The Golf Backswing Part 2

The Backswing Magic Move

The way the right hand should move from the wrist in the early backward break—straight back toward the outside of the forearm, with no turning or rolling.

In part 1 of the golf backswing section of this site, we discussed some of the flaws that plague a golf player's swing.

Fortunately, there is a cure for all this, a cure that is almost miraculous.

What is the magic secret?

The magic move that puts you on the right track immediately is simply this:

Start the golf backswing with an early backward wrist break.

Of course this sounds too simple to be true. It violates every rule you ever heard about starting the golf swing.

You're probably thinking that we have gone completely off our rockers! (But rest assured... last time we checked, we hadn't!). ;-)

But it is true — and unless your swing is now everything that you want it to be, you will find out how and why this magic move is made.

The wrist break itself is simple enough, actually, though if you have been breaking in the conventional way you may need a little time to convince yourself of what is to be done and to make yourself do it.

Since the backward break is one of the key points in our system, let's be absolutely certain you understand what it is.

First, hold your right hand in front of you, fingers to-gether and extended, thumb up and the palm squarely facing the left.

From that position bend the hand to the right, trying to make the fingers, come back toward the outside of the wrist.

You can't get them anywhere near the wrist, of course, but a person with supple wrists can bend the hand back until hand and wrist form a right angle.

This motion of the hand, straight back, is the backward wrist break.

The standard wrist break is quite different.

Hold your hand again as you held it before.

Now, instead of bending it backward, bend it up, so that the thumb comes toward you.

That is the orthodox, accepted wrist break. Forget it.

You will get it eventually, but you don't want it now.

You will remember that the grip we stipulated was one which, at address, showed only two knuckles of the left hand and one of the right hand.

You will also recall that the right hand was put on the golf club so that the left
thumb lay right down the middle of the right palm. This brought the heel of the right hand against the big knuckle at the base of the left thumb.

Click on the part 3 link below to learn how to use your thumbs when executing the golf backswing.

• Golf Backswing Part 1: The Problem
• Golf Backswing Part 2: The Magic Move
• Golf Backswing Part 3: The Thumb Press
• Golf Backswing Part 4: Incorporating the Early Wrist Break Into the Swing
• Golf Backswing Part 5: The Effect on Your Swing

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