Almost every golfer has room for improvement with the backswing. Of course, you don't hit the ball with the backswing, but mistakes that occur in the downswing and thus cause missed shots are almost always due to deficiencies in the golf backswing.
Not every golfer can hit the ball more than 300 meters, but every single golfer can learn an optimal golf backswing and thus make it much easier to hit the ball well consistently.
The golf swing doesn't start on the backswing
To start the golf backswing optimally, we must understand that we do not want to start from a completely static position. You can see with professionals that they are constantly moving even before the shot. These movements result in a trigger and the fact that these movements create a smooth transition to the swing.
On the other hand, a lot of amateurs stand motionless on the pitch for a few seconds before starting the swing. Now they must create a fluid and harmonious movement from a complete standstill. It will not work.
Two basic concepts of the backswing
Now let's focus on the actual golf backswing. To begin with, two concepts are elementary.
The first concept is that while we want a pressure shift on the golf backswing, we don't want a weight shift. Ultimately, pressure is simply how hard a foot pushes into the ground. The force moves from right to left, but the body's center of gravity remains somewhat centered.
Second, it's not like we go right on the golf backswing and then left on the downswing. This would lead to a massive loss of speed and inconsistent ball contacts. We have to shift the pressure to the right in the backswing and the left again.
This does not mean that we are already firmly left at the end of the backswing, but the change from right to the left must already take place in the golf backswing. The start of the downswing would be far too late, and we wouldn't get the pressure to the left and into the ground early on.
Correcting the pressure for the backswing
So we want to shift the pressure to the right early on to shift it back to the left again, which feels like early on. On the one hand, we get the pressure a little to the right just from the weight of our hands and the racket. In addition, however, we will push the belt buckle a few centimeters to the right.
This brings the pressure more to the right, and in addition, it helps us to move the body properly. This is because you automatically get a flexion of the left side of the body and an extension of the right side of the body.
So if we push the hips to the right, the lateral inclination to the left and extension to the right will soon become so strong that the pressure will start to go to the left again. Because we continue to rotate, of course, the pressure goes to the left again while we continue to swing to the right.
This contradiction is fundamental but just as unintuitive during golf backswing practice.
The proper exercise for the golf backswing
Doing this exercise right is the key to the golf swing. First, stand in the setup without a racquet and let your arms hang down.
Now bring the pressure powerfully to the right. This precedes the movement of the hands and arms. The pressure always precedes the rest of the movement. You can feel your arms swinging as a result.
Now swing your arms further back, but you're already putting the pressure to the left again. This will catapult your arms back even further. When done correctly, the swing will be fluid, calm, and allow for high speeds.
After a few tries, you can try with the ball, at first only at low speed. Only when you feel a perfect rhythm in the movement, you can gradually increase the speed.
