Webinar 1: The Core
Webinar 1: The Core

Get to the "core" of the issue in your swing and understand how THE GOAT makes his swing s ...

Webinar 2: Core Power & Putting
Webinar 2: Core Power & Putting

In webinar 2, we discuss the Core Power video and how to grip the club properly so you can ...

Webinar 3 - Compression & Clubface Control
Webinar 3 - Compression & Clubface Control

Control & compression, that's the name of the game in ball striking and when you follow th ...

Webinar 4 - Fascia & Effortless Power
Webinar 4 - Fascia & Effortless Power

This is a webinar I did with the RSA members on how to load the fascial lines. This will h ...

The GOAT Code - Ep 1 - How the Hands & Wrist Create Speed
The GOAT Code - Ep 1 - How the Hands & Wrist Create Speed

Welcome to The GOAT Code Podcast! In this first episode we cover the most important topic ...

The GOAT Code - Ep 2 - How Tour Player Equipment Deals Work
The GOAT Code - Ep 2 - How Tour Player Equipment Deals Work

Have you ever wondered what happens when a golfer makes it through Q School? How the equip ...

The GOAT Code - Ep 3 - 69 yr Old Increases Swing Speed 15 mph in 30 minutes!
The GOAT Code - Ep 3 - 69 yr Old Increases Swing Speed 15 mph in 30 minutes!

Do you think that you're doomed to never swing the golf club over 100 mph. Well, Steve tho ...

Larry's Lesson - Pt 1
Larry's Lesson - Pt 1

The #1 most important thing you have to learn in the golf swing is how to release the club ...

Larry's Lesson Pt 2
Larry's Lesson Pt 2

Larry's Lesson Part 2

Larry's Lesson Day 2 - Part 1
Larry's Lesson Day 2 - Part 1

Starting in Day 2, we begin to work on Larry's body movement to sync up with his hand spee ...

Larry's Lesson Day 2 - Pt 2 - Using the Hackmotion
Larry's Lesson Day 2 - Pt 2 - Using the Hackmotion

Now we begin to use the Hackmotion to make a huge change in Larry's shut faced takeaway an ...

Larry's Lesson - Day 3 - Pt 3 - Swinging w/ Speed
Larry's Lesson - Day 3 - Pt 3 - Swinging w/ Speed

In the final part of the lesson we start getting Larry to pick up his pace to naturally re ...

How to Swing on Plane w/ The GOAT Code
How to Swing on Plane w/ The GOAT Code

Have you been searching for the right feeling to get the club to naturally swing on one pl ...

How the Hips Move in a Throwing Pattern
How the Hips Move in a Throwing Pattern

How the hips move in a throwing pattern in the golf swing.

How to Compress the Ball & Get Shaft Lean Lesson
How to Compress the Ball & Get Shaft Lean Lesson

Do you struggle with casting the club and losing lag? No compression on the ball? This gol ...

Bryan's Journey - Introduction
Bryan's Journey - Introduction

Follow along as Bryan works through The GOAT Code From Start To Finish And Documents The E ...

Bryan's Journey - Trail Hand Putting
Bryan's Journey - Trail Hand Putting

The first submission of Bryan's trail hand putting work. You'll see some practice, the su ...

Winter Golf Training Program - Setup
Winter Golf Training Program - Setup

Our premium golf training program for winter months

Proper Muscle Activation
Proper Muscle Activation

Understanding how to properly activate muscles is critical for producing effortless power ...

Golf Grip Checkpoint Tips
Golf Grip Checkpoint Tips

For years, golf instructors have put band-aids on your golf grip and your golf swing by m ...

Should You Splay Your Feet At Setup
Should You Splay Your Feet At Setup

In a perfect golf setup, should your feet point out or be square to the target? This premi ...

Connect to Your Core - Get in Box
Connect to Your Core - Get in Box

This video gives you a drill to get connected to your core and "in the box." It is imperat ...

Fix Your Setup For More Power
Fix Your Setup For More Power

Did you know that a simple setup change can increase your distance off the tee? In this ...

The Golf Grip and Being Out of the Box
The Golf Grip and Being Out of the Box

Another video to disspell some of the common swing myths. This one deals with the old adag ...

The Gorilla Grip
The Gorilla Grip

Here’s a golf instruction myth about the grip that can’t die soon enough. The myth sta ...

Problems Caused by Poor Ball Position
Problems Caused by Poor Ball Position

Having the ball in the wrong position will not only cost you accuracy, but as this video t ...

How Your Setup is Causing Your Left Arm to Bend
How Your Setup is Causing Your Left Arm to Bend

I bet you've never heard this explanation for why your left arm is bending at the top of y ...

Phase 1 Follow Along
Phase 1 Follow Along

Learn how to practice your golf swing productively and follow along with a pro in this pra ...

DEAD Drill Step 1 - The Backswing
DEAD Drill Step 1 - The Backswing

Here's the first step in building your perfect golf swing using the DEAD Drill. It's criti ...

DEAD Drill Step 2 - The Transition
DEAD Drill Step 2 - The Transition

The DEAD Drill transition is DEAD simple. One move to have a powerful and dynamic transiti ...

DEAD Drill Step 3 - The Post-Up
DEAD Drill Step 3 - The Post-Up

The Post Up move is where all the magic happens in the golf downswing. If you've never rel ...

Flip vs. Release in Golf
Flip vs. Release in Golf

What is the difference between a proper golf club release and a flip in the golf swing? To ...

How to Get Perfect Shaft Lean at Impact
How to Get Perfect Shaft Lean at Impact

You want to hit those boring, hissing shots that scream off the face like a rocket? This g ...

Golf Impact Position Face On
Golf Impact Position Face On

After all your hard work on the backswing, it's time for the big payoff! Getting into the ...

Golf Impact Position Down the Line
Golf Impact Position Down the Line

As I discussed in the video on Impact Alignments Face On, impact is everything in RST. All ...

Cure Chicken Wing in the Golf Swing
Cure Chicken Wing in the Golf Swing

You now have a 3-step drill to help you cure your chicken wing golf swing once and for all ...

Left Elbow Position at Impact
Left Elbow Position at Impact

Find out a simple trick to hit straighter shots while also virtually eliminating your chan ...

3 Steps to better impact position in golf
3 Steps to better impact position in golf

Golf is a sport that can leave you frustrated round after round, but WHY? What exactly are ...

Golf Impact - Part 2 of 7
Golf Impact - Part 2 of 7

In part 2 of this new 7 part video series, I'll discuss one of the most important parts th ...

Perfect your golf impact - 1 of 4
Perfect your golf impact - 1 of 4

Compressing the golf ball like a tour pro can be very hard to do. In this new video series ...

Perfect your golf impact - 2 of 4
Perfect your golf impact - 2 of 4

Effortless power in the golf swing is a difficult concept for many amateur golfers. In vid ...

Perfect your golf impact - 3 of 4
Perfect your golf impact - 3 of 4

Learn how to add more speed to your golf swing by leveraging the ground like a tour pro.

Perfect your golf impact - 4 of 4
Perfect your golf impact - 4 of 4

Lag in the golf swing is key for clubhead speed. In this video, I'll show you how to add m ...

Perfecting your golf impact - Bonus
Perfecting your golf impact - Bonus

Perfecting your golf impact video series. Special bonus video that will help you correct s ...

Overview of the Push Release
Overview of the Push Release

An overview to the push release for those who want to use the right side to help power the ...

Fix Your Swing Sway w/ the Wall Drill
Fix Your Swing Sway w/ the Wall Drill

Fix your golf swing sway with this awesome and simple drill! Swaying off the ball in the b ...

Weight Shift Sweep Drills
Weight Shift Sweep Drills

The best golf swing drill for weight shift right before you play or when you're just on th ...

Intro to Weight Shift in the Golf Swing
Intro to Weight Shift in the Golf Swing

Weight shift in the golf swing is the FIRST thing you must master before worrying about an ...

Weight Shift in the Golf Swing - Pt. 1
Weight Shift in the Golf Swing - Pt. 1

Using our Science and Motion (SAM) Balance Lab, we can pin point weight shift and weight d ...

Weight Shift Part 2 - Right Hip Line
Weight Shift Part 2 - Right Hip Line

In this second video on understanding weight shift in the golf swing, I discuss specifical ...

Weight Shift Part 3 - To the Left
Weight Shift Part 3 - To the Left

The culmination in the three part series on correct weight shift in the golf swing gets us ...

Step 1 - Weight Shift
Step 1 - Weight Shift

Step 1 of the RST 5 Step System - Mastering Weight Shift

Step 1 - Weight Shift - Drill Only
Step 1 - Weight Shift - Drill Only

Step 1 - Weight shift drills

5 Minute Golf Setup w/ Weight Shift
5 Minute Golf Setup w/ Weight Shift

Once you've mastered the setup, you can add weight shift to your program to begin developi ...

Fixing Your Weight Transfer in the Golf Swing
Fixing Your Weight Transfer in the Golf Swing

In this video, I will show you 2 of the most common faults in downswing transition by not ...

How Attack Angle Affects Compression
How Attack Angle Affects Compression

Ever notice how the PGA Tour pros take razor thin divots? That's exactly what you want. Th ...

Taking a Divot in Front of the Ball
Taking a Divot in Front of the Ball

Taking a proper divot is something that is critical to crisp and consistent iron play, but ...

Angle of Attack
Angle of Attack

Taking deep divots? Are you supposed to? What do the pros do? This video tells you how ste ...

Swing Faults When Your Stance is Too Wide
Swing Faults When Your Stance is Too Wide

One of the most common problems with the setup, here's what happens when your stance is to ...

Fix Your Release - Trail Shoulder Back
Fix Your Release - Trail Shoulder Back

This golf instruction video is for those who struggle to stop spinning their shoulders ope ...

Moving the Fulcrum & Hitting Shots off the Toe
Moving the Fulcrum & Hitting Shots off the Toe

It's one of my most important golf instruction videos ever, this will completely transform ...

How to Cure the Shanks in 3 Steps
How to Cure the Shanks in 3 Steps

The golf shank is the ugliest, nastiest, rottenest, and most frightening shot in golf. If ...

Phase 2 Follow Along
Phase 2 Follow Along

In Phase 2, you learn how to take your straight shots you learned in Phase 1 and add effor ...

Bonus Challenge 1 - Curving the Ball
Bonus Challenge 1 - Curving the Ball

Bonus Challenge 1 is about learning how to curve the ball in both directions. This challen ...

Getting Stuck on the Downswing
Getting Stuck on the Downswing

Tiger Woods used to always complain about getting "stuck" in the downswing; a position tha ...

Blocked Golf Shots | Fwd Shaft Lean
Blocked Golf Shots | Fwd Shaft Lean

If you want to compress the ball for explosive distance, then you need to be working on st ...

How to Fix the Two Way Miss in Golf
How to Fix the Two Way Miss in Golf

Struggle with the dreaded two-way miss in golf? One shot goes right and the next goes left ...

2 Finger Release Drill
2 Finger Release Drill

This awesome drill forces you to release the golf club like a tour pro! You're going to lo ...

Stop Coming Over the Top in the Golf Swing and Slicing
Stop Coming Over the Top in the Golf Swing and Slicing

You're well aware that slicing destroys your distance and your scorecard. What you may not ...

Stop Slicing and Start Releasing the Golf Club
Stop Slicing and Start Releasing the Golf Club

In this video, I’ll show you how to release your club to stop slicing and get better com ...

Square the Clubface Early
Square the Clubface Early

Learning how to properly square the club face at impact is something that most amateur gol ...

Hitting a Fade
Hitting a Fade

Learning how to hit a fade is all about learning to control the release of the golf club. ...

How to Stop Hooking the Golf Ball
How to Stop Hooking the Golf Ball

How to stop hooking the golf ball once and for all! If you struggle with hitting hook shot ...

Hitting a Draw
Hitting a Draw

Once you've mastered the RST swing method, you realize that, due to the simplicity of the ...

How to Hit the 3 Yard Draw
How to Hit the 3 Yard Draw

Learn how to hit the delicate little three yard draw and why you're struggling with gettin ...

Phase 3 Follow Along
Phase 3 Follow Along

It's in Phase 3 where you will start to really experience power AND control like never bef ...

Bonus Challenge 2 - Trajectory Control
Bonus Challenge 2 - Trajectory Control

Bonus Challenge 2 is where you become the master of your own destiny by learning how to co ...

How to Fix Golf Reverse Pivot
How to Fix Golf Reverse Pivot

A reverse pivot golf swing can cause a whole lot of bad shots, from hitting it thin to hit ...

Cure Reverse Pivot w/ the Necktie Drill
Cure Reverse Pivot w/ the Necktie Drill

Axis tilt is a necessary fundamental of the golf swing that many golfers ignore or fail to ...

5 Minutes to Master Rotation
5 Minutes to Master Rotation

This video holds the 5 step pathway to mastering rotation in the golf swing. At the end of ...

Keep the Right Arm Straight to Turn
Keep the Right Arm Straight to Turn

One of the most common faults that destroys a powerful turn in the golf swing is how the r ...

How to Fix a Flat Shoulder Turn
How to Fix a Flat Shoulder Turn

Fix a flat shoulder turn in your golf backswing with this simple and easy to do drill.

Simple Fix to Make a Full Shoulder Turn
Simple Fix to Make a Full Shoulder Turn

Struggle with making a full turn, even though your fit and flexible? Lacking the distance ...

Using the Core
Using the Core

Using a side by side face on view of Tiger Woods with a driver and a recent swing of mine ...

The Bucket Drill - Golf Shoulder Turn
The Bucket Drill - Golf Shoulder Turn

The Bucket Drill is one that provides a very simple and clear picture on how to rotate cor ...

Intro to Core Rotation in Golf Swing
Intro to Core Rotation in Golf Swing

The rotating core is the "engine" of the golf swing and the primary mover of the entire sw ...

Step 2 - Core Rotation
Step 2 - Core Rotation

Step 2- Adding body rotation

Step 2 - Core Rotation - Drill Only
Step 2 - Core Rotation - Drill Only

The drill only for Step 2 - Body Rotation

Clamshell Drill - How to Cure Early Extension
Clamshell Drill - How to Cure Early Extension

The Clamshell Drill is the key to the golf swing, no seriously! If you want to see how the ...

Eliminate Early Extension in Golf Swing
Eliminate Early Extension in Golf Swing

The REAL causes of early extension in the golf swing and the only TRUE way to fix it.

Closed Hip Slide
Closed Hip Slide

A closed hip slide is detrimental to your golf swing when learning how to shift your weigh ...

Live Lesson - How to Stop Losing Tush Line & Boost Consistency
Live Lesson - How to Stop Losing Tush Line & Boost Consistency

Struggling with a 2 way miss and lack of consistency? Watch this Live Lesson to learn a si ...

Losing the Tush Line
Losing the Tush Line

One of the most common questions I get regularly is how to stop losing the tush line, or s ...

Squat to Square in the Golf Downswing
Squat to Square in the Golf Downswing

If you watch golf on TV, it seems that you can't turn your hips fast enough or far enough ...

Squeeze the Cheeks for Consistency
Squeeze the Cheeks for Consistency

The glute muscles (your butt cheeks) are some of the most important muscles in the golf sw ...

Role of the Right Foot in Downswing
Role of the Right Foot in Downswing

Footwork is a bit of a misnomer in the golf swing but you hear it every week on TV. What i ...

Fix Your Over the Top Swing by Fixing Your Hand Path
Fix Your Over the Top Swing by Fixing Your Hand Path

Learn how to fix your over the top golf swing by simply being able to read a clock. If you ...

Stop Coming Over the Top in the Golf Swing and Slicing
Stop Coming Over the Top in the Golf Swing and Slicing

You're well aware that slicing destroys your distance and your scorecard. What you may not ...

How to Shallow Your Golf Swing Fast and Easy - Live Lesson
How to Shallow Your Golf Swing Fast and Easy - Live Lesson

Do you struggle with shallowing the club in the downswing and keep hitting a pull cut or e ...

How to Shallow Your Hands During Transition
How to Shallow Your Hands During Transition

Do your hands go straight out toward the golf ball and don't shallow out during the transi ...

Over the Top Stick Drill
Over the Top Stick Drill

Are you tired of yelling “Fore!” when you hit big, nasty slices off the tee? If so, he ...

Drill to Learn Inside Path to Golf Ball
Drill to Learn Inside Path to Golf Ball

Tired of the over the top slice? This drill and training aid will teach you how to approac ...

How to Fix Your Over the Top Move - Live Lesson
How to Fix Your Over the Top Move - Live Lesson

Do you have a steep, over the top golf swing? No matter what you try and do, you can't sto ...

9 to 3 Lag Building Drills
9 to 3 Lag Building Drills

Learn how to build lag in your golf swing with these 9 to 3 lag building drills. You'll le ...

AXIOM Lag in the Golf Swing
AXIOM Lag in the Golf Swing

Producing incredible lag has never been this easy - or fast

Increase Lag - Impact Cube Drill
Increase Lag - Impact Cube Drill

This awesome drill will teach you to not cast the club and maintain lag into impact.

Speed vs. Power in the Golf Swing
Speed vs. Power in the Golf Swing

Speed vs. Power - Which is it that you want in the golf swing? Many golfers think they nee ...

Reshaping Your Golf Swing for Lag
Reshaping Your Golf Swing for Lag

It's no secret that you want more lag in your swing. In this incredible video, I give you ...

RST Student Success - Building More Lag
RST Student Success - Building More Lag

RST student uses a simple 3 step process to shallow his golf swing and build in a ton of l ...

Intro to Fix Losing Lag and Weak Release
Intro to Fix Losing Lag and Weak Release

Find out how to work through this section on how to cure your golf casting / loss of lag o ...

Sklz Gold Flex Lag Trainer
Sklz Gold Flex Lag Trainer

This KILLER training aid will help you master a smooth, one-piece takeaway and help you bu ...

Rickie Fowler - How to preserve Lag
Rickie Fowler - How to preserve Lag

Lag is the most efficient way to increase clubhead speed. In this video, RST Instructor Ch ...

Lag and Speed Drills
Lag and Speed Drills

To get more distance in golf, you've got to get maximum speed from your arms and not let y ...

Key to Creating Lag
Key to Creating Lag

The secret key to creating lag has been an elusive thing for most amateur golfers. In this ...

Downcock Pump Lag Drill
Downcock Pump Lag Drill

Every golfer wants to know how to create more lag in their swing to hit the ball further. ...

Golf Grip's Effect on Lag
Golf Grip's Effect on Lag

As you've no doubt seen, my golf students have been picking up some serious distance throu ...

Become a Golf Swing Lag Monster: Shocking Success Story
Become a Golf Swing Lag Monster: Shocking Success Story

In this video, I’ll show you how RST student David became a "lag monster" with RST swing ...

4 Step Golf Swing Lag Builder
4 Step Golf Swing Lag Builder

The 4 steps to building INSANE lag in your golf swing - and you can do it TODAY!

Golf Left Thumb: Fix Pain, Soreness, Casting
Golf Left Thumb: Fix Pain, Soreness, Casting

Casting the club in the downswing is a sure way to destroy club head speed. Check out this ...

Right Arm in Downswing: Stop Casting
Right Arm in Downswing: Stop Casting

In this video, you’ll find out: 1) How Tiger Woods builds lag for power, 2) What to feel ...

Sequencing the Downswing - Dump Truck and Drag Racer
Sequencing the Downswing - Dump Truck and Drag Racer

Sequencing the downswing is the HARDEST overall part of the golf swing - and also the MOST ...

Bonus Challenge 3 - 9 Ball Challenge
Bonus Challenge 3 - 9 Ball Challenge

Bonus Challenge 3 is the culmination of all that you have learned. You will learn how to t ...

AXIOM Introduction
AXIOM Introduction

Have you been looking for a wait to learn a tour pro swing through a simple feeling so you ...

The AXIOM Golf Video
The AXIOM Golf Video

What if you could learn a swing just like the tour pros, increase your distance and consis ...

AXIOM and the DEAD Drill
AXIOM and the DEAD Drill

How does the AXIOM work with the DEAD Drill to build a consistent golf swing? Find out how ...

AXIOM Golf Discover Your Natural Rhythm & Tempo
AXIOM Golf Discover Your Natural Rhythm & Tempo

At last, a simple way to have perfect rhythm and tempo on every shot.

Justin Rose AXIOM Force Plate Study
Justin Rose AXIOM Force Plate Study

Want to see proof of the AXIOM in tour pros with irrefutable data? Then look no further th ...

AXIOM in Jessica Korda
AXIOM in Jessica Korda

Top ranked LPGA star Jessica Korda is a wonderful example of power and simplicity as she d ...

AXIOM in Jon Rahm
AXIOM in Jon Rahm

A perfect example of the AXIOM can be seen in tour pro and top ranked Jon Rahm. This compa ...

The Post Up Move - How to Use Lead Leg for Power and Maintain Posture
The Post Up Move - How to Use Lead Leg for Power and Maintain Posture

Have you ever wondered how the pros use their legs for power in the golf swing? This video ...

My Golf Power Secret
My Golf Power Secret

How do the pros hit the ball so darn far? I tell all inside with this power secret!

Using your wrists for speed in golf swing - 5 of 7
Using your wrists for speed in golf swing - 5 of 7

Your body uses tension as its primary mechanism to sequence the golf swing. In general, th ...

Vertical Ground Force and Double Peaks
Vertical Ground Force and Double Peaks

Should you be trying to increase vertical ground force in your swing and if so, how should ...

Throw the Club Head at the Golf Ball
Throw the Club Head at the Golf Ball

Unlock the leverage, speed and power of your golf swing by understanding the physics behin ...

Throw for More Natural Golf Swing
Throw for More Natural Golf Swing

Do you want a more natural golf swing with much more speed? Then you need to focus on how ...

Using the Wrists in the Golf Swing
Using the Wrists in the Golf Swing

The wrists play a very dynamic role in your golf swing. In this video, I'll cover the term ...

The Tour Pro Downswing Sequence Drill
The Tour Pro Downswing Sequence Drill

If you are looking for a golf swing drill that can INSTANTLY improve your ball striking po ...

Trail Arm Release - Throw the Ball Drill Pt 1
Trail Arm Release - Throw the Ball Drill Pt 1

This is THE key drill for really understanding how the downswing sequencing works. This 20 ...

Trail Arm Release - Throw the Ball Drill Pt 2
Trail Arm Release - Throw the Ball Drill Pt 2

Are you ready to maximize your club head speed at impact? If so, you need this missing pie ...

Tim Burke - Kinetic Chain
Tim Burke - Kinetic Chain

Tim Burke wins his 2nd World Long Drive Championship. In this video, I'll show you the key ...

Golf Takeaway | Overview
Golf Takeaway | Overview

An overview of the RST takeaway by RST Founder, Chuck Quinton. This video walks you throug ...

AXIOM Refine Your Takeaway
AXIOM Refine Your Takeaway

Simplify your takeaway with a simple 2" movement that moves the club 6 feet!

Learn a Perfect Golf Takeaway with Just a 2 Inch Movement!
Learn a Perfect Golf Takeaway with Just a 2 Inch Movement!

Learn how to pull in this video: Pushing vs Pulling in the Golf Swing Learn the simplest ...

Fix Inside Takeaway - 4 Square Drill
Fix Inside Takeaway - 4 Square Drill

You probably overuse your hands during the first half of the backswing, like most golfers, ...

Understanding Shoulder Blade Glide
Understanding Shoulder Blade Glide

If you have questions about exactly what the shoulder blade glide is or what it should fee ...

Golf Takeaway, 5 Minutes to the Perfect Golf Takeaway
Golf Takeaway, 5 Minutes to the Perfect Golf Takeaway

This 30 minute long golf instruction video is key to setting you on the right path for the ...

Right Wrist in the Takeaway
Right Wrist in the Takeaway

The role of right wrist in the takeaway is often misunderstood and has been the source of ...

Fix Inside Takeaway - Pushing with the Lead Side
Fix Inside Takeaway - Pushing with the Lead Side

An extremely common swing fault, so common that many golf instructors actually teach the s ...

Role of the Right Arm - Takeaway
Role of the Right Arm - Takeaway

Collapsing the right arm early is something that at least 90% of amateur golfers struggle ...

Pull for a perfect takeaway - 6 of 7
Pull for a perfect takeaway - 6 of 7

So many golfers try to perfect the takeaway in the swing and they constantly fight an uphi ...

Thorbjorn Olesen - Perfect your takeaway
Thorbjorn Olesen - Perfect your takeaway

See 2 key moves that Thorbjorn Olesen uses to build a picture perfect takeaway position ev ...

One Simple Key to Fix Your Takeaway
One Simple Key to Fix Your Takeaway

In this video, I’ll show you the one swing change that’ll fix your takeaway once and f ...

Posture's Effect on the Takeaway
Posture's Effect on the Takeaway

Posture at address is something that Tiger Woods always does right and it's something that ...

How to Fix an Inside Takeaway
How to Fix an Inside Takeaway

This one simple trick will fix an inside takeaway instantly, I guarantee it!

Fix Inside Takeaway - Shake Hands Drill
Fix Inside Takeaway - Shake Hands Drill

This is the best golf swing drill to teach you exactly how your hands should work during t ...

Golf Swing Takeaway & Drills
Golf Swing Takeaway & Drills

The golf takeaway has been described by golf instructors countless ways, so many ways that ...

Fix Inside Takeaway - Belly Button Drill
Fix Inside Takeaway - Belly Button Drill

This simple takeaway drill will give you that one piece takeaway you've been looking for o ...

Fix Inside Takeaway - Forward Press
Fix Inside Takeaway - Forward Press

If you've ever wondered whether or not you should have a forward press at setup, this golf ...

Wrist Cock vs. Wrist Hinge in the Golf Swing
Wrist Cock vs. Wrist Hinge in the Golf Swing

Do you know the difference between wrist cock and wrist hinge in the golf swing? The diffe ...

AXIOM Body Backswing
AXIOM Body Backswing

Eliminate your reverse pivot, handsy inside takeaway, your head swaying off the ball and y ...

AXIOM Refine Your Backswing
AXIOM Refine Your Backswing

Dial in your arms during the backswing to start easily shaping the ball, changing trajecto ...

Body Rotation in Golf Backswing - Chair Drill
Body Rotation in Golf Backswing - Chair Drill

If you want to power up your swing in golf, body rotation in the backswing is crucial. Unf ...

Left Shoulder Push in Backswing
Left Shoulder Push in Backswing

This "Left Shoulder Push in the Backswing" video is for you ONLY if you already pull perfe ...

5 Minutes to the Perfect Golf Backswing
5 Minutes to the Perfect Golf Backswing

Once you've mastered the takeaway using our "5 Minutes to the Perfect Takeaway" video, you ...

My Golf Backswing Secrets
My Golf Backswing Secrets

My keys to success for a perfect golf backswing - how to make the backswing simple and rep ...

How Much Shoulder Elevation
How Much Shoulder Elevation

It's time to help you decide how to power your golf swing. And it all starts with how you ...

Right Elbow Pit in Golf Backswing
Right Elbow Pit in Golf Backswing

Do you struggle, like most golfers, with a flying right elbow at the top of the backswing? ...

Understanding Arm Elevation
Understanding Arm Elevation

In this video, Ill show you what arm elevation is, why you need it, and exactly how much y ...

Fix Overswing/Across the Line - Flying Right Elbow
Fix Overswing/Across the Line - Flying Right Elbow

If you want to cure your overswing/across-the-line swing, you first need to diagnose the c ...

Live Lesson - How to Fix Your Arms by Fixing Your Legs in the Backswing
Live Lesson - How to Fix Your Arms by Fixing Your Legs in the Backswing

Do you struggle with your arms getting too deep or too disconnected during the backswing? ...

Right Arm Backswing Drill
Right Arm Backswing Drill

This is an excellent drill to train your mind to use your torso rotation to move the club ...

Should You Restrict Your Hip Turn in the Backswing?
Should You Restrict Your Hip Turn in the Backswing?

For years, you've been taught to restrict the hips in the backswing. Is that what's best f ...

Simplify Your Backswing with Shallow Arms
Simplify Your Backswing with Shallow Arms

Make this one simple change to reduce tension in your backswing to start hitting more EFFO ...

Stop Overswinging | Get Your Backswing Under Control
Stop Overswinging | Get Your Backswing Under Control

A powerful, compact backswing is essential for creating good contact with the ball. If ...

Fix Hip Overturning in Your Backswing
Fix Hip Overturning in Your Backswing

If you're letting your hips over rotate in the backswing, you're costing yourself a ton of ...

Fix Loose Lower Body w/ Laser Beam Knee Drills
Fix Loose Lower Body w/ Laser Beam Knee Drills

Lower body stability is key for power and accuracy in the golf swing. This drill will help ...

Torso, Hips Over Rotating in Backswing
Torso, Hips Over Rotating in Backswing

How much shoulder turn is too much and how much is not enough? Depends on how it's measure ...

DEAD Drill Step 1 - The Backswing
DEAD Drill Step 1 - The Backswing

Here's the first step in building your perfect golf swing using the DEAD Drill. It's criti ...

Golf Backswing, Completing the Golf Backswing
Golf Backswing, Completing the Golf Backswing

Once you've mastered the setup, weight transfer and takeaway, it's time to progress to the ...

Winter Golf Training Program - Backswing
Winter Golf Training Program - Backswing

Snow on the ground? Too cold out? No problem! NOW is the BEST time to work on your golf sw ...

Upper vs. Lower Body Rotation in Backswing
Upper vs. Lower Body Rotation in Backswing

Confused about how your upper body rotates in the backswing compared to your lower body? T ...

How to Keep Your Left Arm Straight in the Backswing
How to Keep Your Left Arm Straight in the Backswing

The secret to why you can't keep your left arm straight at the top of the golf backswing.

How to Avoid a Cupped Left Wrist at the Top
How to Avoid a Cupped Left Wrist at the Top

Learn the cause of a cupped left wrist at the top of your golf backswing and how to fix it ...

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5 Minutes to the Perfect Golf Downswing

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All the work you've done on your RST golf swing to this point has culminated in this next set of drills in the "5 Minutes to the Perfect Downswing" video. As with the other "5 Minutes to..." videos, a specific sequence and set of drills that can easily be done in your home or office is laid out in a simple to follow and easy to understand program that only takes a few minutes per day to get you moving forward and engraining the proper movement patterns.

  • You already have perfect position at the top - if not, go back & review previous lessons until you do
  • The first move down is to squat from closed hips to square to activate the glutes, start arms down & initiate weight transfer
  • If you need to work on impact, train the hands separately to improve alignment
  • Pay attention to sequence: Backswing, squat, leverage the ground, pull arms down & push the left heel into the ground for a nice snap and release
  • As always start slow & build up to higher speeds & hitting short shots, checking your form as you go

you finally made it this is the graduation point for your golf swing if you've taken the time to work through the program you're finally ready for this most important video the five minutes of the perfect downswing this video is going to include drills it's going to teach you how to get into the perfect impact positions how to sequence the downswing and finally get the big payoff for all the hard work we put into getting the proper setup get the takeaway right the backswing right etc so let's get started because this is going to be the most fun stuff to work on and it's going to be the biggest payoff so first things first what we're trying to do is get ourselves into a perfect impact position first okay so how we're going to do that is we need to sequence things correctly from the top and then we need to start checking ourselves into the impact position then we're going to work up towards getting some release drills in here as well so this is going to be a lot of great work that you can get in every single day just you know five ten minutes a day and get into a perfect impact position so what we're going to do we go to the top of the swing by now you should be a perfect position at the top if you're not get out of here turn this video off and go back and start working on the other things you're not ready for this yet there's no point in getting here if you're not in a good position at the top so perfect position at the top first thing we're going to do squat this is key because this is going to stop us from spinning it's going to stop us from pushing off the right side losing our tush line losing our spine angle getting the club trapped behind us it's going to stop all those things and it's also going to allow us to leverage the ground and activate the glutes so that we can provide stability for the rotating upper body and the release of the club and use the ground for leverage to finalize the snap of the release of the golf club at impact so as we come down the first move is squatting it's not spinning basically what you're doing is you're going from a turned position and squatting back to square what that looks like at the top good or top of the swing squat back to square this is what you're drilling not trying to turn my upper body not trying to move my hands not trying to move the club simply going from the closed hip position to square squatting both glutes are activated I'm pushing both feet in the ground working my way over to the left so first move squat notice that my arms have dropped I didn't try and consciously pull them down they should be moving down just due to gravity for the most part there's a little bit of pulling in there but they're pretty much getting a free ride by the fact that as you're moving your hips that's pulling everything down okay here squat now as I'm in this position and I'm continuing to move on to the left I'm really engaging these glutes now I'm pulling down with the left and getting ready to fire with the right so I'm here and now we can use our left hand only release drill if that's what you're working on at the moment because you're not worried about the right hand you can get into your left hand impact position check your impact alignments and release it's going to get into your left hand release if you're working on the right hand you can take the left hand out of the equation and get to the right hand release it's ideal to train them independently if they're needing work if both hands are great and you've taken the time to train them already and you get into the right impact alignments and release then keep both hands on the club if not work on one at a time squat keep moving over to left push that left leg in the ground and I'm going to do left hand release only as I'm releasing the club notice that my left leg is straightening through impact this is critical so as we're activating our glutes in that squat move what we're going to do to finalize the release of the club is as I'm pushing my left foot into the ground using my glute it's going to force the club to snap my body is moving this way the clubs forced to move that way it gets a more forceful release and it doesn't take really any effort if you're using big muscles here that are going to be firing any way to provide stability we can get a little leverage on snapping that release so kind of think about your body moving in one direction while it forces the club to move in the other okay so now I'm going to do the same thing but now I'm going to take the left hand out and release the right hand if you're in a perfect impact alignment you can go ahead and release it and start working on getting the club to release if you're not yet you can use this five minutes to the perfect downswing squat into it and stop at impact if you have an impact bag that will help make this even easier is because you can now check your impact positions by stopping against that impact back back so if you're not quite ready to release the club yet just make sure you get the perfect impact alignments first then work up towards getting the release so now we're starting to put everything together we've got a great backswing squat we're leveraging the ground pulling the arms down and releasing the golf club pushing the left heel into the ground and getting a nice snap and release of the release of the golf club in working on this you need to work on it in sequence in the pieces that are lacking in your swing for instance if you don't have the squat move down first and you spin your hips don't worry about releasing the golf club yet spend each five minutes of your day that you're working on this just squatting down and at first you're gonna do it really slow until you can really feel those glutes activate and then you're gonna start doing it a little bit more at speed so that you get comfortable doing it in the context of how fast you're actually gonna swing a golf club once you get comfortable with that start working into hitting balls that way keep your regular downswing however it is we're not going to be able to change everything at once then once you've got comfortable and mastered that start adding into the impact position and when i have my students hit balls we try and stop at impact when we're hitting short shots you'll go a little bit further but the goal is to check whether or not our impact alignments are good so i'll have them stop right here at first and just hit really short shots and their goal is to focus their energy and stop at impact so we're just trying to get into the right impact alignments that's the next progression so as you start hitting short shots you go all the way to the top squat come down slow and stop at impact and make sure everything's ideal at impact then start working into getting the release so now we can make short swings and get a lot of speed by putting all these together and getting a really good snap of the release so that is ideal for the nine to three drill so now i'm going back basically take away i'm letting my wrist kind of hinge and then i'm working on release so putting all these little drills together nine to three drill the squat move the impact alignments left hand release right arm throw the ball drill it's going to help you start to build your perfect impact position and downswing in only five minutes a day so work through these in sequence take them piece by piece and you will have a perfect impact position and a great downswing for the rest of your life

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Asle
Where do I find the down cock drill?
October 12, 2023
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Asle
Found it
October 12, 2023
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Paul
When I perform the left hand only drill, how do you stop from pulling the club across? Is there a drill or feeling that helps with that?
February 7, 2023
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Paul. Check to make sure the shoulders stay square. If you take a look at Play the Best Golf of Your Like in 6 Weeks 4 of 6 Video. The sequence drill letting go with trail will aid in the across issue.
February 8, 2023
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Eric
I have been working on getting tension out of my swing especially my left shoulder at address that gets very activated and internally rotated. I have played some good golf. Today I hit some bad pulls that really cost me. I went to the range with a couple of buckets of balls. Maybe it was frustration or a return of tension, but I struggled to get to a good top of the backswing instead a flying right elbow. I learned a drill years ago starting the club in front of the ball and kick in right knew and swing over it in backswing. It is a tempo drill and I generally hit the ball really well. When I don’t capture any momentum from my weight shift and right side rotation from my left arm shoulder wants to start the club back. If I get some momentum say halfway my right arm takes over - lawn mower pull. So, I realized I need to get to the top with faster tempo with my weight shift and rotation so the arms don’t take over Question 1: make sense. I noticed more zip on the ball but I hit most left of my target. I realized I was coming down kind of steep (shifting to the left side vs squat to square). I didn’t have this video at the range. I did remember Chuck talking about soft wrists at the top to shallow the club. It worked pretty well, but I only had a half dozen balls left. When I got home I watched this video. It seems softening the wrists actually puts me in a squat to square since the steep downswing isn’t pushing me to the left side. Question 2: should I abandon the soft wrist technique and focus on the squat to square with both legs/flutes?
May 17, 2021
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Eric. You don't want the backswing to be race car fast. But, most amateurs actually swing too slow in the backswing. You need a little bit of pace, so that would make sense. If you use the legs correctly I would still keep the wrists soft/passive so that it is easier to shallow/increase lag. You don't need to be gumby though .
May 17, 2021
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Eric
I have historically had a steep downswing. I think I have my backswing right (tension out of my arms, right side rotation, elevation,,weight shift). I was at the range tonight and I started the downswing shift by shifting weight to my left heel. I could feel the club shallowing. I kind of like it because for my weight shift in the backswing I think of weight moving into my right heel, so this is kind of ying and the yang. Is that an acceptable move to get into the squat?
June 19, 2020
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Eric
Ah, went home and did some mirror work. Does this make sense. If I don’t get a proper weight shift (that one inch lateral movement to stay on right hip line) the squat to square opens my shoulders leading to a steep downswing. If I get a good weight shift and squat to square my chest and shoulders stay back? Leading to better more shallow angle down.
June 19, 2020
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Mark
It is clear from Chuck's slow motion swing and other videos that he begins pulling the body to the left with left hip rotation, after getting a 90 degree turn on the backswing but just before the full backswing is complete. There is also a video on beginning the downswing before finishing the backswing. Is there a swing consistency, stable base or other advantage to getting an early start weight shifting to the left side to provide a stable base for the downswing--or is this an unnecessary move that overly complicates the swing. I notice that this downswing video does not mention this move that Chuck points out in recent videos.
May 17, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Mark. Most players will start to make this motion instinctively once the components are in place. However, if you struggle with over swing, lag and late weight shift. It is a good element to try and implement.
May 17, 2020
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John
I have a confusion about the downswing. As I understand the instruction I am to slow my shoulders on the downswing to ensure bing square to the target line when releasing the club and allowing the power to move up the chain. This in my mind means that shoulder rotation after ball contact is pretty slow. But when I really pound the ball I end up standing tall with my left leg straight and being rolled over on my left ankle. In my mind this means I kept accelerating my shoulders through the downswing. Help!
February 15, 2020
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. The momentum of the club is what pulls you through. Not the spin of the shoulders. Take a look at Arms vs Body Release and Golf Swing Follow Through Videos.
February 15, 2020
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Robert
It would be helpful to have a slow motion video of the perfect swing. My computer will not stop videos at full speed where I would like to . the great Bobby Jones had a tape out the had a good full swing sequence
November 6, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Robert. You can upload your videos to the Self Analysis section at anytime. And, compare in slow motion to Chuck, Myself, and other model swings.
November 7, 2019
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Robert
At impact my left shoulder is much higher than the right. how can I correct this, do I need to be further left at impact so that the angle is better
November 6, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Robert. Take a look at the Level Shoulders Drill. Sounds like you are moving them too much, or adding excessive trail push.
November 7, 2019
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Robert
if there is video called "level shoulders drill if there is a video called "level shoulders drill I can not find it.
November 7, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Robert. The title has been updated. Level Shoulders at Impact. I apologize. Go to the search box and just type the word level. It will pop up in the drop down menu.
November 7, 2019
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Neil
When you speak of releasing the clubhead, is that done thru ulnar deviation of the wrist, pronation of the wrist, both? If you could explain, it would be great because I think of it like chopping wood which I think is ulnar deviation. Thanks - Neil
September 16, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Neil. Ulnar deviation will happen more as a byproduct. Take a look at Fix Your Release, Stop Slicing Start Releasing and Knuckles Down. If they don't help you correct the motion. Let me know. Also, Using the Wrist in the Golf Swing.
September 16, 2019
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Blake
Hey RJ. I watched the One Drill video repeatedly. Just to clarify, the weight shift and squat-to-square pulls the hands down to maybe a foot rear of the trail thigh, the post-up opens the hips to 45 degrees and pulls the hands into the nine o'clock position and then we release the club. Correct? Also, when I do it in this sequence, it sometimes feels like the post-up occurs too early and thus doesn't snap the club into impact. Am I doing this in the right sequence?
September 16, 2019
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Yeah, when you squat to square, your left arm is going to be between parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the ground and as long as you don't spin out with your shoulders, your hands should be outside your trailside hips and then when you post up, it pulls your hands in front of your trailside thigh and then you release the club.
September 16, 2019
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David
Hi Craig I find the squatting action quite normal, but I notice that my left knee (I am right handed) tends to drift a fraction left of where it was at setup. Does this suggest that I am overdoing the squat?
September 3, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dave. The lead knee will have to externally rotate some to have optimum weight transfer. Take a look at Fixing Your Weight Transfer for more information.
September 3, 2019
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Sake
I’m a bit confused. Please correct me if I’m wrong. So we dont need lateral weight shift but we use squad instead?
September 2, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Sake. You will be shifting into your squat. Take a look at Squat to Square, or Perfecting Lower Body Stability. You must shift weight from the top of the backswing.
September 2, 2019
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john
Question: Have mastered the rotary swing to the point where I can drive a ball almost 300 yards but with highly variable accuracy of direction. I am 62 and very pleased so far. I can solve the accuracy problem completely, sacrificing some distance by eliminating two steps, the axis tilt and the waist shift at the start of the downswing. These two actions offset one another perfectly so why use them when accuracy counts in a narrow fairway situation. Still use the full rotary swing in safer situations of course. What do you think. It works for us older guys.
August 6, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. If you have mastered Rotary Swing. Direction shouldn't be a problem . It sounds like you delete the chance of secondary axis tilt to shallow out your plane. Lack of tilt and weight will tend to cause you to hang back. Relying on more the arms to flip, or rotate aggressively to square the face. Ideally, it would be very hard for me to allow lack of weight and tilt because of all the different affects it has on a proper swing. I would try to figure out the root cause for the accuracy issue and keep the distance. Have you submitted a swing for review? It may be something simple if you have the vast majority of the Rotary principles down.
August 8, 2019
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Adam
Question - with the takeaway and backswing, I thought the goal was to rotate the upper body and keep the hips as quiet as possible, and keep the knees pointing straight ahead (laser knees, if you will). I know there inevitably is a little bit of hip rotation as you coil your upper body and load the right heel, but I've been trying very hard not to rotate my hips much in the backswing. But in this video you talk about the hips being in a closed position at the top of the backswing, and then you squat to square them up. But since I'm working hard to keep my hips quiet (and feel that muscle tension in my rib cage), they are never really getting into a closed position that then need to be squared up. What am I missing? Thank you
May 2, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Adam. The hips will rotate in the backswing. But, it isn't an active rotation. They will be pulled as you continue to rotate to the top. This creates separation of the upper half and lower half (Upper vs. Lower Body Rotation Video). Most players overuse their hips going back so the feeling is that they stay relatively quiet. For body and flexibility. The more separation you can get the more X-Factor you will achieve which can create more speed. But, this will put a lot of wear and tear on the body. Younger players can get away with this, but as we age the spine will not like this. Our standard is 90 degrees with the shoulder 35-45 with the hips going back. If you have great mobility and can achieve more separation you can get more speed, but the more you get the more the spine has to deal with the shear force.
May 2, 2019
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Gary
Question - I have now watched all of the 5 minute to the perfect videos. The takeaway which keeps the club head , shaft and grip remain in front/pointing at the chest makes perfect sense. Once the flexion elevates the club up into the backswing does the club stay centered the entire swing including the takeaway, backswing, downswing, impact , release and follow through other than the finish?
March 29, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gary. The hands will cross centerline as you add flexion in the backswing. That's why they will finish over the trail shoulder instead of in front of the head. As you shift down and lose elevation the arms will work back in front of the chest into impact and the stay in front through the release.
April 1, 2019
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Gary
raig thanks - at what point in the backswing should the flexion begin and is it simply a fold of the right arm while the wrists and hands remain passive ? and at what point in the downswing should the flexion begin and at what point will the arms and hands come back out in front of the upper body? I seem to lose it on the downswing where my upper body out races the arms
April 1, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gary. Flexion will begin just a hair after the takeaway is completed. It's simply the slight folding of the trail arm as the wrists and hands follow the motion. Flexion with the trail arm will should stay the same coming down as the wrists angle (lag) increases. You will start to lose the flexion created in the backswing as the hands start to enter the trail thigh. Which is also when the hands are working back in front. If the upper is out racing the arms. Take a look at Keep the Rear Shoulder Back Video.
April 2, 2019
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Gary
Terrific now we are getting somewhere thank you - add on questions - as the trail arm folds on the back swing are the hands and wrists passive ? as the trail arm reached the trail thigh in the down swing is this a conscious move to get the arms and hands out front or does it happen naturally with momentum? It appears you are saying the hands stay out in front of the torso until after completion of the takeaway then the trail arm folds as the upper body turns while leaving the arms, wrists and hands passive. On the down swing the trail arm remains folded until the trail leg then the arm unfolds working to get the arms out front to impact. This all happens while keeping the arms, wrists and hands passive correct??
April 2, 2019
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Gary
Craig thank you - I really struggle with being patient on the downswing allowing the arms to drop down in front of me before turning the upper body to impact. Any suggestions ??
April 2, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Gary. Yes, the hands will set gradually due to the weight of the club and be passive. Not dead, but passive. The lead lat will aid in pulling the arms in front. But, it is the weight shift that brings the arms down and the core rotation pulling you into impact. It will be a byproduct of proper body motion. You notes sound correct. But, just to make sure the trail arm as it unfolds into impact you aren't trying to push the club in front. The lead will be doing the pulling and the release will start the unfolding. You can see the sequence in the Golf Downswing, Rotary Golf Downswing Overview Video.
April 2, 2019
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roger
HI, When i let the arms drop at the start of the downswing the club head doesn't come down on the same plane - it stays up as my hands come down. This then makes the club more vertical. How do i fix this?
March 21, 2019
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Roger (Certified RST Instructor)
As you initially complete the squat to square and activate both glutes as Chuck describes, what should the weight distribution be in my feet I.e. 50-50, 60 left-40right, etc.?
June 29, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Roger. After squat to square you shouldn't have much more weight to transfer. Roughly 70-80% of the weight should be transferred.
June 30, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Roger. You need to allow for the club to shallow out. Sounds like some tension (How to Fix Plane and Path Video). Or, Left Arm Only Downswing Drill Video for a little more in depth of the internal rotation the lead arm should have.
March 21, 2019
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Chad
Hello, what should your head be doing in the transition in the downswing? When I sit into the left side, I feel like my head goes back away from the ball so I end up hitting thin shots. If I keep my head over the ball, it almost feels like my spine angle increases but doesn't feel like there is room for the club to hit the ball. Thanks , chad
February 10, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Chad. The head should remain behind the ball, but during weight transfer it may move slightly towards the target. You can't keep the head perfectly still. If the head is falling away from the target too much. You may be pushing from the trail side and getting excessive secondary axis tilt. Take a look at the Level Shoulders Drill and Preventing Hip Pain Video.
February 10, 2019
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Giap
I did exactly what chuck said in my downswing and I still can’t fixed my blocked shots to the right? What should I do
January 28, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Giap. Have you submitted your swing for review? I would have one of our instructors check your positions if you think they are similar to Chuck's, but still struggling with the blocked shot.
January 29, 2019
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Erik
In this video Chuck talks about “pulling your arms down” near the bottom of the swing arc. Is there actually a pull?
December 4, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Erik. The lead lat will have some pull, but it won't be a yank or massive effort. Weight shift, core, and gravity will be doing most of the work.
December 4, 2018
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Donald
Craig, it does not appear that Chuck has maintained much lag in this video. I have been working on building more lag focusing on Clay's Sledgehammer video and I am not seeing much of Clay's lag in this video. Also, when I perform Clay's lag swing and I release the right forearm toward the ball my left wrist tends to break down, not allowing me to perform a proper release. Your comments/recommendations please. Thanks!
October 20, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Donald. In answer to your second question first. You can't allow the trail hand to dominant the lead hand. The goal is for the lead to always be in control, but not overpowered by the pushing forces of the trail hand. The wrist position will constantly break down if that happens. In the video above, Chuck has plenty of lag angle for a powerful swing. You don't need excessive angle. We try to shoot for a blend of rotation, width and leverage in the swing. Practicing exaggerated lag is fine, but note you will have to give up on width the more lag angle you create.
October 20, 2018
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Eric
I have been fighting a flying elbow for years. I’ve tried keeping the right elbow pit facing away, posture/avoiding rounded shoulders, etc. I have a bad visual in my head from Hogan’s Modern Fundamentals of turning the left hip to start the downswing. However, when I focus on the downswing concepts of squat and even keeping my chest and shoulders facing away from the target for as long as possible, I seem to get a much better elbow down position on my backswing. It seems to make my whole swing better, before the downswing? Does that make any sense. I’ve gone from hitting 70% of my shots left or sometimes a push to a high percentage of straight shots?
August 14, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Eric. Doesn't make much sense that the downswing fixed the flying elbow. However, your new move of waiting seems to be allowing the arms to work in front better in the transition. This is keeping you from getting stuck and banking on a flip move of the club head to square it.
August 14, 2018
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Joseph
Chuck in the 5 minutes to a perfect downswing you didn't indicate that you rotate your hips as you do in the RST videos. In the 5 minute video (which I watched and practiced religiously) I wasn't rotating my hips before posting up. The consequences of that are devastating to your swing. Why do you make it look as if you stay at square instead of shift, rotate hips and post up?? I'm confused now.
July 19, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Joseph. I apologize for the confusion. The hips will rotate to square as you shift and then the post will rotate the hips to 35-45 degrees open at impact. Most players tend to be hip spinners which is why it may look that way. Step 2 - Core Rotation will be a good visual for you.
July 20, 2018
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Jaleel
As we squat to square moving the lower half but leaving the upper body passive at the top, are we using a stretch shortening cycle type of tension created in the core to get to square … or does that kind of tension only happen / get used to power the post up? I'm wondering because I think Chuck said that at this point we are not "turning" the hips ... we are just squatting (to square). In my mind a frisbee inspired move of the hips from the top would use that kind of tension … or am I spinning (early)? Much Thanks - Jaleel.
June 22, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jaleel. Yes, a stretch shortening cycle. Good catch.
June 22, 2018
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stephen
First question-I struggle with moving from the two moves "squat to square "with the "post up release" to a blend into one move. I have reviewed the squat to square video and the 5 minutes to perfect release videos and practiced in a mirror. How do I make one continuous move into impact? Second question-Can you name the best practice videos for each step listed in the summary comments accompanying the video? FYI- I think I understand and can effectively do each step Chuck identifies in the video--blending all of them together in a complete swing is my current challenge.
June 21, 2018
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stephen
Ok. I am working my way through the University and currently at Rotation. However, I believe I am right at the top, can effectively squat to bring down arms and straighten leg to release the club and produce the correct impact position and understand the follow through is a reaction from there. Thinking of the individual parts as I make a swing seems to screw me up.
June 21, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Stephen. The best way to blend the two moves is through the 5 Step System. Step 2 - Core Rotation, Step 3 - Add the Lead Arm, and Step 4 - Add the Golf Club will help you get the sequencing. They combine all the moves into one unit that you are looking for. I'm slightly confused by the second question if you wouldn't mind elaborating. Happy to help.
June 21, 2018
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David
I am having great success with the Rotary Swing program and really appreciate all you do. I have a question about what to keep in mind in regards to the right elbow in the downswing. I think my elbow tends to fly out to the right which results in not being positioned properly. Anything to keep in mind regarding the elbow?
April 21, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello David. Much thanks for the compliments. We work hard to provide quality content. Take a look at the Sledgehammer Video.
April 21, 2018
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Dan
This question could apply to any section, one of my biggest issues is keeping my eyes still and on the ball. Wether I’m putting, chipping or making a full swing, my eyes want to follow the club back to see if it going where it should and same on the way through. The core issue is lack of trust and being anxious to see where the ball goes, this leads to being jerky and coming out of whatever motion i’m performing. What’s your guidance on eyes (should they be still and focused only on the back of the ball?) and should you strive to see ground after the the club hits the ball?
March 25, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dan. You need to work on keeping the head down and eyes focused on the ground/ball. When the eyes start to wander the head follows and the body follows suit. It doesn't matter much what the focal point is. However, most will say back of the ball. The goal is whatever you are looking at is to not change until you have fully released the club and the ball is long gone. Take a look at the Perfect Practice Video. The 2 ball trick is a good way to clear the mind a little and focus on the move. While not being so worried about hitting the ball and checking positions. Albeit for a smaller drill. This progression may start the ball rolling forward in the proper direction of keeping the head quiet.
March 25, 2018
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Russell
RST!!! I love the 5 Step program, but am having trouble with breaking this up into small drills to be stacked after each other. When I squat to square, am I squating and shifting weight to the left side? I do that 10 times, the. What’s the next motion to add? The chart with all the moves says “pull down with the left arm.” Are really saying we just consciously pull with the left arm? I thought the arms aren’t moved that and that they simply move as a result of everything else happening. I’m so confused! Thank you!
March 11, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Russ. Shift the weight into your squat position. From there you need to post up (Step 2 - Core Rotation Video). The weight shift will help bring the arm down (Step 3 - Add the Lead Arm). The arm needs to be pulled down, but it sn't a yank or a major conscious move (Frisbee Drill).
March 12, 2018
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Brian
I've been working my way through the 5 step system as well as the takeaway and backswing drills for the last several months. It feels like I have made a lot of progress. However, I was trying the 9 to 3 drill last weekend and I had the feeling that my swing was very mechanical and that I was gripping the club too tightly, especially during the downswing and release. It seemed to be worse the more I consciously thought about different parts of the swing. Are there any drills or advice on what should be the mental focus when stacking multiple drills (ie. the 9 to 3 drill) ? Or should one try to avoid all conscious thought and just put the brain on autopilot? This would of course apply to actually playing a round of golf as well. Thanks.
February 12, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Brian. You rep and ingrain to make the swing go to autopilot. However, when first applying the swing or 9 to 3 with a real ball you may need some conscious thoughts to get over the hump. Focus on moving the body correctly first. Make sure in your 9 to 3 the setup, weight and post are moving correctly. Once, those are correct and you don't need to think about them. Then, check the other components. The Progressive Nature of RST Drills, Taking Your Golf Swing Drills to the Course, and Diagnosing the Cause of Bad Golf Shots all talk a little about your topic.
February 13, 2018
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Melvin
This drill starts the downswing with a squat. The 9 to 3 drill starts the transition by shifting weight over the left foot. Is the difference because of the shorter swing the the 9 to 3 drill?
January 29, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Melvin. The first move down in the golf swing and 9 to 3 is to shift the weight. In both moves as you shift weight you will settle into your squat.
January 29, 2018
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Justin
Can you comment on this ... At 4:00 Chuck mentions that as your body moves up the club goes down. After the squat, are both your upper body & lower body straightening , chest , knees. I noticed Laura Davies knees straighten .
November 20, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Justin. The lead leg will start to straighten after the squat (post up). The lead hip will be moving slightly up and away as the club moves down and out. Take a look at You Hit the Golf Ball with Your Legs Video.
November 20, 2017
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David
My head and upper body are getting ahead of the ball on the downswing how can i stop this? Thanks.
October 24, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello David. Sounds like you are pushing with your trail side instead of letting the lead side or lower half initiate the downswing. I would work on Step 2 and Step 3 in the RST 5 Step. If you Start the downswing properly (without shoulder spin) the head will remain back.
October 24, 2017
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Ted
In my transition from the top to the downswing I've been having trouble with the closed hip slide when attempting to move more dynamically into a square position leading to a post-up and release. This has inevitably led to more loss of tush line and still pushing off the right leg to supplement the desire to have a strong post-up move. In looking at the dtl videos it seems that the left adductor is really working to pull the hips to square as weight starts to shift and then continues to pull in order to clear the hips as the club comes down. So for the part in my latest drills I've been concentrating on pulling the hips to square and pretty much forgetting about the post up. Two questions related to this: 1) is this the right thing for a closed hip slide guy to concentrate on? 2) Is the post up something that happens at the very last instant and is chiefly responsible for the "effortless snap of the club" when all is working properly and in correct sequence? Mentally right now I'm really trying to put the left adductor in the driver's seat.
October 18, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ted. You can certainly work on your transfer first (Fixing Your Weight Transfer and Preventing Hip Pain for the closed hip slide). It sounds like you are on the proper track. Also, the post up is something that happens in the latter part of the downswing to help pull leverage from the ground and trigger the release "snap the towel" (You Hit the Golf Ball with Your Legs Video). Take a look at (Step 2 Video) when starting back to combine weight and post.
October 18, 2017
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Devin
I see a lot of people complaining about this move. I think perhaps people are expecting to grasp this swing change to fast. I did get the same results as someone else had that I was hitting behind the ball after adding the squat move. I'm not going to give up on it. I know I can get this down with some range sessions.
October 15, 2017
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Devin, swing change is NOT easy and it does take a lot of patience and reps to be able to inject new movements into the swing. We do our best to help all members with learning the movements and the processes in which to take to get to the end result and thanks for the post and we are pleased to have you as a member of RST.
October 16, 2017
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bradford
You say that the next move to the downswing is the squat. Could be in the slight knee bent position at address and just stay there, to move the club to the next position of the left leg straightening up. I have found myself to go to far down and not come out of the position fast enough and make the club hit the ground to deep. I saw video of Tiger Woods where the commentaries saying he was moving his head to low at impact.
September 20, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Bradford. The squat isn't as dramatic as it may look in the videos. Sometimes it looks greater for instructional purposes. Only a tiny squat and engagement of the glutes is needed. Take a look at Perfecting Lower Body Stability.
September 21, 2017
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Ryan
So just so I understand correctly, after I squat, I am pulling down with my lead arm? What should I feel in regards to rotation? Can you suggest a video for that? Thanks
August 19, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ryan. As you settle into the squat your arms should already be done with half the downswing. The lead lat does have a little pull to bring the arms in front, but most players don't have to think about it or require a yank to achieve proper positioning. Take a look at the Frisbee, Step 3 - Add the Lead Arm, and Rotary Downswing Overview to see how the body will help. Regards to shoulder or hip rotation? Shoulder very minimal and passive. Hips should be square to the intended target line in the squat position and then clear by impact (35-45) degrees open.
August 19, 2017
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Hector
what should I feel in the squat move? with what muscles I do that? it is the inner left thigh ? help?
August 9, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Hector. You will feel inner lead thigh muscles pull the weight and the glutes for the squat. Fixing Your Weight Transfer, Preventing Hip Pain and Weight Shift Sweep Drills to help.
August 9, 2017
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David
Could you please suggest how to stop my body moving towards the ball in the downswing. My bum ( I think you say tush) moves forward bringing the hosel into play (too often with my irons) . I have an in to out swing and when coupled with the forward move towards the ball means I shank far too often ( not with hybrids or woods ). Any suggestions would be very welcome Regards David (UK) ps i am not desperate but very close ________________________________________
July 3, 2017
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David
Thanks Chris, I will keep you posted Regards David
July 7, 2017
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hi David, I would suggest you look at the videos: Sitting into the left side, squat to square and fixing your weight transfer. Sounds like you have a classic case of driving too hard off the trail side leg which causes this exact problem. Start slowly with the drills in those videos and then add speed in which you perform them as you become more aware of the correct movements. Hope that helps.
July 6, 2017
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Keith
Hi. If you do this squat correctly, what should you feel in your knees? I am feeling that my weight has already transferred to my left side, and sometimes my left knee is pointing left of the ball position. Should the squat be done with the weight shifted only to the middle of the stance before the post up? I think I am tending to squat into my left side.
June 21, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Keith. You shift into your squat. You need to start transferring the weight and settling into the glutes. The lead knee should be pointed straight out in front of you. The shifting and squat will take place before the post up. You might feel a slight increase in flexion. But, not a massive drop.
June 21, 2017
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Paul
Not sure if the squat helped me either because it interfered with my weight transfer to the front leg. I mean since I trying to engrain the weight transfer, adding a squat is something many for later!
June 7, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Paul. More than likely you over cooked the squat. You need to still shift your weight and settle into the glutes (squat). Focusing on a good shift right now, but not having a big squat will not interfere with the swing process.
June 7, 2017
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Paul
Thanks!
June 7, 2017
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Matt
I need to stay away from this video. The squat instead of the "hit the ball with your legs" mentality is dangerous. I used to squat in Shawn Clement's and it just felt like I was bobbing up and down. No thanks. Going to stick to the RST 5 steps....
May 27, 2017
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michael
Hi Chuck, I new to RST what is your opinion of this, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7KkmbU7L6w Do you believe in getting the club over the swing plane like this guy instructs to eliminate so much timing? I really fight timing the squat, pulling the club, and posting up to release the club unless I'm hitting balls everyday, even then I'm still inconsistent. This above YT video seems to advocate keeping the club in front of you and I've found it takes less timing. He calls it "over the top from the inside". Is this how RST works at impact, getting the hands/club in front of the chest?
April 11, 2017
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Michael, welcome to the site. We do NOT believe in this sort of method unfortunately. Swing plane is completely consequential to your body movements. We believe in training your body to move perfectly first. In RST, from a sound backswing position, you will be using the lower body to get the hands and arms back out in front of the body on the way down into impact. Aiming the club into swing planes, is what unfortunately has destroyed golf instruction. Always focus on the body first. Again, welcome to the site and we look forward to working with you.
April 12, 2017
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Robert
I watched your video and tried the squat but felt like I would hit the ground when I came down into the ball and can't sequence the swing correctly to push up. But, I was just watching the Masters on the Golf Channel this morning where all they show is the practice area and Rory McIlroy was hitting drives. Wow, he does it just like you guys say it should be done! Luckily we have the function where we can use slow motion at any point. When you watch Rory in slow-mo on the downswing, he really squats a lot then pushes off the ground, just like you guys say to do! No wonder he is so long off the tee. Now the goal is to attempt to get at least a little of what you and Rory say and do.
April 7, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Robert. Focus on Step 2 - Core Rotation to get the body motion. Don't over do the squat at first. Get the weight planted and post. As you gradually get used to the move you may introduce a slight increase in the squat.
April 7, 2017
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Barry
Ok guys I really can't get this squat. To me the video is missing check points of feels that the takeaway and backswing videos included. My weight at the top is mostly over my right foot and fully coiled with arms club etc allincreasing weight on right side. I think the video then over simplifies the downswing by saying firstly to just squat. The downswing on your site and most other sites and with almost every pro is considered to be the most critical part of the swing and as chuck has said many times the most difficult for amateurs so just stating squat is by far too simplistic. I'm also concerned with the comment that gravity pulls the club down. It doesn't, if I let go of the club gravity will cause it to fall, if I'm holding the club then I have to make it come down. When I try and squat the club and my hands stay high and I am in a position to come over the top. I think this video needs to be done again giving the same excellent checks and routines that the previous 5 min videos offer. I find this a very poor video. Maybe spend the 5 minutes on the of the downswing and leave Impact to another video. I've done really well on set up, takeaway and backswing but they are all useless to me when I come to this downswing video. Please go back to basics it's worked on the preceding 5 min videos. Just look at all the confused comments below. Thanks guys hoping to see the new and improved 5 minute to perfect downswing so I can continue my improvement with your help.
April 6, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Barry. I apologize that you are displeased with the video. If you are struggling with the first move or transition move down. I would focus on the Fixing Your Weight Transfer Video and Step 2 - Core Rotation. Get the body move down first without a club. Lead knee external rotation, weight pull (lead hip adduction) and sit into the glute. You may also use Sitting Into the Left Side. Once, you can get the first body move down. Let us know. I will be happy to provide assistance in adding the arms or further pieces.
April 7, 2017
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Barry
Thanks Craig, I'll go to those videos and hopefully they will be the missing piece.
April 7, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Barry. No problem. Also, Squat to Square provides good feedback on the first portion down as well.
April 7, 2017
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Barry
Just watched fixing your weight shift and that's a much better explanation of how to start, I've been up practising that on the carpet already. Will try the other two videos later.
April 7, 2017
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michael
Hey Barry, I suffered from the same things that you are. The key for me was eliminating tension, specifically tension at the top of the backswing. Once I relaxed and removed the tension at the top, the squatting movement worked great and gravity/momentum took over. It takes some work to achieve true relaxation at the top, but it's worth it. Our goal is to improve no matter what it takes. I'm working on something that goes hand-in-hand with RST and has added 10-20yds to my swing. If you're interested contact me and I'll share. Deftechguy23@gmail.com Michael
April 6, 2017
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David
Hi Craig, Clearly many problem's arise as a result of use, or rather, incorrect use of the right side. I am, in my case, thinking of one problem which you do not talk about much on the site (althogh the VJ Drill does address this). This is the fact that after impact, holding onto the club with the right hand actually slows the club down and prevents a proper finish. My thought is the right side should simply follow the club passively rather than dragging on it. Any comments much appreciated.
March 25, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello David. Yes, the finish should be created by the momentum of the release. The trail side should simply follow the club passively versus dragging it. The goal of a proper release at impact is to expend all the energy into the strike. Take a look at You Throw the Club Head at the Golf Ball and Golf Swing Follow Through Video. If you exert all the energy at impact by efficient release the finish will work correctly as of consequence.
March 25, 2017
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Hector
I have problems visualizing this.in the squaring the clubface video he talks about showing the logo of the left glove to the floor during the downswing or rotating the forearm gradually to square the clubface but in this video the left wrist is not rotating... he is pulling the left arm down without rotation and the glove face is to the front instead of the floor??? help
March 17, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Hector. The club face is always rotating. Albeit at different rates in the swing. The key is diagnosing your issue to figure out more of what you should feel. Do you tend to come under plane or over? Do you tend to cast or have too much lag? If you tend to come under plane you will want to feel a little squaring of the face earlier and tracing down the plane line much more. If you come over you will want to feel a little delay (for shallow purposes) before you start vigorously start trying to rotate the face or square the forearms.
March 17, 2017
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Cornelius
I have found that by squatting and posting up on left leg causes a lot of pain in both my knees, which I must admit are not the healthiest. Any suggestions? I simply want to play golf to a reasonable level by stroking the ball with a nice contact.
March 13, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Cornelius. You might be overdoing the squat and post. I would focus more on getting a good shift and plant into lead glute (Sitting Into the Left Side). And, less the degree you post up. You are looking to clear the hips and not snap back the lead leg to a locked position.
March 14, 2017
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peterjohnbourke16601
In an earlier video the downswing was initiated by the left knee/leg shifting forward,the posting up at impact, ,now we have a "squat",however how the squat is achieved is not explained in any great detail ,although you mention "gluts" and certainly gluteus maximus is a lateral thigh rotator[or external rotation],also gluteus medius is a pelvic stabilizer and also adducts the hip joint ,that is it helps pull the legs together whereas gluteus minimus actually [in single leg stance] abducts thigh-pulls legs apart,also gluteus max is a hip extensor so would be activated by posting up,the question is what muscles activate the weight shift ,and what is the "feeling"that is felt during a correct shift.I have found relaxing at top of backswing essential to stop hit impulse and have time to shift weight, I've been doing it by concentrating on using left side such as moving my left leg /knee out to left, but now the squat, in which you say there is no rotation but then you do rotate to square the body up at impact- its all very confusing,I also think the squat is a very advanced move ,there must be a simpler way , not all of your subscribers want to be low handicappers, they just want to play consistently with a good swing fot long/mid irons and driver,the rest takes care of itself-maybe a new video on weight shift biomechanics would clear the air-Peter
February 16, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Peter. Take a look at Squat to Square. We are using the squat terminology to make sure that you activate the glutes. A big squat followed by a big pull of leverage from the ground is advanced. But, shifting into the lead side and getting a good sit/squat is just making sure you sit in the downswing without overly spinning the hips. The video I listed above will help. Also, Step 2 - Core Rotation.
February 16, 2017
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Bob
You mention in prior videos that your first move in the downswing is to shift your weight. In this video we are to squat first. Is there's a sequence involved here, or do these two things (weight shift and squat) happen simultaneously?
February 8, 2017
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Robert. You shift into a squat. The weights start to shift into the lead glute and you activate the glutes by squatting. They are happening so close together sometimes saying squat or shift is referring to the same thing.
February 8, 2017
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peterjohnbourke16601
The phrase "shift into lead glut" is meaningless in terms of how weight is shifted,I can stand upright weight 50/50 right and left squat down and hold that position and certainly g. max. will be isometrically contracted to stop me falling down onto my haunches, but no weight shift has occurred,what is pulling my body onto the left side,Robert is correct we have 2 confusing systems taught on videos,some cross referencing would have been helpful-Peter
February 16, 2017
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Curt
It seems more natural to me to make the squatting motion in conjunction with finishing my backswing. Seems like a more fluid motion. Is this ok, or is it imperative to squat after having finished the backswing?
November 29, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Curt. Take a look at Starting the Downswing Before Completing the Backswing. Perfectly acceptable.
November 29, 2016
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Frank
Is the left leg action the force that stops the shoulders and promotes the release? I see in a number of videos the shoulder movement is minimal during release and that seems to help with the release. What slows or stops the shoulders at release?
November 27, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Frank. A good post up and proper release keep the shoulders from spinning. Focus on Step 2 - Core Rotation, Arms vs. Body Release, and You Hit the Golf Ball with Your Legs.
November 28, 2016
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Sean
I put a lightly pumped beach ball between my legs and, in slow motion, would drop it on the squat to feel the separation. This really helps feel the separation between the two legs and pulling the left side. I started back with simple 10 yard pitch shots, then 50 yards, then full shots.
November 21, 2016
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Yew Hwan
The squat move made my entire body jumping up and down. In the video, i can see my head moving up and down. Hence i have lost stability and unable to hit the ball properly during impact.
October 7, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Yew Hwan. During the squat the head may drop a little bit, but it sounds like you are over doing the squat. In the instructional videos it may look like Chuck is dropping a lot. But, it's more so the viewer can see that he is squatting and engaging the glutes. Shift the weight and engage the glutes. Don't try to go up and down as much.
October 7, 2016
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Greg
What is the weight distribution like when you are just working on the squat to square?
October 6, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Greg. Most of the weight should have shifted over to the lead side. Try to aim for about 80% or after the squat. After the weight is transferred, its time to post up and release. The weight at impact should be right around 80% on the lead side and 20% on trail side.
October 7, 2016
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James
I have been a spinner, always thought that was important to create speed. I am having difficulty with the squat to square move. It is quite contrary to what I have done for years. Is another thought to help preventing the right side from kicking in to hard, is to hold my right cheek back on the downswing? Will that help me get to the squat to square position eventually?
September 30, 2016
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Jim, that thought can help for sure. Just make sure you are shifting a lot of your weight to the lead side in transition, so you are less likely to push hard from the right down in the hitting area.
October 1, 2016
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Paul
After the squat hips are square but as you approach impact the hips should be open about 30 degrees or so from your left hip pulling back towards your spine away from the target as the left leg is posting up. So that by impact your hips are open, your right shoulder is pointing down your left hip is turned back hands slightly ahead of ball with full release about a foot passed the ball. Why isn't Chuck mentioning any of this? If you just do what is shown here you'll be stuck behind.
September 23, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Paul. Take a look at the Rotary Golf Downswing Overview Video. After the initial shift to shallow the path and help with lag. The torso and lead lat will help pull the arms down in front of the body. If you overly spin or rush it the arms would get trapped. The trail arm should be in front at the top of the backswing versus deep. Excessive spin or dropping directly behind you would be the only way to trap yourself. The video I listed above should give you a good visual.
September 24, 2016
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Ashar
I am always unable to pull my left arm after squat. After pulling i do not find any speed to release the left hand. I am also facing this problem in Wide Narrow Wide Drill. Wide back swing pull hand and release. Help.
September 12, 2016
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Ashar, your arms may be too quick in the downswing sequence. Have you seen the "you hit the ball with your legs" video in the downswing section. If your arms race in the downswing sequence by pulling too hard, you can be lose lots of speed. I would suggest you also submit a swing for review so we can take a look at it and help you out.
September 12, 2016
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David
I seem to get very tight hamstrings the day after playing golf, am i using my glute muscles correctly?
September 10, 2016
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
You shouldn't be tight in your hamstrings. You may want to try and foam roll (google search) your hamstrings before and after play. I use a foam roller daily on my legs an back on days that I play.
September 12, 2016
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Marc
Dear Craig, the squat to square brings the hands to an 8 a' clock position with the club perpendicular to the ground. What I don't master is the small move between the "squat to square" and the "point where the hands have been lowered at the level of the right thigh just before the post and release". How can I perform this move? If I bring the hands down by continuing the rotation of the left hip, my hands are likely to be left behind and I will most likely be trapped so I think it is wrong to activate the left hip at this stage... It seems to me that in this video Chuck continues to bring the body to the left after the squat to square, probably by loading more weight onto the left foot, with the hips and the left arm hardly turning; this move unfolds the left shoulder and brings it is line with the left foot and the hip joint; I am now in a good position to post and release. Am my understanding correct and what should I be thinking of right after the squat to square? Thanks a lot in advance. Best, Marc
August 5, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Marc. It's not necessarily bringing more weight. A little, but the vast majority will be transferred in the initial shift. Take a look at the Rotary Golf Downswing Overview. You have to use a little oblique, but make sure the arms have time to get down there.
August 6, 2016
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Earl
I have a question about hip rotation. At impact my hips are square. But you state elsewhere they should be 45 degrees close. Do the hips continue to rotate or stop at impact?
July 31, 2016
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Steven (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Earl. We actually want the hips around 35-45* open at impact. If the hips are square at impact that means you're not using your lead oblique muscles to open them and pull yourself down into impact! We actually want the body to stall at impact so the club can speed up and whip through the hitting area so we can get a speedy release with minimal effort!
July 31, 2016
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Earl
The squat to square video was very helpful in explaining what I need to do.
August 1, 2016
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Steven (Certified RST Instructor)
Yes, that's a great video to help sequence the downswing and weight shift.
August 1, 2016
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David
I've been a member of rotary swing for three years. I like how my swing has changed. Currently I strike my irons okay, but recently I've lost my ability to hit the driver well. What videos should I look at to see how the driver swing differs from that of my irons?
July 29, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello David. The driver swing doesn't differ all too much. More setup adjustments to help strike at the proper angle of attack. Take a look at the Proper Tee Height Video.
July 30, 2016
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Ashar
Same is my problem. Driver Ah.
September 12, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ashar. Make sure you don't try to over power the driver. The iron weight makes it easier to feel the club head swing through. Monitor better the feeling of letting the driver whip through impact with release.
September 12, 2016
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Stan
In the video you say as you are ready to enter the impact area with all of your weight on your lead leg that you are pulling on your lead arm and ready to fire the trail arm to the impact area. Are you physically adding something to the trail arm like unhinging your arm at the elbow and uncocking your wrist quickly or does the momentum of the swing do this automatically for us as long as we have relaxed arms and hands? When I make a full swing and my hands are waist level or near my trail leg it seems like the momentum of the swing unleashes the power of my relaxed arms and wrists. I would like to get this part of the swing straightened out. All of the other parts of the swing I am okay with so far on how they work.
July 25, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Stan. You want to allow momentum to control the trail arm/hand. Take a look at You Hit the Golf Ball with Your Legs.
July 25, 2016
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Edward
Hello, is there a down the line view that really show the squat to square drill. I fear I am coming over the top a bit and would like to see how it looks from that view to determine if I am doing this drill correctly. Ed
June 27, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ed. Use the Self Analysis on the site. Once you upload a swing. You will be able to compare to a few of our model swings from Down the Line.
June 27, 2016
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Jason
trying combat the upper body dive: even if I do a shift left, abduct my lead leg toward target and or squat to start downswing, and or try to turn hips first, and or a hip bump/ a closed hip slide, whatever I do.......my arms still stay up and I lunge forward with my upper body when a ball is present. --> so knowing what this is, I started reviewing the concept of where I need to drop the arms myself. Even if I drop them and not get lower body moving in some way toward the target, I get the same upper body lunge/-> all that is different is a lower plane with my arms. ---> -----> so... would you advocate this drill or concept below to finally fix this------->: do (a) that lead leg maneuver externally abduct the lead knee to the left (to pull open the hips) while consciously lowering my arms? I seem to stay back/ do not do the upper dive when thinking of lowering the arms manually then all that I need to do is finish the swing if the hips are already giving me secondary tilt. -------- (BTW, the one arms drills seem not to be translating to both arms for me, so I need something that I can do to get over the upper body lunge)
June 5, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jason. Take a look at Re-Shaping Your Swing for Lag. You can use gravity to help get the arms down will shifting and pulling to the lead side. I don't want you to start yanking the arms down, but you can feel a sort of falling motion.
June 5, 2016
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Douglas
In this video, When you are at impact position there seems to be very little hip turn - However, on previous videos that I have watched (Ben Hogan and Rory McElroy) they have major hip turn prior to impact - in fact it appears their hips are facing the target just prior to impact. Any comment Doug (new Member)
April 15, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Douglas. Most of our members are what we call hip spinners. They overuse their hips in the downswing. So, sometimes you might see a lack of hip usage in the drill. You don't want the hips wide open at impact, but the hips will be roughly 45 degrees open.
April 15, 2016
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Jeff
I am a little confused about the "first move" squatting to square engaging both glutes and then continuing to move (shift) over to the left side driving the weight into the left ankle. There is another video which Chuck does (Golf Downswing/downswing sequence drills) and the first move is just shifting over the the left side without the squatting to square. If you're engaging both glutes that would mean that there is weight in both glutes until you get the majority of weight into the left ankle. Are these two methods ways of getting over to the lead side just different ways of performing this move?
April 14, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jeff. I think it is just getting lost in translation. Technically you don't have to have a ton of weight bearing to keep the glutes engaged. You shift into a squat. Take a look at the Weight Shift Video Part 1 to get the proper motion of lead side transfer.
April 14, 2016
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Jason
can you clarify: The back swing turned shoulder plane at the top should probably point a few inches beyond the golf ball:---------- The downswing shoulder plane at impact and just after, the right shoulder points at the ball correct?:---------- if so..... what is it that specifically steepens the down swing shoulder plane?..... is it the weight shift while the shoulders stay back?..... is it a conscious effort to dip the right shoulder back?..... I think the last statement is false, otherwise I am horribly not stacked on the left side at face on at impact.
March 14, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jason. If I understand the nature of the question. You don't want to consciously try to lower the trail shoulder in the downswing to create the steeper shoulder plane. The combination of posting up on the lead leg, the trail hand being lower on the club, the difference in address/impact (address and impact are 2 different positions - static and dynamic with more forward lean than at address), and the release of angle with ulnar deviation of wrist that will steepen the club plane will result in what you are seeing. If you are struggling with being stacked. First, check your weight transfer and move from there. Fixing Your Weight Transfer.
March 14, 2016
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Tyler
I have two questions... 1 When I make my transition up top to sit into my left side I feel this more activated in my quads instead of glutes which makes me feel as if I'm shifting more into my left toes. 2.. Once I have shifted its rather vague am I supposed to just pull through with the left or is there a shift and turn with my left side allowing the club to follow?
January 29, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Tyler. Make sure you press the lead heel into the ground. Take a look at How to Swing from the Ground Up and the Perfecting Lower Body Stability Video. You will shift into the lead side, the lead oblique will start to open the hips and the lead lat will start to pull the arms back in front of the body. Take a look at the LADD Video.
January 29, 2016
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Loran
When does the left hand become the main driver? On the backswing to the downswing, to completion? The right hand is just the passenger along for the ride...but it is the right wrist responsible for achieving lag?
January 27, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Loan. Both arms and hands have a job to do in the swing. They will be sharing different responsibilities in the swing. The majority of lead arm work is from the top of the backswing through the release. He still will have control in the backswing, but not the sole contributor. The trail wrist will help with increasing angle and preserving lag in the downswing.
January 28, 2016
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Adam
Hi Craig. I seem to be in a good position at the top of my swing but lots of tension in both left and right shoulders & pecs. Any thoughts to reduce this tension?
January 20, 2016
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Adam. Take a look at the Winter Backswing Video to try a reduce some tension. Also, make sure you aren't try to over turn the shoulder girdle. The blades can only move so far.
January 20, 2016
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Braden
Hey Craig. I watched another downswing video and it talked about shifting your weight before the club gets all the way to the top. Are you squating down before your hands and arms get to the top?
December 28, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Braden. Some players start their shift early to keep from over swinging and to get a good change of direction to create lag. There isn't a right or wrong way. But, starting the shift to the lead side before completing the backswing can get things moving in the proper direction. Start Downswing Before Completing Backswing Video. You won't be squatting yet, but merely shifting the weight from the trail to the lead side.
December 28, 2015
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Lisa
"Hello Yuefeng. Both glutes will be engaged in the downswing. You will shift into a squat. More than likely you will feel more left glute engagement, but the right glute will be activated" Craig answered! I thought I will post up the left leg...so I don't understand why would you mention about " but the right glute will be activated" please explain?
December 19, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Awesome. You will post up on the left leg. You are correct about that. However, when you squat both glutes will be engaged. If the right glute lacked any engagement. It would be hard to stabilize the hips. That is why I told him you would feel more left, but the right will be activated to help keep the hips stable and from right side push.
December 21, 2015
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Lisa
When I squat, does my left shoulder stack on top of left leg in iron shots (for long club like the driver..I don't have to?). Thanks
December 19, 2015
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Steven (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Awesome- When you squat to square the torso (shoulders) will remain in a closed or shut position. We dont want them spinning open so when you sit into the lead side by squating the left shoulder wont be quite there yet but when the arms are starting to fall and being pulled down YES the left shoulder should be stacked over the left hip/knee/ankle. And with the driver you may have a little more axis tilit if you are trying to launch it high and far but you can also keep it consistent with the spine angle as well with the level shoulder drill.
December 21, 2015
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Ross
I have a lot of difficulty with the squat to square move. It seems that, no matter what I try, my weight moves toward my left toe rather than my left ankle. At the top of my backswing what weight is divided between my right ankle (mostly) and left toe. Should the weight on the backswing be divided between the right ankle and left ankle (as distinct from right ankle and left toe)? If not, how do I get my weight to the left heel at the start of the downswing rather than the left toe?
December 17, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ross. Your toes are still supporting your for balance purposes. But, there doesn't need to be major weight bearing on them. It would be hard to describe the balance between the left toe and right ankle at the top of the backswing. You should feel at least 80% is loaded into your right side glute/heel at the top. When shifting down you need to trigger the left heel and glute. Try the RST Tempo Drill, How to Swing from the Ground Up, Winter Program Downswing and How to Use the Lower Body to help better with the shift.
December 17, 2015
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Ross
Thanks Craig. Is there any benefit to keeping the 20% of weight on the left foot closer to the ankle than the toe during the backswing? I ask because it seems to put me in a better top of backswing position and make the squat to square easier.
December 17, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ross. No problem with that. The toes will still help a little with stability. But, if you can reach the top of your swing and can wiggle or lift the left toes. You should be definitely be okay with the keeping a little on the left ankle.
December 17, 2015
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John
Hi - I'm confused on the proper path of the hands/arms on the downswing. The shifting of weight to the left and squaring/opening the hips from the top naturally opens my shoulders from 90 degrees to about 45 and drops the hands/arms. Is that correct or should I be trying to keep my shoulders more closed as I square the hips? If that is correct and my shoulders are now about 45 degrees closed, should the hands/arms then begin swinging along the shoulder line (out towards the ball and sort of feels like throwing a baseball sidearm) or should the hands/arms go down toward the ground and then down the target line? Seems like they would go along the shoulder line in order to stay on plane. Thanks.
December 15, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. You don't need to try and keep the shoulders closed more than the 45 degrees you are sensing. You will feel that the arms and hands will swing more on the shoulder line to follow the swing arc since it works like a circle. But, when you start releasing the lead side properly it will start to zero the path out. Some players come too much from the inside and have to work to zero out the path (Trace the Plane Line Video) and others need to feel the shoulders stay passive and more down the shoulder line (Over the Top Stick Drill).
December 15, 2015
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Yuefeng
Hello, I wonder whether the squat motion involves any weight shift to the left, i.e., is it squat with both glutes equally, or more into the left glute? Thanks.
November 18, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Yuefeng. Both glutes will be engaged in the downswing. You will shift into a squat. More than likely you will feel more left glute engagement, but the right glute will be activated.
November 19, 2015
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Lance
Sorry Craig I meant to say that Aaron is trying to get me to swing more down the line and eliminate the right to left path -seems my arms disappear too quickly down the line on the target side
October 27, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Lance. Over the Top Stick Drill, Cure the Chicken Wing, and Day 2: How to Hit a Draw will help. Typically, the root cause is right side takeover. You are body releasing the club. Trying to use rotational forces to square it up. The Left Hand Release Drill explains this well.
October 27, 2015
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Lance
At the top of backswing the right elbow is extended actively in front of the chest due to the shoulder elevation component if I understand the rst model correctly. On the move down where shoulder my right elbow be before I fire the right arm? I am finding the more aggressively I tuck the elbow down to the side the path starts inside the target line. Is this the proper mechanics? Of course this is in conjunction with shifting weight to the left heel and pulling with the left side. Thx
October 28, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Lance. In the backswing, the right arm will create the width and extension due to less than 90 degrees of flexion. However, even though actively engaged I would try to keep it relaxed. Not too rigid. You don't want to try a jam it into your side, but it will work close to the body. Take a look at the Sledgehammer Drill and Key to Creating Lag. More discussion on the right arm and shoulder at the start of the downswing.
October 28, 2015
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Lance
Are there pitfalls if it doesn't work back close enough to the upper body? What is the precise move that brings the upper right forearm back to the right peck before the angles are released?
October 29, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Lance. I just replied to your other post. I think you have it figured out now. If it starts working too far away the elbow could start losing flexion early and hard to add core rotational speed into impact.
October 29, 2015
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Lance
Hi Craig Thanks again for all the help to date. I gave been working on keeping thr right arm in check during the downswing Aaron gave me some videos with drills to eliminate the swinging more down the line instead of across the path and to the left. I get the concept of path BUT what is the root cause? The last few days I have been focusing on returning the arm elevation down in the downswing in an active rather than passive manner - everybody seems to say it is just a gravity move - gravity seems to keep my right elbow to shoulder away from my body enough to have remnants of the "over the top" pull to the left. Any videos on this aspect of the downswing? Thanks
October 27, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Lance. Videos for aspects of gravity or issues with over the top and active right side? You're trying to eliminate the down the line swing and swing more across at impact?
October 27, 2015
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Brian
I've been filming my practice sessions and I'm starting to groove the necessary changes pretty well in my practice swings, but as soon as I try to strike the ball, both arms getting pretty tense. Even one arm swings show the tension when actually hitting a ball. I can see the veins protruding! And it definitely appears to cause me to lose lag and the free release I see in the practice swings. Any "tension reduction" exercises or drills or thoughts to try for a more relaxed downswing?
September 10, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Brian. Other than the Proper Muscle Activation Video. The key is awareness and goal. Awareness that a tension free move is going to make golf easier (life for that matter too ). Keeping the muscles soft and ready to engage. Also, that tension is a speed robber. If you want good lag and a high club head speed. Overly tensing will only slow up the club head and fire angle too soon.
September 10, 2015
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Loran
Is there some lateral hip movement in conjunction with the squat and straighten the leg movement? Just minimal compared to the pivotal nature of the hip's rotation?
September 3, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Loan. The hip will move a little laterally to the lead side as you start to load the glute and settle into a squat position. Not really when the lead leg starts to straighten.
September 7, 2015
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Walter
Are the hands supposed to move from in front of the right hip out towards the ball in the downswing? This is why an overhead view of the 9 to 5 drill could be helpful.
August 30, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Walter. The hands won't move anymore forward than where they were at setup. However, they will raise just a touch as the club will have some shaft droop into impact. Think about them working on an arc or a giant circle.
August 31, 2015
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Walter
thanks for the responses to both questions.
August 31, 2015
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Jason
whenever I get on camera actually hitting the ball, I am still coming from the top. Even if I squat, or initiate some form of weight transfer, everything is still being pulled from the top no matter what I do. in fact I have been doing it wrong for so long, that any physical lower body thought just makes it worse so almost giving in to being inconsistent and over-the-top forever, I have realized if I lighten my grip and leave my very relaxed I am closer but still a touch OTT. should I keep practicing with these soft hands/ arms while I still continue to try to get the lower body to work correctly? or does anybody have experience in other teaching I've read of feeling the arms return your side while you are still coiled and then finish the swing? if I do this I finally feel the club slotting. it's just I'm not sure how much inertia I will be losing while I "wait" thx in advance for your comments Jason
August 25, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jason. The swing needs to start from the ground up to have a good sequence into the strike. However, it sounds like you have fired form the top for so long that it is very difficult to get the club on plane. Take a look at the Over the Top Stick Drill. You need to way over exaggerate the feeling of the trail shoulder staying back and the arms shallowing out the plane.
August 25, 2015
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Jason
thank you very much for your reply. I have discovered that on each of my swing videos my right elbow is flying out and I am probably over elevating I am hoping that if I keep doing those right arm drills and following the creating a swing plane video eventually my backswing will be in a way that is hard to remain coming over the top. when I fly way over with my arm falling behind me high high above maybe there's only one way to come back: over the top. perhaps I need to focus on the backswing curriculum before I really call myself doomed forever
August 25, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Jason. A better trail arm position can certainly help. Keep at it. We are here to help you cure that OTT.
August 25, 2015
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Raphael
Craig...first I want to say thanks for my review yesterday. Second, after my review you mentioned how my left wrist was cupped. Today I worked primarily on getting to the top with a flat wrist and then squatting-to-square to get my hands to come down, then releasing the club, in sequential steps like in the Cory Cooper video, only hitting the ball about 25 yards for about an hour. Two things I noticed while doing this in a very slow and deliberate way. The first was because I had a flatter left wrist at the top it seemed much easier, once I shifted my weight to square, to release the club. It did not feel like I had to work hard to deliver the club and was much more natural feeling. The second part was, when I squat-to-square the club travels down much like Chuck shows in the video but it also seem to travel a bit in front, in other words, away from my hips and thighs. Is that the correct feeling once I start the squat move? Before I believe once I got to the top I was shifting my weight on to my left without squaring up, thus leaving my hips closed and as a result of that my hands seemed much closer to my hips and thighs. The thought was I wanted my hips to be 15-20 open at contact. So for both the wrist set/release feeling and arm feeling in the squat move, are these the correct feelings to have? Sorry for the essay, but thanks for your input, again!
August 14, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Raphael. It sounds like you are on the right track. At impact the hips will be open roughly 35-45 degrees. However, most players race to that position and feeling more the square position will help engage the glutes and allow for better hip stalling into impact. The feeling with the flat lead wrist will definitely make it easier to square the club. Also, the arms working out in front is better than them feeling glued to the side or body.
August 14, 2015
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Cavan
Hi Craig / RST - I'm a classic hip spinner that is too right side dominate in the downswing. This is somewhat ironic since I'm a RH player who is left hand dominate. In terms of what I should be working on first with my downswing sequencing, should I be focusing on the release first or the transition? My recent review advised me to focus on the release which needs some work but I wondering what is the proper order to approach things. Many thanks in advance
August 8, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Cavan. You can always polish up your release. However, when you push too hard from the trail side the majority of the time it will be hard to get impact correct. I would work hard on your weight shift and transition. It will slow the pieces down and make it easier.
August 8, 2015
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Anthony
I am trying to eliminate the hip spin and focus on the squat. My issue is I feel like I lose a lot of speed. I am used to pulling hard with the left hip during the downswing. When I eliminate that and focus on pulling with the left arm I feel like my rotation stops. I hit the ball fat, or when I make contact the ball only goes about 2/3s of what I am used to. The issue gets worse on longer irons , woods, and driver. What should I be working on for speed without massive rotation in the downswing?
July 8, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Anthony. You still need to rotate in the downswing, but not fly too open at the start. To get the hips going, but not spinning. Take a look at How to Swing from the Ground Up (Introduction Advanced). Perfecting Lower Body Stability (Weight Transfer Advanced). Increase Swing Speed by Hip Deceleration (Advanced Downswing).
July 8, 2015
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Stephen
Hi Craig From my last review, I need to pull more with my lead arm. Do I supinate my wrists when I pull or would This be releasing early. Also, from looking at my release drills. It appears that the club face is not looking at the ball for that long. Just right at impact. Would this affect consistency of contact? I try to turn my knuckles down at my right thigh. I do this to ensure flat wrist. Should I be pulling a bit more before I supinate my wrists or turn my knuckles down. Thanks for your help. Stephen
June 21, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Stephen. They will start to rotate early, but you don't need to focus on that in your swing. The club face is squaring at impact. For max speed you don't want that face staying square for too long. I know it may seem inconsistent, but actually quite the opposite. Yes, a little bit more pull before you start to turn down the wrist.
June 21, 2015
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Luigi
A lot has been written about the eyes positiom. Can you give an ultimativ explanation, incl. anatomical justification, why the aiming point of the eyes should be, there where they have to be in the downswing and follow through. I'm so confused about all what is been said by all the exeperts. Very nice would be a video of it.
June 20, 2015
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Luigi -- We have a video coming out on this topic on the sooner side. It is best to try and keep the eyes as still as possible during the swing. We do understand that the head can move but we want to try and keep the dominant eye from peaking too early which can cause too much secondary axis tilt and can also cause your body to rotate open in the hitting area.
June 20, 2015
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John
having a lot of problems with down hill side hill lies, with ball below my feet. Any suggestions with this new swing. Making good progress but not with these lies.
June 17, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. Take a look at the Specialty Shots Section to understand more about downhill lies.
June 17, 2015
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John
Thanks, nothing on ball below feet. I requested that in that area.
June 17, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
That video is still in the queue. I apologize. You will typically want to grip just a little up on the club. Make sure you lower your seat "butt" and get settled weight towards heels. Allow for a more fade movement of the ball due to the slope by aiming slightly left (for right handed).
June 17, 2015
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Stephen
Hi craig, When I perform my full swing, you mentioned that I lacked a bit of pull but had good rotation of the writsts, does this mean that I need to try and maintain lag for a bit longer by pulling with my obliques? Thankyou. Stephen
June 17, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Stephen. Maintain the lag longer pulling a little more with the lead lat/arm.
June 17, 2015
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Stephen
Thank you. Stephen
June 17, 2015
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Mark
I have been working the drills in this video hard for the last week. I am noticing though that my impact position naturally ends up bringing the club further in from the ball. ie. If I lined up with a ball at the center of the club face, working this drill seems to put the ball near the toe of the club when I make it down to impact. I think it is related to the weight shift to my front during the downswing. If I hold a club at address with weight in the center and just shift my weight to the heel in my lead foot, not only does the bottom of my arc move forward, but the club is now lined up more at the toe Is seems the natural position where the club should be based on all the instruction, but am I missing something? Am I doing it wrong?
June 16, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Are you losing your angle too soon and/or trying to pull too much leverage from the ground steepening the shaft plane? You should be able to hit the center fairly easy.
June 16, 2015
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Fred
I've been working on the downswing as this has been my curse for the past few yrs since i started playing. As i am finding if i "squat" into the left side a little then just think about is pushing the left heel in the ground while letting the upper body "go limp" so to speak, that it actually swings the club down for me and i can pure it. Is this the correct thing to be doing? Thanks Fred
May 18, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Fred. Yes, using the weight shift and allowing for a little gravity (your limp feeling) will help you maintain angle and utilize better pull into the shot.
May 19, 2015
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Fred
I do "push up" with the left leg which seems to start the arms swinging as Chuck describes around the 4 min mark. At that time do i also fire the arms hard too or just let them be carried with the motion?
May 19, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Fred. I answered both below.
May 19, 2015
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Fred
Thank you. I still have problems getting distance even though all my shots are in the fairway. I just read a golf digest article about "snapping" the arms in the swing after the weight shift. http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2014-08/mike-bender-power-at-impact-with-zach-johnson Should i feel like the body is pulling the arms all through the swing or do i use the arms after the shift once the swing is started? Thank you,Fred
May 19, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Fred. You need to find a balance. You don't want to yank the arms down, neither drag the arms through with solely body rotation. If you take a look at Re-Shaping Your Swing for Lag in the Introduction Section. Chuck talks about gravity. When you shift you need to allow for some gravity to help bring the arms down with the change of momentum. And, you will need some lead arm pull and release through the shot. Once the arms start reaching the trail thigh you want to start to fire the release to get rid of the angle. A good and natural way to think about it is the Frisbee Drill in the Weight Transfer Section.
May 19, 2015
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Fred
Thank you Craig, It's beginning to sink in. I just watched the "Throw the Ball" drills again too. Big help
May 19, 2015
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Arnie
So now after "graduating" to the downswing and mastering it, how do I transition to 1. hitting a ball; 2. hitting a ball on the range; 3. hitting a ball on the course? What video or series of videos should I watch?
May 10, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Arnel. Start slowly. No need to go at it 100%. Make slow rhythmical swings hitting the correct positions. Figure out what speed you can do it properly and when you lose it. Fix and gradually work up at pace. Take a look at How to Practice Golf - Rotary Swing Tour in the Introduction Section.
May 11, 2015
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Seth
In this video, check mentions "pulling down with the left arm". Is there another video that goes over this "pulling down" in more detail? I remember seeing one but cannot find it.
April 20, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Seth. The LADD Video in the Downswing Section. Also, Proper Muscle Activation Video in the Introduction Section.
April 20, 2015
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Stephen
Hi Craig. I am performing a drill for the first aspect of my downswing, were i shift my weight to the left and pull my arms down to my right hip. However, when self analysing my swing, there is a line down my shoulders through hands at address and at hip area during downswing a line down from my shoulder down my arm is about a half a foot ahead of the address line. Am i drilling a getting sttuck move? how will I prevent this? Stephen
April 20, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Stephen. Am I a little confused by your description. Can you screen shot the image for me? Or, provide a little more detail?
April 20, 2015
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Stephen
on the down the line view, my hands appear to be in front of where they are address. When i shift my weight and pull from my oblique, my hands appear further away from my body. when the hands are at the hip regiion, prior to impact. thanks. Stephen
April 20, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
It doesn't sound like you are stuck. The hands will come away some a slightly rise coming into impact. Take a look a Drills to Avoiding Getting Stuck in the Downswing Advanced Section. See if you are referring to the same location.
April 20, 2015
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Stephen
Thank you. Stephen
April 20, 2015
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Tim
I just started incorporating the squat move in my downswing. That is the "miracle move" for me. It fixed several other problems I was having. Thank you!
April 16, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Timothy. Awesome! Keep it up!
April 16, 2015
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Tim
Hi Craig, is there a drill that will help me slow down my transition at the top? I have a tendency to want to start the downswing before I have a chance to squat. When I do it in the proper sequence it's awesome!!! I just need to get consistent with it. Thank you!
April 17, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Timothy. Depends on the issue. If you tend to get long then try and snap it down. Take a look at Start Your Downswing Before Completing the Backswing in the Advanced Backswing Section. If it is a rushing issue. Take a look at the RST Tempo Drill in the Introduction Section.
April 17, 2015
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Mark
At what point in the swing/downswing should most of your weight be shifted to the left leg (e.g., immediately after the right heel has been loaded or at the start of the downswing) . In the squat, I try to immediately have more weight on my left heel than the right heel? Is this a problem or the correct approach.
March 1, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Mark. At impact the weight will be 80-90% on the lead side. You don't want to go from the trail side and throw yourself back too quickly to the lead side. Nevertheless, as you sit into the lead side (shift/squat) there will be more weight on the lead side.
March 1, 2015
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John
Hi, my question is regarding the arms in the downswing, are your arms suppose to work back to the ball on an arc or are the suppose to work straight down for example toward your right hip pocket, I've struggled with this for a while and believe or not I'm a decent golfer. Any tips to help me understand this concept? For some reason no matter what I try I can't get the same downswing look as the pros for example it looks like there club is falling behind there body as as there hips rotate to start the downswing. I've tried everything don't know what the move is the makes the club look like that. Thanks for the help
February 3, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello John. If I understand the question correctly. Take a look at this video for some help. http://www.rotaryswing.com/videos/full-swing-advanced/downswing/keep-arms-wide-for-massive-lag
February 4, 2015
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dane
Hey guys quick question here, at impact I have maintained a straight left arm with elbow towards target and a flat left wrist, with all other constants being what is needed at impact via "face on" my shaft lean is extreme forward, if I meet all my impact alignments my club isn't at the ball it's about 4 in behind it, I can continue letting me arms pass through at when I meet the ball with the club face my left arm is beyond a vertical position with my should hip length checkpoint, any ideas? My grip is slightly strong but not extreme, oh also my flat left is basically at 45° to the target line, if I face the back of my left wrist to the target the club face is shut roughly 45°. Any thoughts?
January 31, 2015
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Dane, Check your shoulder line. If your shoulder position is open at impact, it will naturally close down the club face when you're doing everything else properly. That's one thing that won't show up as easily with the face on view as it would with the down the line view. Your shoulders need to be parallel to the target line at impact. If your shoulder line is parallel and your hips are also parallel, that will close down the club face as well. Open hips and parallel shoulders will square up the club face if everything else is done properly. Also, double check your ball position and your weight shift to the left. If all of that is good, dial back the bowing of the wrist coming into the ball. Bowing of the wrist (logo pointing down) is a great exaggeration drill for people who flip the club. It's very difficult to maintain at full speed, but feeling the flat wrist will get your hands to the proper position at impact for flippers. Check out this drill along with the 5 minutes to the perfect release drill http://www.rotaryswing.com/videos/full-swing-advanced/downswing/squaring-the-club-face R.J.
January 31, 2015
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dane
Man you guys are incredible, it ended up my shoulders were open enough to shut the face, I squared them up at impact and tada!!! Thank you guys for catalyzing the eureka moments In Your students. The non-contradictory instruction has given me so much peace of mind I literally have dreams where I play golf, it may sound weird but I've never been able to actually hit the ball in my dreams till recently. It may sound mundane to some but I believe confidence to that level is priceless, thank you.
January 31, 2015
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Dane, You're welcome. This is the exact reason why I got into golf instruction. I can help people in an area that I am passionate about. Best of luck to you and let us know if you need anything R.J.
January 31, 2015
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Wayne
Correction to my comment - I mean connected to the chest at the arm pit.
January 23, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Gotcha. Thanks.
January 23, 2015
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Wayne
I notice at impact your left are is not connected to your left shoulder yet it appears most or all PGA pros are connected - you can see this in the photo of Tiger in the background in this video. Please explain. Thank you for the great videos and instruction!
January 23, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Wayne. The guy in the background is actually Chuck, not Tiger . We appreciate the compliments of the site and instruction. There will be some connection in the upper arm pit area. However, when training the release you have to get the lead arm working. Most players tend not to release it and keep the arm to glued to the body. You need to free up the motion a little. Allow for free swinging and effortless power. Nothing in the RST will be overly forced.
January 23, 2015
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Robert
at about the 2:30 mark of the video Chuck mentions the arms dropping due to the squat move and gravity. He mentions that "there is a little pulling in there" suggesting a combination of pulling and gravity is what drops the club. Is this pull with the right arm as per the "Key to Creating Lag" video or is that pulling referring to the left side assisting the arms via the obliques? The right arm instruction in the Key to Creating Lag video was very helpful in clarifying where my right arm should go during the transition and I'm wondering how these two videos align.
January 20, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Rob. The Pull is from the lead side shoulder (left lat). It is a blend of gravity and pull. Take a look at the Re-Shaping Your Swing For Lag in the Introduction Section for the Gravity aspect. And, LADD Video in the Downswing Section for Pull.
January 21, 2015
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Robert
Thanks Craig and my apologies for all the comments. Considering the Key to Creating Lag video focuses on pulling the right arm into position, is that video simply a tool for showing where the right arm should go during the transition later to be replaced with a full left sided pull / transition? Like most things do we blend left lat pull and right arm drop in the transition? In short, should we avoid pulling the right arm down during the transition if we can help it and instead focus on the left lat / gravity pull? Or do we blend those moves?
January 21, 2015
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Rob. Being more left side dominate and using the lead side with gravity/pull will be the goal. The Key to Lag is designed for the player that really throws it with their right arm and needs to know exactly where it will be.
January 22, 2015
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Anthony
Do you shift your weight laterally before squatting into left heel because if I squat first I pull the ball.
December 13, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Anthony. You need to shift the weight into the lead heel blending into a squat.
December 13, 2014
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Richard
What's the feeling when you make the squat move? Do you squat using the left gluts or do you use both the left and right gluts together? Thks.
December 4, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Richard, It's going to feel like you're using exclusively your left glute because you'll be sitting into the left side when squat to square because you shift your weight over to the left side just before you squat down. You'll actually use both glutes, but you'll feel it in your left glute much more than your right. R.J.
December 4, 2014
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Jason
Hoping this is the right place for this question. My instructor Steven Maes has been doing a great job with my reviews and I am making some great progress. But as of late I am pulling/ pulling hooking the ball off the map. I was wondering what are some causes for this and what are the best videos to address this issue. I want to keep working on the issues my instructor has pointed out that DEFINITELY need work but it is hard to concentrate on that when the ball is going 20 yards left of the target. Thank you guys so much for this site. It is a huge help!
November 11, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Jason, It's hard to say given the information, but here are some things that could be causing a severe hook 1. If you don't get your weight transferred to the left completely in your downswing or hips rotated in the proper impact position, it will cause your face to be closed down at impact, providing you're doing everything else properly, essentially, it's like releasing your club early because your body is behind the hands. 2. Releasing the club too early or too aggressively 3. Outside-to-in path with a closed face, which would be a pull hook, worst kind. 4. Hitting the ball off of the toe Look for these things in your video recordings of your swing to make sure you're not falling victim to any of them. R.J.
November 12, 2014
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ilan
when I squate I see (in the mirror) that the shaft angle becomes flat. Is it acceptable to add to the squate move an active lowering of the right shoulder ? (again , in the mirror it looks that this move brings the shaft to a perfect plane)
October 18, 2014
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R.J. (Certified RST Instructor)
Ilan, Instead of doing that, first check out the trace the plane video in the advanced downswing section. This might help you get back on plane naturally. It could be something as simple as your hand positioning after the squat move. R.J.
October 19, 2014
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matt
If the golf swing is a Pull Pull move, how does pushing off the ground affect the downswing? Where's the pull? Is it your obliques?
September 18, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Matt. Once the weight is shifted to the lead side, the pushing of the lead heel into the ground and pulling the lead hip away from the target with the lead obliques is causing the lead leg to move to a straight position. This acts as a major source of leverage as you are pulling power out of the ground and moving the power up the chain and then turning it into speed through the release. You are lowering in transition to be able to pull more and more power out of the ground.
September 18, 2014
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matt
Thanks. I can squat left, however I'm not sure what my arms should be doing. I find that they get pretty darn quick and I lose lag if I try to lower them with the squat. Should they feel more passive? Or should I try pulling with the obliques and concentrate on using the left hand to hit the ball? (I'm waaaay right side)
September 18, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Allow for gravity and pull from the lead side. It should feel passively active for lack of better terminology. Use the LADD Video and Stop Coming OTT Video in the Downswing Section for the lead arm control and arm movement understanding. Also, the RE-Shape Your Swing for Lag Video in the Introduction Section.
September 18, 2014
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Greg
After I squat and then straighten the left knee I'm having trouble providing enough room for the club to release freely. In this video, Chuck's club seems to bottom out toward his right foot far from where ball would be positioned. I can't straighten enough to allow the club to release freely and contact where the ball would be and still maintain my tush line. Help!
September 17, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Greg. It sounds like you are overdoing the squat. Take a look at the latest tour review. Billy Horschel vs Rickie Fowler in the Videos for You - Latest Videos Tab. You can see they squat, but its not exaggerated to be losing the levels too much.
September 17, 2014
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Stewart
By squatting are you not lowing the arc of the club and therefore risking hitting the ground before the ball?
September 11, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Stewart. You do lower slightly in the downswing, but not enough to bottom out too soon. You will start to rise before impact. That is how we use the leverage from the ground. Take a look at the Tiger Squat Video and the Straight Left Leg Video in the Advanced Downswing Section for more information.
September 11, 2014
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John
What is happening with the weight distribution through the downswing. eg as you squat, does the weight move to 50/50 on each foot and then increase as you continue to pull down, or should I be more aggressive at moving weight left?
July 13, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
The first move down will be shifting the weight into the left side. Take a look at the Sitting Into the Left Side Video in the Downswing Section for more info. It will be a blend as you continue to pull down. Just make sure at impact that 80-90% is on the left side at impact. But, don't get bogged down on percentages.
July 13, 2014
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Terry
Confirmation question. Is my understanding of the down swing correct as I am about to describe? There are 3 parts - 1) sitting into the left side (the hands/arms drop as the left hip returns to square or the left butt cheek returns to the tush line) 2) the arms are brought down to in front of the right thigh as (the left leg starts to straighten moving the left hip (butt cheek) back or away from the target) and 3) snap the wrist to impact/release - simultaneously (the left leg straightens as the thigh/glutes muscles contract and come together and the left obliques/trap muscles pull (rotate) the torso quickly so the arms are snaped down to the impact position. Adding the second step of intentionally bringing the hands to even with the thigh/rotating the hips back before pulling with the obliques/scissoring the legs is a missing part of my swing. Thanks.
June 23, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Terry, you're pretty much spot on. Here is the exact process. Externally rotate the left leg to move the knee directly over the left ankle. Pull the weight over to the left with left hip adduction. Plant the weight firmly by pushing the left ankle into the ground and activating the left glute. Pull from the left oblique, turning the hips 45 degrees open in relation to the target line. Pull with the left lat to pull the arms back in front of the torso. Fire the right arm by extending from the right elbow. The left leg straightens through impact. For added speed while releasing. The hips and torso will be decelerating into impact to allow the release to hit max speed.
June 23, 2014
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Hans
This is my most favorite "overview". What I do miss is a final swing (without seperate explanations and stops) which "glues" all seperate excercises together. Just to see how the final looks alike.
June 9, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Hans, good suggestion. I will let the team know that is something our members would like.
June 9, 2014
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Mary
perhaps the RST Overview-The Perfect Swing or something like is what he wants. I found it to be a very good complete visual checklist.
July 12, 2014
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Jesse
I feel pretty comfortable with the squat and weight shift drill at slow motion. But when I go to apply it at full speed my timing between the weight shift and down swing feel out a little bit. And I don't really understand what letting the arms drop really means. I applied what I've learned so far at the course yesterday and seem to have developed a slight fade with the irons and still a small but much improved slice with the driver, any input for me?
May 22, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
You do not need any sort of drastic squat move to the lead side. It is more important to get the shift correct while keeping the hips back. Once you get seated left and begin to pull the left hip away from the target the hands and arms should be tension free and falling straight down. As you are pulling the left hip away from the target with the left obliques you are also creating torso rotation which is moving the hands and arms out in front of the body and into the release point. If you are losing balls to the right like you say, make sure that you are releasing the club fully without a ton of tension in the lead wrist. Check out 5 mins to a perfect release for some great advice on how to control the face in the hitting area.
May 22, 2014
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Steven
I really struggle with eliminating tension in my hands and wrists in the downswing. Too many years of bad muscle memory yanking the club down at the ball. Any videos that will help with this?
August 13, 2014
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Steven. Take a look at the Downcock Pump Drill in the Advanced Downswing Section.
August 13, 2014
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Juan Eduardo
Its difficult for me to maintain the tush line. Using the drills of this video, specially the squat initiating the downswing seems to work for me for not losing the tush line. The problem is that when I look at my video doing this, it is clear that my head has moved down from the address position something like 3 inches on the way down at impact. Is that correct for the drill? Is that correct for the actual swing? If one of the answers above is no, please tell me how to do the squat Thanks
May 19, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
Hey Juan, squat is by far the most overdone move on the site. You do not need to squat much to where the head is lowering 3 inches in order to maintain the tush line. If you are losing the tush line then you need to focus less on the squat and more on the cause of the loss of tush line. That is normally caused by a big push from the trail side which causes the hips to move forward. I would work on making sure your shift left is perfect and you are controlling the speed of the hips and rotation from the left side of the body first and then slowly work in squat for more leverage out of the ground when you become comfortable.
May 19, 2014
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Juan Eduardo
OK, thanks!
May 20, 2014
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Larry
I'm a shoulder spinner. Either my left shoulder spins out behind or my right shoulder comes over the top. The driver is not my friend. My miss starts out down my target line then spins hard to the left... usually OB. It's such a ingrained motor pattern. What can I do?? Which videos would help? Do I need a frontal lobotomy?
May 12, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
hahahaha no frontal lobotomy needed. You need to work on trying to keep the back to the target (shoulders wound) and let the hands and arms fall straight down as you are using the left side of the body (obliques) to pull. Check out the over the top stick drill or the right shoulder sledgehammer video, both in the advanced downswing section to see how you can train the right side to be more passive.
May 12, 2014
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Michael
Does the head rotate during the backswing and downswing (as opposed to swaying) in order to promote shoulder rotation in either direction? I've received comments that I am a "shoulder spinner" and video analysis shows that I have a tendency to overly rotate my head toward the target during the downswing. What problems can this cause?
April 17, 2014
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Chris (Certified RST Instructor)
The head can move around an inch or so in the swing. Take a look at the swing viewer and load a face on view of chuck and mark the position of the head with the tools. Then watch how the head moves during the entire move to get a clear picture. Your problems as you stated can be caused by a good amount of pushing motion from the right side of the body in the downswing rather than a pulling motion from the left side.
April 19, 2014

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