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Power Fundamentals

Get ready to hit it big

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TRAIN AND GAIN

To find the perfect posture for maximum power, make a training aid like the one you see here. Take a four-foot dowel pole with ¼-inch hole through the middle, and attach two 10-pound weights to it with zip ties so it’s perfectly centered two feet from the pole ends.

Put a heavy weight across your chest and find a comfortable stance width. Next, get in a setup position where you feel like you can support that weight for the longest time in that particular position. Notice in these photos that it sets my posture so my spine and thigh angles are identical. This is the same angle from my earlier tip when my arms were out to the side. From this position, I’m in the optimal stance to have maximum rotation. This is my personal position of power. Biomechanically it’s the most balanced, efficient position from which to create maximum power with the least amount of resistance.

There are two things to consider when you set up with a heavy weight across your chest. First, I want you to feel the ease of rotation when you stay in the posture created by the weight. Next, if you change your spine angle or knee flex, I want you to notice how restricted your rotation is. This restriction will cause a power leak. Because of your unique body characteristics, you have one ideal posture. As with grip, grip size and stance width, we’re all biomechanically different. This is why you shouldn’t try to set up like your favorite Tour player. This ideal posture is your setup for maximum power with the least physical stress on your body.

Once you’re able to find your ideal power posture with a heavy weight, consider the factors that change these power angles: stance width, grip size and grip. When these factors are set properly, you’ll have absolute balance, freedom of motion and maximum power. When any one of these doesn’t fit your personal biomechanic blueprint, your balance is compromised. These changes not only restrict your motion but also limit your power and increase the chance of potential injury.

When you use the weight across your chest to set your personal posture, you’ll have newfound flexibility and power. You may be surprised at the difference in where you are currently in your golf swing versus where your most efficient posture is. Some players have to stand taller, and others have more knee flex and spine tilt.

Dr. David Wright, PGA, teaches at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, Calif.

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