5 Minutes to Master Rotation

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This video holds the 5 step pathway to mastering rotation in the golf swing. At the end of this 15 minute video is a workout program for you to follow once you've completed "5 Minutes to the Perfect Setup" and "5 Minute Setup Plus Weight Shift".

  • Master each step before moving on to the next
  • At each step, use obliques to rotate, keeping hips still
  • Allow arms to be transported along with torso - do not push or move them independently
  • Step 1 - Standing upright, hands in "Namaste" position
  • Step 2 - Standing upright, arms extended with hands 1" apart
  • Step 3 - Setup posture, hands in "Namaste" position
  • Step 4 - Setup posture, arms extended with hands 1" apart
  • Step 5 - Setup posture, holding club


5 Minutes to Master Body Rotation in the golf swing teaches you how to rotate properly and use your core rather than the momentum from your arms and hands to make a full shoulder turn.

                Learning how to rotate your body properly in the golf swing is a huge piece that most people don't understand how to do. In this segment, we're going to talk about developing the keys to rotation and understanding the movement of the arms or lack thereof, really. I'm going to give you five simple ways to go through it to help you learn to rotate properly, groove rotation, and learn to get your arms under control and in sync with your body.

                The first thing you're going to do is that you're going to stand straight up. You're always going to do things not in your golf posture, not with the golf club when you start out, because you need to boil everything down to the simplest moving pieces that you can so your brain has time to understand and feel and pay attention to all the different parts that are actually working here. Even something as simple as doing the shoulder rotation is a part that involves a lot of muscles. We want to get the kinesthetic awareness of what it is we're exactly we're trying to do and feel throughout this whole rotation in the golf backswing and the downswing.

                For right now, we're just going to focus really on the backswing. We're going to talk about how the shoulders rotate going back. I want you to stand up with me, get your feet just slightly outside of neutral joint alignment or neutral alignment. What you're going to do is you're going to start out with your hands in that same position that we did when we were getting into our setup posture for bowing forward, right in front of your body. Right in front of your chest, hands are vertical. All I want you to do is I want you to turn without turning your hips. You're going to start to feel these muscles. These are called your oblique muscles, and these are the muscles that are designed to help rotate your torso and your hips.

                What we're going to do is we're just going to turn, feeling those muscles. We're going to do this really slow at first, because I want you to take your time and feel these muscles, your obliques, starting to engage. That's the first part that I want you to become aware of. For those of you who have spent some time working on the takeaway and paying attention to that right shoulder blade glide, you may also feel that as well. That's a great thing, because that is going to help pull all that rotation in around your spine. Right now, we have primarily the obliques as our key checkpoint, and for the more advanced guys, that right shoulder blade glide moving in towards the spine.

                All we're doing is we're just rotating around our spine here. The reason I put your hands in front of your chest is I want you to ... Once you have done this a few times, you can go back and forth both directions ... is I want you to start to feel first of all, whether or not your hips go with it. If you look at my hips right now, my upper torso is turning, but my hips are remaining very quiet. That's the first goal here, is that your hips need to be not following along in your rotation. It may seem like, gosh, I'm really not moving my hips, but if you watch yourself in a mirror, a ton of golfers that we see every day just trying to ask them to rotate, they do this. They realize that their hips are what are moving all over the place in the golf swing, and so they have no control. Until they learn to just stand here and do this very simple drill without turning their hips, there's no way they're ever going to do it in the golf swing.

                You're going to start out, again, just here, no hip rotation to start. Once you've got that where your hips feel pretty quiet ... You're not going to make a full 90-degree shoulder turn at this point. It's really just about 45 degrees with no hip turn. Now, if you can feel your obliques and maybe feel that right shoulder blade working in towards the spine a little bit, now I want you to really pay attention to your lead hand. If you're a right-handed golfer, that's your left hand.

                I want you to pay attention to if you're starting to push your right hand away from the center of your chest. It may be very, very subtle at first. You may not even notice it, that your shoulder tenses up, that you're putting increased pressure on your right hand, but I would say at least nine out of 10 golfers that we work with at the academy start pushing from the left side, and they can't even feel it at first. That's why we take all of these drills down to the bare minimum so that you can start to feel when things are working that shouldn't be. Right now, we're really just feeling our obliques, the right shoulder blade, hips are staying quiet. If you feel your hands pushing across, or if you look in the mirror from down the line and your hands have moved away from the center of your chest, it's that you're pushing with that left side.

                When we do that, this is why so many golfers can't get their back to the target. When we get into looking at the full swing, we have so many golfers who say, "Oh, I've never gotten my shoulders to the target or my back to the target. I've never made a full shoulder turn. I'm not flexible enough." Well, in all the years that I've been teaching, I've never once had a student that I couldn't get their back to the target. It has nothing to do with flexibility. It has to do with moving from the right spots. Obviously, being a golf instructor in Florida, I teach older golfers all the time, who have very limited flexibility, but if you pull your right shoulder back behind your head, the movement to make a full shoulder turn is tiny. You're only moving your shoulder about six inches.

                To do this, anybody can do this. Anybody has enough flexibility to pull their right shoulder behind their head. If you're pushing from the left, then it's very tough to make a full shoulder turn. We want to really monitor this that we're not pushing from that left hand. Our left hand is nice and relaxed. We're really just using our obliques and that right shoulder blade to rotate our torso. Okay? You're going to do it. You're going to need to do this. Some people may get it right away, but I highly recommend that everybody spend at least five or 10 minutes just doing this without getting into your posture, without moving your arms, so you can start to become aware of these muscles. These are what actually need to transport the club back during the backswing.

                Once you've mastered this, once you can feel that you're no longer pushing from the left ... You can feel both obliques rotating your torso, maybe feel that shoulder blade moving in ... then we're going to add the arms, but still standing upright. Okay? Still standing in the same posture, now all you're going to do is let your arms come out about 45 degrees away from you. In other words, they're going to be about belt buckle height. Now, they're going to be about an inch apart. What you're going to do is make that same motion. I'm just going to use my torso to rotate back, and my hands should still remain right in front of my body.

                Now, if you go back and you start seeing that your hands are here, you can see that my chest, it's pointing this way, and my hands are pointing this way. This is a push across with my left arm. That same tension that I might have felt when I was pushing against my left hand, I should feel that in my left shoulder as I'm doing this drill with my hands an inch apart. I'm going to notice that I'm starting to tense up. My chest muscle is starting to tighten up. My shoulder is starting to tighten up, and I'm starting to push across my body. We obviously don't want that, because that's what's going to inhibit the shoulder turn.

                Instead, a good visual for this is imagine that you're leaving your hands right there where they are at the golf setup, and you're just focusing on turning your torso. I'm actually imagining that I'm trying to leave my hands here and not moving them at all. If I imagine to myself that I'm leaving them behind and I'm just focusing on using my obliques to rotate me and that right shoulder blade glide, I'd lose this tension in my left shoulder. I lose starting to do this. Now I can keep my hands intact and make good rotation.

                We're going to start to do this using both obliques, back and forth. You may notice that on if you start to rotate back to the left, that you want to start pushing from the right side. Now your right shoulder is getting activated. We want those both shoulders to stay very relaxed. All we're doing is keep watching our hands, make sure they stay one inch apart, and use the obliques to rotate your torso. Do this very, very slow at first. Your brain does not work at full speed. We know this by now. It's going to take time. Just do it very slow, nice and relaxed. Use your obliques. Rotate your torso. Once again, this is something you need to do 20, 30, 40 times at first, the first time you do it, before you can start to master this and do it correctly. That's the second piece.

                The third part is that we're going to actually go back to our hands in that bowing position, and we're going to get into our golf posture. If you've already gone through the setup videos, you know how to get into your posture. You're going to hinge from the hips. You're going to get in the box. Now I'm going to put my hands right here in front of my chest, and I'm going to use my obliques to rotate back and use my obliques to rotate through. No hip rotation at this point. Now, what you'll notice is that your rotation, the way that your muscles engage, is going to feel a little bit different.

                Once you hinge from the hips, you're putting your muscles in a way that's a different position. They're going to get stretched and used differently. It's going to feel a little bit different to rotate. That's why you need to do this without a golf club, without your arms in position. You're solely just starting to see if you want to start pushing again, whether or not your hips start turning. For a lot of you, it's going to be very common, because as soon as you get into this posture, the first thing you're going to do is go back to your golf swing thoughts instead of just learning new movement patterns, and go right back into turning your hips and pushing your arms across.

                We're going to stay nice and relaxed. Hands are relaxed. There's no tension in my left shoulder. My left arm is just completely relaxed as I rotate back to the left. My right side is really relaxed. It's just both of my obliques working back and through. On the backswing, I can use that right shoulder blade a little bit. You're going to do that until you feel, again, that you're confident that you're not pushing from this left side. You're not engaging this left shoulder, and you're not turning your hips.

                Once you master that, we're going to go on to the fourth step, which is in posture, in the box, but now our arms are hanging down in a setup position. Okay? Now our hands are one inch apart in a setup position, and we're going to do the exact same thing. Okay? We're not going to swing our arms. This is where if you failed on the first one where you couldn't stop pushing from this side, don't even bother with this one, because you're never going to get it right. You need to start from the beginning and work your way up to this.

                Now, as I get into my setup position, my hands are one inch apart, and I'm going to really take my time, feel my obliques, try to leave my hands at address. Right away, if you feel any tension doing this, you need to go back to address, relax that shoulder. If you feel your shoulders tensing up, shrug your shoulders up to your ears, and then pull them down and get back in the box and let your shoulders relax. Your arms are nice and relaxed. Use your obliques to rotate back, nice and slow. Imagine that you're leaving your hands back at setup, no hip turn, and rotate through. Not worried about weight transfer at this point. That's an advanced step that we'll add later. We're simply doing the shoulder blade movement and the torso rotation in our setup position. Nothing else. Forget about golf for a second. You're just learning new movement patterns. One inch apart with the hands. Leave the hands at address. Use your obliques and your shoulder blade to transport your arms back. Okay?

                You're going to need to do this one a lot, because this is the fourth step in the process that we've gone through. This is the most advanced one that we've gone through. We started with the simple one, and we added a little bit more complicated. Then we went back to simple in posture. Now we're making it a little bit more complicated.

                The last one is we're going to add a golf club. This is where things get really tricky, because as soon as we put this little guy back in your hands, the whole thing is thrown out the door. You're going to take your time before you get back to actually hitting golf balls, swinging a golf club, and doing this drill with a golf club, because as we all know, as soon as you put that little white devil in front of you, everything is started all over. We forget all the things that we're working on. That's why we've got to drill this over and over. That's why the workout program at the end of this video is there for you to follow, so that in a few weeks, you'll start to really understand and feel this, and you won't know any other way to move. That's the goal is to get you to move correctly and build that into your movement patterns.

                Now, we're going to get into our setup position again. We're going to do it with a golf club this time. We're going to do the exact same movement. We're not going to swing our arms. We're not going to worry about positions at this point. All we're doing is rotating back, trying to leave my arms in place. Right now, I'm focusing on feeling my obliques. I'm focusing on feeling the exact same things I did when I was at the very beginning. I'm not changing anything. Even though I've got a golf club in my hand, my mental power, my mental focus, is still here and on my shoulder blade and keeping my hands and arms nice and relaxed. I'm pulling back.

                If you notice any tension and grabbing that golf club tighter in your left hand, any tension here, go back immediately to address, relax your hands. At first, you may have to hold the club really lightly to be able to do this, but as you begin to rotate, you'll start to feel that the club is now being literally transported back and moving solely because you're using your obliques and your shoulder blade. Nothing else. You're not doing this with your hands. You're not moving your arms. You're not moving from your shoulders. This is the key and the secret to making a centered rotation, making a full turn, and keeping the golf club perfectly in sync with the body.

                Now when I continue to do this and rotate correctly back, I'm going to add rotation through. My hands are just following along. They're always in the center of my body. If they start to move out away and the club's no longer pointing at the center of my body, I've got to go back to the beginning and start over again. This is the key drill that once you've moved past the first four, you're ready to add this. Once you master this, you're ready to start hitting golf balls again.

                This drill is the prerequisite, really, for the nine to three drill, where you're actually hitting balls out on the range. You need to work this drill a lot before you go out and start hitting golf balls. If you master this five-step program that I just set out for you, your body rotation, your arm movement, all of these things will improve dramatically. Please take the time to focus on this. Do it right, and your golf swing will improve a ton.

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Vikram
I can do this by activating my core muscles. I can use the contraction to rotate. I am noticing that I end up holding my breath (shoulders, arms are loose). Am I doing this right?
December 3, 2023
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Vikram. Yes. You main be overusing the muscles, but you should start to feel engagement and lunch restriction with arms on the softer side.
December 4, 2023
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Colin
When you say shoulder blade, do we feel retraction in your trail shoulder getting to P2
August 24, 2023
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Colin. Yes, you will start to feel retraction in P2.
August 24, 2023
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Wayne
I’m confused after doing this drill trying to keep hips square and moving shoulder to pull arms back and 9to 3 using hips please clarify
March 2, 2023
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Wayne. Most players underutilize shoulder rotation and over rotate their hips going back. This is the way to feel the core move the arms/hands. That doesn't mean allowing for some hip rotation is incorrect in the swing.
March 2, 2023
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Eric
I played a round yesterday. I wasn’t sticking the ball well, but I broke 90 because my half shots and pitch shots were all over the hole. I played with a guy I didn’t know, but he was very much into golf swing mechanics. On the back nine he told me I was getting to a good spot pocket high, but I was stopping rotation and going all hands and arms. I thanked him because I had seen this in myself. I love 5 minute video on the takeaway, but with the shoulder blade glide I tend to stop once my shoulder blade gets down and in. I spent an hour practicing the sequence of the 5 Minute on Rotation. I transitioned to the 7 iron. Hitting nice effortless shots. My two biggest issues (besides stopping rotation) was left shoulder/arm push and turning my hips immediately. Working on not turning with hips and rotation with my obliques (leaving my hands in place). I then started adding weight shift. My feeling is that weight shift is the ignition of rotation (sounds like a Hogan corny comment). I was hitting them really well. Then I added elevation in REF. Things started going wrong - pushing from left side, etc. it feels to me that when I rotate properly with my obliques (and shoulder blade glide later in backswing vs. takeaway) I get natural elevation? Could this be right?
January 18, 2021
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Eric. Elevation will not be natural for some. But, to keep the arms in front you have to start allowing for them to elevate. Feeling more obliques initially is correct to help calm down arms and still have plenty of time to get in full rotation.
January 19, 2021
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Eric
Ok, the player in my foursome was right on about me stopping my rotation about hip high (end of takeaway) in my backswing. I had a Eureka moment today at the range. It is my posture. I’m 58 years old and the weakness and soreness in my back is my upper back between my shoulder blades from years of working at a computer. I have done thousands of shoulder shrugs and focused on bending from the hips. But I still have a roundness to my upper back. Because it locks up my vertebrae it puts the brakes on my rotation and I finish with my hands and arms into a flying elbow and not a full turn. I focused on trying to flatten the hump in my upper back, (which also pulls back my rounded shoulders). I even used the drill of putting a club behind me at my tailbone up my back. I hit a couple of buckets with power and consistency. Avoid the hunchback position!
January 20, 2021
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Eric. Posture and maintaining neutral spine is crucial to achieve full rotation.
January 20, 2021
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Eric
What is the best video for neutral spine? BTW, you have the thoracic spine videos - stretches, strengthening and most importantly how to break up adhesions in the thoracic spine, feels so good, great stuff, exactly what I had!
January 20, 2021
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Eric. I don't know of anymore stretches on the site for aiding neutral spine. But, I had to do the club down the spine as you described a ton to get comfortable setting up correctly.
January 20, 2021
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Jimmy
Hi is it normal to feel a little sore while doing this? like sore in the obliques as it wraps around the back
December 1, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jimmy. Absolutely. Finally getting those muscles involved!
December 2, 2020
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Matthew
Hello Didn't realize how difficult this exercise is as it looks so simple! Was wondering if a rep is considered back and through? In other words, should I do 25 back and return to square = 1 rep or does back and through to the lead side = 1 rep? Also, to keep my hips from turning, I feel the inclination to turn my hips to the left ever so slightly to keep them from turning to the right, though I checked in the mirror that when I feel like I'm turning my hips to the left very very slightly, they don't actually move . I want to focus on the rt. shoulder and obliques, but those hips just want to turn when i turn to the right. Apologies if I'm over-complicating this
October 7, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Matthew. A little over complicating. Use the printable worksheets under the Swing Reviews Tab ---> Checkpoints for Practice to help. The hips may move slightly because you are working the obliques hard, but the key is to not activate manual hip rotation. Each time you perform the move it counts as a rep. If you can do the back rep correctly. Go ahead and blend it with the through rep and count from there.
October 8, 2020
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Ron
Craig, I'm sending you this as a reply because my add a comment button doesn't activate. When doing these drills in golf posture, should I add axis tilt?
October 25, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ron. Ideally, every time you drill you should have some axis tilt.
October 25, 2020
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Kevin
I was drilling this last night in the mirror to help with my deep right arm. When I add the club, I have to go very slow to keep my arms centered to my chest. As I add speed and feel zero tension in my arms, my chest moves back faster than my arms which causes the left arm to start to lay across my chest. On the other end, I also watched a roadshow video where Chuck talks about how as we pick up speed with the core / chest rotation the speed helps keep the right arm from getting deep - which makes sense. Just struggling a little with picking up speed and keeping the arms in sync with the center of the chest.
May 19, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Kevin. Stopping the arms from out racing, or over swinging is tough. But, you have the picture in your mind what you need to do. Personally, I had to perform very slowly and gradually build up speed to conquer over using the arms.
May 19, 2020
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Gene
I understand the theory behind this drill and why it's important, but how do you apply the drill to the swing? Is the takeaway supposed to be done with shoulder/trunk rotation only, then the hips start rotating at a certain point? Something else? Thanks for clarifying.
May 1, 2020
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Mikko-Pekka
Hello Gene. Remember the mantra: big body turn and tiny little arms swing. You want your takeaway be body driven. Arms elevate slightly and you add a little bit of wrist cock. Take a look at 5 min. to perfect takeaway video.
May 1, 2020
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Mohnishkumar
Hii guys,while doing the 5th step when we are adding the club.Should we have to do the axis tilt.Thanks
April 2, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Monishkumar. Yes, with axis tilt.
April 2, 2020
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Mohnishkumar
Thanks craig for your quick reply.
April 2, 2020
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Anthony
Craig, Thanks for my recent swing review. Could you please clarify what you mean by me 'pushing with the lead thumb' at release. Thanks. Anthony.
March 10, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Anthony. You don't need to make the club throw down towards the ball by pushing against the lead thumb. If you take your thumb off and do a few last three, or even two finger release drills you will see the byproduct of getting rid of lag is due to 2 factors. The post up and the club wanting to rotate. Almost like you are forcing the club straight down instead of letting the toe rotate around the heel.
March 11, 2020
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Mohnishkumar
Hii guys,after doing this rotation drills I'm feeling that just by moving my right shoulder blade back I'm making a good rotation.So my question is ,Is there a sequence that the obliqe will move first and the blade will join it or we can start the rotation with the blade and oblique will move automatically.Thanks.
February 20, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Mohnishkumar. When you start pulling the trail lat the core will engage/aid in your rotation. So, in reference to your note it will kinda be automatic.
February 20, 2020
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Mikko-Pekka
Thanks Craig for pointing me to this video! Just a quick clarification. Regarding my elevation vs rotation should I keep the same amount of elevation and just rotate more or should I adjust both? Like more rotation and less elevation?
July 25, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Mikko. More rotation and less elevation. Elevation will mostly be after the takeaway and you are adding too much too soon.
July 25, 2019
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Jim
Hi RJ - Obviously having a tough time with this, but I appreciate you holding the line and showing me the right way. I hope I can fix the posture. I do have some back issues and have had them for decades. I will see if I can find some stretches that will help me, but will certainly work on the drill with the club, the ball and getting back off having my knees so far forward etc. Mid back tightness contributes to my using the hips too much in the back swing and not the shoulders, so I need to solve that - not sure what I can do to loosen that up, but I do have books of stretches and drills that I will look up and see what fits. Best, Jim
July 16, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Getting into the proper posture will help. Muscles will start getting tight if they're not being used properly. If you squat down instead of hinging, then hunch over, your mid back is going to be sore, you're creating curvature in your spine where it shouldn't be and when you try to rotate around that, it's going to cause pain. Pull your abs in towards your spine to help support the lower back once you get into the proper posture.
July 16, 2019
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Jim
Hi RJ - Thanks for clarifying and for the lesson on how to make my body work right. I woke up my obliques with all those reps and now I need to wake up those thigh and glute etc areas you reviewed. Will work on that and get another video in soon. Funny enough, I have gone out and hit a few balls with a gap wedge and overall hit the ball much better than before, even though I am still very much a work in progress. Just getting SOME improvement in getting the hips moving first has improved lag and stopped my chronic topping of the ball. That said, it can obviously get a whole lot better.
July 11, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the progress
July 11, 2019
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Jim
Hi RJ - Got your latest review. Thanks for being so detailed. Only way to improve. I will work on those points some more. The posture is a challenge, but I will work on it. Axis tilt is normally much better than that. But thanks for catching it. I see the shoulder lead still happening and will work on that. For the right hip stuff, is it the right concept to look at "pulling" with both hips to do the hip turn? I locked in on the concept of pulling vs pushing, and I think that is partly why the loading on the left shows up like that. I have been focusing on I think pulling with the left side, but it seems like I am leaving the right hip out of the process. Should I look at more "driving right side down" as the transition happens? (one of the videos covers that area I think) Kind of a matter of how do I launch the downswing. Any feedback on right videos to check/or your input would be most helpful. I will get this down. Thanks again - Jim
July 10, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Jim, I'm glad that you're pleased with the information. You want to pull with the muscles on the side that you're moving towards. You can't pull with the hip muscles on the right to move to the left. We're going to use the muscle on the inner left thigh, outer left hip and upper/outer left glute (buttocks) to pull the body weight over to the left side to internally rotate the left hip back away from the ball to clear room for your hands to come through the hitting zone. When the right hip comes forward, that's when the hips get in the way of your hands and contributes to getting stuck. While this is happening, the same muscles on the right side are stretching out. The only way to move to the left with muscles on the right is to push using muscles such as the inner/lower glute, calf and quad. The inner/lower glute is responsible for pushing the pelvis forward, essentially thrusting it, which causes us to pull away from the tush line and stand up out of our spine angle. The contributions of the right leg in moving to the left side are so minimal that trying to think about it almost always leads to people over using the right side. It's best to just allow the trail side to react naturally to what you're doing on the left side when you're focusing on only contracting those muscles on the left. It's very rare that someone under uses the right side in the downswing. The only thing you want to concern yourself with on the right side is to make sure the right heel stays down on the ground and the right foot rolls inwards so the weight is on the inside of the right foot from the big toe all the way down to the inside of the heel and the outside of the foot rolls up off the ground. This guarantees that we are not putting too much weight on the right foot by "hanging back" or over rotating our hips in the downswing.
July 11, 2019
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Jim
Hi RJ - Got your swing review. Thanks for being candid. I will work on the chair drill for sure. Unfortunately, in listening to your review, I could see the video move in slow motion to follow some of the pointers you made. But the key things I got from what you said. I guess I should do that drill a good bit and then submit another video? Any recommendation on number of reps to get that more grooved in?
June 24, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Let's give it two or three days to see if you can make the changes in the video so that we can make sure that your reps are good reps. Doing reps that aren't correct will only reinforce the incorrect movement. Try doing the movements as described in slow motion to make sure that you're able to do them and if you're struggling to do so, let me know in a review so we can get this figured out.
June 25, 2019
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Jim
Hi RJ - Thanks. I watched your review again more closely. First time, my connection was not letting me see my movements completely. This time I could. Something you noted that I have totally missed: If I heard you right, you use the back muscles and shoulders to get the hips to turn - not have the hips initiating that motion. Do I have that right? Of course, the obliques need to turn the core first to 45 degrees or so before that - but I have been focusing on (not very well so far of course) starting by getting the obliques to turn the core and then using the hips to finish the back rotation - NOT using the shoulders/back muscles to achieve the full wind up. I don't know where I got that the hips are involved with initiating that rotation to the back. If I have that wrong, I can fix that. Please advise. I do know that the weight transfer with the hips needs to initiate the downswing, but looks like I had too much attention on USING the hips to achieve the rotation to the back. The videos don't really talk about that much as far as I have seen. Hope to hear back from you to find out if I have it right now in terms of I guess more having the hips brought back by the back muscles and shoulders and not the reverse. Best, Jim
June 25, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Jim, Correct. The rhomboid and lower trapezius muscles under the right shoulder blade are responsible for rotating the shoulders in the backswing; the hips just go along for the ride and do not start turning until the shoulders can't turn any further without the hips rotation (approximately 45 degrees). Then the hips turn approximately 45 degrees due to the shoulder rotation to complete the full 90 degrees of rotation. This process stretches out and loads the obliques. Focusing on the obliques for rotation is tricky because both sides have contraction to rotate in either direction. You should feel them getting a work out though if you're rotating with the right shoulder properly. When you rotate your left shoulder towards your right hip, it contracts the right internal oblique and the left external oblique while the left internal oblique and right external oblique are stretching. It's much easier to try to focus on pulling your right shoulder back behind your head than to focus on 4 separate muscles in the obliques. Now all of that was for the backswing. The downswing is the exact opposite. We don't use the shoulders in the downswing (not like most people do anyway), we use the hips to rotate the torso in the downswing. So we shift back to the left, then rotate the hips around to 45 degrees open from 45 degrees closed and that should pull our shoulders to square because they're 45 degrees behind the hips if we don't actively use them in the downswing. And then we extend our arms to the release from there. Easy peasy.
June 27, 2019
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Jim
Hi RJ - Easy peasy, eh? I get it. Glad I cleared that up about the hips in the backswing. Will be working on this over the next week and send another video soon. Best, Jim
June 27, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Indeed!
June 27, 2019
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M. (Certified RST Instructor)
Hi Graig ,Marcel here, When I do this drill I feel the obliques workong and doing the rotation job, but to keep my hips in location I also feel I have to contract my glutes to keep the pelvis in line with target. Is that the correct to do it? Thanks for helping. Marcel
June 21, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Marcel. One of the many reasons why we want proper weight transfer in a normal full takeaway. Engaging the glutes will help stabilize hip rotation. You don't need to be overly tight, but some engagement will help over use.
June 21, 2019
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Ardell
I am a little confused about the rotation drill. When I try it my backswing is flat. I am a left handed golfer and i was told to feel as if my left shoulder goes up to the sky and my right goes down to the ground. It makes me feel off balance on my toes. I also tried lifting my arms as recommended in the takeaway video to keep from being flat. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thx
June 20, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ardell. Take a look at the Golf Backswing Shoulder Plane Drill Video. You need to rotate around the spine properly as the trail shoulder blade glides down and in towards the spine.
June 20, 2019
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Peter
Hi guys, Im starting on step 2 out of 5 step RST. My question is should I focus on 5 mins to master core rotations first before starting on step 2 drill only or vice versa. Thanks.
June 11, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Peter. I would start with the Step 2 Drill first. This way you can own the body movements before adding the distraction of the arms.
June 11, 2019
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M. (Certified RST Instructor)
Hi Marcel here, When I do the reps of all 5 drills I notice a very specific difference between the "stand up"drills and the "in posture" drills. With the stand up drills I can feel the obliques working very well to rotate torso, in the posture drills I feel the M. Obliques much less but the M. Lat (lower part) much stronger. Do I make a mistake in the posture drills? Thanks for helping!
June 8, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Marcel. Not at all. When you start to hinge forward from the hips. You will start to gain awareness of the trail lat pulling the shoulder blade more than when standing up. With the Core (obliques and lats) creating the rotation. You are well on your way.
June 8, 2019
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Jim
Hi RJ - Hope you are well. Been a while since I submitted a question. I have been diligently doing the 5 steps to master rotation - obliques moving the arms with the hips still - almost up to 3000 reps. I could tell that getting this down was "bedrock" for me to improve, so have patiently worked on it. Now working on the drill involving some weight shift to the back with arms crossed, then the weight transfer to left, etc. The next practical checkout is coming up soon. I don't see any drill other than the weight shift drill (plus the "5 steps" drill I have been doing alot) to really prep for this step. Lots of data and videos on the site about all of this. The rep tracker lists a 5 minute drill for core rotation only and also a 5 minutes to master rotation - but I don't really see two separate drill in the training sequence. The one I have worked on is the one with the hips quiet. Obviously, having gotten the obliques to wake up and drilling that step with hips quiet, beyond that, the 90 degree shoulder turn has to be added in. If I have overlooked a key drill that is part of the 5 step, please let me know. Also, for the checkout, are we doing a swing at full speed with a club, or if not, what would be shown? I really haven't spent much time swinging a club at full speed at this point, so not sure what is being looked for. Thanks for any feedback you can provide.
June 2, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
There are definitely some videos that will help. Some of them might not be as obvious as others. Any video where we're focusing on loading the right glute in the backswing will help because we really load the glute when the rotation comes into play, providing the weight shift has been done correctly. Drills that help with the lower body in the backswing are useful as well to prevent lower body stability downfalls. Because really if you have a stable lower body, all you have to do is keep turning the torso like you have been doing. The weight shift happens first and I have used the weight shift as my swing trigger ever since I started learning rotary swing. It gets the club head moving about 6 inches before anything else happens in the swing other than just clenching the outer right glute and hip adductor muscles. Load Right Leg / Shorten Swing / Greater Consistency Laser Beam Knee Drills for Stability Weight Shift Drill - Lift the Heels Frisbee Drill for Sequencing Downswing Those are some additional drills to help with the concepts and feelings of getting to the completion of rotation with the weight shift in the backswing. What I would like to see in the video is you getting into a perfect stance, but with the arms across the chest. Shift to the trail side, rotate 45 degrees without moving the hips and then rotate another 45 degrees with the hips rotating 45 degrees, which really loads up that right glute and obliques if done properly, with the arms folded across the chest. And then shift the weight into the left heel with no rotation, then squat into that left heel as the hips rotate square to the target line, shoulders still 45 degrees closed, arms still folded across the chest. Then rotate the hips 45 degrees open which pulls the shoulders to square as the left leg posts up to move the hips back behind the body, moving the left hip out of the way for the arms to come through in the downswing once we get to the part where they're not folded across our chest. If you can complete all of that successfully, then the only thing we have left to do to make your golf swing tremendous is to add the arms back into your swing without them being over powering.
June 3, 2019
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Chris
Hi guys, When I do this drill standing up and feel like my shoulders are making the turn, my shoulders hardly move. When I do the same thing but feel my torso making the turn, I can turn much further and fluently. It's a strange feeling between the 2 approaches. Am I correct in saying that the later (moving with the torso driving things) is the correct way to do this? It also kinda feels like when my torso turn left, my shoulders can turn right and vice-versa. (My hips are remaining still). Cheers
May 29, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Chris. Feeling the core/torso facilitate the rotation is a good thing to strive for. More often than not players tense the upper shoulders thinking they are rotating properly, but it's with the wrong muscle group.
May 29, 2019
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Maxwell
Hi Everyone. I have a suggestion for people, and it's based around associative learning psychology (I'm not a golf instructor, but I am an educator by profession). For drills like this, we don't want to hit a ball because "the little white devil" causes us to want to revert back to our old "hitting the ball" swing. However, after you've done a few hundred reps of a new drill, you could try putting a ball into your practice area, not inside your hitting zone, just somewhere off to the side so it's there in your periphery but not at all your focus, and check to see that you're still performing the drill correctly. Then after a thousand reps or so, you bring the ball a little more into focus, and again, see if you're still doing the drill correctly. Eventually, you could work to the point where the ball is a foot outside of your setup, where you would still never hit the ball from. The idea is that you are slowly building up the association of the new swing pattern with the ball so that, eventually, when you get to ball striking drills, the tendency to revert back to your old bad habits is greatly diminished. I hope this helps. If any of the RST Instructors feel this is a bad idea, just let me know, I'll be happy to delete the comment. I don't want to step on anyone's toes. I'm grateful for this website/community
May 24, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Maxwell. Not stepping on our toes at all. The goal of the forum is to help inform and bring new insight to all of our members. Thanks for the post. I like your ideas described above. You presented a very good way to get over ball anxiety and the hit instinct so many players have when they introduce striking the ball too soon. Many thanks. It should help out our members.
May 24, 2019
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Bill
When I watch the video and try the exercise in the mirror it would appear that the hips rotate slightly. I know we are suppose to keep the hips quiet as possible. What is an except able movement of the hips.?
May 20, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Bill. The hips will rotate slightly in the takeaway. It is not an active motion though. They are getting pulled by the rotation of the upper half. A few degrees is fine if you start getting beyond 5 degrees let us have a look.
May 20, 2019
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gwan
I am having trouble understanding what to view/practice. RTS 5 step, deeper learning, RST foundation? I was a member a couple of years ago and back then there were only the foundation drills. What do I follow?
May 3, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gwan. RST 5 Step is for a concise and faster learning rebuild. Deeper Learning is used for if you struggle to achieve a certain position using the 5 Step and need further information. Foundation is material dealing with the particular section that will help you learn what you are really trying to accomplish with said position. Also, the easiest way to not get bogged down is to submit a swing review and let one of our instructors tell you exactly which videos you need for your move.
May 3, 2019
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Jim
Hi RJ - I added a comment/question the other day and did not hear back. I am focused now on the 5 minutes to proper takeaway. You had noted in your last reply to me that the many videos on the site are intended to fix specific issues, etc. Makes total sense. However, they show up in the list of videos in the 5 step system. I am trying to get some guidance as to whether I should skip over those or not. I totally need to work on the main, core stuff for where I am at. I think with some of these videos, I am going off on "side trips" - that said, while I drill in the obliques/shoulder turn step, do I keep absorbing other videos in this section, or if not, what do you recommend? It can take a number of days and even weeks to fully groove in that oblique step, especially since I am working a lot and can't spend a lot of time each day on it. Maybe I overlooked some guidance at the beginning as to which parts to watch and which parts to skip. Any advice on the most efficient path to take here would be appreciated. Best, Jim Darcey
May 3, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
If you're working on just the rotation without hips, the body rotation in chair drill is perfect for that, there's a video in the backswing section, that probably should be in the takeaway section for that, you'd pretty much just want to stick to that drill. You can watch anything you want. Having deeper understandings is never a bad thing, however, allowing it to distract you from your practice plan is where it gets tough. So if you can do your rotation drills and not find yourself wondering off and trying other drills because you saw a video, then I think you're safe to watch the deeper learning, just keep your eye on the prize.
May 3, 2019
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Jim
Hi RJ - Thanks for the advice. Will just focus on picking up the pace on the drills and aim for that 100 reps minimum per day.
May 4, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
You're welcome
May 4, 2019
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Tejpreet
Craig, i started doing the drill/reps yesterday (steps 1 thru 4 ) and experiencei f lower back pain this morning. Is this normal or not ? Assuming not...Do you know what i maybe doing worng in my movement ?
March 30, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Tejpreet. Muscle soreness and awareness of new muscles working will be normal. But, pain is an indicator something maybe amiss. I would check for a little bit of lordosis in the lumbar spine. Typically, rounding in the spine during this move will cause excessive work and tension.
March 31, 2019
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Eduard Dr.
Hi, what about axis tilt (step 3 etc) - can't see any? Thanks
March 27, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Eduardo. Yes, once you take posture have axis tilt. I know it may be tough to see.
March 27, 2019
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James
Following Chuck's suggestion here I can definitely feel the resistance on my obliques in the prayer turn. Also, experiencing some soreness on them as I am doing the exercise, which I expect will subdue with time. Will keep working on this and hopefully build up my obliques.
January 31, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello James. Most people never use their obliques and when starting out on the drill above will experience some soreness. It will get better with time and strength.
January 31, 2019
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Theunie
Hi again Craig. I subscribed 2 weeks ago and have spent about an hour or two every day watching the videos and trying my best to do the drills correctly. It is absolutely amazing and I so wish I subscribed many years ago. I have now worked through all the Set up and Weight Shift material and am about 50% through the Core Rotation. My reps on average are only about 400. I'm a 62 year old high handicapper (25 index) and often wonder at what speed I should ideally work through the 5 steps. Chuck regularly mentions that it takes long to re-program the brain and that one should go slowly and be patient. Is there perhaps a rule of thumb of how long a high handicapper should take to go through all of the 5 steps? Should I stay with the Set up and first 2 steps much longer or perhaps already have a sneak preview of the next 3 steps? Thanking you Theunie
January 19, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Theunie. I would stick with Setup and Step 2 for a bit. That is were the golf swing really begins. The rule of thumb is it will take a minimum of 1000 perfect reps to become proficient. You may stack moves after that number if all thing are correct. But, if items start to fail. You must go back and master a movement until you no longer have to think about it. If you are already working on Step 2 - Core Rotation. I would submit the drill for review and make sure you are drilling properly before ingraining bad habits.
January 19, 2019
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Theunie
Slowly trying to master the core rotation step by turning the shoulders and not the arms make me understand better that one should/can grip the club softly. If you use shoulders then you tend to grip tighter. Thanks for this great video
January 19, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Theunie. Exactly. Focus on moving from the correct spots because that keeps the tension away from where it shouldn't be.
January 19, 2019
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Billy
When we finish the months worth of slow rotation with out hip rotation we start the 9-3 drill which requires hip rotation. what video talks to the transition to rotation involving hip rotation and weight transfer/posting up?
January 7, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Billy. Step 2 - Core Rotation will blend rotation with weight shift and posting up. Weight Shift Video Part 2 will provide more insight as well.
January 7, 2019
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stuart
Hi Craig, how do you get on these leaderboards? I've been doing the reps religiously and haven't seen my name once! Stuart
November 21, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Stuart. That would be a question for Customer Service/Technical Support. I apologize I don't have the answer for you.
November 21, 2018
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stuart
Ok Craig, thanks anyway. Stuart
November 22, 2018
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richard
when making my back swing does the left hip move in or does it stay perfectly still, my left hip isn't as strong , so I feel alittle give in the left hip moving slightly in to complete my 45 degree hip turn.
November 11, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Richard. As long as you shy away from breaking the trail hip line as described in the Weight Shift Video Part 2. And, the lead knee doesn't move excessively (Left Knee Movement Video).
November 11, 2018
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roger
hi, which video describes adding weight shift as stated at 10:57, thanks
September 17, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Roger. Most of the weight transfer videos talk about this. Start with Perfecting Lower Body Stability, How to Swing from the Ground up, and Weight Shift Video Part 2 and 3.
September 17, 2018
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roger
great thank you Craig
September 17, 2018
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john
Outstanding--Thank You!
September 2, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. Glad you liked the video.
September 2, 2018
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Martin
During this drill, my belt buckle is moving more than yours... indicates to me too much hip movement.. or certainly more than ideal... Please share your thoughts on keeping my hips more quiet or passive. Thanks
September 2, 2018
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Howard (Certified RST Instructor)
Hi Martin. Try doing this rotation drill sitting in a chair at first if you think your hips are moving too much. That takes your legs and hips almost entirely out of the motion. Keep in mind that your torso and hips can only separate so much when standing; beyond roughly 45 degrees of shoulder rotation, the hips will begin to be pulled along and rotate naturally, which is a good thing.
September 2, 2018
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Marc
Hi Craig, I noticed that I did not have enough separation in the backswing and so I am going to back to the drawing board. I noticed that when I shift my weight to the right, my right glute is being engaged and it is like I have the feeling that my glute is resisting the rotation. In other words I am rotating the torso against the right glute or the right leg. I wanted to know where the weight in the right foot should be during the rotation. The weight is obviously in the middle of the right foot in the set up, should the weight move to the right and stay in the middle of the foot or should it move to the front of right foot. Some people like Clay are advocating that there should be the feeling that the right foot is pushing away as if it was trying to push something in front which will send the upper body behind but I am not sure it is correct. Best, Marc
September 2, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Marc. Ideally, I would want you to stay centered with the weight. You can get that twisting feeling, but I wouldn't let it go outside. Take a look at Anchor to the Ground Video. Feeling the inside adductors engaged and slightly rolled in on the ankles will help you feel a bracing against the trail leg as you rotate.
September 2, 2018
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Billy
It’s been answered a couple of times below, but still somewhat confused. I’ve done close to 1000 reps on 5 minutes to weight shift. One of the responses was after 1000 of those, it could be stacked with 5 minutes to rotation for 3K - 5K reps. There’s no weight shift so how does the weight shift get more reps if stacked? Should I just do 3K reps for weight shift and then move on to rotation?
July 31, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Billy. In the reply below by Chris he mentions combining the rotation and weight shift. Weight shift a great trigger for the swing to get the moving components working correctly and in sequence. The goal would be to combine these moves. If you can do the rotation portion properly. Combine both drills, or stack components. Shift weight and and rotation. But, some players need to separate the movements at first due to older ingrained movement patters. What you will notice is that once you do the complete takeaway these components are blended. If you turn well in the initial. My suggestion would be taking a look at the Winter Golf Training Program - Setup Video. This is a perfect video to combine/stack and rep rotation and weight shift to get your reps in being that you already have some training in.
August 1, 2018
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Billy
Thanks Craig. When doing the winter training setup with weight shift, Chuck doesn’t shift weight back to the left. It is to the trail side and takeaway so is it okay to shift back to the left and engage the lead glute?
August 1, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Billy. Yes, as long as you do it properly.
August 1, 2018
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Billy
Just a follow-up. I have completed 3000 of the weight shift and 1500 of the rotation. I’m going to start the winter training program with the takeaway and weight shift combined. Should I do a certain amount of those reps before moving to step 3? Thanks again.
August 18, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Billy. Chuck will tell you how many reps he wants in the video. (Winter Golf Training Program - Setup) is the combined Setup/Takeaway.
August 18, 2018
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Frank
I notice that when I have club in full swing that there is momentum that causes arms and club to go further backwards at full speed than slow speed. Should I resist the continued movement of arms at full speed? I notice when I resist the continued arm movement my swing feels shorter, more in front of my body and I hit the ball better.
April 11, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Frank. Momentum will help (My Golf Backswing Secrets Video). However, you want to restrict any momentum early that starts swinging the arms across the chest.
April 11, 2018
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Anders
In my opinion, a good drill to practice rotation is to sit on a chair and pull the shoulders back because the hip move is limited, is that correct?
February 21, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Anders. Yes, that is a good drill to practice rotation.
February 21, 2018
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John
I should have added that I searched for 9 to 3 drill but can't access it. It says I have to be a RS member, which I am??
December 5, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. We have one that is dedicated to RSA Members. The other is for Premium Members. If you are a Premium Member you should be able to access the one I listed below.
December 5, 2017
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John
In this video Chuck mentions adding the "weight shift" at a later stage and also the "9 to 3" drill. I'm keen to stack the weight shift on to the learning from this video, can you tell me where I can find them, Thanks.
December 5, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. Use the search box. 5 Minute Golf Setup w/ Weight Shift (exactly as typed). Also, 9 to 3 Golf Swing Drill.
December 5, 2017
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Getulio
Hi Chris, This movement is relatively easy so I decided to hit balls yesterday. OMG, I didn't know I had obliques, they are so sore :-(, However, I hit the ball very well and felt comfortable with the movement. Enjoying your videos. Thanks!
September 20, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Getulio. Thanks for the post. Yes, you are probably finding new muscles you have never used in the swing before.
September 21, 2017
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John
Thanks Chris. That's very helpful. I submitted a swing review about 2 weeks ago and Aaron suggested I work on "5 minutes to the perfect golf takeaway". I have done a few hundred reps of that drill and continuing to add more. I am finding that stacking in the "5 minutes to master rotation" has been very helpful as well. Thank you for clarifying how I should think about the other drills. John
September 5, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. Apologize for the late reply. We had an issue with the forum and all the glitches have finally been buttoned up. Glad you are liking the results.
September 21, 2017
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John
Hi Chuck, I do understand that 3-5K is required for any new motor movement. My question is are you asking us to do 3K-5K reps for EACH one of the drills that are listed - Laser Beam Knee Drills, Losing the Tush Line, The Bucket Drill, RST Necktie, Belt Buckle drill, Lower Body drill etc. Or are you suggesting we do 3K to 5K of just the "5 minutes to Master Rotation"? Thanks, John
September 5, 2017
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hi John, all of the videos you pointed out have to do with loading your legs up properly and turning your body properly. I would start out by doing 1000 or so reps of weight shift first and then stack in 5 mins to master rotation putting weight shift and body turn together. You can then work to achieve 3000-5000 reps of this. Videos like the tush line, necktie drill, beltbuckle drill are designed to help correct swing faults. We can help you determine what videos you should be specifically focused on and what rep range you should be doing, if you submit your swings for review. We instructors will point out the most detrimental issue in your swing and start pointing you at the correct videos to help you get to where you want to go. Hope that helps.
September 5, 2017
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John
Hi, I have a questions about the drills and the number of reps required to perfect a move. In "5 minutes to Master Rotation" video, there is a very specific recommendation about the number and types of reps to do everyday. (125 reps x 5 days/week for 1 month = 2,500 reps). This is consistent with the 3K to 5K number of reps recommended to master a new motion. What about the other drills in the "Core Rotation" RST Drill section? e.g. Laser Beam Knee Drills, Losing the Tush Line, The Bucket Drill, RST Necktie, Belt Buckle drill, Lower Body drill etc. In these videos, there is no recommended number of reps. How should I be thinking about these drills and the others on the site that do not have a specific program/reps to follow? You are not recommending 3-5K reps for each of these drills right? If not, how are you recommending we use these drills?
September 4, 2017
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Chuck
The reps number never changes, it's always 3-5k to master any new motor movement.
September 5, 2017
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arthur john
after two years with RST and swinging ok. Things were going wrong. I had a review with Chris Tyler. I thought same thing again. I thought that i was turning properly so i had another look at it and his recommended videos and realised i was not turning properly. It's amazing that one can look but not really see. I have been doing the drills properly and i definitely can now turn properly. I can tell not only by video but by the tension that i feel in my obliques. If something is wrong in the basics the rest goes to pot. I can really feel the stored up energy. Lets see how this goes. I am optmistic. Arthur John
July 24, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Arthur John. Happy to hear the optimism. Yes, missing or performing some of the simplest early on moves incorrectly can derail the swing.
July 24, 2017
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Steve
Is it okay to include loading the right glute in these drills ?? As i feel i should be doing this from the start of the Takeaway.
June 14, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Steve. The main focus of this drill is to start feeling core rotation. I would rather you wait until the 5 Mins to the Perfect Takeaway before incorporating starting with weight.
June 14, 2017
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GC
On that trail oblique - I think when the left oblique moves and accidentally drags the hips, the shoulders will connect too much and either hit the toe of the club or hook. The trail oblique if rotated correctly should go directly down the line of target, lower than the backswing position and thus stabilize the swing just in case the hips spin too much?
May 9, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello GC. If the shoulders open at the same rate of the hips coupled with very fast hands you could see the hook or toe shot. However, that is why it is imperative to practice the shoulders being square at impact with the hips roughly 30-45 degrees open. You shouldn't need to direct the trail oblique to achieve this.
May 9, 2017
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GC
Posting up and using left lead oblique I get it. I still lose control. I find that if I control my right oblique moving / rotating down intentionally I can control the rotation better instead of losing control. Is that right? What does the trail oblique do in the downswing?
May 9, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello GC. The core will be engaged, but you should feel as if you have to try and rotate the trail oblique into the shot. The trail glute will stabilize the trail hip to help shy away from early extension and keep from over rotating. The trail oblique will be engaged, but should be very passive.
May 9, 2017
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Andres
Hello, I have a lot of backpain, trying to keep my hip and right leg from rotating has increased my backpain a lot. Isn't it easy for my back to rotate my hip so that it doesn't tense up that much ? Also, is there any video or drill that address back pain ?
April 26, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Andres. Take a look at the Weight Shift Video Part 2 and the RSA Core Drill (below link). You need to allow for a little hip turn. It sounds as if you are being too restrictive. https://rotaryswing.com/videos/full-swing-basics/rotary-swing-5-step-golf-swing-system/core-rotation-left-arm-club-rsa
April 26, 2017
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Frank
Following this video I definitely increase early tension in rt shoulder and left lat in backswing. I fight early start of shoulders on downswing. It seems the added tension in shoulders and lats increases bodies tendency to fire shoulders early. I must be missing something in the loading as I want to decrease tendency to early fire shoulders.
April 11, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Frank. You must stay engaged, but not max out the tension. You could be over doing the trail side pull, or for a fuller swing not loading the lower half. I would use the Winter Golf Training Program - Setup, Backswing to help relieve some tension.
April 11, 2017
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David
Quick Question: when performing the drill(I'm right handed), I'm feeling engagement in my right oblique and right shoulder blade during the takeaway portion of it with a relatively relaxed left oblique. Is that the correct feeling or I should have or should my left oblique be more engaged during the takeaway??
April 8, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello David. You are feeling more pulling side muscles, than trail. Perfectly acceptable off the ball.
April 10, 2017
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Hank
in using the obliques to rotate, I find that I pull with the right shoulder. This tends to pull the upper shoulder back from a neutral position. Is that a problem. I also believe this is what tends to take my right arm and elbow at the top into a position that is a bit deep. Do I need to do this drill and stop doing this pull with the shoulder?
April 6, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Hank. The obliques and trail shoulder will pull in the backswing. If you are getting deep its probably more of the trail arm working behind you and the lead arm pushing across the chest versus the trail shoulder pull forcing the arm too deep behind you.
April 6, 2017
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BRIAN
I am still working reps on the "weight shift in proper set up." Should I not be working this drill at the same time? I am aware that Chuck explains early on to be patient and not rush things, and to do things in order. Just wanted a little clarification here, as these moves are distinct and different (at least in drill form) Thank you for the continued help.
March 16, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Brian. You don't want to overload the brain with too many thoughts while trying to change a motor pattern. However, if you have the time to put the proper reps in with each. You may work a little on properly rotating off the ball as you finish the weight shift/setup.
March 16, 2017
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BRIAN
It is said to do this (eventually) in golf posture but there appears to be little axis tilt. Are my eyes playing tricks on me or should this be done without axis tilt?
March 12, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Brian. There is just a hint of axis tilt. But, until you grab a club there won't be a lot because the trail hand isn't lower than the lead yet.
March 13, 2017
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Sean
When I do this drill, just before I get to the point I can't turn anymore before my hips move, my right shoulder lifts up and it starts turning my right forearm down towards the ground. Why is this? Any good videos?
March 7, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Sean. After a certain point you half to start adding a little elevation to keep the arms in front and continue proper rotation. Take a look at the 4 Square Drill.
March 7, 2017
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Sean
Perfect, thank you!
March 7, 2017
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jeff
I'm making good progress but have a question about this drill. When I do reps with hands in the Namaste position and with arms extended I can get good rotation and pull back with my right shoulder. I do struggle with feeling my lat engaged but still manage to make a good turn. When I add the club, it gets more difficult and I struggle to feel that engagement in my right back to initiate the rotation. I try to shrug my shoulders up and then depress them reaching for the ground a few times to try to feel the lat engage but just don't feel it engage. Am I missing another step that is preventing me from engaging the lat muscle?
March 4, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jeff. It doesn't sound like you are missing a step. I think you are still rotating properly, but feeling more core versus lat. No issue. That doesn't mean it's not working.
March 4, 2017
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sambhu
I have exactly the same issue as Jeff! The club brings in a variable that is different .. are we still to continue this drill to ingrain muscle memory?
March 18, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Sambhu. You don't want to feel like a weight lifter. The muscle engaged to maximum effort. If you are still seeing proper rotation and the club is responding properly. I would think you could continue repetitions. Or, submit for a swing review and we will be happy to check.
March 19, 2017
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Martyn
Hi Craig. 125 reps per day ... does that mean 125 reps of each one of the 5 steps each day?
February 26, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Martyn. Go to the Swing Reviews Tab ---> Checkpoints for Practice. You will see a printable worksheet to give you the exact breakdown.
February 27, 2017
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sambhu
Should this video be before the takeaway video? I ask this because I am infering oblique rotation leads to shoulder moving behind the right ear...
February 17, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Sambhu. Yes, this video is important to be worked on before the full takeaway.
February 17, 2017
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Dylan
One difference that i worry about between the rotary swing and the classic swing(Snead,Nicklaus,Bubba) is that the rotary swing has less hip turn while the shoulders get to 90 degrees plus (creating torque). While the classic swing the hips and torso rotate more together and the butt faces the target at the top with also 90 degrees plus of shoulder turn. So I'm worried about back injury... Articles I've read from credible sources say that with that dissasociation(torque) that "facet and acromioclavicular" joints can get injured while with the classic swing there is relatively no strain... Then I look at players.. The olden day guys played very well and had very long careers, while Tiger, Rory(age 18 had strained Facet joints) and tons of tour pros these days are having back issues.. Its frustrating :( I need to be confident in a swing type to follow and train with. I've heard in the introductory videos this swing is based on science and what is most efficient and safest for the body and based on modern biomechanic research. Do you have these articles and hopefully related to this subject. I love what you guys are doing I just need clarity and closure on this so I can go back to training Thanks!
February 13, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dylan. I don't have too many articles for you I apologize. And, much appreciate the positive compliments of the site. Tiger and Rory have much more than solely building torque that led to their injuries. What I don't want is for you to get confused by the video above. We definitely allow for hip turn in the backswing and agree it is a necessity. We are looking for a balance of 90 with the shoulders and 45 degrees with the hips. If someone has to allow for more hip turn to reach the proper shoulder turn that is perfectly acceptable. As long as the trail glute is loaded and the trail knee doesn't lose too much flexion. You can see in the Weight Shift Video Part 2, How to Swing from the Ground Up, and the RSA Core Video (https://rotaryswing.com/videos/full-swing-basics/rotary-swing-5-step-golf-swing-system/core-rotation-left-arm-club-rsa) that allowing for trail hip is fine. I am definitely in agreeance with you that I don't want the butt completely facing directly behind or parallel to the target line at the top of the backswing.
February 14, 2017
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Ted
I've seen a ton of Rotary videos and many of them multiple times as I've pursued this whole process of recalibrating my brain and my swing. This is one I hadn't watched until now and it answers a number of questions that have surfaced in the midst of working on other drills. I am understanding more and more why my body and my brain have to relearn in such small increments. Even though Rotary is the most efficient process out there (for biomechanical reasons) there are still a ton of moving parts in a golf swing and therefore a ton of ways for my and my right-side dominant self to screw it up! But you build from the ground up...no way around it...as much as I try to speed up the process at times. Here's my question: are we mainly teaching the brain to "feel" in this drill or is it also important to develop and strengthen the obliques so that the drill and indeed the entire takeaway can (eventually) be completed correctly without all the pushing from the lead side and over-doing the hip turn, etc.?
February 6, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ted. Yes, you have to move in small incremental movements. The purpose of this drill isn't necessarily to only strengthen the obliques. But, start proper muscle recruitment early on. If you recruit more muscle. It will lead to more swing speed, but also a more reliable/repeatable move off the ball. The drill teaches the feel, motor pattern and starts to engage/strengthen the necessary muscles.
February 7, 2017
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Kathy
I like this drill (0: It's my go to drill when I find myself trying to over power the swing, which thus becomes my arms taking over. Thank you....Great Drill !
January 27, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Thanks Kathy. Appreciate the post. Also, try the Body Rotation in Golf Backswing Video to help mid-round struggles to get the feel of rotation back in sync.
January 27, 2017
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Fred
For Steven Maes: There must have been a typo in my review submittal for review given on Jan 25. I was asking how to evaluate, not elevate progress in keeping the hands in front of the sternum during the downswing, and I asked if checking the position of the hands in front of the hips when the release was initiated was the way to do that (using the face on view).
January 25, 2017
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Steven (Certified RST Instructor)
Ahh, That makes more sense now Fred! Check out https://rotaryswing.com/videos/full-swing-advanced/backswing/shoulder-elevation-drill-perfect-top-of-golf-swing for learning how to elevate! Great drill for you here.
January 25, 2017
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Thomas
I'm having a hard time rotating my shoulders and not moving my hips. Any tips on how I could do a better job?
January 21, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Thomas. If you are talking about a full takeaway. It is okay to let the hips move a little. Also, if it is for the tiny motion in the drill. Try sitting down to feel the separation. (Body Rotation in Golf Backswing Video).
January 22, 2017
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Dylan
Should we be doing these reps in both directions?
December 23, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dylan. If you have a really hard time feeling your core or obliques. Stick with both directions until comfortable. If not, then only worry about the backswing.
December 26, 2016
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Ray
I am working on set up and rotation. I can rotate my hips and torso but the restriction to a full backswing in an attempt to get the club parallel to the ground is my shoulders. Is there an exercise or drill to strengthen and loosen the shoulder muscles.
December 20, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ray. This will help you work on your shoulder rotation. https://rotaryswing.com/videos/full-swing-basics/rotary-swing-5-step-golf-swing-system/core-rotation-left-arm-club-rsa
December 20, 2016
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David
I need some help understanding where your hands should be at the top of the back swing. At address, if there was a pole sticking directly out from your chest (perpendicular to your shoulders), your hands would be directly in line with the pole, let's call it 12 o'clock. At the top of the back swing, when your back is to the target, are your hands still directly in line with that pole at 12 o'clock? Or do your hands move past the center of your chest to say the 1 or 2 o'clock position due to the momentum of the hands and club after the shoulders have stopped turning?
December 9, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello David. The trail arm folding in the backswing pulls the hands just slightly across centerline. It will be closer to the 1 - 2 O'Clock position.
December 9, 2016
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Loran
Then, if I solely move with just the obliques and right shoulder blade, then the left shoulder will just automatically gets rotated along? Or do I have to worry about my left shoulder at all during the takeaway? Should I just focus on the right shoulder and obliques? The right hip does not turn until after the takeaway, correct?
December 4, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Loran. Yes, the lead shoulder will just follow along. The trail hip may have a little rotation in the takeaway, but you don't need to add any.
December 5, 2016
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Ashar
Where to incorporate the lower body. I believe that i could do this rotation but loading up my right glut is really problem.
November 18, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ashar. After you begin rotating allow your self to settle into the glute by the time the takeaway is completed. You may rotate a little of the start and then start to settle. Take a look at the Weight Shift Video Part 2 and the Golf Takeaway Video.
November 20, 2016
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Yew Hwan
May i know how much rotation is needed before i start elevating and flexing my arms to complete the backswing? Can i assume that the rotation move ends when the club is parallel to the ground? Thx
November 6, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Yew Hwan. You will be rotating all the way to the top. The trail shoulder doesn't stop until the backswing is finished. Elevation will start slightly of the ball after you start rotating (4 Square Drill). The trail arm will start to add flexion after you reach the club parallel to the ground position.
November 7, 2016
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David
In Step 5 of this drill, Chuck says the hands should always be at the center of the body and the club always points at the center of the body. I assume that in a full back swing, at some point when the shoulders stop turning but the hands continue to move back and up, the hands will end up to the right of center at the top of the back swing. Is that correct or is Chuck saying that the hands are still in the center of the body at the top of the back swing?
October 17, 2016
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Micah (Certified RST Instructor)
Hi David. your assuming is correct. this drill is to assist you in understanding how the obliques and core are the driving factor for rotation. You still need elevation and flexion to get to the top of the back swing.
October 17, 2016
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Chuck
I notice Hendric Stenson has a move in his swing that happens before the club head moves. To me it looks like he transfers his weight to the right and activeates his obliques to start the takeaway before anything else moves. Whats your take on that move. It seems like a very easy way to trigger a great takeaway. Thanks
August 15, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Chuck. Yes, Henrik starts his swing by loading the trail glute early. That is a perfectly acceptable way to trigger the swing. Especially if you tend to get frozen over the ball.
August 15, 2016
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Ryan
All of the rotation drills seem great and feel Great with my hands across or up in front of my chest. As soon as I put them down though, with or without a club, I lose the feeling in my back shoulder and feel like I'm wrenching it back in a bad way. Any thoughts on this?
August 4, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ryan. It sounds like you could be pulling too hard or rotating properly for the first time. Try the 2 inch hand drill in the Role of the Right Arm Video. Maintain the 2 inch gap and finger tip length throughout the takeaway. See if you can get the proper feeling and motion.
August 5, 2016
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Ryan
Thanks Craig, I think you are right and I have had success with that drill. I also think I can get the takeaway right but I struggle with the elevation after. It's hard for me to feel the rotation and elevation once the takeaway is over
August 5, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ryan. Use the 4 Square Drill and Pool Noodle Video. You will get it. Body takes care of rotation (horizontal) and arms take care of elevation (vertical).
August 5, 2016
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Gareth
Hi Guys this question maybe better placed in the elevation video but i wanted to know about the rotation and elevation on the back swing vs the down swing? I get the feeling on the way back that you rotate from the core and raise arms in elevation to achieve proper position at the top of back swing but i really struggle with getting the sensation in the down swing. Are you meant to rotate back with the core and lower the arms down only or actually swing through? Any advice appreciated thanks
July 31, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gareth. The tension should be kept relatively low in the shoulders and lead arm in the downswing. A blend of pull and gravity will help bring the arms down during the initial transition. You don't really require a big pull or yank of the arms to swing through. But, you do need to allow for release and a little arm swing through the hitting area. You can see that well in the Rotary Golf Downswing Overview Video.
August 1, 2016
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David
How do i get this amount of rotation without going too deep behind my body and keeping the axis tilt? Thanks
July 1, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello David. This is the initial motion off the ball. Axis tilt shouldn't be a problem if you are rotating around the spine correctly. Elevation will keep the arms/club from going too deep behind the body.
July 2, 2016
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Loran
Then, the arms really do not control or dictate the rotation? Should I just disregard the left side of my body entirely during the takeaway? Strangely enough, I feel the dominant muscles in the takeaway are the obliques...and only a tiny fraction of power in the shoulder blade glide? Is this a correct feeling? In the box, as opposed to the arms and shoulders?
June 15, 2016
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Loan, Correct, the arms do not dictate the rotation in the golf swing. The muscles you are feeling sensations in are perfect for good body rotation into the backswing for sure. Yep, that's being in the box.
June 16, 2016
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jonathan
Do you guys recommend any yoga for golf workouts or is the workout at the end of this video good enough? If so, what should i look for? You guys are awesome! thanx!
May 20, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jonathan. Thanks for the compliments of the site. I don't have any good recommendations yoga wise, but it wouldn't hurt. The workout at the end of the video is plenty enough to own the new movement.
May 21, 2016
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Ray
Hey guys, this video and "Pushing with the left side" are 2 of the best videos I've ever seen. No need to respond, just take a bow. I am absolutely convinced that I can now get to the top in the slot and loaded for a perfect transition. Really well explained.
May 17, 2016
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Glad you love the videos Ray! We are pleased to have you as part of the RST family.
May 18, 2016
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Christian
Can you please give a few thoughts on the difficulty of video to master? I would think it depends on the degree of rotation you had before and how handsy/armsy you may be, but it seems as if this video may take several months or longer to master. Does that sound about right? I just want to know what I should be expecting in terms of progression through this video. I love the video and I love the concepts, but it seems like by far the hardest drill to this point.
April 8, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Christian. With proper reps it will take between 3000-5000 to master. I agree if you were really armsy/handsy to start it will be difficult. But, learning new movement patterns will still be science. It is a hard drill, but stick to the requirements. Use the worksheets in the Checkpoint for Practice Section. With 100 or more a day you should be able to master within a few weeks.
April 8, 2016
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Christian
Thanks for the reply, Craig. I've been working diligently on this. I wanted to clarify something, b/c I'm feeling my left oblique working way too much when rotating to the right, particularly when I'm doing the drill with a golf club. Is it possible to push from the left, but not with your arms and hands, but with your left oblique? It just feels odd that I'm having strain there.
April 22, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Christian. It's not very typical to push from the lead side with the oblique. However, you could be feeling a good stretch. It might not necessarily be a bad thing. You are engaging the core. Take a look at Play the Best Golf of Your Life 1 of 6. See if you feel the same issue with lead oblique. If your head is staying stable and a good rotation. I think it should be okay.
April 22, 2016
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Seth
In step #1-4 it appears as if chuck moves back and forward but in #5 it appears as if he only moves back. Is this not something you also need to practice with the club moving forward? I've noticed it seems difficult to move forward when your lead hand is lower which isn't the case until you grab the club.
April 8, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Seth. You don't need to practice with the club moving forward. The impact position and release are going to be much more dynamic. That practicing the little movement forward with the club won't be necessary.
April 8, 2016
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Stephen
I printed off the sheets with drill on them.... but where are all the drills???
March 15, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Stephen. The sheets should have the required reps and drills listed. Everything on the sheet is presented in this video.
March 16, 2016
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Richard
so if I am receiving the correct message....The oblique muscles are rotating the right shoulder blade? So if I rotate my oblique muscles my right shoulder blade will move to the correct position?
March 10, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Richard. You are pulling with the trail shoulder blade and oblique muscle.
March 10, 2016
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Michael
In this video Chuck says that turning ones back to the target has nothing to do with flexibility and that he has not seen anyone who cannot do it. I am 67 years old and physically fit. If I turn my shoulders without turning my hips I can get them to about 30 degrees but not the 45 degrees as suggested. Also at the top of the backswing my shoulders get to approximately 80 degrees. In the takeaway I think my hands do not quite stay in front of my chest due to a decreased thoracic spine mobility. I would be very grateful for your comments Michael
March 8, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Michael. I agree with Chuck that we haven't found too many players that can't get a good rotation. However, some due to injury or some bodily functions are inhibited from full rotation. In the full takeaway allow for a little hip turn. It is okay. How to Swing from the Ground Up and Weight Shift Video Part 2. They can rotate a little. It will allow for more of a fuller turn. You just want to shy away from excessive over rotation. Then, from the takeaway to the top allow the pull from the trail shoulder blade to pull the trail hip. The hips will rotate approximately 45 degrees in the backswing.
March 8, 2016
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Loran
Should the club start to elevate after 8 o'clock in the takeaway? I see Tiger Woods prefer the wide arc takeaway? How does this work? I should not push out my arms in the takeaway...yet I should keep both arms straight and resist the right elbow fold at the end of the takeaway? Is the butt of my club close to my right thigh? Or kept at a distance from my body to promote a wide arc like Tiger Woods?
February 15, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Loan. You want to be wide in the takeaway, but you don't have to push the arms out to create. If you add a little elevation with rotation you will create space between the butt end and the trail thigh. Work on the Role of the Right Arm Video (maintain the 2 inch gap and fingertip length), then start to add elevation to the drill with the Understanding Shoulder Elevation Video.
February 16, 2016
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Barry
New to RST. These drills, and many of the comments below, encapsulate why it is so difficult to learn, or re-learn, the golf swing. That is, what is your body supposed to feel, and when is it supposed to feel it. I'm getting, I think, the first 4 rotation drills, but put a club in my hand, and at a certain point I have the need to lift my arms, otherwise my brain is screaming "half swing, half swing" because once I get a nearly 90* shoulder turn my arms are still only parallel to the ground. Or is that ad far as I need to go?
February 13, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Barry. If you are reaching 90 degrees of shoulder turn and the club is still parallel to the ground you are over doing the movement. There is only 45 degrees of turn when the club reaches parallel. You need to blend some rotation with elevation. Take a look at the Understanding Shoulder Elevation Video, 5 Mins to the Perfect Takeaway and the RST Pencil Tee Drill.
February 13, 2016
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Barry
At 90* shoulder turn i am in the classic L position - arms parallel to the ground, the club vertical, or perpendicular. Thats as far as i can go without lifting my arms to get the club parallel at the top.
February 16, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Barry. If your lead arm is parallel to the ground and you already have 90 degrees of rotation you are a little out of sync. You will be rotating to the top. If you can't rotate any more it will be hard to finish without lift. Take a look at the Completing the Backswing Video. You are trying to blend rotation with arm movement.
February 16, 2016
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Terry
Hello. I'm going back through all the "summaries" to again work the drills and get familiar with the not so obvious nuances Chuck mentions in each segment. This is a stepping stone to get to the right position at the top. One step he didn't mention was when to rotate the right hand so as to get a flat left wrist at the top. I see where I've been making mistakes by rotating my forearms and hands way too soon. What it seems is that once the club is at 90 degrees of backswing the only thing the hands have done is essentially a 25% cocking motion of the right hand to get the club to hip height. Does the right hand rotation start then?
January 27, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Terry. When the club is parallel to the ground the wrist will have 25% of cock or set. There is very minimal rotation of the forearms by this point other than to get the club toe up. From the parallel position there is more right and left forearm rotation. The left arm will rotate as a function of folding and moving the right arm correctly.
January 27, 2016
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Charles
My second swing review asked me to rotate more, and I realized that I did more arms swing with less body rotation. Using the drills illustrated in this video, I feel more than a body swing but arms move less int the swing (a little compact). Is this a right feeling? I try to get my arms connected with the body, and because the body does not move much so I feel arms move shorter.
January 21, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Charles. If I am gathering the notes properly. Going back it will feel like big body swing and little arm swing.
January 21, 2016
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Jeff
When performing this drill with a golf club, should I feel more involvement of either the right or left hand? I found when using my right hand more, then my left side became more relaxed and allowed better lat activation and rotation. Is that correct? Thanks
January 20, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jeff. You should be feeling pretty balanced. You might feel more trail oblique and shoulder engagement to relax the lead side. But, don't think of it as hand dominance because that isn't the origin of motion.
January 20, 2016
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Mark
Im also new to RST and really enjoy the content. You mention that we need to retain the feeling that the hips don't move in the early part of the takeaway, do we sustain this feeling all the way through the swing or just the initial period?
January 6, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Mark. Glad to hear you are enjoying the content. The hips will need to rotate from the takeaway to the top. You need to allow the pull from the trail shoulder to help create it. If you have a hard time over rotating them going back. You will need to feel a more sustained position.
January 6, 2016
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Mark
Many thanks
January 7, 2016
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Andrew
I'm new to RST and am very impressed after only a week. This move is quite new to me. I understand the need to create torque (x-factor) between the hips and shoulders but why is it crucial that the hips remain still in the initial movement back in the takeaway and done by the box and rectangle only? Seated drills and pulling back with trail shoulder have helped me but not sure how to keep tension out of the rectangle? Thanks
December 8, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Andrew. The majority of players start too early with their hip rotation and never engage the core "box" muscles. Therefore, while drilling you need to feel that the hips don't move so you start with rotation from the upper half. In actuality the hips will move a little bit in a completed takeaway because the pull from the trail shoulder and loading of the trail glute. But, focusing on not moving them will help you dial down exactly where the engine to the swing is located. Work on the Connecting to the Core Video to help with the rectangle. You need to learn how the keep the shoulder blades retracted and relaxed versus hiked up.
December 9, 2015
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Keith
"You need to learn how the keep the shoulder blades retracted and relaxed versus hiked up." Is this description of "hiked up" typically seen with a flying right elbow?
April 9, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Keith. Yes. For many players that start out of the box or with their shoulder blades disconnected. The trail arm will tend to fly away from the body due to lack of connection with the core or box muscles. Players that start hiked up or out of the box have a hard time re-engaging the shoulder blades and arms properly throughout the swing.
April 9, 2016
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Andrew
Hi Craig, I have been working on initiating this upper body rotation with minimal hip movement but am finding it very difficult since I've been doing it incorrectly for my entire life. It's obviously easier if I sit on the ground or a chair but as soon as I stand up there go my hips again! Can you recommend any other drills, exercises, or training aids to help me get this right?
December 23, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Andrew. Are you maintaining your knee flexion in your trail leg as you rotate? Take a look at the Load the Right Glute Video and the Maintain Knee Anchor Video.
December 23, 2015
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Andrew
Hi Craig, I'm working hard on shoulder position / posture at setup. i worked in front of a computer my whole career and tend to have slouched shoulders naturally which i likely bring to my golf swing and posture. I have watched "How posture affects the swing" over and over again and wonder Just how much should the shoulders be retracted? I notice that if i bring my hands to my side as opposed front of thighs that my chest expands and feels better If i retract the shoulders too much it doesn't feel natural. I also have trouble forming a nice triangle with arms because i can't get them around my rib cage. Any advice would be great since i really want to stack my learning and want to ensure that i have things right before moving on.
December 11, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Andrew. You don't want them retracted too much. The blades will need to move to execute a proper turn. If you are pulling the blades down too much at setup it can definitely inhibit your progress. You should be comfortable with a flat spine. Not overly engaged and tense. It would be hard to guess exactly where you need to be without seeing your setup. But, I would miss on the side of being relaxed and just adding a hint of retraction to flatten the spine.
December 12, 2015
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Konstantin
hiya I've just started to practice after my first swing review. I don't whether I will be able to learn proper golf but my (not golf related) lower backache is way better after two days. My question: On the tracking sheets there are different recommendations. For example: Recommended sets: 3, reps: 5. And just a line above: Tip #5: Try to get in a minimum of 100 total reps per day. # How should I understand this?
November 16, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Konstantin. The sets and reps are to help you perfect the move properly. Once, you get pretty proficient at blending all the little moves together. 100 reps a day on the exact or complete move will help you master.
November 16, 2015
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richard
Am I understanding Chuck correctly, I should not hit any golf balls until I have mastered theses drills over a 1 month period? I recently had my swing analysed and there was no mention of this video and drills. The video for the takeaway was suggested to watch as well as one concerning the right knee and a laserbeam drill. There doesn't seem to be a beginning with a linear progression to a full correct golf swing in watching the videos. Is it possible to get a list of the needed videos in a correct order to build or rebuild as the case may be, a correct golf swing? I don't mind starting at the beginning but it feels like I keep geting sent back there. I am not complaining. All the videos are great. I just feel like I may be working on some things before I have been ready to get there. Does that make any sense?
November 9, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Richard. The 5 Minute Series Videos in each category (5 Perfect Setup, Weight, etc.) will help you rebuild your swing from scratch. The suggested videos from your review or others in the category just expand upon areas that you might struggle with from the 5 minute series or need extra attention to make the proper correction.
November 10, 2015
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frank
I've watched videos on the one piece take away and starting the back swing with my right shoulder but I was still starting it with my hands. Practicing along with this video immediately made me feel my obliques engage and I finally felt like I was pulling with my right side as opposed to my shoulders following my arms. Thank for breaking it down for us.
November 5, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Frank. Glad to hear you are starting to feel the proper sequence and correct muscles.
November 5, 2015
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Loran
The takeaway is mostly rotation rather than an arms and hands movement, then? I gathered...the takeaway is centered around the rotation of the upper body? The hand should not do any pushing or lifting movement during the takeaway?
October 28, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Loan. Yes, the vast majority of movement in the takeaway is from rotation. Rotating around the spine. The wrist will set a little, but there shouldn't be any pushing or excessive hinging off the ball.
October 28, 2015
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Rob
Hi guys, After my latest swing review, my instructor recommended this video. I was beginning my swing with too much arm elevation. This video makes a lot of sense about starting the backswing with the obliques and keeping the arms centered in front of the body. My question is when do I begin the arm elevation as discussed in other videos? Is it when I get near the 45 degree rotation? Or is it a gradual arm lift during the oblique turn? The practice drills mentioned in the video do not address arm elevation. Rob
October 27, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Rob. It is gradual elevation throughout the takeaway. You will start to rotate and blend in a little arm raise. Take a look at the 4 Square Drill for more views on gradual elevation.
October 27, 2015
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James
Hi craig yes iam talking about seperation with the lower and upper half after joining this site i now no its crucial ! i will work on the videos you suggest and see its still annoying how local golf pros have not told me about this !
October 24, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey James. Those videos will help with the separation. That is annoying even to me!
October 24, 2015
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James
Hi after watching my second review and seeing my lack off rotation iam starting to wonder if i will ever be able to get the shoulder seperation that is needed ! I have had lessons off pros before why was shoulder seperation never mentioned ! Is anyone else struggling with this ?
October 23, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello James. I've haven't come across a student yet that hasn't been able to attain a little more shoulder rotation properly early on. Are you talking bout separation between the lower and upper half? If so, work hard on the 2 inch hand drill in the Role of the Right Arm Video and practice the stretch in the Golf Body Rotation in the Backswing Video.
October 23, 2015
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Marc
Are both obliques starting the rotation or is the left one initiating the turn in the backswing / takeaway which will push your right shoulder back into your spine?
October 6, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Marc. You will begin pulling with the trail oblique.
October 7, 2015
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Marc
Hi Craig, that would be the left oblique, right?
October 7, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Marc. Right handed or left?
October 7, 2015
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Marc
Right handed. I think I got it wrong the trail oblique seems to be the right one not the left one since you mentioned a pulling action. Is this correct?
October 7, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Yes. For right handed. The trail will be your right side and the lead will be your left.
October 7, 2015
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Jason
if I can simply remediate myself on this: if I stand upright and turn my shoulders 45° and then bend into my golf posture, I notice that my hands (in absence of elevation or lead wrist pronation) are positioned over my right foot and close to my right thigh. in principle, is that the right direction for the shoulder rotation movement when in the golf posture?
September 22, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jason. Yes, that is about as simple as you can make it.
September 22, 2015
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Jason
thx believe it or not, I still could not quite figure how to do it from the beginning when in posture
September 22, 2015
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Lance
This video explains the shoulder blade glide movement in terms of rotating (pulling back)the obliques. This seems to help me stay in the box rather than focus higher up toward the "rectangle". Am I missing any other movement if I focus my movement on pulling the right oblique back only? Thanks
September 21, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Lance. You need to make sure the shoulder blade is engaged. But, it sounds like you are getting the correct motion.
September 21, 2015
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Loran
When i rotate my shoulder, I still get that curvature that slightly resembles a reverse pivot...this is caused by not rotating my shoulders around enough...or my right hip swaying away from the left side and over rotating the upper torso?
September 17, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Loan. You could be tilting versus rotating. Pushing the trail hip away can cause this, or pushing down lead shoulder and not maintaining tilt.
September 17, 2015
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Tad
Hi, after doing this exercise, along with the bucket drill, I start feeling some aching in my right lower to mid back. I am a right handed golfer and when I do the rotation for my backswing the aching increases. It's nothing too serious at all I am just wondering if this would be normal and part of the obliques. Thanks in advance
September 9, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Tad. You might be straining a little too much or overly activating the trail oblique. Stay relaxed first of all. Then, make sure you have proper tilt. Take a look at Importance of Axis Tilt.
September 9, 2015
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Anthony
If I'm understanding this correctly the obliques are the engine in the swing both in the backswing and downswing. The shoulders and hips are somewhat passive and play a supporting role and the arms and hands only come into play in the release. is this the right way to look at the swing?
August 27, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Anthony. To a degree you are correct. The shoulders (trail shoulder) is very active in the backswing. It is the origin of movement for the club. The trail shoulder will help pull the hips in the backswing and the obliques in the downswing. But, a good way to think that the core is the engine and not overly using the hips or arms can definitely help.
August 28, 2015
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Brian
Where can I find the workout spreadsheet for 5 minutes to Master Rotation ?
August 23, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Brian. If you click the Swing Reviews Tab. Go to Checkpoints for Practice Page. Select Rotation.
August 24, 2015
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Robert
The goal is this is to gain a core "x-factor" at the top of the backswing without any tension in the shoulders, arms, hands? Many pros, however, keep moving the left arm across the chest at the top of the swing. Doesn't this "disconnect" everything that you have to reconnect on the downswing. Confused.
July 29, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Robert. The goal of this video is to start recruiting the bigger muscles. Some players tend to only use the arms and hands off the ball. Our goal through the drill is to start engaging the lat, obliques, etc. to load power and create a more repeatable move with bigger muscle involvement. You don't want to create tension in the rectangle or outside the "box" and keep the arms connected to the movement of the core.
July 29, 2015
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Robert
Got it. The big muscles are driving the bus. The arms stay connected. Thanks.
July 29, 2015
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Freddy
At the 5 minute mark, my "Aha" moment. That top perspective of the shoulder rotation is incredibly helpful for me. In trying to drill and groove the feel, how about simply choking down on the club, arms extended, and putting the butt of the club right into the belly button ?
July 4, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Freddy. You can drill a little with the club in your belly button. Just be conscious of what muscles you are trying to engage.
July 5, 2015
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Joseph
Focus on obliques and make sure not to use hips
June 28, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Joseph. Yes, you will feel the oblique and the hips will stay very quiet.
June 29, 2015
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Louis
Love the drills I can feel the spine getting loosened up and my last working after a couple of reps the last get a little tired but reps will strengthen them. Is this normal for the muscles to get a little tight and this will go away as it becomes a natural movement. Thanks for rs I have so far learned a lot.
June 21, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Louis. Glad you like the drills. Yes, the muscles will start to get used to the new movement pattern. You are using new ones and/or in a different sequence than you are used to. They could definitely get a little sore in the beginning. Just like working out for the first time.
June 21, 2015
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Tom
When doing the drills with a club, what club do you recommend and does using a weighted club help or hurt. Thanks, Tom
June 18, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
I would stick with a shorter iron. You don't really need to use one longer or a weighted club to try a learn faster.
June 18, 2015
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Edward
Hi, I am struggling with feeling where the rotation of the torso begins. Is it the obliques initiating or the shoulder blade glide? I am attempting to really start from the beginning and get this right. I am reasonably fit yet find that rotating can feel like an enormous effort. I know this is common enough and Chuck did a video on muscle activation, however when I see Chuck rotate and his hands end up 2.5 feet away I'm astounded. Mine feel like they get about 2.5 inches away! Any suggestions? Thanks.
June 18, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Edward. You need to feel both engage. It might be easier for you to feel the trail lat pull the shoulder blade while initially working on it. The oblique will start to play nice once you can solely get the arms moving due to rotation.
June 18, 2015
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Colin
This video is superb. I've struggled with the feeling of shoulder blade glide and couldn't really understand the benefit. Explaining it as an athletic, ball throwing type motion has meant that I have got the 'feel' which I didn't have before. I think it's incredibly difficult to explain a feeling but you've managed this one for me. Thanks
June 13, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Great Colin. Thanks for the post of good news!
June 13, 2015
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Jeffrey
2 Questions: during the rotation back to the start point, should I have the same focus only pulling with the left oblique and left shoulder blade and I don't see the fitness video referred to by Chuck during the video.
May 21, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jeffrey. I am unsure whether the fitness video was transferred to the new website yet. However, we have some good content in the fitness section for various muscles. When returning back to the start point its the pull from the lead side as you described.
May 21, 2015
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Scott
Is there a stretch to loosen up this move? In this segment and the "bucket drill," 45 degrees of rotation is talked about, prior to hip turn. And I am not able to get to 45 without moving my hips(probably only about 20 degrees). The reason I ask is that I have been doing my best to work thru the program and I am experiencing a lot of lower back pain on my left side I am trying to figure out what is causing it.
April 24, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Scott. It is okay to have a little hip rotation. The main thing is that the hips are being pulled opened, not pushed. Take a look at the Golf Body Rotation Video in the Backswing Section to practice stretch and Weight Shift Video Part 2 to load the glute.
April 24, 2015
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Arnie
I have a recommendation. I struggled with the takeaway for many weeks. I finally learned through a video that is not in the takeaway series (a video done by Chris Tyler) that the wrists and forearms rotate on the takeaway. I don't believe that was ever mentioned in the takeaway series. If it was, it was a tiny blip, but is an important anatomical fact. If that had been mentioned early in the series I wouldn't have struggled for as long as I did.
April 21, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Arnel. I'm happy to see that you have gotten the takeaway better. My apologies for the lack of coherency on the forearm rotation. The Bucket Drill, Unleash Your Thumbnail for Power, and RST Pencil Drill (demonstration only) do discuss forearm rotation. Thank you for the information that some students might not be catching in the takeaway series. Always helpful to know what we can do to make the site better.
April 21, 2015
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Keith
Hello, fairly new to program. I was already pretty good with setup and am now looking at weight shift and take away videos. The five minute drill videos say to do the reps for about a month. In general, should I stop playing and going to the range for awhile while I do these exercises? I am willing to stop and put in the time to finally straighten this all out. Was working with golftec, but after a swing evaluation, we mainly focuses on hand position and swing plane during down swing. I really feel I need to get the basics right as you have them laid out, but wondering how to intermingle these drills in with still being able to play and going to range. Thanks again, enjoying the site.
April 18, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Keith. Preferably during the beginning stages you should stay away from playing too much. You don't want to undo a lot of good training. However, I know time is limited for most people and when they get a chance to play then they need to take it. Just be conscious of what you are working on. Good practice swings and reps.
April 18, 2015
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Grant
When doing these drills, I can feel my abs contract when I do the takeaway, because I am not rotating my legs yet. Are my abdominals supposed to contract like this on an actual swing during the takeaway?
April 5, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Grant. You are using new muscles now. The trail shoulder blade and trail oblique will feel more engaged. Using the abdominals to help take the club back is a good thing. The feeling of too much engagement will subside a little with continued reps.
April 6, 2015
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Ryan
Hey, question here. I'm a pretty large guy with a big belly. When I do this drill, i feel a lot of activation towards the back of my sides, slights towards my back. It isn't the front with my obliques. Can I send a video on just these movements to see if it looks right? I want to do this right and so I'm expecting not really swinging again for a month or so. Want to make use of those videos. Thanks. - Ryan
March 26, 2015
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Steven (Certified RST Instructor)
Ryan, yes go ahead and upload a video to the swing review team and we can check your movements for you. When we do the rotation drills and we are "in the box" at the "end" of the takeaway rotation (45 degrees of shoulder rotation) we should feel the lat. muscles in the back being activated, that is a sign that we have used our obliques to rotate and have stayed connected to our core staying in the box. Best of Luck- Steven
March 26, 2015
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Mark
my shoulders are far less than 45deg when the hips engage, and once the hips engage they continue to turn with my shoulders and eventually the right leg straightens unless I place a ton of tension (stress) trying to keep them from rotating which is almost impossible.
February 26, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Mark. It is okay for the hips to rotate a little when trying to achieve the 45 degrees of shoulder rotation. Take a look at the Weight Shift Video Part 2 in the Weight Shift Section. Allow them to rotate properly and sit into the trail glute. The will continue to rotate to the top. It will help alleviate the stress on the knee.
February 26, 2015
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Mark
You're trying to maintain the same flex in the right knee until top of back swing, right? What is the left leg and knee suppose to do and feel on the back swing? I can with a little difficulty keep the left knee in line with ankle and hip but it takes a lot of effort, the left knee wants to collapse towards the right knee. Thanks!
February 26, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Mark. Yes, ideally you want to maintain the same amount for right knee flexion to the top. The knees should feel stable going back. Feel like they are posts and you are coiling the upper half around them. Look at the body as an upper and lower half. Lower stays stable as upper turns against. To help create some torque. Its ok flexibility wise if you must allow the left knee to work inward some. We don't want to cause you any pain. If you can keep the knees pretty stable a little hip turn isn't going to hurt you.
February 26, 2015
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Sam
Morning, I was recommended this video after my first swing review. I ran through the complete drill twice yesterday and have woken up with a bit of pain on my left shoulder blade/left oblique. Doesn't feel like an injury (pulled muscle or anything) just tenderness. Is it OK to continue with the reps? I've been playing about 4 years without ever looking at this stuff and I don't think I've ever used these muscles in a swing before!
February 17, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Sam. Are you a right handed or left handed swinger?
February 17, 2015
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Sam
Right handed
February 17, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hmm. Odd to have lead side shoulder pain when engaging the trail side shoulder. The lead oblique is probably due to more stretch than you are used to in the takeaway. This can tend to be tender at first. You should be all go to continue. Keep us updated if the lead shoulder continues to bother you. You might be engaging it without even knowing.
February 17, 2015
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Sam
Will do, thanks for the reply
February 17, 2015
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Alejandro
Hi, I remember from an old David Leadbetter book that he asks to cross the arms rather than praying position. Wouldn't this reduce the chances of using hands instead of the right muscles ?
January 29, 2015
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Patrick (Certified RST Instructor)
Hi Alejandro, so long as you are focusing on using the right obliques and right shoulder to start the rotation, the hands should stay in front of the sternum easily with this drill. In either case (crossed arms or praying), there should not be tension in the hands and arms. It's all about feeling proper rotation.
January 29, 2015
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Jim
I am a little concerned, after watching this video , that this move without the hips will put stress on the lower back. This is an issue with me due to spinal stenosis and 3 bad discs.
January 21, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jim. Mastering the rotation is all about learning how to initiate the swinging of the club by rotating (pulling with trail shoulder/oblique). It is a small movement. I feel your pain with the 3 bad disc. I myself have L4 and L5 issues and spinal stenosis. Once you move onto the actual takeaway. The weight shift and load into the trail glute will allow for proper pivoting to take some stress off your lower back.
January 23, 2015
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Santiago
Hi Chuck, I thought the hands have to get a little disconnected from the body because they have to travel a longer distance. This way, the hands and the shoulders can finish the backswing at the same time.
January 5, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Santiago. The arms and hands will start to cross center line and raise as you reach the top. However, in the early going they will remain very close allowing body rotation to dictate more of the initial movement of the club.
January 7, 2015
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Chris
Hi - Does 1 rep count as pulling right then pulling left? Should you stop at the bottom (neutral)? Thanks.
December 18, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Chris, To help promote flexibility, you should complete the motion by rotating to the other side as well. You don't want to unevenly develop your muscles. So, I would start in the middle, rotate to the right then back to center then rotate to the left then back to center as on rep. Good luck on mastering rotation! R.J.
December 18, 2014
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Jim
Wow I can really feel this in my obliques, I was clearly turning my hips way too much on my take away before. Do you have any suggestions on exercises to help strengthen my core and improve on my flexibility on my shoulder turn?
December 11, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Jim. Take a look at the Golf Fitness Section. There are numerous videos to help with overall flexibility and strength training for your core. It is amazing how much you start to feel those obliques when performing the takeaway correctly.
December 12, 2014
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Tony
The right arm drill
December 9, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Tony. Do you have a question about the right arm I can help you with?
December 9, 2014
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gordon
I am struggling to obtain the correct "feel" for the very first movements and this lesson on rotation certainly helps. Can someone clarify for me how these very first movements when using a putter vs. one of the other golf clubs? Regards, Gordon.
December 8, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gordon. Pulling or initiating the swinging motion using the shoulder blade glide is the same for putting as it is full swing. The putter however you tend to be bent over more and not achieve full depression of the scapula. It's hard to give you a feeling, but you will feel he scapula move down and in towards your spine. The trail shoulder starting to pull behind your head. Take a look at Understanding Shoulder Blade Glide in the Advanced Takeaway Section. Further clarification of the motion may help you grasp the movement.
December 8, 2014
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Ross
In responses to the questions and comments below it seems that the shoulder blade glide and the obliques should drive the take away over quiet hips until there is about 45 degrees of shoulder turn. I think it is the next bit which I don't understand. How can the obliques (upper body) turn the hips (lower body)? I would have thought that lower body muscles need to be activated before the hips turn.
December 7, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ross. The pull from the shoulder blade and obliques is what allows the hips to rotate as you reach the top of the backswing. The lower body muscles will be engaged, but you don't want to actively force them to rotate back. Not overly rotating them helps you build separation between the two halves creating torque.
December 8, 2014
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BRIAN
Interesting - I must have previously engaged the hips too soon in the takeaway. When I turn using the obliques and keep the hips quiet its a totaly different feel. In fact the oblique muscles feel quite tired after a few reps. They must be underused.
November 27, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Brian -- Sounds like you are getting some good awareness of some different muscle groups which is great for changing the golf swing. Having awareness of the big core power muscles will certainly make you much more efficient.
November 27, 2014
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BRIAN
Hello Chris - Took my new takeaway action to the course this weekend. Seem to be turning ok but taking club back outside of plane resulting in shut clubface and bad pulls left. When the club goes back (what feels way inside and flat) the club face opens naturally. I have always had a flat swing, so have tried to take it straight back on the target line to compensate. Have never been taught elevation of the arms before. My last instructor encouraged me to rotate the hands on takeaway to stop closing the clubface. I would think if I rotated correctly there would be no need to make compensations with the hands?
December 1, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Brian -- You want some gradual rotation from the wrists throughout the entire golf swing. I would take a really close look at the "using the wrists effectively and efficiently" video in the full swing advanced intro section. Or you can click this link to be taken directly there: http://www.rotaryswing.com/videos/full-swing-advanced/introduction/using-the-wrists-effectively-and-efficiently You want to make sure that you are keeping the hands, wrists and arms very passive at address and into the takeaway and you may need to focus on getting some gradual rotation to the lead wrist from the start as outlined in that video. If you feel tension in the wrists or arms, you can shut the rotation down and then start to push the hands and arms away from the body which will shut the face and get the club popping outside. Take a look and let me know if that helps.
December 1, 2014
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Matthew
Regarding step 5 of this drill primarily, I wonder should I be pulling with the left side to bring the club back to the bottom and through to the left? Or should I just concentrate on using my right obliques and right shoulder blade to pull the takeaway portion, then just letting gravity take me back to the bottom (and then doing the follow-through side in the same way)? Am I doing like a metronome, using even muscle on each side? Or am I doing like a little 5 to 7 o'clock swing? Thanks!
October 31, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Matthew, Yes, you use the muscles in the left side to pull you back to the attack position which is where your hands are in front of your thigh on your back leg, at that point you pull your left arm through the ball as you fire your right elbow and release the snot out of the club. These videos will better illustrate how to sequence the downswing. Sang Moon Bae Hips for Lag Acceleration Profile: Sequence for Speed Wide Narrow Wide drill Squat to Square R.J.
November 1, 2014
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Matthew
Sweet, thanks RJ. But specifically for doing this drill, is it the same?
November 1, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Matthew, Yes, you always use the muscles opposite of where you are to pull you where you want to go. So, if you're at your stance and you want to go to your takeaway/backswing, you use the muscles on the trailing side to rotate the body around your spine in that direction, same thing going into the downswing, you're already back, you want to go forward so, you use the front side muscles to pull your body around the spine in the other direction. R.J.
November 2, 2014
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Mike
I've just had my first video review and have serious rotational issues. I've begun doing the 5 step drills and am committed to the daily routine. However, I am also committed to playing this weekend, and don't want to undo the value of the drill repetitions. Any advice for either a practice swing, pre-shot routine or swing thought that will not set me back to square 1. Thanks.
October 29, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Mike, As long as you get 1,000 correct reps in for the drill that you are doing, there is no way that you can undo the progress that you have made in a single round. It sounds like you're just working on your rotation so, that is likely isolated from your swing so it shouldn't be too difficult to do your old swing this weekend. Although, properly rotating shouldn't hurt your previous swing. R.J.
October 29, 2014
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Steve
Should I feel resistance in my left knee when doing the drill?
September 16, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
The only feel you should be getting is pull of the trail shoulder blade and oblique. With a little resistance of the torso turing against the trail hip.
September 16, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
For anyone who is having trouble with the arms for this drill, I have a little tip that I figured out, which helped me immensely. When I got to the one inch a part stage of the drill, I grabbed one of those yellow foam practice golf balls, which is slightly larger than an inch in diameter. You can find them at your local Wal-Mart or many online golf stores. I placed the ball in between my hands with very little pressure on the ball and did the drill. I noticed that when I first did the drill with the foam ball in my hands, I was compressing the ball. That meant that I was pushing from the left side. If the ball were to fall out of your hands, that would mean that you were pulling from the right arm, instead of the right shoulder blade. I can now do this drill without squishing the ball or letting it fall out of my hands. Also, when I first started doing this drill, my hips would move a little bit. So, I rigged a laser pointer into my belt buckle. I would then focus on a point on the wall (I have a paneling wall so I just aimed the laser in one of the cracks between the panels) and not let the laser move while I did the drill. When I got down in my posture, I put a ball on the floor and aimed the laser at the ball. Once I got the drill down with these tools, it allowed me to focus completely on the muscles responsible for the rotation. I can now get a full shoulder turn in my golf swing, which is exciting because I weigh 400 lbs. and I never thought that I was going to be able to make the full shoulder turn, until I got into better shape. Which is actually happening quite quickly. With doing no other exercise other than working on my golf swing, I've lost 50 lbs. in the past few months. Feels great. Of course, I eat well on top of that, but still. Golf is a great exercise.
September 15, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
You can do this with an actual golf ball as well. If you feel the ball pressing into your palms, you're pushing from the left side. Also, if the ball rolls in your palms, you're either pushing or pulling your arms, instead of rotating with the body. The key to using a golf ball in between your hands for this drill is to have your hands out straight, like Chuck does in the drill, and put the least amount of pressure on the ball as you can without letting it fall out. That way the ball will roll freely in your palms if you're not doing the drill properly. It's similar to the Martin Kaymer Tennis Ball drill video, but the ball is in your hands instead of in between your forearms.
September 15, 2014
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Richard
would you get a similar feeling by sticking the butt of the grip in your belly button and making turns whilst keeping the grip in place ?
September 7, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Richard. You could, but try not to cheat it. Make sure you focus on activating the proper muscles. Chuck will discuss the belly button theory in the 5 Mins to the Perfect Takeaway in this Section.
September 8, 2014
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Nick
After reviewing this video as well as the "Loading your right glute" video I'm puzzled as to what I should be doing first, loading my right glute or focusing on turning with my obliques? Really enjoying this instruction, but still a relatively new member, so I haven't put it all together yet.
September 5, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Nick. You can start either or with the sequence. For players that struggle shifting the weight. Use the trigger right heel, right shoulder to start.
September 5, 2014
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Dan
It feels almost impossible to move my torso using obliques, independently of my lower half. I find my hips moving. Is this a flexiblility issue?
September 4, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Dan, on top of what Craig said, it helps if you sit down on the edge of a chair with your feet firmly planted in front of you 2" outside of neutral joint alignment. Also, you want your ankles to be directly under the back of your knees, like you would be in a standing posture and you want your back to be in good posture as well, staying in the box. It's actually one of the exercises in the golf fitness section of the website. Sitting in the chair will immobilize your hips and it will allow you to feel the muscles involved with rotating the shoulders. It also follows the logic of what Chuck teaches. Start with easy first, then work your way up to harder. So, do the 5 minutes to master rotation drill sitting in a chair and then get up and do the same drill standing up. It should help.
September 15, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dan. The hips should stay stable, especially in the beginning. I don't think its a flexibility issue. Use the Golf Body Rotation Video in the Advanced Backswing Section. See if you can rotate around stable hips. It will check the flexibility and help with proper engagement.
September 4, 2014
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Brian
I experience tight lower back when doing drills in golf posture usually by the 12 rep. Do you have an exercise on the website that can help with this? Thanks
September 1, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Brian, If you also pull your belly button in towards your spine while doing the drill, it should alleviate the lower back pain. By time you get to rep number 12, you might be experiencing some abdominal fatigue and that's when you really need to concentrate on pulling the belly button in towards the spine to support the lower back. I have a big old beer gut so, I had problems with lower back pain at first as well, but keeping my lower abdominal muscles pulled tight helped me out a lot.
September 15, 2014
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Anthony (Certified RST Instructor)
Try these to activate your glutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-3Y3ZzbYV0 Try these to open your hips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrl85K0KoJo Use this to open your hamstrings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpX_2yoLO6c
September 1, 2014
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Michael
In this video chuck states that everyone can do a full shoulder turn and that it is not related to flexibility. I am 66 years old and have watched the video and done the drills but I am unable to achieve a 90 degree shoulder turn. Have you any comments or advice? Thank you Michael (1 year member)
August 19, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hmm. You should be able to rotate a good distance. Are you sure you aren't tilting versus turning? Make sure you have proper axis tilt and rotating back. Take a look at the Push vs Pull Video in the Introduction Section and Importance of Axis Tilt in the Advanced Setup. You might be arching the spine.
August 19, 2014
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Giampietro
Hi there, first of all sorry for my not proper english... My question is: if i'm able to have a big proper torso rotation without arms pushing and hips rotation ( i mean almost 90°, i'm pretty fit and elastic), should i limit it in my takeaway? I noticed that if i make my full rotation, my hands and club face are under the shaft line in a DTL view. Thanks for these great videos
August 16, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Giampietro. Ideally yes. Over rotating with the shoulders in the takeaway can be a detriment to the golf swing as well. 45 Degrees would be preferable. I am envious of your flexibility!
August 16, 2014
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Keighley
Hi there, should the obliques feel quite tight when I am doing this? Many thanks
August 10, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Keighley. When doing the drill for a first timer. You will feel engagement in the obliques. Most golfers never tend to use them properly.
August 10, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
I weigh 400 lbs. at 6 feet tall and almost all of my weight is in my torso. I can get a full shoulder turn and the proper 90/45 shoulder to hip ratio, no problem. I am actually very athletic and coordinated for my size, believe it or not. My problem is that no matter how much I squat down into my swing and drive into my heels when transferring my weight, I don't feel my glutes activating and still feel a tremendous amount of pressure on my knees. When I look at my stance down the line on the camera, my butt, my ankle and my shoulders are all equidistant from one another and I'm still knee stress and little butt muscle activation. Now, I don't have very large glutes, relative to other muscle development in my body and I have bad knees. Could this issue be caused by my underdeveloped glutes, weight hanging over my knees from my gut and bad knees or am I just missing something?
July 25, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey R.J. I just emailed you.
July 25, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Thanks, Craig. I actually went out to Walmart and got some compression sleeves for my knees and right elbow (elbow sleeve is helping keep my elbow from flying at the top of the back swing and helping me release the club, plus I've had some elbow tendinitis from practicing this week) and I've been able to squat into my stance and also in the downswing now like we're supposed to. I'm missing an ACL in one knee and an MCL in the other knee so any slight outward pressure on the knee causes instability and makes my quads work overtime when normally they wouldn't be quite as activated. Since I've got those sleeves to provide instability in my knees, I've been able to feel my glutes activate.
July 26, 2014
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Simon
why my favorite video doesn't play? there is a message saying that the connection was reset.
July 23, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Simon. I am unaware of any current issues. Sorry for your trouble. If you are still getting the error message. Please use the Contact Us link at the bottom of this page. Let Customer Support know your issues. They will be glad to assist.
July 23, 2014
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Lawrence
I recently became a premium member after several years of frustrating play and no improvement no matter how many lessons I have taken. I have incorporated the "5 Minutes to Master Rotation" and wonder is this all I should work on each day and not go to the range to actually hit ball. How many days would you recommend I should do this drill? I am doing 125 each day......25 each rotation drill.
July 17, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
After 100 hundred reps the mind will start to copy the new process. Hitting lots of balls during the change can hinder the speed of improvement. I don't want to tell you not to practice though. Especially with it being summer time. But looking at your numbers. You are getting some good reps in. 3000-5000 to make permanent. Gradually get back hitting balls. Make lots of practice swings between shots.
July 17, 2014
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Christine
thx, this is a great drill
July 5, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Glad you like Christine!
July 5, 2014
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William
I noticed from the overhead view, that Chuck was in a closed or a aiming right stance. I know it is easier to do the movement of turning if you are in that position. Is this correct? I believe you want us to try to get everything square. I am really enjoying your teaching and website design.
July 2, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey William. Glad you are enjoying the site. When working on this drill. Try and get everything square.
July 2, 2014
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Jon
I've been working on the drills from the video, and when I do the drills I feel like I'm really using my core and rotating without using my hips a whole lot. However, I'm really struggling with the transition from my takeaway once I get past waist height. I also really struggle with keeping my right arm straight as it almost always has bend in my elbow. I'm really trying to correct this, but it's been a great struggle thus far. Any suggestions on how to correct this or what I may be doing wrong?
June 27, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Make sure you add shoulder elevation. Take a look at the Shoulder Elevation Video in the Backswing Section. Al will discuss how to feel getting the arms vertical and not wanting them to go behind you. Also, the 3 Functions of the Right Arm in the Backswing Advanced Section will help nail down exactly what the right arm should do from the takeaway to the top.
June 28, 2014
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glen
I’ve found the takeaway to the right for core separation works best for me when the core feels relatively soft, so I can keep the hips stationery without undue effort. Is this the correct way / feeling? When I hear about loading etc there is a notion that you should be hunkering down the lower half and rotating the core against it with considerable effort to build up the load. I’m aware Golf movements are very easy to overdo with unrequired strain and would be good to understand the feelings here to stay on track. Thanks Glen
June 11, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Glen, you are correct. You don't want to be over stressing or overdoing the load. We want the muscles to be engaged, not stressed out.
June 11, 2014
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Adam
Other than pre-loading separation between the hips and the chest/shoulders, I don't see why the hips need to stay mostly stationary in the takeaway. Could you please explain the reason(s)?
June 10, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
That is the main reason. We don't want to actively rotate the hips off the ball or we won't be able to store any power/torque on the backswing. Allowing the hips to be pulled by the torso rotation allows for the storage of energy on the backswing. Rotating them to soon isn't very powerful and will make them rotate too much. Adding to more active rotation on the downswing and overuse to return to impact.
June 10, 2014
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David
When you add the golf club to the exercises in this video, you need to add the hip bump (as mentioned below) which tilts the spine. Without a weight transfer, do you still straighten the spine at all during the rotation or are you rotating around a tilted spine? I know it's not supposed to be much of a tilt, but it feels a little strange and I am having trouble seeing it in the video.
June 7, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello David, you are rotating around a tilted spine. If you take a look at Chuck when he takes his address position with the club. You can see him adding the axis tilt, as it allows him to the the right hand on the club properly. Look at the buttons on his golf shirt. If you were to draw a line straight down the buttons, it would be pointing just to the inside of his left knee.
June 7, 2014
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Adam
If I don't change my hand configuration at all while rotating back with the club, The clubface doesn't make it to toe up when the club is parallel to the ground. Any idea what is happening? Is it okay for me to rotate my hands to get the toe up at the club parallel position?
June 1, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Larsa92, take a look at the Unleash Your Thumbnail Video in the Advanced Takeaway Section. There is some rotation in the Takeaway, just not too much active roll. Clay will give you a good check point for your hands at parallel to the ground.
June 1, 2014
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Rick
I am a bit confused about the swing thought to start the rotation. In one video Chuck says to think of the right shoulder blade turning down and in. To me that would mean the shoulders tilt with the right going slightly up and the left slightly down. In this video (and others) he speaks of pulling the right shoulder behind you, which would seem to indicate a more horizontal or flatter shoulder turn. Which is the proper thought and move?.
May 27, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
The action of the scapula is moving down and in towards your spine to create a shoulder turn. The feeling of pulling the right shoulder behind you helps initiate the proper movement of the scapula. If the scapula didn't move down and in the turn wouldn't be level. Check out the Understanding Shoulder Blade Glide Video in the Full Swing Advanced Takeaway Section and the Golf Body Rotation Video in the Full Swing Advanced Backswing Section to put the pieces together.
May 27, 2014
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Jeff
I have viewed the video "Move 1 The Takeaway" and" 5 minutes to Master Rotation".. In the 1st video the emphasis is on the shoulder blade glide and the last video the emphasis is on the the oblique muscles with some mention of of the shoulder blade glide. I know the videos are not contradicting each other but are actually complimenting each other. I have done the reps in each of the two videos and am very aware of the oblique muscles (sore) and the shoulder blade glide but, now I have a question: which of these two starts the INITIAL movement of the takeaway? Would I be correct to say that the shoulder blade glide would start the takeaway movement with the oblique muscles joining in at some point?
May 18, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Jeff, yes you would be correct. The shoulder blade glide initiates a centered turn, then the obliques will pull and start to carry the bulk of the load in continuing to rotate the torso.
May 18, 2014
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Eric
Is their some excercies to improve core muscle response?
May 16, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Check out our fitness section for some good core exercises. We have a new fitness guru Anthony Yueng, who will be putting out a ton of new videos this summer on core training and response. Stay tuned.
May 17, 2014
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Larry
This is a tough one for me. It is almost impossible for me to rotate my torso without a little hip rotation. Are the hips supposed to remain absolutely motionless?
May 9, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
When working back into the swing we want to have minimal hip rotation during the takeaway and then have the hips pulled to a wound position by the torso as you move into the backswing. There can be a little bit of turn from the hips in the takeaway but it is best to try and restrict them so that you know that you are using the big muscles to rotate and you are creating needed separation at the top.. If you have always been prone to getting over rotated in the hips then you definitely want to make sure that you load the right glute and feel like the torso is pulling them to a wound position.
May 11, 2014
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Hector
do I need to add the hip tilt, once I go into my setup position?
May 2, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Yes, you want to add the hip bump to make sure the spine is just inside the left knee before you start the shift right and takeaway.
May 2, 2014
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Tom
is this a good drill to do sitting down to keep the hips still ?
April 16, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
That's certainly a great way to start and to learn the correct feeling of separation. After you get that feeling, try going into correct posture and working on it.
April 16, 2014
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mario
Are the abdominal muscles engaged/flexed during this move? Like when one does an abdominal crunch? Or should the feeling be relaxed like after exhaling? And furthermore, how about during take away and full backswing? Would it be better for one to exhale or inhale during the action or neither?
April 12, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
You want them to be engaged at the address position before starting the move but you dont need to overdo it. You can try and pull your bellybutton into your back and that will take curvature off the lower spine and also help give you some engagement. You want to be able to feel the big muscles in the torso throughout the swing.
April 14, 2014

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