Some Exciting Results from Recent Research on the Minimalist Golf Swing – the world’s only anatomically efficient golf swing

Part II

While Part I was data collected using motion capture and force plates, Part II is based on comparing a golfer’s existing swing’s muscle activation patterns with the Minimalist Golf Swing patterns after a single session in the laboratory.

The muscles chosen for Electromyography (EMG) studies were all trail side ones (right-side, as all participants were right-handed): external oblique (EO); pectoralis major (PM), biceps femoris (BF), gluteus maximus (GM) and latissimus dorsi (LD).

While the names do not matter, the role of the 3 main muscles are:

EO rotates the torso; PM and LD pull the upper arm towards the body during the downswing.

Table 1

Calculations were made as a percent change from the pre-intervention to the post-intervention swings. It can be seen from the table that muscle activation of the EO and PM muscles was much higher than the participants’ existing swing during ALL phases of the swing. LD was less during the backswing (it is designed to not have a big role at this time) but contracted much more forcefully during the downswing, especially the early downswing. Thus the MGS is able to increase muscle activation for a more forceful swing. However, feedback from all 12 participants was that the swing felt easier on the body and the follow-through happened effortlessly.

EO

PM

LD

The stretching of the three main muscles during the backswing probably allows them to contract more forcefully without any extra effort on the part of the golfer. At the same time, the MGS’s ‘weight’ which remains slightly forward of center during the back- and down-swings plus the lead hip not being ‘stuck’ allows a much freer through-movement of the swing and ease of follow-through.

Kiran Kanwar

  •   Developer of The Minimalist Golf Swing System -100% scientific, simple and specific
  •   BS (physics, math); MS (sports science, nutrition); PhD (biomechanics – student)
  •   Class A Member: the LPGA, The PGA (GB&I), The NGA of India, The PGA of India