IS IT MY TECHNIQUE?
One of the most requested topics we get asked about is ‘early extension‘ or ‘coming up on it‘ and all those buzz phrases. Basically that horrible position at impact where your weight falls towards your toes and your posture rises, creating that ‘stood up’ position as you come to strike the ball. Hate it! In a recent post Nat described some of the physical causes that contribute to this. If you haven’t read that, you will want to in line with what I’ll describe for you now! Here are some of the technical reasons you’re standing up at impact.
POSTURE
Posture is crucial, not just for preventing early extension but for every swing you take. A good golf swing always starts with solid foundations and posture is the backbone of that. Too often we see golfers set up with excessive knee flexion (shown below) which means they lack a hinge at the hips. It’s the hip hinge which allows you to keep the pelvis behind you and create strong angles through your spine.
NOT ENOUGH HIP TURN
If you don’t create enough hip turn in your backswing, then you’re on your way to standing up before you’ve started. Your trail hip must aim to create a full rotation in order to allow your lead hip some space to initiate separation, this is the start of your downswing. This also allows your lead hip to then continue it’s rotation towards the target.
Think of it like this – It’s very difficult to go somewhere you already are. How can you start to shift towards a movement if you were already there in the first place. Your body has no where to go, hence the weight shifting forwards because that’s where the space is.
A Lack of separation
If you have poor or no separation of the lead hip then it’s very difficult to create the correct sequence of the golf swing. When sequencing is out, compensations happen. The lead hip must pull away from the torso to initiate the downswing, which then allows the chest to cover the ball (shown far right). Without this happening it’s likely the pelvis will move towards the ball into impact, resulting in the standing up position.
Can I ‘out practice’ this?
Yes, to a certain degree. Working on the correct technical movements will no doubt bring some results. The pure repetition of practice will allow your body to create new motor patterns that can translate to the golf swing. However, you can’t out practice a physical limitation! If you’re body struggles to make the desired movement then you will always have a compensation within your golf swing. You must improve your strength and mobility alongside your technique for long lasting results.
Take your first steps on tackling this by checking out our eliminate early extension plan or trial the first week for FREE!
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