Why You Should Have More Flexion at Impact in Your Swing? (Video by Rob Cheney)

HackMotion

Apr 12, 2024 . 4 mins read

Like this post

61,536 subscribers

Share Post

We’ve studied more than 1,000,000 golf swings and one of the common issues that amateur golfers have in their swing is too much extension at impact.

The extension is seen in the lead wrist, causing inconsistency, distance loss, and accuracy. It needs to be fixed.

The good news is that most players who start to understand what lead wrist flexion is are able to make considerable changes in their swing. Adding in the right drills and a little help from the HackMotion can help you hit longer, straighter and more accurate shots.

This video from Rob Cheney breaks down for you why you should have more flexion at impact, and how to do it.

Key Takeaways From the Video

If you don’t have time to watch the entire video here are a few of the most important facts that you can take with you about flexion at impact.

• The best players in the world have a forward shaft lean and a flat or slightly flexed lead wrist when they get to impact.
• Good golfers start with a small amount of extension in their lead wrist that eventually turns to flexion at impact.
• Exaggerating this position of flexion at impact can help ensure that you are making real changes in your swing, Cheney mentions you must feel this to be able to repeat it.
• HackMotion is the best way to measure wrist action in the golf swing.

Proper Wrist Extension/Flexion Pattern for Golfers

There are no perfect wrist angles throughout the golf swing. We can’t tell you that a golfer with 7 degrees of extension at setup will be better than a golfer with 12 degrees of extension.

However, we can tell you that there are patterns you must follow if you want to be a good ball striker.

The pattern that is most effective looks like this:

• Slight extension or cupping in the lead wrist at setup.
• Maintain or decrease the extension from the setup position to the top of the backswing.
• Flat to slightly bowed lead wrist at the top of the backswing.
• Continue to decrease extension and increase flexion until getting to the ball.
• Impact should be flat to slightly bowed wrist position (a significant change from the original setup).

To see how your wrist position is compared to the pattern of the best players in the world, HackMotion is the answer.

“If you’re not exaggerating the opposite effect, the likelihood is you’re not changing it at all and the only way to truly know what you’re doing is to measure what’s going on. If you can measure something, you can manage it.”

Rob Cheney

Drill to Improve Wrist Flexion at Impact

Rob Cheney provides a drill to golfers to improve wrist flexion at impact. This drill is called the “Hit Hard Stop Quick Drill”.

To complete this you will swing fast keeping your hands ahead of the ball. When you get to impact, you will stop as quickly as possible right after. The drill will exaggerate the feeling of lead wrist flexion and shaft lean at impact.

By practicing this, you can start to reinforce the position at impact and eventually make it a natural part of your golf swing.

Why Does Wrist Flexion at Impact Matter for the Average Golfer?

Average golfers often have issues in their swing that they believe are path or swing plane related. They work on things like takeaway, turn, or body movements. However, the wrists are often overlooked.

Rob Cheney mentions, “Wrist angles can be a super complex subject that many instructors struggle to get their head around, but…it’s very clearly lined out for you in terms of what you need to look for.”

The pattern that allows you to square the clubface from the top of the swing will result in more flexion at impact and better ball striking.

Utilize drills, technology, and some hard work on the range to get this done.

Final Thoughts

Now, it’s time to head out to the driving range and work on your lead wrist action. Try the Hit Hard Stop Quick drill as part of your warmup. You’ll exaggerate the feel of flexion at impact and make it easier to achieve this in your next round of golf.