Swing Planes

This Module has highlighted some of similarities and differences when working with 2D and 3D, and hopefully highlighted some of the strengths and weaknesses of each.  We would like to close this module with an example of an evaluation of a classic 2D concept using 3D technology.  This section focuses on the idea of whether golfers should try to keep the club ‘on plane’ during the downswing. 

We've created a three-part video demonstration to show you what we've learned about swing planes using 3D analysis:

Transcript

Part 1:

Over the years there's been a lot of discussion and different theories have emerged about what the swing plane or swing planes should be. What you are seeing here is the path of the club head during the swing. By being able to track the actual movement of the club in 3 dimensions we have been able to find where and when the club should be on a plane. The real answer might be surprising.

In good golfers, the club only stays on the plane for the relatively short phase shown here. From club parallel in the downswing, through club parallel in follow through. By shifting our camera view around we can see the plane form by the path of the club during this phase. By extending the line along the actual swing plane we can take a look at how long the club stays on that plane.

We'll first look at follow through, by extending the path of the club through follow through, you can easily see how quickly and how far off the swing plane the club travels during follow through. Most of the discussion of swing planes is centered around the downswing however. So let's look at that next.

As we move back through the swing, you can see the club head is staying on the swing plane very nicely, up until the club is parallel. But as it moves up to arm parallel, you can see that it is now well off the plane and continues to move farther off the plane as we get closer to the top. We've added some lines here to illustrate just how far off the swing plane the club is during the first half of the downswing.

Around the top of the backswing, good golfers have the club about a foot off the swing plane. Typically above it, as shown here. As they continue through the downswing, they get closer, but don't really get on plane until the club reaches parallel. Even as late as lead arm parallel, the club is still typically 3 to 5 inches off plane. Something that would be easily visible in a 2D video assessment if the camera is correctly aligned with the actual swing plane.

Part 2:

One of the reasons why 3D analysis has been so helpful in determining the actual plane of the golf club is that we can adjust to any camera perspective. You'll notice that the perspective angle or camera view that we are using to show this golfer's swing plane is not one that is normally used for golf swing analysis.

We'll shift to a more traditional camera view centering on the golfer's hands at address. Now you can see that the golfer appears to be on a path that is well over his actual swing plane. However, if we shift to a view of that swing that we very often get in television coverage the same golfer would look like he is coming well under his swing plane. So it becomes apparent that the position of the camera will greatly influence the perceived plane that the club is traveling on.

Unfortunately the camera views that are typically used because they are better for assessing body movement and providing feedback to the golfer are not the views that will show the actual plane of the club.

Part 3:

The next question to address is if the rest of the body should rotate on a plane that is parallel to the club plane. It has been suggested that this helps develop swing speed.

So we have the club's swing plane and now we are showing the line or plane that the left shoulder follows. As we move through the swing you can see that the lead shoulder or the top of the left arm follows this line pretty well. The lead shoulder does not stay out of plane quite as well as the club but it is pretty close. And you can see that the plane of the left shoulder is a little flatter but still relatively close to the club's swing plane.

Now we've added the same line for the right shoulder. Again, this is the path that the trail shoulder or the top of right arm follows during the same phase as the swing. You can see that the right shoulder stays on this line very well. It is a well defined plane of motion. You can also very easily see that the plane of the right shoulder is substantially different, not only from the club plane but also from the left shoulder plane . This shows us that even though both shoulders are rotating around the torso they are not necessarily rotating on the same plane. In fact the shoulders function independently during the swing.

What becomes evident is that our bodies do not function like a string with a ball tied on the end and we should not ask them to. 3D analysis has shown us that the motion planes of each of the shoulders, the arms and the hands are all somewhat different. Each of the joints plays an important role in the creation of a good golf swing but because of how the human body is designed they need to play different roles.