shoulder rotation. Players tend to get hurt creating a slide, or excessive X-Factor.
March 4, 2021
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Kyle
And if I’m correct, Chuck wants at least 90 degrees of shoulder rotation at the top of the backswing?
March 4, 2021
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kyle. Yes. And, the key is to allow the trail hip to rotate to achieve.
March 4, 2021
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Bruce
Hello. Just joined. Question re left knee during backswing. Is it ok if it comes forward and gets closer to right knee. Is there too much of that? (Right handed, left knee is forward) thanks!
December 26, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Bruce. Welcome to the club! The lead knee may move a little. The key is not to allow for so much excessive motion it deletes recruitment of muscle fiber and stability. Take a look at the Laser Beam Knee Drill and Problems w/ Overturning Your Hips in the Backswing Videos.
December 26, 2020
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Simon
I have a question about how much the head should move in the back swing. I'm struggling to keep my right hip line and weight shift without moving my head a 1-2 inches to the right, is that ok? Thanks for great material!
December 7, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Simon. The head has to move. It will not stay perfectly static. 1 to 1 1/2 inches is the usual standard.
December 7, 2020
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Gerry
I’m trying to understand when to shift my weight. My understanding is that I should turn my right shoulder to my spine...when my upper body tightens up it will pull my lower body with it. The coiling effect. This video contradicts that as we talk about shifting you weight with the lower body early in the backswing. What do I have wrong?
September 28, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gerry. Rotation won't force weight shift. It will help pull the hips, but not necessarily make you shift the weight. We like to use the initial weight shift to help start the swing. Take a look at My Golf Backswing Secrets Video.
September 29, 2020
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Martin L
I find that if I get in a good position in Backswing that it helps to hold my right hip back and up when I start downswing. This keeps me stable and let's me hit inside of ball. This seems to add power and accuracy. Does this make sense?
August 28, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Martin. You have to be careful with too much restriction. I would rather you stabilize the trail hip with the counter torque force in the Sam Snead Squat Video. Just worried about weight shift.
August 28, 2020
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Martin L
It seems to me now a better thought is to keep right hip level throughout downswing. I think I have been bending my right knee to soon and getting many miss hits with irons. Is this a better thought?
August 28, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Martin. The hips won't work level throughout the swing. Most players even feel like during the sit the lead hip almost points down as they load. You need to get back to the magic box in transition (knees roughly even).
August 28, 2020
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Martin L
That helps. I was dropping right hip (and right knee) to squat and result was a reverse pivot.
August 28, 2020
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Michael
When should you start putting weight on the lead leg? I thought I remember hearing 80 pct of weight should be on front leg when hands are just past thighs on takeaway. Is that correct?
July 12, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Michael. You want to start putting weight on the trail leg in the takeaway. Weight shift will be completed by the end of the takeaway. Weight starts to move to the lead side just a touch before finishing the backswing.
July 13, 2020
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jane
Thanks for your Comments Craig. I was told when I submitted my first video swing review that my stance was too wide sooooo now I have made it too narrow. Will work on it so I have a better axis tilt and turn into my right hip better.
June 11, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jane. I know. You tend to get very variable with the stance width. Mark on the floor with painters tape, etc to make sure you start nailing it down, so we don't have to think about it.
June 11, 2020
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jane
two inches from NJA ? RIght?
June 11, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jane. Yes. Two inches with both legs outside NJA. About a sharpie cap on each side.
June 11, 2020
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jane
I believe I was too narrow with NJA, hopefully I’ve got it.
June 11, 2020
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Kevin
Also noticed that I lose the load into the right hip it’s easier to lose the tush line at the top and big time on the way down
May 26, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kevin. Tough to tell from the still image where you started. It would be easier to tell with a reference on where you were at the top.
May 27, 2020
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Kevin
I attached a picture at the top as well Craig - when I really load the glute I tend to get into the tush line - not the case here
May 27, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kevin. That doesn't appear to be a big loss. If I saw more of where you started. Because you don't look unbalanced.
May 27, 2020
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Kevin
The backswing and right arm is getting a little better (less deep on the right arm and overswing)....still some work to do. I'm trying to feel completely "dead" with my arms in the takeaway. Still some work to do but I'm getting there (I think).
May 27, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kevin. It for sure is looking better at the top than previous posts.
May 27, 2020
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Kevin
As I bump my hips left for axis tilt and angle in my right leg at setup (setup trick YouTube) I feel like it’s easier to reverse hip shift. I drew the hip line and a line on the side of my head at setup. I see a small reverse hip shift but wondered if axis tilt and my right knee angled in might cause issues with weight shift into the right side? As I brace the right side and work on laser beam knees to combat over rotating my hips I’m worried I’m staying too centered
May 18, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kevin. If you restrict too much you can easily stay too centered and then the hips will want to do something for you to reach the top (shift back to the left).
May 18, 2020
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Kevin
’m still struggling with right hip line and when I come off of it? To shorten my overswing I’ve been trying to start the downswing earlier and pull but I feel like that move is causing me to not load up properly - my crutch a few weeks ago was loading up too much on the right and getting stuck on my right side - watched chucks recent lesson which also hits on this topic - tough balance
May 26, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kevin. You need to load, but it is okay for the hips to rotate. You tend to reverse hip shift because of lack of load and/or stagnant with the leg work. To centered/laser beamed. Load and allow for some hip movement but the weight not falling back towards the trail side.
May 26, 2020
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Simon
Hi, it shows that in rotation, your hips shouldn't move left or right of the club placed at your right hip. In rotation, should we still expect to separate slightly from the club as my right hip rotates around?
March 27, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Simon. It may separate very slightly in some cases with big rotation. But, if you start coming off the hip line. More than likely you don't have enough weight.
March 28, 2020
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Florian
Hi, where is weight shift Part 1? Cheers
February 13, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Florian. Here is the exact title. Weight Shift in the Golf Swing - Pt. 1 Video.
February 13, 2020
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Roger
Craig, I sent you a review this week and received it but it did not say if I had Passed or Failed? Can you advise so I can move forward in RST University?
January 28, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Roger. I apologize. I don't know why that didn't come through. You need to correct the movement first that was sent into the last review. I can't pass you until the weight and tush line issue is corrected.
January 28, 2020
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van
I am in the December Boot Camp but the system would no let me send this question. In the presentation the gentleman with the golf cap demonstrating the takeaway talks about driving the ankle into the ground.In the demonstrations he appears to be shifting his weight on his left leg so that the hip joint has moved to a position directly over the ankle joint. As if the side pole of a tepee were left in its ground position but the other end was moved to 90 degrees over it. Is that correct?
December 4, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Van. In the takeaway, the trail hip won't get stacked over the trail ankle. If you get stacked in the backswing you are moving the hip too much. You need to make sure to maintain the hip line as too shy away from a reverse pivot. You can see why the hip slide is such a problem in the Reverse Pivot Video.
December 4, 2019
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Randy
I've been experimenting with presetting my trail shoulder pulled back for a trigger to start by takeaway, I set my shoulder a second before weight shift, is this alright to do?
October 4, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Randy. I don't mind you using a little weight shift as a tigger (My Golf Backswing Secrets Video), but a little concerned with preset shoulder position.
October 5, 2019
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Chris
Hi there, a question for Patrick who has been reviewing by weight shift videos lately. If the first move is a slight lateral move ( 1 inch ) can u confirm that my hips and shoulders will be rotating during this small lateral move
September 20, 2019
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Patrick (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Chris, No, you want to keep the shoulders and hips stationary for that 1" shift. When you put in your reps with this drill. Do the drill very slowly and make sure there is a shift first, then a distinct pause, then you may turn the shoulders, but be sure to rotate using your abs. That's where the chair drill comes in, to help you feel the abs working. Thanks.
September 21, 2019
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Chris
Thanks Patrick , I think I understand what you are saying , I think what I can do wrongly is to lose my axis tilt ( spine goes vertical) when I apply the 1” shift to my right heel... is there a video showing this important first move ? The other confusion I have is that the new dead drill info starts with “ move your right shoulder behind your head “ not shift your weight 1” and do nothing else .. ?
September 21, 2019
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Patrick (Certified RST Instructor)
Exactly. Watch "5 minute set up with weight shift". The small shift that Chuck is employing in the back swing is exactly what you need before you start rotating. It's a small shift, but it's paramount. My job is to see where there are breakdowns with each particular student and that's your issue right now with the dead drill. Shift, PAUSE, then rotate using the abs, letting the right shoulder glide behind you.
September 22, 2019
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jane
I would like to analyze my swings but the swing analyzer isn't showing. I can choose which one of my uploaded videos to view on left/right of page but then nothing happens. I watched the help video and realized my videos aren't in the swing analyzer. HELP I am missing something.
August 30, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Make sure that you have Flash enabled in the browser when you navigate to that page. Chrome is tricky about it, but Mozilla Firefox tends not to have any issues. If that doesn't work for you, please contact customer service in the help section for further troubleshooting.
August 31, 2019
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jane
Thank you R.J.!
August 31, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
You're welcome
August 31, 2019
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Kevin
Could the weight shift right (right handed golfer) just be combined with setup? Why or why not? Is there something about the weight shift that requires it to be part of the swing vs setup? Thanks in advance, Kevin
July 21, 2019
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Chuck
You can and I've had some students do it. It's not the worst thing in the world but it does remove the nice little momentum to start the swing with the body. If you start with your weight there, you'll be forced to move the club with the arms and shoulders to start the swing.
July 21, 2019
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Harold
In this video clip it seems the right hip is rotating a great deal. In previous videos you say that the hip should move little to create and store energy. A little concur.
July 14, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Harold. In the full backswing the shoulders will rotate 90 degrees and the hips roughly 45. Most players tend to over use their hips. When we say try to keep it to a minimum to recruit muscle fiber the goal is to allow the hips to be pulled. Not actively force them to rotate. Most players will feel as if they never move, but they will due to the shoulder rotation and load.
July 15, 2019
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Roger (Certified RST Instructor)
I really struggle with blending the weight shift right and my rotation in my takeaway. I always have to much lateral motion of my hips or head, usually head. I’ve tried the various heel and step drills but still have the same issue. Is there any other type drill to use to assist me in recognizing the proper shift without excessive head movement? I’ve also tried shifting then rotating which works fine in practice but even after thousands of reps it’s still problematic on the course, thanks
July 5, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Roger. If the main issue is the head. Focus on Fix Your Swing Sway w/ the Wall Drill Video. Let me know how that works and if you still feel trail glute load. If not, we need to find the reason you feel you need to move excessively to feel loaded.
July 6, 2019
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Eric
Does the lateral weight shift happen before the turning of the shoulders or at the same time?
June 28, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Eric. Weight shift will start first. However, when blended it will almost seem simultaneous.
June 28, 2019
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Paul
I know we start the back swing with weight shift and shoulder blade glide. Do both these movements cause the hip to rotate back into the right leg automatically. I would imagine trying to rotate the hip conciously would put the sequence out during backswing. Thanks.
June 27, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Paul. Exactly. As you pull with the trail shoulder. Continued rotation will pull on the hip to open it.
June 27, 2019
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Thaddieus
I’m having a tremendous problem rolling to the outside of my right foot on my backswing. Are there any particular swing thoughts or movements - other than just to not roll the weight over the foot - that I can focus on that might help this?
April 26, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Thad. Make sure you aren't hip swaying as described in the video above. Also, check your setup (Anchor to the Ground Video). Finally, take a look at How to Swing from the Ground Up. Make sure you are loading the glute properly.
April 26, 2019
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Eric
Along with proper posture, no rounded shoulders (related to right elbow pit up) this has helped tremendously with curing my flying right elbow on backswing. Is that because not shifting immobilizes your legs and hips, resulting in just and upper body arms swing?
April 19, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Eric. If you don't rotate and load the legs. What else can you move the club with? Arms only option.
April 19, 2019
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Jim
Hi RJ - I am about ready to submit the practical video for weight shift. The main drill is just the one inch to the right and then two back to the left, focusing on neutral left leg over ankle, etc. The only "backswing" move in the drill is that slight 1 inch shift to right. Is that all we are videoing - just the steps of that drill, including not swaying to the right, etc. No club in hands needed, etc? The creased pant leg Chuck goes over in the video would not be visible with just that one inch move to the right, so want to be sure I am covering all that is needed. Since we haven't gotten in to take away yet, I would assume it is just demonstrating competence with that drill - but want to be sure. Best, Jim Darcey
March 17, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Right, you won't see the crease because you're not rotating if you're only working on the weight shift portion of the swing. Make sure that when you're shifting your weight that your axis tilt has been maintained.
March 18, 2019
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Jim
Hi RJ - Thanks. Will be out of town for a week or so but will submit upon return. Thanks for your continued interest in my progress. I went out and played 13 holes yesterday, and did focus on the "pull" aspect of the swing, and it made a big difference in not topping the ball. Short game was horrendous, so score sucked, but there was progress on the big picture - still tons to learn of course, but great to see that just that reality on the pull/shift to the left made a big difference.
March 19, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
keep up the good work
March 20, 2019
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Martin L
The creasing swing thought has really added stability and consistency by loading my right glute. On downswing should I feel pulling in the same area in my groin on the left side?
January 30, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Martin. The inner thigh adductors will be doing most of the work pulling the weight in the downswing. Take a look at Fixing Your Weight Transfer and Preventing Hip Pain. Also, Which Muscles to Feel in the Transition.
January 31, 2019
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Rick
Hi Patrick, thanks for the latest review. When I apply the 1inch of weight shift to the right and then rotate I feel like I'm almost sitting into my right leg more. I feel like my right hip is dropping, but when I look in the mirror I think my hips are now actually staying square to the ground and my e.g. is not bending more but simply maintaining a similar bend as setup. Do you think I feel like this because I have been letting my right hip raise for so long (by over rotating hips and straightening my right leg) that it just feels like I'm dropping it now? I just wanted to check if this is an OK feeling to have while continuing with these drills.
January 12, 2019
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Patrick (Certified RST Instructor)
Yes, most likely you are feeling a "drop" because you have allowed the right leg to straighten during the backswing. You want to maintain the same flex in the right leg at address, if not increase it SLIGHTLY. Always check in the mirror and tape your backswing after about 100 reps. You want to correlate what you're feeling / internalizing with what is correct and what you want to see on video.
January 12, 2019
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KALEB
On the self analyzer tool, what would be the acceptable amount of lateral head movement? The models do not seem to shift their head laterally at all or either swivel their head to their trail foot or their hat bills are pointing at trail shoe. I’m trying to get Proper weight transfer to the trail side without moving my head too much laterally.
January 4, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kaleb. You shouldn't see much. At most an inch in the backswing. You will tend to see a little more head swivel with some players due to the cervical spine. You shouldn't be perfectly glued back and through. Slight movement will happen with weight transfer.
January 4, 2019
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Michelle
Hi Craig Just to comment on how impressed I am with the course so far. I love the drills they are practical and easy to understand at this point. I like how they flow and how they can be stacked. I have an over use injury on both my left quad muscle and the left side of my neck and since doing the drills, and understanding what muscles are working when and where my weight should be, has seen a big improvement in these injuries. I would like to have my set up check so am I able to send just two still photos of set up rather than video?? Again fantastic course. Cheers Michelle
January 2, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Michelle. Thank you for the compliments. Yes, you can send in photos for a setup check. It would be easier to post the picture under the setup forum than a swing review. Also, you can video yourself going through the setup process so we can check all the nuts and bolts.
January 3, 2019
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roger
ahh weight shift - struggling with this with Patrick. This video says to move an inch and rotate at the same time. But I am only doing the take away (to 9 o'clock) position and don't turn my hips at all. ie. it is just the inch move and then my upper body turnings (isn't it?) ahh so confused.
November 8, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Roger. There is minimal hip turn in the takeaway, but it is vital to shift weight. Think about pushing the trail foot into the ground to help facilitate weight transfer and then pull the trail shoulder 45 degrees. The hips may rotate a little as you rotate, but the vast majority with be from the takeaway to the top.
November 8, 2018
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Ryan
Hi there how can you stack this movement with the perfect take away? should i be looking for the pant crease before the rotation of my torso and the arm lift, or should i use the rotation of the torso first to start getting the weight into the back foot. i'm feeling a bit chicken and egg on this thks
November 8, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ryan. You can certainly stack weight shift with the takeaway. Take a look at the Golf Takeaway Overview Video. You will start to see the crease more after you have added some shoulder rotation. The hips will get pulled to 45 degrees as the shoulders reach 90 degrees to a full backswing. Very minimal hip movement in the takeaway.
November 8, 2018
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Orlando
I've heard u mention a few different times to have the right knee pointing at the ball at address. It didn't seem to make sense and I assumed you meant to point towards the ball slightly rather than away from it. To be clear, should the right point at the ball, slightly towards it or straight ahead?
October 29, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Orlando. You want to roll the ankles in at address. Not the knees (Anchor to the Ground Video). The trail knee should point straight ahead in a natural position. Some players that really struggle may exaggerate feeling slightly towards the ball, but you have to be careful overdoing that.
October 29, 2018
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michael
Hi Craig, looking at this video and my latest review I see that my left hip move towards the target whereas it appears that Chuck’s moves away from a line on his hip as well as turning. He has therefore shifted his weight by an inch or so, is this correct as the drill seems to suggest this. Regards Mike
September 13, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Michael. Yes, the hip will move about an inch or so. The weight shift and rotation will make it appear that you haven't shifted weight, but you need to move the weight into the trail glute.
September 13, 2018
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Patrick
I just have to say that the way you explain movements, muscle purpose and the bone structure of the body is paramount to learning. I have never met a Pro that explains all this, let alone with your clarity of description. I'm not blowing your trumpet, but I've just learned that for 20 odd yrs I used my arms only during the swing. I had reached a 10.4 handicap using arms a one. Then I had rotator cuff surgery on both shoulders, losing the main tendons in my left shoulder (because of the lapse period between ops) and my distance eroded! My handicap went back to 14.0. Now I had back surgery, so I challenged myself to learning your system and methods. I'm so glad I found you! I'm 60 and going back to golf after 4 years out, with optimism fInding doing the repetitions difficult because of the lack of body conditioning. However, i have never felt so confident, before, as I do now that I will be able to compete again. I will build up the courage to share my rep counts and some videos of my swing for further assistance, but first I'm struggling with "learning how to walk" again. It's almost that literal. Thank you so very much, Chuck, for giving me a 2nd chance!
May 29, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Patrick. Great post and very happy to hear you are feeling a 2nd chance with golf. We are always here to help you along your journey and get your body moving properly to play the best golf possible. Thanks for the compliments.
May 29, 2018
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Dan
Craig, just started working on weight shift at the range. Not sure I understand settling into the right glute on the back swing. I feel as if I'm actually settling into my right hip socket... and it is somewhat sore after hitting a 100 balls. I am definitely not sliding, but just rotating slightly with my hips before I feel as though I'm sitting down or settling into the right hip socket. Is this what I should be feeling and is the pain telling me I'm over doing it?
April 24, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dan. Soreness happens when you start using a new muscle for the first time. Pain usually means something is wrong. You should be feeling a settle into the glute. Try the Stomp in the How to Swing from the Ground Up Video.
April 24, 2018
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Peter
One of the things I am not sure if I am doing right is the sequencing here. I shift my weight an inch to the right while turning my hips. Should I be rotating my core at the same time or weight until all my weight is loaded in my glute? Thanks
April 14, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Peter. You will shift the weight during the takeaway. The trail shoulder/core will pull on the trail hip. There is very minimal hip rotation during this process. As you continue to the top the trail shoulder blade pull will open the hips to about 45 degrees.
April 15, 2018
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JOHN
In order to get the club to the top i need to rotate my right hip towards the target...Is this ok??
April 11, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. The trail hip should and will rotate. As long as you maintain the hip line and some separation between the upper half and lower half. You should be fine.
April 11, 2018
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Kevin
I am trying to figure out the weight distribution throughout the backswing. My understanding is that there is supposed to be an initial shift backwards that moves the hips/head off the ball about 1.5". Should this move set the weight distribution so it is 80% in the trail leg then it is just rotation from there? Or is the weight shift a gradual increase from 50/50 at address to 80/20 at the top?
February 22, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kevin. You should start with 50/50 distribution at setup. The weight shift should be done by the end of the takeaway and then continue to pull/rotate shoulders to the top.
February 22, 2018
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Justin
I think this is the missing piece for me. Some days I hit it 290 and other days I feel like I've never played. Having that "crease" feel on the right seems to smooth out everything else down the line (as I swing in my office, anyway.) I'll be excited to try it out as soon as they chip the ice off the hitting mats at the range!
January 23, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Justin. Loading the glute and proper hip motion in the backswing is crucial for power. Sounds like you are on the right track.
January 23, 2018
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Elaine
I notice you keep referring back to other articles or videos on your website. Am I supposed to just do the 5 steps FIRST and then read the other articles, Or also read and watch them as I do the 5 step program? I'm stumped?
July 20, 2017
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hi Elaine, you can use the articles and the other videos as supplemental help for the 5 video series. If you are struggling in a certain area, then I would suggest that you submit your swings for review and let us help guide you into a specific set of videos that will help you personally.
July 20, 2017
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Kevin
Should the weight shift to the right be done via a "pull" motion from the right, i.e. dragging inside of right foot in type of feeling like Chris mentions in the preventing hip pain video?
June 5, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kevin. You will tend to "feel" like more of a settle and rotation, than a pull because you aren't moving very far. However, it is still a pull.
June 5, 2017
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Tom
Is the idea to maintain right knee flex in the back swing or straighten the trail leg (Right leg) in the back swing?
May 16, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Tom. You would like to maintain some flexion in the trail leg as you load the trail glute. You should allow for the hip to turn. But, not break the hip line and move off the ball too much. How to Swing from the Ground Up Video.
May 16, 2017
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GREGORY
was wondering about the spine angle tilt. if rotating and moving slightly lateral with the hip, the spine angle tilt has to move unless the head moves laterally with it. I cant see how it wouldn't. Im worried about the torque on my back
February 20, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gregory. The head will move slightly in the backswing due to weight shift. This will help you maintain the axis tilt added at address.
February 21, 2017
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Zach
I wanted to check and see if my thinking on the move to the right is on the right track. In other videos I have heard mention of a weight distribution of 20% left lot to 80% right when the turn is fully made into the trail side. With that said, I feel like I struggle with not moving most of my weight into the right side, and Instead pivot in my hip like shown, with the creased pant, but with a weight distribution of more like 40f/60r. After a long break from golf, I'm trying g to find my way again. Would you say that in the takeaway, and I final loading of the right hip, that a proper "feeling" if you will, would be the torso being laterally pulled rearward while winding up in the takeaway, as to line up kind of over the right side? After looking over some video I feel like a spinning my hips, not loading weight on side, and getting g frozen over the ball. I'm having toe hits, and never have before. Was a 6 handicapp when I stopped playing. Thanks!
December 10, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Zach. The torso being pulled towards the rear will make you feel a little hip rotation, but the vast majority of weight shift will happen before the final phases of the backswing. Take a look at the video below to help with trail side load. https://rotaryswing.com/videos/full-swing-basics/rotary-swing-5-step-golf-swing-system/core-rotation-left-arm-club-rsa
December 12, 2016
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Jerome
Hi, again let me say congrats for these entire new organisation in the 5 step program. I ve never understood, as I did the last 2/3 weeks, all the so simple things about golf I had never understood in the previous 3 years ! I am still focusing in weight shift and my question now that my right hip line seems stabilized, thanks to this video , I wander why my head is moving more than one inch let say 2 to sometime 3 inch. Could it be because when i do the drill I am missing some axis tilt ? any other idea to help me so that I correct this before i can work on the way back to the left and correct the fact that on the left i go too far beyond the good hip line you explain on the following video. Also another question , I did a test while writing this message and I realized i turn a bit my face to the left let say 30 degrees as well which makes my face moving to left thus when i was looking my nose it had moved one or two more inches to the left . Is that a problem ? do I need not to move/turn it ?
November 20, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jerome. Typically, the head moves due to lead shoulder push (Head Moving Off the Ball and Push versus Pull video). The head is connected to the cervical spine. It is okay for a little rotation to take place. But, you don't want excessive head movement off the ball with push. Thanks for the compliments of our instruction and site.
November 21, 2016
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George
In the opening of this video you mention another video I should have seen by now titled: how to swing from the ground up. My question is, if I am following these videos in the right sequence starting at 1 how would I have seen that video already? That makes me wonder if I am not going through this program in proper order. Am I correct to start at top and proceed through each video in order? Second question is, how does the drill clock advance? Do I have to do something with the drills I do to make it move?
October 4, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello George. The "Ground Up" Video was in the old order of succession. You are following properly. You have to add the reps manually for the 5 Step System Drill/Rep Tracker. It will be the middle tab at the top of the video list..
October 4, 2016
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T David
I love this video. I really need to "live" in this one, if I could get it to auto-repeat (smile). When I start the downswing with the weight shift to the left heel, are the hips starting to rotate at this point?
September 17, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dave. Thanks for the compliments of the video. Yes, there will be a little rotation. But, you don't want to actively spin. Take a look at Fixing Your Weight Transfer. You will see how to pull the weight and some of the rotation that will take place.
September 17, 2016
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T David
Another great video! Thanks, Craig... After watching this video, I had a question about the head movement. I remember that many people say to keep a Steady Head. It seems that keeping a "steady head" swing thought could be detrimental to the RST swing. Is that right?
September 17, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dave. Yes. The head is connected to the body. In order to shift your weight the head will have to move. Now, that isn't giving you a license to sway all over the place. But, the head will roughly move about and inch going back and two inches coming down. Most players try to keep the head overly steady. Which keeps them from shifting.
September 17, 2016
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Ryan
When keeping the weight more on the front foot with shorter irons, what is the correct feeling there? I feel like making a proper backswing almost loads the trail leg by itself and trying too hard to keep the weight on my lead side throws off timing and sequencing. Is it only a 3/4 swing? Sorry for my deluge of comments
August 18, 2016
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Ryan, during a "stock" shot (full swing) you do not want to keep the weight on the lead side. You want to be shifting from a balanced position to help load up and rotate properly. If you are working on a "specialty" shot, like a 3/4 shot, penetrating wedge shot, or something of that nature, you may have to take out some of the shift to the trail side. I think I am understanding your question correctly. Hope that helps.
August 19, 2016
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Gareth
Should the feeling be pulling the right hip back into your right glute? i feel that if i pull from the inside of my right thigh back and down i maintain knee flex and increase pressure in my right heel. When shifting back do you shift or just pull with the left leg as the same feeling above? Thanks
August 11, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gareth. It sounds like you are on the right track pulling into the trail glute. When you shift back to the lead side. You will pull with lead hip adduction and settle into the glute. Similar, but you might feel a little more pull (Preventing Hip Pain and Fixing Your Weight Transfer Video).
August 11, 2016
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Michael
Chris, Thanks for review. I have been working with Rotary Swing Trainer today. It makes so much difference to maintaining width in my right arm and steepening the plane swing so more upright instead of flat. I meant to mention this when I submitted my swing review. I will work on the weight shift as instructed. Michael.
August 9, 2016
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
My pleasure Michael and sounds like a good game plan.
August 9, 2016
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David
Does the upper body shift with the hip bump to the right as well?or all lower body action? Thx
July 7, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello David. When shifting the weight into the trail glute the upper half will half to move slightly to accommodate the shift. And, yes it is the lower body's job or action to shift the weight.
July 8, 2016
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Dave
Hi Craig/Patrick. I have been working on rotation and loafing the right side for quite a few weeks and I think I am getting a bit confused so need some clarification. When I started my swing reviews back in January I was told to work on rotation which I think I mastered. I can pull my right shoulder round at will and rotate. My swing review in February highlighted a loss of knee flex on the trail leg so I went to work on loading the right side on takeaway. In trying to show on camera a move to the right I the swing I have started to develop a push off the right side and excess head movement which has been identified in my latest review by Patrick. So I am back to working on rotating and loading the trail side again. However I am not clear what now I should be seeing on camera when loading and rotating. Firstly for loading, Patrick has mentioned he would like to see a hip bump to the right prior the takeaway and hence the right side shows a clear lateral movement to the the right. Chuck states in this video the right hip line stays in line on camera as the turn and load create that appearance when combined. I am comfortable loading to the right as a combined move with the takeaway but once I bump the hips first I find I am moving off-the ball. So first question is should the hips visibly move off first or should the right hip line stay straight through backswing as per chuck? Second question is about rotation. I have always worked on pulling the right shoulder as per chucks 5 mins to rotation. However Patrick told me several reviews back to not pull the shoulder but the lats. In the last review he told me to pull the shoulder round again so again I'm confused, is the rotations pull of the whole trunk from waste up of just shoulder blade glide to turn shoulder away from target. Sorry about the long message and I'm quite happy with Patrick, but I need to be sure I'm working on the correct principles before starting on another set of reps. St the moment I feel things are going round in circles a bit. Thanks
May 17, 2016
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Patrick (Certified RST Instructor)
Hi Dave, If you watch the "5 min. setup with weight shift" video, you'll notice that nothing moves with Chuck's upper body. He will stay in the set up position and slightly shift (1") onto the right leg. You want to establish and ingrain that weight shift first so that it's automatic. Once ingrained, you can add rotation as the next piece, focusing on the right side pull. The obliques are doing the work to cause rotation; the right shoulder pulling behind your head is a focal point to create centered rotation. On video, you are moving (pushing) from your left shoulder, which causes your head to move off the ball. In order of priority: master weight shift first, then challenge yourself to add rotation. You will then "marry" the two components. This will lead to the right hip line appearance you are referring to. Often times, it's best to break down the movements to their simplest parts, then try to combine movements. If it doesn't look right on camera (i.e. moving off the ball too much) you know to go back and master the previous drill. In your case it's that little shift to the right. In your case, we're trying to combine centered rotation with weight shift. Hope that helps!
May 17, 2016
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Dave
Hi Patrick - thanks for this. How much lateral head movement is acceptable/normal to see on camera when fully rotated in comparison to at set up? If I draw a circle round my head, how much to the side of the circle is ok for the head to go when rotating? I see Chris seems to move about half of his head width to the right when he is demonstrating the core stability drills. Is this about right? thanks again Dave
May 19, 2016
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Patrick (Certified RST Instructor)
With respect to head movement, there is no fixed number in inches. The head will move some, but minimally. That said, you can allow your head to swivel. If the bill of your hat points at 6 0'clock at set up, it can swivel to about 7, taking into account your eye dominance to see the ball. Again, the focus for you is creating centered rotation and not pushing from the left. That should take care of the head movement issue.
May 19, 2016
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Dave
Hi. I have been working on loading the right side and not loosing the tush line. I have recorded myself doing lower body stability drills and even when loaded I lose the back end. What I notice is that from down the line I lose my body tilt towards the ball which I think is a result of pulling my right shoulder back for driving rotation. About just after parallel I start to stand up and lose about 10 degrees of tilt. It happens even loaded fully to trail leg. Any help on fixing this in conjunction with the lower body stability drills please? Thanks
May 6, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dave. Take a look at the Play the Best Golf of Your Life in 6 Weeks 1 of 6. I would check to make sure you aren't hinging forward too much at setup and that you aren't trying to over rotate or pull down too hard with your trail shoulder.
May 6, 2016
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colin
HI, Sometimes on back swing my whole body moves to right and hit weak shots of the toe of club.What drill would you suggest to correct this move.
April 23, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Colin. Take a look at Play the Best Golf of Your Life in 6 Weeks 1 of 6 to help with the body movement. And, work on the Weight Shift Part 1 for a better transitional sequence coming down once the backswing movement is calmer.
April 23, 2016
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Krishna
Hi. "Make sure you're not just pivoting your hips, but rotating the right leg in its hip socket". How do I isolate the latter - is there a feedback that I can look for ? the crease in the pants across the right hip is presumably a combination of the two.
April 23, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Krishna. The crease in the pants and that you maintain a good load into the trail glute/flexion in the trail knee. If you don't feel the glute engage and/or start to sway beyond NJA you won't be rotating in its hip socket. Take a look at How to Swing From the Ground Up for a good drill to accomplish.
April 23, 2016
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Marc
Hi Craig, in the set up you bump the hip a couple of inches as you create some axis tilt to grip the club. I have the impression that in the takeaway I move too much to the right laterally, as I see if I move just about 1 inch and rotate the shoulders, my right glut is immediately engaged and my right hip is rapidly fully coiled so that my arms in the elevation phase remain in front with a tighter backswing. When I move laterally a bit more in the takeaway, my glut is not as engaged and the backswing is not as tight. Does it make sense, is 1 inch enough to fully engage the lower side and the glut? Best, Marc
April 10, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Marc. The move to the trail glute is only about an inch or two. That should be plenty to start loading the trail side. I move only about an inch and have plenty of awareness loading the trail side.
April 10, 2016
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Marc
Thanks Craig
April 10, 2016
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Marc
Hi Craig, in the set up you cr
April 10, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Marc. I replied above.
April 10, 2016
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Dave
Hi Craig. I'm a little confused about weight shift on the take away. This video is saying shift and rotate which maintains the line of the right hip as a result of shift and rotation combined. However in my swing review I have been told to see a movement of the hip to the right as the swing goes back. This is fine but it seems to contradict what this video says and implies I must be swaying to actually see the right hip move? Which should it be? Right hip is seen to actually move on camera or just right hip line maintained? For the record I feel like I am going to fall over if I actually move the hip to the point of wing able to see it on camera. Thanks in advance
March 29, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dave. You can see it move ever so slightly, but you also want to shy away from the sway. Take a look at the video Charl Schwartzel - How To Load Up Your Swing. You can see a slight movement, but as he reaches the top it will look like it never changed. I think your instructor is trying to make sure you load the glute and perform a weight shift. But, you can over do it. The hip needs to move to help get centered over the ankle, just not outside the foot. The rotation will help negate the amount of movement. If you use the drill as seen in this video. Leaning up a club or stick against the hip. You will bump into it touch and rotate, but not sway.
March 29, 2016
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Lance
Hi Craig This video was very helpful to understand how the hip line stays constant. Small slide back combined with rotation. I had not put these two components together. Because I for may years slid too much back I had been avoiding any conscious slide at all. Thanks
March 20, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Lance. Thanks for the post!
March 21, 2016
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Richard
Generally, my observation is that most videos simply have way too many words. And too many words makes it confusing.
March 13, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Richard. Thank you for the observation. Some players like to know every little detail and others "just get to the drill." We try to find the happy medium as best we can. But, we can only improve with constructive criticism. Thanks for the insight and how to better our site.
March 14, 2016
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Richard
Thanks...but let me expand my comment.First, there are too many "preface" words, like "this is what we discussed in XYZ video blah blah, and "here is what we will talk about today, remember in my other video we talked about blah blah." Just get to the lesson! Second, there is way too much of saying the same thing over and over. Rick
March 14, 2016
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Brian
Sorry last comment was a note to self.
February 22, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
It happens to the best of us.
February 22, 2016
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Brian
Weight into back of heel and weight back try preload to trigger swing
February 22, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
No problem.
February 22, 2016
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Brian
I've been struggling with weight shift to the right. Since shift move is new for me it really slows down my swing and things seem out of whack. Could the shift to the right be pre-loaded?
February 21, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Brian. I would rather you not pre-load the weight into the trail side. But, you are more than okay to use it as a trigger to start your swing. If you pre-load you might lose some speed.
February 22, 2016
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Dave
Hi Craig - my Performance Centre stats don't seem to have been updated since my first review. I have a lot to work on with my swing but I think theres been at least some improvements certainly with set up? James is usually my instructor but also Patrick today as well. Could you see if the updates have been forgotten as they haven't moved for 6 weeks. thanks Dave
February 16, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Dave. I will notify Patrick and James for you. I don't think they will be able to update for the review you just received, but will make sure it is completed on your next one. Thanks and apologize for the inconvenience.
February 16, 2016
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Tom
Hi Craig, Trying to polish my hip rotation. (I too am a perfectionist but you wouldn't no this based on my current swing!) I feel very good with my weight shift back and keeping my Right Hip Line. However, when I am shifting forward I am not getting things in the correct sequence or something else. When I shift to my front heel I my front shoulder continues to pop up instead of stay down and I am not keeping my back to the target as I am shifting. What do i need to focus on to make this happen. I believe that these same things effect my ability to keep lag in my downswing. Thanks again for your expertise!
January 27, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Tom. When shifting into the lead glute the lead arm needs to swing from the shouldler joint and stay down. I think you are trying to use the shoulder rotation too much to return the club back to the ball. If you focus on the Level Shoulders Drill combined with the Fix Your Release (feeling of swinging from the shoulder joint). You should be able to stay down and through the shot more efficiently. Also, experiment with some Lead Arm only Re-Shaping Your Swing for Lag Drills. Use gravity and pull from the lead arm to your advantage.
January 27, 2016
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James
Thanks Yuefeng for addressing that concern because I have been shifting my hips to the right in the takeaway it has been awful awful awful. Now I understand. But I'm not clear of how to shift my body without swaying or moving my head off the ball please help! II Thanks
November 24, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello James. The head will have to move just slightly. It won't be static. You might be over doing the move. Take a look at Perfecting Lower Body Stability for help with the sway.
November 25, 2015
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Yuefeng
I'm a bit confused here as in the setup video you talk about shifting the hips slightly to the left to get axis tilt, but now in the backswing you stress shifting the hips a bit to the right, so if the head and upper body stays centered and put, wouldn't this shift to the right take away the axis tilt from the setup? Thanks.
November 11, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Yuefeng. When you shift your weight you aren't bumping the hips back to neutral as a weight shift. The whole body will move and start loading the trail glute. The head does have to move a little in the backswing due to the shift. I think you are trying to hip slide and/or over doing the (hip bump for tilt) which is making it awkward for you.
November 12, 2015
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Yuefeng
Thanks Craig. So does that mean in weight shift, I not only shift my hips, but also a bit of my upper body as well (and as a result my head)?
November 12, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Yuefeng. I see that you saw my previous post below.
November 12, 2015
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Carole
I have always moved my hips and shoulders at the same time during takeaway. So now I am trying to keep my hips from rotating during the takeaway...while I'm rotating my upper torso and shifting to the right. It's like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time. I've never been able to "feel" my hips, so this is difficult for me. My question is: what should I be feeling on the LEFT side as I try to execute this move. All instruction focuses on the right side, but I'm having to intentionally focus on the left in order to break my habit of just letting the hips just ride along with the torso rotation. The combination of shifting to the right without rotating my hips while my upper torso rotates is hurting my brain. I've done all of the separation between upper and lower body exercises for years but it's just not transferring to the move. What should I feel on the left side of my body because clearly I'm going to activate different muscles to prevent the hip rotation as I shift and upper body rotate. I'm going to have to exaggerate the feelings while I learn this new movement pattern so I'm trying to identify what "replacement" feel I should be sensing. Am I right in feeling my left glute, stretch of the left oblique, and left heel as I shift to the right, rotate my upper body, and not rotate my hips?
November 5, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Carole. Ideally, the left side will be very passive in the takeaway. I understand your need to find a clue or checkpoint to help you out with the over rotation. You may feel a little stretch from the lead side oblique. Try this - Take your normal setup and place both your glutes "butt" on a wall behind you. Make a takeaway motion pulling from the trail side, but keep both glutes "entire butt" against the wall. You should feel the tension that you are looking to help keep the hips stable.
November 5, 2015
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Remington
I've tried this but as the right hip rotates the left hip moves slightly outward, and the left butt comes an inch or two away from the wall. This seems like basic biomechanics. Am Imissing something?
December 4, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Remington. Sounds like flexibility. If the left glute "cheek" comes a little away from the wall that is okay. As long as you aren't pushing with the left away from the wall.
December 4, 2015
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Carole
Thanks, Craig. Definitely the lead side oblique and glute. I'll use the wall for now as a training aid. Also good to check exactly how much I really AM shifting.
November 6, 2015
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Robert
If one is to keep their head "centered", how do you bump your hips enough on the backswing to hip the right hip line without changing your essential seccondary axis tilt set up at address? It would seem that the head has to move backwards in an equal amount as the hips(just a little) to maintain the axis tilt. Then, it has to move back to center and forward as one posts up on the lead leg. That's a lot of head movement isn't it?
November 4, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Rob. The head will move in the golf swing. Not a lot, but some due to weight shift. The bump shouldn't change your tilt. Take a look at this video. https://rotaryswing.com/videos/bonus-series-basics/9-days-to-amazing-ball-striking/golf-training-program-setup
November 4, 2015
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Robert
Error 404. Sorry the page you are looking for could not be found? Clay just starts off with controlling the line
November 4, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hmm. That's odd. I will see if I can get that error fixed. In the meantime, the head will have to move. You don't bump the hip back to neutral to make the the shift. The whole body will shift. The head will move about a inch back and about 2 inches forward. The head is connected to the body. Therefore, when the body moves laterally the head has to go with it.
November 5, 2015
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Yuefeng
Thanks for the clarification. It answers my question as well.
November 12, 2015
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Marc
So I have to move the hip by about 2 inches to the right. But since I already move the left hip forward in the set up by bumping the hip by about 2 inches, does it mean that the right hip moves 4 inches to the right during the backswing?
October 24, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Marc. When you shift the weight the whole body shifts. Not just a lateral bump back from setup. It will remain the same.
October 24, 2015
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Andrew
I lift my lead heel on take away, I was taught to do this as a kid in the 80's. They must have really hammered that one into my brain, I am just coming back to golf two months ago, and it was an automatic part of my swing. I never realized the function it served until I tried to stop doing it yesterday and completely ruined my weight transfer. I searched on Google, this move seems to have been phased out. Does Rotary Swing have an opinion on the lifting the heel?
October 14, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Andrew. Lifting the lead heel definitely helps you feel a weight transfer in the backswing (Weight Shift Drill). However, it has been phased out due to the potential of building good torque on the backswing and keeping the head still. If you need a little lift to feel transfer you can do so. Nevertheless, ideally you would want to phase it out.
October 14, 2015
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Marc
I am confused by the video as it seems to imply that the shift to the right happens at the same time than the hip rotation. But as I understand it the hips hardly turn in the takeaway, it is the upper body that turns and the hips start rotating much later in reaction to the continuation of the rotation of the shoulders. Now since the rotation of the hips takes place later, should this lateral shift take place later also? This does not seem right to me, my impression is that the lateral shift happens very early in the backswing but if so there will be a moment between the lateral shift of the hips and the rotation of the hips. What is the right way to do it?
October 7, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Marc. Yes, you start to shift a little laterally into the trail glute early. The continued pull of the shoulders will help to rotate the hip. There isn't a lot of hip rotation in the takeaway, but enough to keep you from breaking the hip line from the ball to the top. Take a look at How to Swing from the Ground Up for another look at it.
October 7, 2015
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Marc
Thanks Craig
October 7, 2015
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Kevin
I'm struggling to get my timing down in my backswing when I do this. Will it cause problems if I perform this weight shift just prior to my takeaway? I've noticed that Henrik Stenson and a few others appear to do this.
September 16, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kevin. You can certainly start the swing or trigger the motion by performing the weight shift to the trail glute.
September 16, 2015
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Brian
Quick question about movement of the right hip in the backswing. Does the right hip move straight back or does the hip internally rotate and move toward the target?
July 29, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Brian. There will be internal rotation. When you shift the move will be laterally (away from target). But, internal rotation will keep it from swaying or moving to far outside NJA.
July 30, 2015
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Brian
so how does one load the right glute without sitting into it? I understand the slight shift to the right, but doesn't moving the back pocket toward the target instead of sitting into right hip prohibit loading the glute?
July 30, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Brian. The weight bearing combined with the maintained knee flexion and rotation should put sufficient load in the glute. Take a look at How to Swing from the Ground Up in the Introduction Section.
July 30, 2015
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william
So I was recommended this video by an instructor but his actual made me confused in correlation with this video. He told me to work on putting my tailbone up against the wall while trying to load on my right side and basically limit the movement of my hips. After this video, I feel like the best option is to rotate with my hips in the right side after bumping them. This seems contradictory to what I was told via video lesson. I was wondering if the tips were good, sound advice or if there is another drill that lines up more properly with this video? Thanks
July 29, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello William. Can you tell me who your instructor was? I will be happy to find out what you need.
July 29, 2015
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william
James Rayson
July 30, 2015
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james (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey William, Sorry if I wasn't clear with what I was saying. In your review, the hips were turning through the takeaway before you loaded up into the right side. Causing you to move away from the right hip line not towards it. Hence why i mentioned to slow down the hip rotation, until you loaded into the right side then the hips will begin to rotate from the rotation of the upper body. Otherwise we can just end up taking the club too far to the inside initially
July 30, 2015
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william
Thank you. Makes perfect sense. Sorry i would have written you directly but I don't know how
July 30, 2015
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james (Certified RST Instructor)
Your welcome! Enjoy the drills!
July 30, 2015
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dennis
Dennis: For a golfer without a lot of time to practice you say favor the left side, explain the set-up and swing for favoring the left side and any other differences in the swing.
July 21, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dennis. I would advise at least trying to shift the weight. It isn't as complicated as it may seem. Weight shift accounts for 14.4% of are power in the golf swing and also helps with tempo and lag. Try feeling the weight shift with the Weight Shift Drill in this Section Advanced and the Swinging from the Ground Up in the Introduction Section. Nevertheless, without shifting the weight. The setup will be about 70-30 weight on the lead side. The swing will remain the same, but without any emphasis on loading the trail glute, or trying to create a big weight shift coming down. You will feel stacked over the ball the whole time.
July 21, 2015
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Jason
also another question, many people have asked if you would lose axis tilt by this process and the answers have been no you shift all of the weight to the right by 1 inch therefore not losing any tilt; however, at 4 min and 12 sec into the video, Chuck said it is the hips moving "not the body"'.. "notice my head ....." is still better to just put weight on the right heal and then do the shoulder turn? then recruit the hips to turn passively after your shoulders can gone as far as they can?
July 16, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jason. Yes, you shouldn't lose your tilt when adding a weight shift. You are more than welcome to shift the weight and allow the shoulder turn to pull the hip open do to the necessity of trying to complete a full shoulder turn in the backswing.
July 16, 2015
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Jason
okay follow up: for the sake of organizing myself, can I shift the weight to the right. stay there to get my bearing for a sec, and then start to the shoulder(s) back?
July 16, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jason. Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to start the swing or trigger the swing with a weight shift and then start to turn back.
July 16, 2015
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Jason
just a quick remediation for me to figure out what it means to start at address 2" outside of left hip neutral joint alignment. (RH golfer) Can you complete this sentence for me?: neutral joint alignment, is when the anterior superior iliac spine is in line with the .................. thx much
July 16, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jason. When 2 inches outside NJA is the anterior superior iliac spine will be just inside the feet.
July 16, 2015
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Sailesh
When you shift to right and rotate should the head drop below setup level? If so, would this be a result of an increase in knee flex on right leg when shifting / rotating?
July 11, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Sailesh. The head will remain relatively level. Shouldn't be a big noticeable drop. The little movement that you might be seeing in your swing would be the loading of the trail glute and increase in knee flex. You need to load the glute, but no reason to increase the flexion. Just maintain.
July 11, 2015
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Brian
Would you say that as you shift and rotate to your trail leg; is that the trail hip naturally wants to externally rotate, and that the goal would be to to do the opposite. To me it seems that when I shift and rotate I have to work hard to keep the trail leg from externally rotating as shown in the right laser beam drill.
June 16, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Brian. If you are allowing the trail shoulder blade and oblique to pull the hip open and keeping the weight on the inside of the foot. The trail knee should stay in place. A hip slide or allowing the weight to the outside of the foot will make the feeling of externally rotating the trail knee much easier.
June 16, 2015
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leeric
Hello...I have a question regarding the weight shift. I thought I saw an earlier response that spoke to this but I can no longer find it. Since the move to the trail leg is a 1" "shift" rather than a "bump", shouldn't the head move laterally by the same 1"? Additionally, when get to 9 o'clock in my back swing and initiate the rotation without thinking about weight shift, it feels like haven't moved much if at all, but when I check my position in the mirror, my hip is in NJA. Do i need to take a wider stance at address or is this move supposed to feel really really small?
June 11, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Leeric. Correct. The head will have to move a little laterally because it is connected to the body. No more than 1 inch, but it will have to move. If you are in proper stance the movement isn't very far. You probably won't feel a massive shift. No worries. Just make sure the weight did shift and the trail glute is loaded.
June 11, 2015
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Shane
Just so I'm clear, the slight weight shift to right will flow into the right heel; therefore, there is the 1" lateral move, but also a slight move behind you as you settle into the heel? I seem to struggle with getting into that heel properly and often move to the center oft right foot. Thanks
June 9, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Shane. Yes, you want to load more towards the heel during the backswing. There is a 1 inch lateral move, but the allowance of hip turn pivots you into the hip correctly and keeps you from swaying.
June 9, 2015
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Stephen
hi Craig, sorry if stupid question. When performing the weight shift to the right, would this not take off some of the axis tilt? Just worried that I am not maintaining it fully
June 7, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Stephen. No axis tilt should remain the same because the whole body is shifting into the trail glute. Not just a hip bump back away from the target.
June 7, 2015
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Ray
This is the weight shift seen in Hogan, Snead, Palmer and Trevino however, they are leaning into the left leg on the back swing. Is this an illusion or was it triggered by something else? With Hogan it appears to be due to his extra wide stance.
May 21, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ray. Not an allusion. Different players have experimented with setups and weight transfers. Hogan did have an extra wide stance which would create a little bit of lead side lean.
May 21, 2015
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Greg
practicing this in a door way by moving my right hip laterally back a few inches and bumping the door frame to exaggerate it. My hands naturally move back as I make this move versus starting the takeaway with the hands first, I am assuming that by making this move correctly the sequence is actually initiated by this move and not the hands. correct??
May 20, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Greg. Don't shift too much laterally back. Nevertheless, using the load into the trail glute is a great way to trigger the swing.
May 20, 2015
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Josh
Sorry... that was supposed to be a note and not a comment. Used the wrong field.
May 16, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
May 16, 2015
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Josh
Weight goes to heel in right foot because you're sitting back into the shot. Right glute muscle should be engaged.
May 16, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Josh. No worries.
May 16, 2015
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Nick
I seem to be confused with the "bump" used to get the weight to the right. A bumb can be achieved many ways and as an old baseball player I was taught to load to the right mainly by increasing the flex in my right knee (hitting, pitching, throwing). But if I do that in a golf swing all my initial alignments get jacked up (hips point open, shoulders open, etc). Since, RST is based on pulling, is it a good thought to start the weight shift by pulling with the inside of the right leg by using the same move that is used to get stacked on the left side during the downswing?
May 15, 2015
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Nick, yes, that's exactly what you do. Pull with the groin and glute muscles from the right side. Good thinking! R.J.
May 16, 2015
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Barry
You say to get the correct stance I must bump my hip to the left a little to get the correct spine tilt so my right hand is correctly on the club. However now I need to bump my hip to the right to get weight shift. Will this not affect the original stance set up?
April 19, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Barry. You might be over doing it. Slight hip bump and axis tilt. You aren't transferring weight with the bump. From the new position you should be able to easily settle into the trail glute. The weight will still remain 50/50 at setup. And, you shift the whole body back not just bump the hip back.
April 19, 2015
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joe
Doesn't sound physically correct. If you tilt by shifting the to the left, can weight really be even. You have a mass tilt that has to be supported. It actually feel like load on lead leg increases with axis tilt. Then when turn chest around spine, naturally load the back leg and flute due to mass rotation not the shift. I find this mechanical and easy to overdo. For example the exercise to raise back heel then push down to start backswing can cause both excessive shift and loss of spine angle. Need some I Unification here?
January 31, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Joe. When you bump your lead hip slightly towards the target and allow the upper half to tilt away from the target. Both moves will cancel out or negate that one side is bearing more load than the other. You should have the ability to balance out 50/50. Yes, you can overdo the stop to shift the weight and load the trail glute. In the long run you will quiet the shift down. Most players starting out though have a hard time feeling load or shift at all. Sometimes you need to exaggerate in the beginning to understand the overall goal wanting to be achieved.
January 31, 2016
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joe
The tilt feels fine. I do feel front leg load. Alway me to shift effortlessly onto glute when start my takeaway. adding initial bump shifts me off ball and I think changes axis tilt. Seems too much. If I just begin the turn around spine hips everything turn to limited extent on same axis loading trail glute. Just seems that bump without turn is just that and leads to mechanical and later truning
January 31, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Joe. Take a look at the Importance of Axis Tilt Video. You can over do this move. It is a slight bump/tilt. You might be shifting the hip too aggressively.
January 31, 2016
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Chris
Chris I'm looking for a good thought/image/ biofeedback drill to help get my swing started with my weight shift and turn. I've seen a reference to the "stomp drill" in the video on the lower body movement. Could you provide some direction on this move? Thanks,
April 13, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Chris. Are you looking for a trigger to start the shift back or through?
April 14, 2015
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Chris
Through.
April 14, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Chris. Here are a few. The "stomp drill" is in the How the Lower Body Works Video Downswing Section. RST Tempo Drill in the Introduction Section. Frisbee Drill Weight Shift Section.
April 14, 2015
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Stephen
Hi I keep breaking the right hip line, I shift my weight the 1 to 2 inches to the right and I can't get back to the line when I rotate. I get stuck ahead of the line at the point were I shift my weight to. Any tips to preventing me breaking the hip line on my backswing? I do this drill and get the crease in my trousers the way chuck ask but I still am ahead of the line when at the top of backswing
April 3, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Stephen. You are just over doing the shift. In your videos, you exaggerate the movement. You need to calm down the motion. You shift about 3-4 on video. Stand straight up and down. And, in proper stance width. Put the majority of your weight on your trail leg. You shouldn't have to move too much to increase the weight.
April 5, 2015
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Stephen
Hi Craig, is it OK to transfer the weight to the trail side after the takeaway? i am getting the crease in my pants like chuck says in this video, post takeaway. I also have my glute activated and weight on my heel on the trail side, with the right hip line maintained. When I shift my weight initially, then get the crease in my pants I break the right hip line. Thank you for your advice Stephen
April 5, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Stephen. The majority of the weight preferably needs to happen to initiate the swing and/or in the takeaway.
April 5, 2015
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Joey
As long as the weight gets shifted back to the left foot and in to the outside of the left ankle in the downswing transition, is it then safe on the left knee and hip to snap the left knee straight? I read on here to think of weight shift in downswing as shift 1" in downswing transition, then 2" to get into completed position. Does a lot of the shift during the 2" period come from straightening of left leg?
March 16, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Joey. You don't want to snap the lead knee too straight into impact. It can help you create more speed by snapping/pulling the leverage out of the ground. However, this is what lead to Tiger's first knee surgery. The majority of the shift comes from lead hip abduction and settling of the weight into the lead glute.
March 16, 2015
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Joey
Thanks for the clarification, Craig. Should lead hip abduction and settling of the left glute happen fairly, naturally after impact? Right now, I'm kind of picturing it as getting into a balanced finish with 90% of weight on the left leg. I try not to control too much of the movement after impact. It happens mostly from centrifugal force and the momentum created during the other parts of the swing. What do you think?
March 16, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Joey. It will happen pretty naturally. Some players have trained themselves not too. Thus, needing some un-learning. Take a look at the RST Tempo Drill in the Introduction Advanced Section. It will help give you the athletic looking and feeling shift.
March 16, 2015
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Joey
You're the man! Thanks for all the help. This site is fantastic! I've made major improvements. Golf has never been so fun! Keep up the great work.
March 16, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
We appreciate the compliments. That is what we want to hear. Make golf fun again!
March 16, 2015
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Brian
I have been working on weight shift both to right and left. But Has a high handicap golfer would I be better served to focus on getting to the left side.
March 11, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Brian. Body momentum is very important to help you create speed and lag in the golf swing. Don't discount the importance of a weight shift to the trail side. With that said, shifting to the lead side is crucial for proper impact.
March 11, 2015
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Randy
AAARGH!!! So frustrated, guys. No matter what I do, I seem to still have wobbly knees in my takeaway and backswing. I don't know what to do. I've looked at the laser beam knee drills, but it's still not helping. No matter what I do, when I look at myself on video, my weight rolls to the outside of my right foot (I'm a right-handed golfer) and my left knee rolls in. Please help. What else can I try?? Thanks for any assistance. Sorry for the rant. :( Just frustrated.
March 9, 2015
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Randy, No problem for the rant at all. We understand how frustrating the golf swing can be. I would double and triple check a few things here... Check to make sure you do not have too much knee flex at address and the weight is locked right under your ankles. Check to make sure you hips are not pulled underneath you. Stick the tush out. Check to make sure you have your ankles rolled in just slightly at address. You may want to try and squeeze the glutes together at address and then try to keep them squeezed as you shift and load up the trail side. Also, double check to make sure you are getting enough shift over to the trail side. Right hip line. Try those things out and see if that helps. Its best to feel like your bottom half is anchored to the ground at the address position. If you feel unstable at address, then it will get worse when you have momentum in the club.
March 10, 2015
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Randy
Thanks a ton, Chris. FYI - I'm on your waitlist for unlimited swing reviews, so here's hoping something opens soon. As for the tips, I must be flexing too much at the knee. I definitely have my tush back, but I guess I feel more comfortable / stable being less vertical. I think that's because I think if I'm too vertical, I'm going to top the ball even with lag. Grrr.. I'll try it tonight and capture some video down the line. I can compare to a model swing and see how much flex / tilt I have. Anyway, thanks again. Until next time...
March 10, 2015
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
My pleasure Randy and I am going to be opening spots in the groups later this week Would love to have you join in and work with you personally.
March 10, 2015
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Gordon
I notice there seems to be a bit of contradiction from this video talking about the right hip staying up against the line on the backswing as opposed to the video on James Hahn's swing which talks about his right hip moving away from the line because of the rotation of the hip. Am I misunderstanding anything?
March 3, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gordon. It can deviate a little from the line. As long as you are loading and rotating. The majority of players though either sway and break it too much and/or reverse shift leaving it too much. Ideally, try to maintain the line.
March 5, 2015
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John
I'm having a really hard time getting my weight over my right side during the takeaway. Looking at my takeaway on video, my right hip appears to actually move slightly toward the target and my butt is over my left side, kind of like Chuck mentions at the 2 min mark. And my lower left back is what feels tight during my takeaway reps, so I know I'm not doing it right. I can't seem to get a nice vertical right hip line. I've tried to "shift" my hips, I've tried to "sit back" into my glute, but I'm missing something...Is there anything you could add to this video to help me get this move right?
February 1, 2015
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
John, It's likely that you're not stabilizing your hips well enough. Make sure that your ankles are rolled inward in your stance with your weight is centered over the ankle joints. Also, make sure that your right knee is maintaining flex throughout your takeaway/backswing. Another thing that you can do is use your weight shift to the right as your trigger to start the swing. Shift your weight into your right heel before you start the takeaway shoulder rotation. This will move the club about 6 inches away from the ball. If you slide your hips back towards the target, as you described above, it won't take the club away from the ball. Here are some videos that can help you http://www.rotaryswing.com/videos/full-swing-basics/setup/5-minutes-to-the-perfect-golf-setup http://www.rotaryswing.com/videos/full-swing-basics/backswing/maintaining-knee-flex-the-anchor http://www.rotaryswing.com/videos/full-swing-advanced/backswing/right-knee-laser-beam-drill http://www.rotaryswing.com/videos/full-swing-advanced/backswing/left-knee-laser-beam-drill You'll get it because of your hard work, don't beat yourself up. R.J.
February 1, 2015
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John
Hi R.J., thanks for the quick response and the info. Your comment about rolling my ankles in and the video about the right knee laser beam definitely showed me something and helps me feel like my hips can stay a bit more stable instead of rotating too easily. My knees have always been directly over my feet, and just bringing them in slightly over the inside of my ankles made a surprising difference in the stability of my hips/knees. I've got to keep working on it, but thanks for helping me get closer!
February 1, 2015
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
John, You're welcome. R.J.
February 2, 2015
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nathan
Will the right leg essentially become straight up and down (instead of angled in) from a face on as the weight is shifted? And secondly wont this weight shift in the hips cause you to lose axis tilt? Perhaps I a making this far too complicated but doing rotation drills I have started getting lower back pain and I think I am not transferring enough weight to the right.
January 7, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Nathan. The right leg needs to maintain some flexion as you continue to the top. You don't want to straighten up too much at the knee. The weight shift should not cause you to lose axis tilt. Axis tilt is created by bumping the hips. Not shifting the weight. The weight shift isn't a bump back, but rather a load into the glute.
January 8, 2015
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Daniel
Chuck talks about being about 80% loaded onto the "inside" of the right leg. Does that mean I should feel the majority of my weight on the inside of my right foot and the inner muscles of my right leg?
December 20, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Daniel. You should feel the weight staying more on the inside of the right foot/leg and some will tend to be the middle. Just don't let it rock to the outside of the foot/leg.
December 21, 2014
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James
Chuck talks about internal hip rotation in this video. I am currently working on weight shift and experimenting with the feel of internal hip rotation. When I internally rotate the hips both during the backswing and the downswing, the weight naturally moves from my right heel to my left heel. So far, it looks and feels as if I'm producing the correct movements. The questions I have are...can I "overdo" internal hip rotation? Do you have any more videos on the subject? And lastly, internal hip rotation feels like I'm screwing my leg and foot into the ground in the opposite direction as my upper body turn. It does not hurt at all, in fact my lower body feels much more stable. Does this sound like the correct feel?
December 18, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
James, Yes, you're doing it correctly. You can over do it, but that's why we use the right foot as a breaking mechanism and extend the left leg just before impact, to prevent over doing it so we can transfer energy up the chain. So, if you are making it look good on camera and it feels right, then chances are, you're good to go. Let us know if you have any other questions, R.J.
December 18, 2014
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Stephen
Hi i was unable to find clay ballards power u video, where do i get this video? I cant find this. Sorry
December 2, 2014
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Rodolfo
http://www.rotaryswing.com/videos/full-swing-advanced/downswing/proper-golf-swing-hip-movement-power-u
December 3, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Rodolfo, Thank you, sir. I see that you're getting pretty good at searching for the videos. R.J.
December 4, 2014
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Stephen
If you perform the right knee laser beam drill effectively, with weight shift to the right, does the right leg rotate in the hip socket automatically?
November 21, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Stephen, The right leg doesn't rotate. The right hip drops back into the depth plane in order to make room for the hip rotation. We don't shift our weight into the right side enough or rotate the body hard enough to necessitate a rotation of the right leg. Watch Clay Ballard's Power U video, it will describe the movement of the hips better R.J.
November 22, 2014
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Stephen
When an instructor completes your review, there is a recommended video section below it. Are these videos that the instructor recommends or do we only follow what he states in his recorded review? Sorry if stupid question.
November 19, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Stephen, No questions are stupid. Those videos are the videos that your instructor gives you so you can visualize the points that he's trying to give you in your review. If you work on those videos, it'll help rid you of the issues you were having in your video. So, the videos and what the instructor is recommending should be one in the same. I hope this alleviates your concerns R.J.
November 19, 2014
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Charles
I can find and access the Weight Shift Part 2 video using "search" but it is not listed in the Menu under Full Swing Program or the Full Swing Advance, Weight Shift. Is there a more complete Menu than the one listed under the "Videos" Tab?
November 7, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Charles, If you click on Full Swing Program Weight Shift, the first three videos are: Understanding Weight Shift Part 1 Weight Shift Part 2: Right Hip Line Weight Shift Part 3: To the Left R.J.
November 7, 2014
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Charles
R.J. Thank you for the reply. When I click on Full Swing Program Weight Shift, I do not have three videos listed. When I scroll down past the menu list the only video shown is Understanding Weight Shift Part 1. It appears in a video screen and I can easily play that one video but no other videos are listed in the menu or shown or referenced near the video screen. Thanks Again, Charles
November 7, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Charles, I will get in contact with someone who will be able to better assist you with this video issue. R.J.
November 7, 2014
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Charles
I discovered the problem is with my computer operating system. I was using Vista and the menu only listed a few of the relevent videos (no thumbnail pictures of the clips). When I used another computer with Windows 8, I was able to see all the videos you referenced. Even the menu bar at the top was different. If there is a fix for Vista, I'd like to know about it, otherwise I can use another computer. Thanks Again, Charles
November 8, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Mobile devices also show the play list like what you saw in your Windows 8 experience. I answer questions from my tablet frequently. R.J.
November 8, 2014
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Greg
Hi R J, Just a follow up. I've really appreciated the detail you have provided in the weight shift. I want to get this right, so I am practicing the right move. Too often when I hit balls, I feel like I am not staying down and through the shot. You mentioned in the squat that the left knee stays centered over the left ankle, I assume the same is true with the right knee at the top of the backswing. During the backswing the left knee can turn inward toward the centerline between the ankles or push out slightly toward the left toes and very little toward the centerline. I tend to do the later, which is correct?
November 2, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Greg, Firstly, you're welcome. Secondly you don't want your knees to turn laterally. The joint is meant to flex your body up and down. It isn't meant to rotate. Any rotation of the knees or sideways bending of the knees will ultimately result in injury. There's a left knee laser line video drill on the website. If you find yourself having lateral movement of either knee in your swing, please refer to the left or right knee laser line drills. It is crucial for your safety. Also, you don't want to go entirely over top of your ankle joint in the backswing. Your weight should be centered over the arch of your right foot or just inside of that in your backswing. The reason for that being, if you get too far back on to the right leg in the backswing, it's going to take way too much effort to get back to the left. Also, your head will start to move laterally, which changes the point where your swing bottoms out, unless you get back to the left side perfectly. In the takeaway, your weight should be distributed roughly 60(R)/40(L) between your right and left foot. At the top of your backswing, it will be around 75 or 80 (R)/25 or 20 (L). At impact, it should be 80(L)/20(R) and in your follow through 90(L)/10(R). In the weight shift drills, you should be thinking shift my weight 1 inch to the right for the backswing, then the 1 inch back to centered when transitioning to the downswing and then 2 inches to the left to get over top of the left ankle for the downswing. R.J.
November 2, 2014
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Greg
Chuck demonstrates the feel of the loading to the left side with the jumping to the left heal and the lunge maintaining a 90 degree angle with the left knee. Is the load on the the right side the same feeling as if I were doing a lunge on the right leg and maintaining and 90 degree angle. Note: I am not suggesting a 90 degree angle with the knee on the backswing.
October 31, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Greg, If you're getting your knee at a 90 degree angle when trying to sit into your left side that means your knee is moving forward and moving the weight to the balls of your feet with a bend at the ankle. If you tried to swing a golf club and bend the knee 90 degrees without moving the weight forward to the balls of your feet, you'd fall over. The angle for sitting into your left side it closer to 45 degrees and making sure that your left knee is still centered over top of the ankle. Also, when you squat or sit into your left side, your head is pulled downwards a hair as you're loading up, if it were same in the backswing, then the head would be dropping in the takeaway instead of when you transition from the backswing to the downswing. Think of it more as a pitcher throwing from a "mound" that would be flat. The load into the right side is subtle while the load into the left side after he plants his leg is much more dramatic. Also, a pitcher doesn't push off the rubber, if you watch their right foot in slow motion, it's being drug by the body and the toe scrapes along the ground. I only brought this up because I didn't want you to get into the habit of pushing off on the right side. As a matter of fact, if you do the RST - Tempo Drill, it should help you a lot with this naturally. R.J.
November 1, 2014
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Moe
as i rotate and load into that right heel, my head dips noticably. and i cant prevent that. that cant be right can it`?
October 27, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Moe, The only way for your hips to dip when you're loading into your right heel is for your knee flex to increase. Load into your heel without increasing your knee flex or forward hip hinge. R.J.
October 27, 2014
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Moe
hey R.J., im afraid i am a little confused now. i was initially referring to my head that was dipping, but the reason is indeed an increased kneeflex, at least on the left. but, in a previous reply to a question of mine here you said 'Do not allow your knee to move laterally [...] Your knee will flex more and your foot will stay flat.' can u please clear this up for me? and additionally: what is the general nature of this move here? its 2inches lateral and some socket rotation, so no vertical movement at all, right? its just the shift to the right, no additional feel like stomping the right heel into the ground or so... i might be exaggerating the movement. yet, when i rotate, my left knee automatically flexes more and my head dips (2-3inches)... thanks for your patience man...
October 27, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Moe, Your left knee will naturally flex a little bit more as you move to the top of your backswing because it needs to make room for the left hip joint which is being pulled towards the ball by the rotation of the right shoulder, which in turn pulls your right hip back behind your right knee. Watch Clay Ballard's Proper Golf Swing Movement: Power U in the Full Swing Advanced: Downswing section. R.J.
October 27, 2014
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Jerome
Hi, is correct to said that the wheigt shoud be on the heel of the right foot at the top of BS (that help me to fell the pressure on the thigh...)?
October 23, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Jerome, Yes, your weight should be in your right heel at the top of the backswing. R.J.
October 23, 2014
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ilan
Sorry R.J , I am not sure I understood, so I have written 3 possible options: 1.do you recommend to shift the weight first and than start the rotation of the shoulders ? or 2.together, to shift the weight and turn the shoulders? or 3.when the hips start rotating passivly (due to the shoulders movement) to transfer the weight actively ?
October 21, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Press your right heel in the ground to shift the weight to get your swing started. This gives you the proper weight transfer and acts as a trigger to get the swing started without doing something detrimental to your swing. Sorry for the confusion R.J.
October 21, 2014
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ilan
In relation to my question below , when I watch the hip movements during the takeaways model swings , there isn't any lateral shift.so maybe there is a combination of simultanious rotational and lateral movements of the right hip during the second part of the backswing ?
October 21, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Refer to your other question
October 21, 2014
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ilan
hi gentlemen, please confirm If I understood correctly : during the takeaway we are not supposed to turn our hips but to actively shift them 2-4 cm to the right and during the continuous backswing the hips will turn due to the turn of the torso ?
October 21, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Ilan, It's an optical illusion. When you shift your weight properly while you rotate, your upper body appears to stay still while your torso rotates around the spine. If you don't shift your weight, then your torso will tilt back towards the target as you rotate. And yes, you want to keep the hips stabilized by sitting into the glutes and not allowing your knees to shift laterally. But do not physically try to hold them back because you can cause injury. Allow the shoulder rotation to naturally rotate the hips 35-45 degrees to complete the 90 degree shoulder turn. R.J.
October 21, 2014
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Moe
how does my left knee and foot (im RH) react to the weightshift and rotation? my left knee either moves forward a bit, increasing the kneeflex, or the kneeflex stays constant and then my left knee is breaking in to the right with the tendency of the outside of my left foot to lift off the ground...
October 20, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Moe, Do not allow your knee to move laterally. That will cause you to lean your upper body towards the target and cause stress on the knee joint. Your knee will flex more and your foot will stay flat. Do not allow your weight to drift to the balls of your feet. Keep the weight in your heels to remain stable. R.J.
October 20, 2014
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Michael
It kind of feels like I'm rotating my lead shoulder down and behind the ball when I practice in the mirror.
October 4, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
The lead shoulder follows the function of pulling the trail shoulder back correctly. With some tilt at address you might be noticing a different position. However, try the Golf Body Rotation Video in the Advanced Backswing Section. Make sure you are rotating and not tilting.
October 5, 2014
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Lee
So I am working on weight shift and relating this to what I have learnt so far on the takeaway part of the swing. So the stuff I am an analysing: 1) weight shift on takeaway, i.e. early in the backswing 2) hips don't rotate initially and the right shoulder pulling back deals with the upper body rotation 3) the hips eventually come into play as a result of the upper body rotation So I guess the above I am trying to relate to what Chuck mentions about the rotation of the hips dealing with the illusion of no weight transfer, if there is no hip rotation initially on takeaway and there is weight transfer, wouldn't this push the hips past the right hip line, since no hip rotation early on?
October 4, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Lee. There is a slight amount of rotation. However, very minimal. Your sequence is correct. Don't prohibit them from ever moving. Just don't over rotate with a push from the left. You start 2 inches outside neutral joint alignment. Shifting 1 inch and a slight amount of rotation won't push it beyond the alignment.
October 5, 2014
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Lee
Brilliant, thanks Craig.
October 5, 2014
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Martin
So I've watched all the back swing videos. There's the hip rotation, right shoulder blade 2 inch turn, and the pull with right obliques to turn the body around the hips. I guess I'm wondering which should take precedence in muscle dominance out of the three, or are they all equally simultaneous?
September 22, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Martin. All the muscles are important to the golf swing. However, with the moves that you are referring too. Learn how to load the trail glute first. Then, focus on the 2 inch shoulder blade movement to rotate the shoulders and pulling with the obliques. Combine them into an effective takeaway.
September 22, 2014
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Michael
How can you bump left for axis tilt and then load to the right seems one counteracts the other
August 19, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Michael. A weight shift isn't a bump of the hips back in the opposite direction. You are maintaining the same position. Just shifting the weight into the trail leg/glute by 1 inch. You shouldn't be bumping back, only increasing load.
August 19, 2014
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Dean
I am 60 yrs old and 6`2 and weigh 250. I am an ex football player and still in pretty good shape but cannot seem to fully swing thru the shot. I am doing the weight shift drills but find I am still having difficulty getting my weight fully shifted thru with a complete release. The only way I ever seem to get thru the shot is with the old Gary Player walk thru drill. Suggestions?
August 15, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Dean. Try the Weight Shift Drill in the Advanced Downswing Section. Make sure you are getting fully on the lead side. Also, take a look at the Tempo Drill in the Weight Shift Section.
August 15, 2014
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Jeff
When the weight shift occurs and the right gute is fully loaded will this cause a slight lowering of the head?
August 1, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Jeff. It can cause just a slight lowering of the head.
August 2, 2014
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Mark
Surely you mean external rotation of the r hip, not internal rotation?
July 27, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Mark. The right hip (right handed golfer) will internally rotate on the backswing. Your are coiling up using the right side. Allowing the shoulder blade movement and torso to pull the hips back.
July 27, 2014
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Richard
I was given the right hip line drill from my instructor as one of the drills to practice. In the drill it describes moving to the right side keeping the right hip in line and feeling as if I am pushing the right heel into the ground I am also feeling as if my right buttocks is sitting on a stool, am I correct in this? Or am I sqauting to much? Thanks Rick
July 23, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Rick. You might be over doing the squat. But, engagement is key. Just shift the weight 1 inch into the right glute. Heel in the ground and a load on the leg. Imagine standing straight up. Push the right heel into the ground. Get the majority of the weight on the right, while keeping the left foot down. It should feel engaged and loaded. Not stressed.
July 23, 2014
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Jonathan
My right knee is sore from working on my weight shift. I suspect this is due to my weight being on the front of my right foot rather than heel. Is this correct? Could there be another reason?
July 14, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jonathan. You are probably correct. When the weight gets to far in front you activate the quad muscle. The quad works more off the hinge joint in the right knee. Used primarily for and up and down motion, than left and right. Shifting the weight improperly would stress the joint, because its not designed to handle a lateral type of movement.
July 14, 2014
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Don
I have struggled with swaying for a long time. In order for me to feel like I am loading the right glute, I find myself forcing to keep my right knee from moving. This in turn make me feel like the weight is on the ball of my right foot and not the heel. Is this normal until I master this move or should I let my knee move back naturally?
July 3, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Try and retain the knee flexion. However, if you start supporting the move with the weight on the balls. It will put undo stress on the joints. A slight movement would be better than tearing a ligament.
July 3, 2014
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John
I do not play a lot of golf, maybe once a week and if I leave my weight on the left side (right handed) during the take away,rather than transferring weight to the right side, I usually hit behind the ball. How do I correct this? Thanks
June 28, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey John. Are you wanting to shift your weight or stay on the left? If you are wanting to stay on the left. Take a look at the Taking a Divot Video in the Downswing Advanced Section. It will help with consistent ground strike. With trying to shift the weight in the takeaway. Feel like your first move is pushing the right heel into the ground engaging the right glute. It's only a 1 inch transfer that will get approximately 80% of your weight on the right.
June 29, 2014
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Mark
I have experienced a significant benefit from rotating so as to form a crease in my pants as described in the video. Is this rotation controlled by pulling with the right shoulder blade. Is the rotation performed such that the hips shift to the right 1-2inches as described in the video? Where are the hands in the backswing when the weight shift starts and ends.
June 5, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
The majority of the weight transfer will happen in the takeaway. The hips will be pulled by the rotation of the torso and obliques. During the takeaway the hips will remain fairly quiet and as you continue to the top they will be pulled open 45 degrees.
June 5, 2014
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Joe
I am confused with this video(weight shift 2) compared to the set up hip bump video which says I am to bump the hip to the left to get the axis tilt where as this one says to bump the hip right to get the weight on my right side. Could you please clarify?
June 5, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
The hip bump to the left is in an effort to create a touch of axis tilt. The weight will still remain neutral at address. Think of it like counter balancing. A couple degrees left with the lower body, allows a couple degrees back with the upper body. Leading to neutral weight distribution. As you shift to the right it will be loading the right glute. Not swaying the hip back to its original position.
June 5, 2014
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Jeffery
I have been working on the takeaway drills and want to work on weight shift. Is it OK for the hip turn/weight shift to start the takeaway so the arms will follow? Help me with the sequence. THX.
June 2, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Right Shoulder Right Glute. Using the weight transfer to the right activating the right glute and pulling back with the right shoulder can be used a a good trigger.
June 3, 2014
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Daniel
I'm confused if I should be rotating my hips when transferring weight to the back leg during the takeaway. I thought the takeaway was purely moving/ pulling my right shoulder behind me and keeping my belt buckle facing forward. Please advise.
May 30, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
When you start the takeaway and shift the hips to the right to load the right glute, there can be minimal amounts of rotation in the hips The key is to make sure they are really good and stable through the glutes and then allow the torso to pull the hips wound into the backswing so that you are really winding up those big core muscles.
May 30, 2014
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Michael
Part of the setup is the hip bump in order to get axis tilt. What happens during the first step of weight shift? It sounds like we are to bump the hip back 1 inch as we shift to the right. Is axis tilt still a concern?
May 20, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
As you start to shift the weight 1 inch into the right glute, you shouldn't be bumping the hip back which would cause loss of axis tilt. We want to maintain the axis tilt as we load the right glute. It's a settle into the right glute, not a bump of the hips. Maintaining the axis tilt is a vital component of making a centered rotation around the spine and staying loaded on the right side a the top of the swing.
May 21, 2014
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Andrew
What about the right knee? I am working on shortening my swing and training from the fault/fix video: load right glute and this says to keep the right knee as still as possible, however it seems that proper internal hip rotation will cause the right knee to move backward. Is my assessment correct?
May 10, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
The right knee does need to stay flexed and facing forward to ensure that the hips are stable and not over rotating. The hip can internally rotate when the torso is pulling the hips to a wound position in the backswing. This helps make sure the glute is fired and helps create separation in the hip shoulder line which is critical for efficient power.
May 11, 2014
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andrew
would it be correct to say that the initiation of the weight shift to the right is by using the ground pressure built up on the insides of the feet that runs up through the inner legs and then the internal rotation of the right hip is facilitated by the rotation of the torso? I guess the main question is whether or not ground force through the feet by rolling the ankles inward sets up the pressure points from which to activate the muscles that initiate the shift to the right and the rotation of the hip which is facilitated by the turning of the torso with the obliques? I apologize if this is convoluted im just trying to make sure i have the right feel and though process. Thanks
April 22, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
The shift and load to the right will just be a small shift of the hips and this movement is generally supported by the hip abductors. This allows the weight to get into the right side and you are looking to load the right glute to stabilize the pelvis which in turn will allow the torso to pull the hips into a wound position into the backswing.
April 22, 2014

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