I personally think that there is an advantage to flexing the knees like Hogan in the downswing.
When one swings the club down-and-out-and-forwards in the golf swing, one of the three-dimensional forces is a distinct downward force. I think that it's likely that a golfer can better stay in balance - while maintaining all his body/spine angles and while avoiding tippling forward - if he initiates a marked downward thrust force of the club in conjunction with a piston-like flexing of the knees. It is like a downhill skier going through a mogul run - they flex their knees like crazy in order to keep their upper body stable. A golfer wants to keep in balance and keep all his body angles intact during the downswing, and if the golfer has a very forceful down thrust action (like Tiger Woods) then using the knees as shock-absorbers/stabilisers may be biomechanically advantageous. I do not generate sufficient downward thrust to require that type of knee action, but golfers like Tiger Woods and Jamie Sadlowski may benefit by using that type of knee-flex action.
Thanks Jeff, most of the compression occurs during the backswing in that sequence. A little bit more occurs in transition but head height is very still during release...very big pivot driven release...new edit waiting for upload...
I agree that he is flexing his knees during the backswing. Biomechanically, he is still performing the same motion - bracing the knees by flexing the knees so that they are ready to withstand the downward arm swing thrust action movement without losing any body angles or balance. Theoretically, that knee flexing action could presumably occur in the early downswing - just before, and in anticipation of, the downward arm thrust action movement.
Here are images of VJ Singh where it appears that his knee flexing action occurs in the early downswing and not the backswing.
Not all PGA tour golfers seem to need that knee-flex action.
Here are a series of images of Adam Scott. His knee flex angle doesn't seem to change much during his backswing/downswing.
Position 1 and 2 = backswing, positions 3 and 4 and 5 = downswing.
I agree that he is flexing his knees during the backswing. Biomechanically, he is still performing the same motion - bracing the knees by flexing the knees so that they are ready to withstand the downward arm swing thrust action movement without losing any body angles or balance. Theoretically, that knee flexing action could presumably occur in the early downswing - just before, and in anticipation of, the downward arm thrust action movement.
Here are images of VJ Singh where it appears that his knee flexing action occurs in the early downswing and not the backswing.
Not all PGA tour golfers seem to need that knee-flex action.
Here are a series of images of Adam Scott. His knee flex angle doesn't seem to change much during his backswing/downswing.
Position 1 and 2 = backswing, positions 3 and 4 and 5 = downswing.
Jeff.
Biomechanically, can one jump higher from a static bent knee posture or down and up motion?
I imagine that one could jump higher with a dynamic bend rather than a static knee bend.
However, what's the relevance of the jumping-up part?
My mental image of this knee-flexing action is that it is designed to stablise the golfer in his downward thrust action - a form of bracing equivalent to the bracing action of a "firm left leg" that is needed to brace a golfer against the forward momentum generated by the rotating arms/clubshaft.
David Lee, in his book "Gravity Golf" described a counterfall action directed 70 degrees left of the target - that he felt was required to stablise the torso during the down-and-out thrust action of the arms during the early-mid downswing.
I think that all these stabilising movements allow a golfer to swing faster and still remain in balance, but I don't think these movements are prime sources of added power.
I have become more conservative since I discovered TGM's system of power accumulator loading/release. I am skeptical of any "new" idea of generating more swing power - if the "new" idea cannot be explained in TGM terms/concepts. Consider the idea of a second hip/shoulder firing. How could it increase swing power? I think that any proponent of that "new" idea would have to demonstrate how it increases power via the PA system - which is essentially an arm power system. They would have to demonstrate how body power translates into increased arm power at a time point in the downswing when added arm power is useful, rather than harmful.
Hogan Power Golf era swing ( I reckon about 1947 - but that is debatable on seperate thread..lets not get off topic )
Foot action , left knee, left shoulder...right knee...right shoulder...
This shows the bit that Ben Doyle "catches the tail " of the dog which he has just let out between his legs.... pretty near cuts the tail off IMO!!
This is the swing where he nearly loses balance... he clearly loved to hit it a long way...
Dog I just realized you are a English bull dog as opposed to most of the Georgia Bull Dogs around this site.
Great stuff, you are fast.
Yes this footage is him really giving it a whack for the camera. Still looks beautiful though , eh?
Two questions I have for all or y'all:
-at what point is this compression a bob and inadvisable? It for sure has implications for the radius as the left shoulder is on the move. Tiger never hits it fat though and I suspect Hogan didnt lay the turf over it too often either, eh Henny? How do they do that, a lot of #1 and 4 left at impact?
-what are we seeing in Mr Hogans hip action in these two photos. It looks like a "jump and twist" as described in the article to me. More curious to me is what is driving this hip rotation or twist? The hips, the right hip, the left hip, the legs , the knees the feet? Im thinking its a hip action of some sort.
OB, have no idea that Georgia had it's own Bulldog! I am British version ...probably equally as inbred though!
I see alot of left leg extension through and just beyond impact (bit like baseball guy that 12PB had)...and left shoulder goes "level left" during COG transfer..then up a bit as hands approach release...then left shoulder goes through the roof through impact!!
Hogan had massive gluteal muscles... look at KOC's recent video
- Hogan's tush juts out way more than the average flabby guy! He is like J-Lo - It may be artifact from all the surgical strapping he was using for his legs... Ok ..probably not... but it looks like the glutes of a 100 metre sprinter .. I think that somehow that is a key component of his swing. I not sure how the biomechanics people will take that but you don't develop that kind of muscle and NOT use ! Glutes are hip extensors i think...that might work.
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