Feet Pressure Through the Swing

[KD1]

Is there a consensus on most functional weight distributions in the feet at the different points of the golf swing? Not just left and right but heal, ball, toe, inside, outside...

 

I tend to have that elvis dance move with my trail foot at the start of my down swing that causes shanks like crazy. My coach has me working getting my trail hip back and keeping it back.

 

At the range practicing on my own I've noticed I've started a habit of never letting any pressure get on the outside of my trail foot. Even at address what pressure I have on the trail foot is only on the inside ball and heel, and that I try to transfer over to lead foot immediately after takeway. At address I feel as though the outside of my trail foot isn't even touching the ground. Am I on the right track here?

 

I just googled 'golf swing pressure plate' and this was one of the first images that came up. This image shows the pressure in the trail foot in the way that I've started to feel it... Except maybe pressure more inside on the right foot. thoughts?

Edited May 31, 2022 by KD1

[MonteScheinblum]

You can find all manner of pressure traces in good players and long hitters.  What I have found to be the most effective for many/most golfers.

 

These numbers/orientations are a GUIDELINE not to chase, but to see if your movements are close to what you want.  Better movements lead to better pressure trace, not the other way around.

 

Slightly left at address and close to even heel toe.

 

At P3 -p3.5 pretty close to max right and working into right heel and left toes.  80ish% right is about the max you want.

 

Somewhere between p3 and p4, start working back to left side and max out left toe pressure at or near 100% with none in heel and some level right heel bias.  Then starting at p4.1, start working toward left heel right toe.

 

SHORT ANSWER

 

Move right initially and start moving left before end of backswing.

left toe, right heel bias in backswing

right toe, left heel bias in downswing.

 

[KD1]

Thank you @MonteScheinblum. For the trail foot have you noticed any patterns in regard to pressure on the inside vs outside of the foot? I almost feel like the right edge of my right shoe never touches the ground.

Edited May 31, 2022 by KD1

[Wasted_Talent]

I had a lesson a couple of weeks ago.  It was the first time I have ever been on pressure plates.  I was shocked at the results.  I got 100% of my weight to my right side during the backswing with a 7 iron.  my head would sway off the ball creating a huge angle away from the target.  My carry was around 160yds with a smash in the lowish 1.3's.  The teacher said he wanted between 65% and 75% at most into my right side.  Once I figured that out my numbers around 170 with a smash around 1.41-1.43.  I still have a bit if trouble keeping my center mass more over the ball instead of moving off of it.   It was the coolest most fun lesson I had ever had.    

[MonteScheinblum]

58 minutes ago, KD1 said:

Thank you @MonteScheinblum. For the trail foot have you noticed any patterns in regard to pressure on the inside vs outside of the foot? I almost feel like the right edge of my right shoe never touches the ground.

There are always exceptions, but most golfers struggle if they get on outside of trail foot.  It’s a sign of poor rotation angle and/or poor pelvis position.  Plus, simply, harder to move left correctly when you’re outside.

[Trippels]

1 hour ago, MonteScheinblum said:

You can find all manner of pressure traces in good players and long hitters.  What I have found to be the most effective for many/most golfers.

 

These numbers/orientations are a GUIDELINE not to chase, but to see if your movements are close to what you want.  Better movements lead to better pressure trace, not the other way around.

 

Slightly left at address and close to even heel toe.

 

At P3 -p3.5 pretty close to max right and working into right heel and left toes.  80ish% right is about the max you want.

 

Somewhere between p3 and p4, start working back to left side and max out left toe pressure at or near 100% with none in heel and some level right heel bias.  Then starting at p4.1, start working toward left heel right toe.

 

SHORT ANSWER

 

Move right initially and start moving left before end of backswing.

left toe, right heel bias in backswing

right toe, left heel bias in downswing.

 

TXG released a video yesterday and one today with Drew Cooper talking mostly about shifting pressures and sequencing. Any thoughts on their instruction if you've seen it? 

[MonteScheinblum]

12 minutes ago, Trippels said:

TXG released a video yesterday and one today with Drew Cooper talking mostly about shifting pressures and sequencing. Any thoughts on their instruction if you've seen it? 

Have not seen it.

 

Link?

 

 

[Trippels]

Just now, MonteScheinblum said:

Have not seen it.

 

Link?

 

 

 

 

[me05501]

2 hours ago, KD1 said:

 

 

This graphic would be so much better if they had swapped the feet to be upside down and matching the orientation of the player's feet. It's like they tried to make this as confusing as possible. 

[chigolfer1]

1 hour ago, me05501 said:

 

 

This graphic would be so much better if they had swapped the feet to be upside down and matching the orientation of the player's feet. It's like they tried to make this as confusing as possible. 

 

I was thinking the exact same thing!  Had to look at it a second just to figure it out.  Pretty confusing to have opposite feet corresponding to the golfer just above it.  Like you said, all they had to do is  just turn the boxes around.  

 

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by chigolfer1

[MonteScheinblum]

7 hours ago, Trippels said:

 

 

There’s some good stuff there.

[Valtiel]

There are some great pressure plate videos from pros here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Y1Dn37iVmVA3CsJR1b0sA/search?query=pressure

[chigolfer1]

42 minutes ago, dave458 said:

 

Would be good to see whats between box 1 and 2.  Who is the golfer, looks a little ahead too early?

I don't think so.  If anything, seems late based on what I'm reading from Monte:

 

"Somewhere between p3 and p4 [top of swing], start working back to left side and max out left toe pressure at or near 100% with none in heel and some level right heel bias.  Then starting at p4.1, start working toward left heel right toe."

 

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2022 by chigolfer1

[GungHoGolf]

10 hours ago, Valtiel said:

There are some great pressure plate videos from pros here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Y1Dn37iVmVA3CsJR1b0sA/search?query=pressure

Interesting channel, thanks for sharing it. Do you know who is behind that channel?

[chigolfer1]

23 hours ago, Trippels said:

 

 

 

This seems very Kwon-like as well, right?  It's very similar to his videos.

[Trippels]

20 minutes ago, chigolfer1 said:

 

This seems very Kwon-like as well, right?  It's very similar to his videos.

Yeah, Drew mentioned he's already doing most of the stuff Kwon teaches, mostly the same stuff

[chigolfer1]

5 hours ago, Trippels said:

Yeah, Drew mentioned he's already doing most of the stuff Kwon teaches, mostly the same stuff

 

the great thing is, and frustrating that this is now just getting to the "mainstream" is that any high handicapper can incorporate it. It's not like some hard move that takes a bunch of coordination or crazy shallowing or something.

[Jbarretta]

Usually I slam the heel in transition further from the target  and that starts my my hips opening early  yesterday i tried to get what feels like 90% of pressure to lead side before I finish my backswing and then pivot around the front leg post and i hit some great shots.   It seems the pressure shift is much earlier than almost all mid cappers like myself realize 

 

I screenshot this from the link shared above  very early downswing there is already over 80% into lead leg and it's not even an iron   this tells me the pivot is around the lead leg   very eye opening 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Jbarretta

[Ross_Albatross]

1 hour ago, Jbarretta said:

Usually I slam the heel in transition further from the target  and that starts my my hips opening early  yesterday i tried to get what feels like 90% of pressure to lead side before I finish my backswing and then pivot around the front leg post and i hit some great shots.   It seems the pressure shift is much earlier than almost all mid cappers like myself realize 

 

I screenshot this from the link shared above  very early downswing there is already over 80% into lead leg and it's not even an iron   this tells me the pivot is around the lead leg   very eye opening 

 

JT's Z power trace!... it's never too early to feel that you pressure under the lead leg... and it's the only possible way 'to have enough time' for the ground to push you back up and land on your trail foot at impact (just look at the middle of the little traces above)... obvisouly, just for driver swing and proceed with caution when trying to implement this... awesome power possibilities though

[GungHoGolf]

1 hour ago, MtlJayMan said:

 

JT's Z power trace!... it's never too early to feel that you pressure under the lead leg... and it's the only possible way 'to have enough time' for the ground to push you back up and land on your trail foot at impact (just look at the middle of the little traces above)... obvisouly, just for driver swing and proceed with caution when trying to implement this... awesome power possibilities though

 

I’m not sure “land on your trail foot at impact” is a good thing for ams to try to do. 

 

Yes, JT has 93% of his total pressure on his trail toes at impact, but he’s nearly airborne from the jump that occurred a fraction of a second earlier powered mostly by his lead leg (82%) between P5-P6, where he probably put around 200% of his body weight (let’s estimate that force at 310 pounds) into the ground to launch his body up.

 

At impact, I would guess his trail toes have at most a few pounds of pressure into the ground (the only way to confirm would be to see the complete trace on 3D plates with the % body weight graph on each foot). So that “Z-trace” zipping back to the trail side at impact doesn’t have a lot of significance - I would call it more of an artifact. The trace pattern approaching impact is far, far more important than what happens at or after impact.  

 

But I’m just an enthusiast lucky enough to have a Swing Catalyst 2D balance plate system in my office. Would love an expert to chime in on this and confirm or correct me - @MonteScheinblum?

 

For reference, here is the full JT video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgc9DuXWeVE

 

ps. I still want to know who “Golf Scholar” on YouTube is. His library of video production work is impressive. 

Edited January 23, 2023 by GungHoGolf

[Ross_Albatross]

5 minutes ago, GungHoGolf said:

 

I’m not sure “land on your trail foot at impact” is a good thing for ams to try to do. 

 

Yes, JT has 93% of his total pressure on his trail toes at impact, but he’s nearly airborne from the jump that occurred a fraction of a second earlier powered mostly by his lead leg (82%) between P5-P6, where he probably put around 200% of his body weight (let’s estimate that force at 310 pounds) into the ground to launch his body up.

 

At impact, I would guess his trail toes have at most a few pounds of pressure into the ground (the only way to confirm would be to see the complete trace on 3D plates with the % body weight graph on each foot). So that “Z-trace” zipping back to the trail side at impact doesn’t have a lot of significance - I would call it more of an artifact. The trace pattern approaching impact is far, far more important than what happens at or after impact.  

 

But I’m just an enthusiast lucky enough to have a Swing Catalyst 2D balance plate system in my office. Would love an expert to chime in on this and confirm or correct me - @MonteScheinblum?

 

For reference, here is the full JT video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgc9DuXWeVE

 

I totally agree - hence the : proceed with caution mention in my earlier post... Ams when seeing those driver swings where the lead foot 'jumps' usually try to manufacture those by jumping back with an intent... rather than understanding that it's the GRF that pushes JT's lead foot off the ground... and related to my mention of : you can never have lead pressure too early in your lead foot, since it's only that way that the ground 'as enough time' to push you back

 

Pretty sure that most tee leesons are filled with Ams that have lead pressure way too late - that was the essence of my earlier post, sorry for the bad wording, misinterpretation

[ferrispgm]

Something worth noting is that force precedes motion...so what does that mean?  It means you will need to start a movement sooner than you thank.  For example:  I have been working on getting pressure into my lead toes going back to help with staying in left tilt longer.  I have to feel like it happens almost immediately as I take the club back.  This would be too early if it happened but the feel of doing it immediately works for me. 

 

As a side note, after working on this since last February, I have recently realized that the feeling of keeping it in my left toes to start the downswing literally gives me a full club extra in distance.  8 iron went from 155-160 to 170-175 with a normal swing.  It's amazing how much change you can get just with foot pressures. 

[GungHoGolf]

12 minutes ago, MtlJayMan said:

I totally agree - hence the : proceed with caution mention in my earlier post... Ams when seeing those driver swings where the lead foot 'jumps' usually try to manufacture those by jumping back with an intent... rather than understanding that it's the GRF that pushes JT's lead foot off the ground... and related to my mention of : you can never have lead pressure too early in your lead foot, since it's only that way that the ground 'as enough time' to push you back

 

Pretty sure that most tee leesons are filled with Ams that have lead pressure way too late - that was the essence of my earlier post, sorry for the bad wording, misinterpretation

No need to apologize, I knew you knew. Those % of total pressure traces can easily be misunderstood due to the bright colors even when there’s very little force being applied. 

[Djmc25]

On 5/31/2022 at 2:07 PM, MonteScheinblum said:

You can find all manner of pressure traces in good players and long hitters.  What I have found to be the most effective for many/most golfers.

 

These numbers/orientations are a GUIDELINE not to chase, but to see if your movements are close to what you want.  Better movements lead to better pressure trace, not the other way around.

 

Slightly left at address and close to even heel toe.

 

At P3 -p3.5 pretty close to max right and working into right heel and left toes.  80ish% right is about the max you want.

 

Somewhere between p3 and p4, start working back to left side and max out left toe pressure at or near 100% with none in heel and some level right heel bias.  Then starting at p4.1, start working toward left heel right toe.

 

SHORT ANSWER

 

Move right initially and start moving left before end of backswing.

left toe, right heel bias in backswing

right toe, left heel bias in downswing.

 

thank you Monty. Found this feel today at the range focusing on my balance in the swing. I noticed when trying to suction cup my feet down at the arches or so that to keep my feet suction cupped down I had to essentially pivot around the mid to heel foot area on my trail side in the backswing and then the same area on my lead foot in the DS. 

 

the feel was my pivot catching my swing in each direction. Very smooth and powerful. Club just felt along for the ride.