hi guys in this video we're going to

look at side Bend or what is known in

biomechanics as frontal plane torque so

side Bend is something that we all use

in a functional sequence with say throw

in or hitting it will be present in the

system it may not be used to its full

capacity but it will be partly utilized

to help transfer force and by using this

balance pad here with this line we can

see what frontal plane torque or side

Bend is it's just rotation this way

in this plane

and what this really looks like in

movement terms with the Torso is this

so we're looking at spine mechanics and

we're looking at how this combines with

what we normally recognize as rotation

which is transverse rotation and that

would look like this

so that's transverse rotation

and this is

frontal plane rotation and then we've

got sagittal plane which is flexions and

extensions so that's flexions which

essentially Benders forward and extend

we're just talking torso not lower body

just upper body so a flexion would be

rotating me this way

and that's an extension but it's it's a

rotation in effect we're going to look

at all three but predominantly in this

video

the side Bend element the frontal plane

torque because it's this talk

which is this action combined with the

transverse plane which is what we

recognize as body rotation

the two go hand in hand we get this

and we get

this so we get rotation of the body this

way

and rotation of the body this way

so if I was to rotate this way then

towards the target it would look like

that

and that is a combination of for me as a

right-handed golfer right side Bend

and then rotation to the Target now this

is critical for releasing the levers now

if you were to throw a ball because we

always talk about natural actions all

we're doing in this video is just

stripping it back a bit if you like

amplify our awareness for these

components which might provide powerful

cues to trigger the whole motion to

recognize the whole motion we just need

reference points and then we can

recognize where we are in space and

that's all it is it's recognizing how

we're moving in space and letting the

body move freely so if we take a ball

if I was to throw this ball

if you look at my position here look

where I am if I turn Face on to you

the side Bend see the zip

I've actually used Side Bend at some

point in this motion

I've used Side Bend at what point did I

use it because it's this point

that we want to use in our golf swing

too and it's really important because

it's going to let us release the levers

at the right time for the most

efficiency

because if I don't use side Bend and

just rotate

I'm missing out on a vital force

contributor

so your side Bend is critical so how do

you recognize it

what is the timing of it what is the

movement what I suggest you do is get

something like a balance pad or be

careful get a plate out the kitchen okay

and get the plate and hold it against

your chest and all I want you to do

without swaying your pelvis from side to

side is just rotate the plate

just think of a clock face and just

rotate it and this is side Bend not this

a lot of people think of side Bend as

lifting the shoulder and dropping the

other one in yes it is creating some

flexion here can you see from the

sternum but really I'm just using my

shoulders whereas we want this flexion

to come from the sternum here think of

it as a cog in the Torso when we're just

rotating the Cog the shoulders are just

relaxed they're just reactive they're

not dried in the action this is driving

the action and it doesn't need the

pelvis to sway now we want side Bend in

both directions because we're swinging

on an incline to a ball on the floor and

we're stood at the side of it so that

means our swing is on an incline which

means our torso doesn't just rotate this

way

there has to be some incline and that

incline

is side Bend

and this side Bend

is a big Power contributor it's when we

do it in the swing we don't want to do

it here you might see people do it early

so that's lots of power but way too

early

okay we want this much much later

much much lighter in fact it's going to

be coming around about here

and most people do it here most people

are using their side Bend here

because they're using their commodity

This Is How They recognize their power

source this is where they using the

torque generator here way too early and

now it creates Haywire now you're

holding on

for dear life as I'm looking at you this

is rotating for me and the

anti-clockwise direction for you in the

clockwise Direction okay so if you're

looking in a mirror

it would be going in the anti-clockwise

direction and then you're going to

rotate for me as a right-hander away

from the target I'm going to make my

back swing

and now I can feel what it's like to use

core rotation and we can use these

together

if you do this earlier and more and then

rotate

it's going to make the swing probably

more upright if you do it later and only

a little bit it's probably going to be

quite shallow because the club is

already swinging so it's kind of finding

what it feels like just to side Bend and

then play around with it what feels

comfortable to you

because the more side Bend you make here

probably the more restriction you're

going to feel so we don't want to

restrict in our movement too much but we

do want side Bend so once we've rotated

anti-clockwise and then rotated the body

away from the target

now we're ready for the downswing and

what we're going to do we're going to

keep this side Bend

and we're going to drop into the floor

now the perfect exercise for this is a

step drill so what you do is you start

with your feet together

and you rotate me towards the target

here as in anti-clockwise now I'm going

to rotate away from the target from a

backswing okay it's going to be slightly

restricted because I've got my feet

together but what I'm going to do now is

I'm going to take a step and I'm going

to load into my left side I'm going to

drop into the floor

now this

is a super move for the change of

Direction in your golf swing this is a

real magic move here

side Bend IN

and maintaining that side Bend

and then when we rebound from the floor

with the vertical

we rip this in the clockwise Direction

the be careful guys I'm using that

language Loosely just work within your

own capability work within comfortable

ranges don't do this if you've got any

serious back issues or hip issues or

neck issues easy way into it gently this

is important that you just take your

time it's not about how much you do it

how aggressive you do it how much force

how fast you do it it's about just

gently easing yourself into these

movements so you recognize that space

you recognize these joint actions

because that's what they are they're

joint actions that's what's moving the

skeleton so we just recognizing movement

four this will be a strange feeling for

a lot of us we will already hear in a

golf swing as we start to transfer our

way

we'd be out at this side Bend pretty

early and we'd be trying to maybe get

the club from the inside to play a draw

and we bring in the low point back and

we we flip roll in the golf club and

flipping that release

it's a common error so

side bending towards the target so

that's that anti-clockwise direction

rotating away from the target okay so

for me as a right-handed that's backsway

and then a step and now we're going to

make

the step I either drop

and then the pulp and the pop

combines with the side Bend away from

the Target in the clockwise direction as

I'm looking and as you'll be looking in

the mirror so we're not swaying the hips

we're using the Torso and if I now

rotate to the Target

now you can appreciate

what this looks like in a golf swing

okay it's like throwing

sidearm you're going to throw side arm

same place blending this into a whole

Movement we can actually do two step

drills we've got this exercise the drop

and the pop and we've explored that with

the side arm throw with the step and the

throw and it's the same thing

now we're going to look at that as a

step drill in both directions now we're

only going to make half a step each side

which

results in a full stance width because

if we make a big stance initially to the

right then we can't go very far to the

left there's a right hand there so

talking is a right-hander my right leg

first is going to go that way and I'm

going to side Bend and rotate but I'm

going to use the step to do it I'm going

to step first and then use the step to

rotate

so I'm using that vertical Force to help

me and then I'm going to take the step

to the left whilst maintaining that side

Bend I'm going to retain that side Bend

so I'm going to drop and pop

and I'm going to drop

and now I've got all this side bend that

I can use with this vertical and now I'm

going to pop and this is going to go I'm

going to rip this

clockwise so we drop and pop and rotate

and we drop and pop and rotate so you

could actually take the golf club in

your Trail hand keep this in your lead

hand
rotate it

anti-clockwise and then turn back and

see what that takes you now see what

it's like to actually stay

in that side Bend and fall very

different and what's it like now to use

that side arm throwing action and start

to use that

rotation on the way through with the

side Bend

that's the side arm throat look at the

side Bend it's not here

that would mean I'd have to start

fishing with my arms extending early

trying to hit the ball here with the

side Bend

I can release later that's the action

look at the side Bend here

do we feel this in our golf swing this

is what we need to experience

and we need to experience this with the

pop drop and the part

and we can actually let this go

anti-clockwise rotation and then rotate

away with the body to swing and then

drop and now let it go

and then take that away

and feel the Finish what's it like to be

in this place the eyes are on a

different level I'm not looking at the

Target now for this horizontal

perspective I'm on an angle with the

eyes so I'd start off with some pitching

I'd start off recognizing what this is

like in the back swing and what this is

like and follow through so in the back

swing

what's it like to rotate this way

and in the follow through what's it like

to rotate clockwise and then towards the

target

what's it like to finish here

and then we can join the two

you start to feel this finish

and you can start to feel this back

swing

so using

just some basic imagery in your mind of

the movement form you're making these

aren't positions these are just if you

think of Silhouettes think of a form an

image in your mind

these two locations back and through

that's not a top of back so we're going

to finish

it could be even shorter it could be

here on your way to go into this place

and it could be just after impact

on your way to go into this place

so you could have multiple images or you

could have images in different places

different spaces different times but

what you're recognizing is those images

are all

based around

your recognition of this

is what underpins your awareness here

how am I moving my torso in this plane

of motion play around at home use the

mirrors as movement awareness tools

that's all they are and let your golf

swing evolve around the side Bend

[Music]

thought I heard my phone ring