Coil Your Body For Power

Video Transcript

An important fundamental in the motion of the golf swing has to do with the proper coiling of your body to create power in the swing. There is a lot of talk about how to use your body in the swing, a lot of people I see use their body incorrectly. Using the body correctly is really what makes the expert players. To understand coil, the simplest explanation that I can give you is to start with good posture where I am bent forward from the waist and I have created some forward bend with my upper body, some spine angle is what we like to call it as golf instructors. As I bend forward if I just hold the club in front of me, perpendicular to my body and parallel to the ground, when I bend forward from that position, as I turn back you will notice that there is a tilt in that club which is really at a right angle to my backbone, I will have that same tilt as I go through and the club is again perpendicular to my body. As I turn back and turn through the guiding motion of the backswing is the upper body winding up around the base of your body and creating some wind-up. When I get into position and I can see that the club is in the correct angle, which is at a right angle to my backbone, I can feel it in my back and hips. I can feel that I have created some tension, some good tension by the motion of the backswing. So the guiding motion of the backswing is that winding up of the upper body around the lower. Then on the downswing it happens exactly in reverse. That wound up lower body as it starts the other way it actually gets even more wound up. As I lead with that lower body motion the upper body finally catches up and actually for most good players passes the lower body at the top of the finish. So understanding wind-up, when I make that motion there is a rotation around my backbone, there is also a slight lateral motion to move into my right hip. Moving your head slightly to the right is perfectly acceptable on the backswing. The head moving slightly back to the right is very common in good swings. For most good players it stays there or even goes a little bit back as the body releases. The head moves slightly through with the upper body as the uncoiling happens. Some movement with your head is acceptable. Rotating around that bent position is imperative. As you wind-up there is a feeling in you back, legs and hips of creating some tension. That is good tension, that is live tension. That tension leads the club and your upper body down and through for a well-timed release. Understanding coil is a basis for the swing.

Paul Marchand
Shadow Hawk Golf Club
12900 FM 1464
Richmond, TX 77469

Paul Marchand is an instructor to Fred Couples and was Assistant Captain to the U.S. 2000 President's Cup Team. He is also listed as one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers.

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