The “Symple Power Swing Lower Body Turn” is a less complex method of coordinating the movement of the legs, hips and torso. It also causes less stress on the body. Plus, it will instantaneously help in making solid crisp shots by reducing extraneous lower body motions. The biggest difference with the Symple Turn is keeping the front leg straight and not moving the front hip toward the ball in the back swing.
When using the traditional swing, golfers try to rotate their hips around their spine. In order to turn their hips around their spine they have to bend their front knee which brings their front hip forward (toward the ball) plus sometimes straightening their back leg pushing their back hip away from the ball. While that does rotate the hips it means moving and coordinating a lot of body parts. That requires a lot of timing and practice.
The traditional lower body motion has problems because it tends to over rotate the hips. Over rotating the hips has been tolerated in the conventional swing because most everybody slices and the over rotation of the hips does help somewhat with getting the club face closed.
Here’s how to make a Symple Power Swing Lower Body Turn
Stand up straight with feet a little wider than shoulder width. Then lock your front leg straight. (Important to keep in mind we normally do not “lock” the front leg we just keep it straight but when trying to learn the correct motion it’s okay to lock the knee back) (Your back knee is stays bent at address and through the back swing and downswing.)
Next pull the back hip back away from the ball. As you pull the back hip away from the ball (keeping the front leg locked straight) the front hip should act as pivot point or hinge. Practice this turning a number of times feeling the pivot point of the front hip. Do this a number of times turning your upper body with your hips. Then do it a few more times and don’t turn the upper body much at all, just turn your hips. Next, then get in your address position and try that lower body motion a few more times just as you would in your swing.
Here’s the Symple Turn sequence.
1. Begin the swing by turning the upper torso (chest and shoulders) around the spine.
2. Then let the turning of the upper torso pull that BACK HIP AWAY FROM THE BALL. (Your front hip moves just slightly towards the ball it just becomes the pivot point which allows you to turn your back hip away from the ball.
Do not bend your front knee and move your front hip towards the ball to begin your backswing. The problem with bending the front knee and moving the front hip toward the ball on the backswing is that you have to straighten the knee and move the front hip back away from the ball on the downswing.
It’s when you have to move the front hip back (on the downswing) that most people wind up over rotating that front hip and opening that hip up (moving it past square and back away from the ball). That opens the hips up too much, pulling the shoulders open and causing either a pull or a slice (depending on the position of the club head at impact).
If you do “rotate your hips around the spine” as you would in the conventional swing that means you have to coordinate the motions of the front hip, front leg, rear hip and rear leg. With the Symple Turn the hinge or rotation point is your front hip so you only really have to move the back hip and back leg. Again the main thing we’re trying to do is create a stable base for the upper body (shoulders, chest & abdomen) to provide the power for the swing.
Go to Symple Swing and learn more.
Next post we will discuss the benefits of this simple lower body turn.
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