Mike Austin didn’t ever talk about a “Leverage Machine,” of course, as that’s something I came up with to describe my visual image of the body in motion during a golf swing.  But Austin certainly used leverage and his mechanical theory of the golf swing certainly would not contradict anything I might say personally about using the body to maximize leverage.

I was making a couple of photo examples of how I see the body as a leverage machine, and wouldn’t you know it, when I was finished and looking at them, I immediately thought of Austin’s Flammer.

—–

Here’s what I was doing earlier;

The second diagram certainly brings the Flammer to mind, doesn’t it?  Here’s why:

Diagram 1 -Here’s the actual “Leverage Machine” created by the human body.  You have the lower structure as the base of the machine (the feet, legs and hips), with a vertical bar (the spine) supporting the top cross-bar (the shoulders), which is attached by means of a rotating joint (the 7th cervical).

Diagram 2 – Illustrates how the mechanical levers (the left and right arm) combined with the the rotating cross-bar power the golf swing by moving the double-pendulum, which is hinged in the middle (the hands).  The top pendulum piece is the theoretical part extending from the 7th cervical to the hands (Flammer bar), and the left and right arms flex and extend to facilitate the swinging of this upper pendulum piece, which in turn swings the lower pendulum piece (the club shaft).

The entire point of my visual image of the Leverage Machine is this: how does one position and move one’s body so that one can best replicate the theoretical mechanical motion of this machine, to create the most powerful, accurate and consistent golf swing possible?

This is where the Fundamentals Trifecta comes in.  The Grip and Address Stance form the basis of the machine, and proper Ball Position ensures that one only has to swing the club and let the ball get in the way of the club head during the impact phase.  Like the Iron Byron.  You set your machine up, the ball is where it should be, and the swing occurs.

Now, there is another part to the Leverage Machine concept in addition to building the actual machine – the swing itself!  Just being in the right position at address doesn’t mean you’re going to make the correct mechanical swing.

This is why the MCS consists of more than just the Fundamentals Trifecta.  The FT is the set-up.  Now, we have use our muscles to properly move the machine to perform the correct swing motion, and we also must use our own moving parts to create maximum leverage without compromising the stability of the machine.

This was the point of the video clip I made of my favourite swing.  When I look at this swing, I see the Leverage Machine in action, producing a huge drive while still remaining stable and balanced, with a very relaxed-looking finish considering the power created by the proper leveraging of the left side and body weight.

The Leverage Machine

►

—–

Note: If VideoPress does not work on your browser, the above video is here on Youtube as well.

Hence, the Compound Pivot, the Weight Shift, Trebuchet Drop/Spine Tilt and Throw Release concepts.

Using all of these together, you can turn your body into a flesh-and-blood Iron Byron, and these same concepts will allow you to create the most efficient leverage to crank up the power factor without sacrificing stability and ultimately, accuracy and consistency of striking.