Posted by: grc () on Mon Dec 6 17:35:21 2004

WT-
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> What you are describing is in my (somewhat idiosyncratic) opinion the most important phase of the swing.I think to describe it as "linear" is inaccurate.Many have noticed this as an essential requirement for a good swing.
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> For Jack,it is a part of THT.
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> For Lau Jr,it is "pulling the knob with the arms not the shoulders" which he claims to be "linear".
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> In golf it is called varoius things like "pulling the hands down"(references available on request).
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> I believe what is basically being described is the upper body/shoulder/arm action that is associated with the rapid turning of the hips open.This combined upper/lower body action is necessary to create the last bit of quick coil/stretch/separation before the body rotates by uncoiling (otherwise you would suboptimally "fly open").
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> To call this "linear" is probably inaccurate.Linear is perhaps more appropriately used to refer to the "weight shift" portion of a "good" rotational swing.In the typical rotational swing (my belief) the center of the mass of the body moves forward and down until the front foot comes down and resists/blocks.This "blocking" is used to boost hip turn reliably to maximum velocity which boosts the lower body to maximum rotational momentum (at this point body converts some linear/"weight shift" momentum to additional rotational momentum-not real efficiently but enough to get the lower body reliably to max momentum when it needs to begin momentum transfer-the lower body needs to be at max momentum when it starts to turn next link in chain according to kinetic chain principles-this is the same time that you want the associated shoulder action that "drops the hands"/golf cue or "pulls the knob"/Lau to create additional resistance/torso stretch/coil that is key to starting good rotation.)
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> I would personally call this action "rotational" because it is the most important part of the "coiling" type loading of the body before it rotates/unloads by uncoiling.It is a necessary part of rotational loading/coiling.You might prefer to call it non-rotational if you don't consider this loading aspect part of rotation."Linear" is less accurate I would say.
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> There is also the undesirable/flawed type of linearity which Jack describes as ruining good rotation and that is extension or flattening of the handpath which degrades the swing by disconnecting the bathead from the rotational energy of the body so transfer of momentum can not transform into necessary quick/reliable bathead acceleration.

tom, would you agree or disagree that a key chacteristic of the linear swing is the premature bending of the front elbow?