The concept of "Push vs. Pull" is central to the Rotary Swing Tour. Sir Isaac Newton established that all movement is fundamentally either a push or a pull. You can visualize this quite simply by recalling the era when golfers actually walked the course using pull carts. If you ever used one, you noticed immediately that it was far easier to keep the cart tracking in a straight line when you let it trail behind you and pulled it. When you tried to push it from behind, you would inevitably develop a little "zig-zag" path as the movement became less stable. But why?
When we examine the definition of a pulling motion in its simplest form, it is the act of moving something toward you — toward center. A push is the exact opposite. If you're pushing a box across the floor of your living room, you're effectively moving it away from you, not toward you. The reason the pull cart tracks in a much straighter line when pulled is that the force acting upon it always moves it toward a centralized point — YOU! When you stand behind it and push, the cart could move in any number of directions — a full 360 degrees away from center. When we apply these concepts to the golf swing, some very interesting principles emerge that render old instruction clichés like "get your lead shoulder under your chin" obsolete. We would instead tell the student to pull the trail shoulder behind the head.
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First, let's define one of our core goals in the golf swing — a fundamental of the RST. That is the goal of creating centered rotation around the spine. The spine serves as a perfect axis around which to rotate if you want to stay centered and avoid shifting laterally off the ball. If that's our objective, then the next logical step is to identify the motion that allows us to achieve this centered rotation.
In our pull cart example, we discussed pushing and pulling as it pertains to linear motion — walking down the fairway toward your next shot with the pull cart trailing behind you. But the golf swing is rotational by nature, so we need to introduce two more concepts from Newton: centripetal and centrifugal force. By definition, centripetal force is: the force that is necessary to keep an object moving in a curved path and that is directed inward toward the center of rotation (Webster's Dictionary). The definition for centrifugal force is: the apparent force that is felt by an object moving in a curved path that acts outwardly away from the center of rotation (Webster's Dictionary). Technically speaking, centrifugal force is a "false force" that is simply a result of centripetal force. The reality is centrifugal force doesn't exist at all, and no object would continue rotating around a centralized point without centripetal force or gravitational pull. Rather, it would continue in a straight line. However, centripetal force is very real, very powerful, and amazingly efficient.
To fully understand centripetal force, imagine a ball on the end of a string attached to a stick. By moving the stick in a very small circular motion, the ball on the string can be accelerated to tremendous speeds with minimal effort. Your tiny hand movements create centripetal force, always pulling in the opposite direction of the ball to keep it moving at maximum velocity. The bigger your hand movements become, the slower the ball begins to travel and the more effort you must invest to continue accelerating it. As part of these larger movements, it also becomes much more difficult to keep the ball orbiting on a consistent plane. At maximum speed, the string naturally extends to 90 degrees relative to the stick, and the ball travels on a single plane as long as the stick remains centered and moving with those same simple, tight little movements. The looser the movements, the more difficult it becomes to keep the ball "on plane."
It's easy to see how this analogy directly relates to the golf swing, as the concepts of plane and rotation are discussed constantly in the instruction world. The key in the Rotary Swing Tour is that swing plane becomes very easy to control when we understand how to create centered rotation using the principles of push/pull and centripetal and centrifugal force. For a data-driven breakdown of how your swing mechanics currently score, try a free AI swing analysis.
Let's apply pushing and pulling to a real-world example in the golf swing. To do this, you'll need a partner. Stand upright and hold a club horizontally tight across your chest. From behind, have someone move you by pushing from both sides of the club. You'll notice in a mirror that your head moves about in both directions and you likely won't make a 90-degree turn. Now, have your partner pull the end of the club back behind you. You will be amazed at how easily you make a full shoulder turn and how much "tighter" and smaller the movements feel compared to pushing.
In the first scenario, when pushed from either side, the head moves away from center — as does the rest of the body. For most golfers, this is exactly how they try to take the club back during the backswing. They push the lead arm across the body by driving from the lead side, then wonder why they can't make a full shoulder turn. If you want to turn your back to the target, then quite simply, turn your back. Let's look at what happens when you're pulled from behind instead.
When being pulled, your head stays centered and the body can easily make a full shoulder turn without shifting off the ball. You'll notice in the pull images that the head remains very centered. More importantly, you can feel this distinction when your partner pulls you. This is the key to golfers of all flexibility levels making a full shoulder turn and is the foundation for creating centered rotation around the spine. To date, I have yet to encounter a single golfer — regardless of age, fitness level, or flexibility — who couldn't make a full 90-degree turn with this method. So the next time a student says they're not flexible enough for a full shoulder turn, use this simple drill and watch their expression light up.
Once we understand why pulling is superior and the benefits it delivers, the final step is to examine exactly HOW we create this rotation. This requires a basic understanding of anatomy. In the push/pull exercise, your partner created the force by pulling or pushing on the golf shaft. Now, your muscles need to generate that same force — but which ones? Fortunately, for rotating the torso, there are relatively few muscles you need to understand. The first set of muscles that facilitate torso rotation are the obliques. If you sit at the edge of a chair and begin turning your torso from side to side with some speed, you'll quickly feel them engage. The second set of muscles are in the back — specifically, we refer to the lower trapezius and latissimus muscles. The lower trapezius and rhomboid work to pull the scapula toward the spine (toward center) during the backswing. When done correctly, the golfer will feel the lat muscle activate. We generally don't reference the rhomboid because most golfers haven't a clue what it is, nor can they feel it — which is exactly why we refer to the lat frequently. While the lower trapezius is technically the muscle moving the scapula, most golfers can feel the lat, making it a more useful reference point.
Using the scapular motion of gliding it across the ribcage toward center helps create the centered rotation we're seeking and gets the golfer connected to the big muscles of the core. It's a win-win for the backswing. This movement is a key component for learning to create a "pulling" motion, which — as we've established — is necessary for creating efficient, centered rotation. This concept will help all students create a 90-degree or greater shoulder turn in the backswing. While we've emphasized the pulling motion for centered rotation, it should be noted that this isn't the only force at work. Technically, it's a "push-pull" throughout the golf swing. For example, we emphasize pulling with the lead oblique on the downswing because this helps clear the hips back out of the way, providing room for the arms. Most golfers push from the trail side during the downswing and end up coming out of their spine angle. This pushing motion is more instinctual but creates numerous common swing faults. When the golfer begins focusing on pulling, it's often a new sensation. However, while they may feel the lead oblique firing, the trail oblique is also contributing — they work in pairs to rotate the torso. It's important for the student to feel the pulling motion over everything else, but as an expert golf instructor, you need to understand that both sides are working.
- Do you struggle to get a full shoulder turn in the backswing?
- Do you tend to sway to the trail side on your backswing and then to the lead side in the downswing?
If you answered yes to either of these, we're going to help you out by teaching you the importance of "pulling in the golf swing".
Almost everyone — 99.9 percent of golfers — can achieve at least a 90-degree shoulder turn during the backswing in golf. It's all about using the correct golf muscles and moving your body the right way. It's remarkably simple, and we're going to give you step-by-step instructions.
"...I was pushing and not pulling. Now that I am pulling I am able to twist round 90°. Great stuff."
-SUKHWINDER B. | Mar 25, 2013
The first thing we'll examine is push versus pull in the golf swing.
You can see the effects firsthand if you work with a friend. Have them hold a club firmly across their chest, and you'll immediately observe the difference between pushing and pulling.
Pushing in the golf swing causes sway
Pushing Causes Sway
Traditional golf instruction would have you try to push your lead shoulder underneath your chin on the backswing. If we draw a line down the center of the body, notice what happens when you push on the club to move the lead shoulder — the body starts to sway to the trail side.
The same thing happens on the downswing. If you push from the trail side, the body sways back to the lead side. Pushing moves the body around excessively and creates that destructive sway.
Pulling Works Toward Center
Instead, we're going to have you activate the muscles that pull in the golf swing. These muscles pull you toward center, allowing you to make a beautifully centered rotation.
Pulling in the golf swing keeps you centered
You'll also achieve a full shoulder turn when you do this. This corresponds directly with Newton's laws of motion.
As you pull the trail side back, you're activating the trail shoulder. You'll feel like you're turning that trail shoulder back as the point of activation.
When you try this with a friend, notice how the body stays perfectly centered. The same principle holds true on the downswing. As you pull with the lead side, the body remains centered as well.
As long as you're pulling in the golf swing, you'll be working toward center. It's when you start pushing that you move away from center. Getting a full shoulder turn can be as simple as using the correct muscles. To practice these fundamentals with real-time AI coaching, check out a free AI golf lesson.
Try It Out
Go ahead and take a normal swing using your lead shoulder. Push it under your chin, and notice how it makes you feel as though you're going to slide to the trail side. The same thing happens on the downswing — you push from the other side.
If you're flipping at impact or getting excessive axis tilt at impact, much of this can be traced back to pushing from the trail side.
Pulling helps you get good shoulder turn, even before the top of the swing
Now Do it Right
Have your friend with the club concentrate on pulling their trail shoulder back behind their body. They should achieve a full shoulder turn even before the club has moved very far. You should see at least a 90-degree turn, if not more, by the top of the swing.
Activating the correct golf muscles helps you stay centered, achieve a great full shoulder turn, and significantly increase your golf swing power and consistency.
Watch part 2 now to see how you're moving your body in the opposite direction of the pros!
