A Stable Right Knee In Your Backswing For More Power

Golfers yearn for better consistency and power, and yet the very overlooked right knee in your backswing can make or break you hitting solid golf shots.

Most amateurs have too much “wasted motion” in their swings, which causes many faults. This results in fat shots, thin, topped, off the toe, and even the dreaded shank, which can cause golfers to anguish in their game for years.

One area to really focus on is the right knee. Especially in the early stages of your takeaway and backswing. The correct technique is to keep it in the exact same spot throughout your entire first phase of the swing, but I can assure you most golfers don’t.

It is very unnatural to restrict the movement of this knee, but critical to having a stable base and avoiding a lateral slide (sway) off the ball. You see…your lower body is the foundation to your golf swing. Its what enables you to swing at up to 85+ mph without falling over. It also provides a ton of power, as you can use ground forces to your advantage.

So what’s the correct motion of your backswing?

You must rotate “into your right leg”, so the weight is on the inside of your right foot, which prevents you from getting outside the foot and moving off the ball. It is very natural to rotate into your hip on the backswing, but just make sure the knee doesn’t rotate also.

In fact, I want you to picture your right knee cap staying literally fixed in place as you make your backswing. Start off making smaller swing (pitch shots) to see if you can do this. Once you can hit these shots, start making a slightly bigger swing.

Early on…you’ll reach a point where you start swaying, then you need to stop, go back to a slightly shorter swing, until you are ready to make a bigger one.

A drill you can do is stick a golf shaft or training stick into the ground outside your right leg at your address position. The stick should have an inward angle to it. If you rotate back properly, you will not bump into the stick, but merely rotate to the inside of it with your right hip. Just make sure the knee doesn’t rotate too.

I hope you now understand how critical this little fault is, and the bigger picture of all the mishits that are caused by it.