New to kinematic sequence? Start with our beginner’s guide before diving into these coaching applications.
The kinematic sequence is an important biometric roadmap for golf instructors. It measures the precise, dynamic transfer of energy from the ground up through the body during a golf swing.
Rather than relying purely on what the naked eye can see at impact, analyzing the kinematic sequence allows coaches to look under the hood. It maps the exact rotational velocity and timing of four key segments: the pelvis, torso, lead arm, and club.
Drew Cooper is the founder of California-based Fluid Golf. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Health Fitness and Nutrition, Kinesiology and Exercise Science at San Diego State University and a Master’s of Science in Strength and Conditioning at Edith Cowan University. He is an expert in 3D data, club head speed, nutrition and injury recovery.
Cooper is knowledgeable expert in kinematic sequence, and has utilized the Kinematic Sequence feature in Onform since it launched.
Onform asked Cooper some of your most pressing questions about kinematic sequence and how to effectively adopt it into your golf instruction.
What is the single most important area for coaches to focus on when first starting to use kinematic sequence data in their coaching?
The most important place to start is to not get locked into coaching a “perfect graph,” while the transition should have a general order of ground up and the points of “crossover” (distal segment gaining velocity from the proximal) should ideally be in order.
While the perfect ordering of peak velocities is nice, high magnitudes of velocity might be nice, and general smoothness of the curves might be nice… we will generally see idiosyncratic bits within graphs and players. Young, mobile, athletic golfers may have better spacing, magnitudes, and smoothness due to the ability to separate segments and produce higher forces more rapidly.
Older adults may have peaks and segments that are right on top of themselves — very little ability to separate and low force output. While the order and general shape can be similar, the variance in the details is normal, expected, and linked to both physical abilities and shot types/shapes.
When a player’s sequence is out of order, how does it typically manifest in their ball flight or contact?
The most common amateur fault would be arms and/or torso firing before the lower body, which can create the all too common “over the top” pattern that plagues most amateurs. This can lead to slices, pulls, and smother hooks with a swing that feels effortful while simultaneously producing little speed (compared to effort).
These are just a couple scenarios, but a swing that appears to have a “hitch” or the perception of sharp spikes in acceleration (lack of smoothness) are things that stand out to me as common issues.
Once you identify a sequencing flaw, how do you incorporate that data into your lesson plan?
While data can help you spot issues, describe them, and show them to students, you still need to coach the athlete.
This is sometimes the fun part, sometimes the part we all argue about, and sometimes the part that stumps us. Does a step drill work to help lead the motion with the legs? Or does the athlete get confused and lost trying to coordinate the step?
To even take it a step further, do you think the person in front of you has the coordination to shift, let alone step? Would they be better off anchoring forward and potentially losing some of the powerful effects of a “larger” sequence (incorporating the legs/shift), or are we better off improving contact by removing the complexity of the shift?
This is the human side of coaching, reading the person in front of you, talking with them about goals, etc., and using the “data” to inform conversations. In general, the easiest use of technology like this is to capture the swing, analyze the data and ball flight and pick an area to cue, select the drill, recapture and see if what you did changed what you wanted.
How do you explain the concept of the kinematic sequence to a student who has never heard the term before, without overwhelming them with science?
While the kinematic sequence is going to be a fundamental structure by which I coach from, if the golfer is a novice or has very little interest in anything technical- or jargon-related, I am happy to use language that is more visual or at least less technical.
For these people, I may use analogies like “crack the towel” or a baseball pitcher throwing a ball “normally” versus an arm-first or arm-only throw. This may not take a large amount of “space” in terms of conversation, but the drills can teach this with the simple visual analogies above, things like step drills, medicine ball tosses, golf club throws (if able), frisbee throws and on and on can all be used to get people moving better “in sequence” without dwelling on graphs or numbers.
At what handicap or skill level do you actively start introducing kinematic sequence concepts, or is it something you teach from day one?
It is introduced from day one, even if not by name, it underpins drills that are selected. Whether it be simple cues like “shift THEN swing” or “let the legs/hips lead,” or if it’s a new student that is quite skilled we may have an opportunity to actually look at data such as ordering, peak values and cross-over segments.
In either scenario, graphs can be used (if you deem helpful) to discuss concepts and show visually when or how things are happening, it can assist learning or buy-in, but again it doesn’t necessarily need to be the focus.
Do you believe there is one “perfect” sequence that applies to everyone, or do you have to heavily tailor it based on a player’s unique build?
The general ordering of the sequence is universal, though I would expect idiosyncrasies from player to player. I would make the comparison to the normal human gait cycle — from contralateral motion, the stance phases, and shifting/rotating about the trunk is universal.
We see VAST differences when someone ages, when people get hurt, when people are stiff or sore from training. For example, elderly people tend to “shuffle” rather than walk. People with limited hip motion may “waddle” side to side instead of the natural transverse plane motion typically seen. This doesn’t mean we alter the gate pattern, we just understand the issues and either manage them or set a training plan to “fix” them.
How do you adapt the kinematic sequence for older players or those with physical limitations?
Ideally — in a perfect world which we all don’t live in — there would be a physical screen or some sort of physical understanding of the person you’re coaching. In general, if there is a real issue with mobility at the hips, spine, or shoulders, you tend to see peaks more closely stacked together as the ability to separate becomes VERY limited.
The adaptation goes one of two ways:
- Do we train the physical capacities back in to improve the swing quality?
- Or do we accept the physical abilities and do our best to make sure the order is proper and leverage what we can in setup, grip, and maybe equipment to get as much out of the person as we can KNOWING that we have limits built in from the get-go.
This is a decision for coach and player to make as every case will be different.
How do you balance teaching the strict mechanics of the sequence with the natural athleticism and rhythm required to play good golf?
The kinematic sequence is more a constraint than it is a template. We aren’t working with robots building a swing one segment at a time. The goal is to identify energy leaks, or where energy transfer is breaking down or suboptimal, trying to remove an obstruction or out-of-sequence movement so the player’s natural movement and athleticism can emerge.
The kinematic sequence shouldn’t be looked at as something that can be “perfect.” Rather, I would use it to diagnose an issue, get away from the screen and start picking aspects to attack.
Oftentimes I see issues with pressure shifts or issues with how people bend/tilt the spine and that ripples through the sequence. If those things are cleaned up, we can look at anything that impacts miss patterns like a weak grip, ball position, or any normal “mechanical” piece. I would tend to lean into the movement before the small pieces UNLESS the small piece is abhorrent.
What are the biggest “red flags” or sequential breakdowns you immediately look for when analyzing a high-handicap amateur’s swing?
Some major and common flags would be the torso and/or arms initiating the downswing, lack of or late pressure shift (usually goes hand-in-hand with the first issue), and potentially a pelvis that doesn’t decelerate.
Most of these things show up in a kinematic sequence graph that is out of order. Distal segments don’t gain from the proximal, or curves have multiple peaks or flat spots. To keep it simple, the graphs look very weird and the swing looks “jerky” or “inefficient.”
What are your top two or three go-to drills for helping a player feel the correct transition of energy from the ground, up through the body, and into the clubhead?
Top drills would be step drills, club out in front with pressure forward drill, pause drills with a “pressure pump,” club or med ball tosses, single arms swings and single leg swings for decel patterns.