Why should a golfer not perform a "tumble action" during his mid-downswing if he has his intact LAFW "on-plane" at the P5.5 position?
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What is a "tumble action"?
The "tumble action" term was apparently first coined by Brian Manzella when he used that term to describe the biomechanical act of steepening the clubshaft during the mid-downswing.
Here is Brian Manzella personally describing how to perform a "tumble action" between the 2:40 - 6:30 minute time period of his "Science of Smash" video.
Brian Manzella starts off by explaining that a golfer can steepen the clubshaft during the P4 => P6 time period by applying a positive beta torque (which is an off-plane torque that steepens the clubshaft) so that a golfer can "tumble" the clubshaft over the hands as the golfer transitions between the mid-downswing and the late downswing (which roughly happens between the P5.5 and P6 time points). Before performing that positive beta torque action, Brian Manzella recommends that a golfer should first apply a negative beta torque to shallow the clubshaft during the early downswing, by performing a biomechanical action which he describes as "laying off the club".
Here are capture images from the "Science of Smash" video where Brian Manzella demonstrates how to "lay off the club" during the early downswing between the P4 and P5 time points, and where he then subsequently demonstrates how to perform a "tumble action" starting from the P5 position.
In image 1, Brian Manzella is demonstrating how a golfer should "lay the club
off" (by using a negative beta torque) during the early downswing between P4 and
P5 so that the club will lie on a very shallow plane - and where an imaginary
line drawn outwards from the butt end of the club will point well
outside the ball-target line. According to Homer Kelley's TGM
principles, that represents an "off-plane" clubshaft.
Then, starting at the P5 position, when the left arm is parallel to the ground (image 2), Brian Manzella wants a golfer to start to apply a positive beta torque in order to "tumble" the clubshaft over the hands - as demonstrated in image 3. Brian Manzella states that a golfer should "feel" that he is pulling his left hand inwards towards his body while he is simultaneously pushing outwards-and-downwards with his right hand so that the right hand gets on top of the clubshaft - as demonstrated in image 3. Note that Brian Manzella has his right forearm frankly pronated in image 3 so that his right palm is facing the ground. What justification does Brian Manzella provide for performing a "tumble action"? Brian Manzella states in his video that the "tumble action" will turn the clubface towards the ball (in a "closing manner") and thereby help to square the clubface by impact, He also states, that by first getting the clubshaft to "lay off" during the earlier downswing, that it will allow a golfer to "shove on top of it using the right side of the body" (while simultaneously performing the "tumble action" with the two arms) in order to apply more right-sided power, which he claims will allow a golfer to hit the ball further.
I think that Brian Manzella's opinions are ridiculously wrong-headed and I harbor totally different opinions. First of all, I recommend a TGM swinging technique (left arm swinging technique) where swing power is generated by the pivot-induced release of PA#4, which is then subequently supplemented by the sequential release of PA#2 (which happens automatically according to the laws of physics that underpin the double pendulum swing model). I do not believe that a TGM swinger should ever attempt to gain extra swing power by using the right side of the torso to actively "cover the ball" (as described by Brian Manzella), or by using the right upper limb in an active push-throw manner (that is better suited to a TGM hitter). I also certainly don't agree that any push-throw manuever using the right arm should be executed in such a manner that it would cause the right forearm to become frankly pronated (secondary to an over-hand throwing action) so that it gets the right palm to face groundwards by P6 (as demonstrated by Brian Manzella).
I believe that there is no reason to ever use a "tumble action" in the mid-downswing if a golfer has an intact LAFW that is always "on-plane" during the early-mid downswing. In my part 6 video, I stated that it is optional for a golfer to shallow the clubshaft during the early-mid downswing (a subject which I also covered in even greater detail in this short supplementary review paper), but I also stated that the clubshaft should always remain "on-plane" during the clubshaft-shallowing phase between P4 and P5.5. If the clubshaft is "on-plane" at P5.5, then there is no rational reason why a golfer should ever think of performing a "tumble action" because it would disastrously cause the clubshaft to move off-plane in an "over-the-plane" manner, which would then disastrously result in an "out-to-in" clubhead swingpath through impact.
At the 8:05 minute time point of my part 6 video, I instructed Jim George (my model golfer) to demonstrate his standard TGM swinging action and to then perform a "tumble action (as recommended by Brian Manzella).
Here are capture images from my part 6 video where Jim George demonstrates a "tumbling action" starting at the P5 position.
Image 1 shows Jim George at the P5 position with his clubshaft positioned
slightly shallower than an "on-plane" clubshaft position.
Image 2 shows Jim George performing a "tumbling action" where he pulls his left hand more inwards towards his body while simultaneously moving his right palm from its position under the shaft (image 1) to becoming more behind the shaft as he pronates his right forearm (as recommended by Brian Manzella).
Image 3 shows how Jim George continues to pronate his right forearm so that his right palm can get on top of the clubshaft. Note how his clubshaft has "tumbled-over" his hands, and how his clubshaft is now in an off-plane position.
Image 4 is at impact. Note how his clubhead path must be moving "out-to-in" during his late downswing action (between image 3 and image 4).
Here are capture images from my part 6 video where Jim George demonstrates his standard TGM swinging action.
Image 1 is at the P5.5 position. Note that he has an intact LAFW/GFLW and an
"on-plane" clubshaft.
Image 2 is at the P5.7 position and image 3 is at the P6 position. Note that he still has an intact LAFW/GFLW at P6 with the back of his GFLW roughly parallel to the inclined plane (which is the swingplane that his clubshaft will descend along between P6 and impact). Note how he maintains a supinated right forearm so that his right palm faces skywards during this time period.
Image 4 is at P6.5. Note that he still has an intact LAFW/GFLW and that he is releasing PA#2 so that his clubshaft can descend along his chosen impact zone swingplane towards impact.Note that his clubshaft is "on-plane". Note that the back of his GFLW is still roughly parallel to the inclined plane (and ball-target line) and that means that he has not yet started to release PA#3. Note that he is now pronating his right forearm so that his right palm moves from being under the clubshaft at P6 to being more behind the clubshaft at P6.5. In other words, his right forearm is moving from being supinated at P6 to becoming less supinated by P6.5, but it is never frankly pronated at any time point during his late downswing between P6 and impact.
Image 5 is at impact, where he has completed his release of PA#3 (by supinating his left forearm by the necessary amount) so that he can have a square clubface at impact. Note that his right palm faces the target and that his right forearm is neutral, and not frankly pronated (where the right palm would be facing the ground).
If you follow the path of his clubhead between P6 and impact, note that it is the standard clubhead path needed to generate an "in-to-square-to-in" clubhead path through the general impact zone between P6 and P8.
I am now going to present a series of capture images of
three outstanding PGA tour golfers in order to show that they have the same
clubshaft/clubhead travel pattern between P5.5 and impact as demonstrated by Jim
George's standard swing action.
Henrik Stenson
Image 1 is at the P5.5 position. Note that he has an intact LAFW/GFLW and an
"on-plane" clubshaft.
Image 2 is at/near the P6 position. Note that he still has an intact LAFW/GFLW at P6 with the back of his GFLW roughly parallel to the inclined plane (which is the swingplane that his clubshaft will descend along between P6 and impact). Note how he maintains a supinated right forearm so that his right palm faces skywards during this time period.
Image 3 is at P6.5. Note that he still has an intact LAFW/GFLW and that he is releasing PA#2 so that his clubshaft can descend along his chosen impact zone swingplane towards impact.Note that his clubshaft is "on-plane". Note that the back of his GFLW is still roughly parallel to the inclined plane (and ball-target line) and that means that he has not yet started to release PA#3. Note that he is now pronating his right forearm so that his right palm moves from being under the clubshaft at P6 to being more behind the clubshaft at P6.5. In other words, his right forearm is moving from being supinated at P6 to becoming less supinated by P6.5, but it is never frankly pronated at any time point during his late downswing between P6 and impact.
Image 4 is at impact, where he has completed his release of PA#3 (by supinating his left forearm by the necessary amount) so that he can have a square clubface at impact. Note that his right palm faces the target and that his right forearm is neutral, and not frankly pronated (where the right palm would be facing the ground).
Adam Scott
Image 1 is at the P5.5 position. Note that he has an intact LAFW/GFLW and an
"on-plane" clubshaft.
Image 2 is at the P6 position. Note that he still has an intact LAFW/GFLW at P6 with the back of his GFLW roughly parallel to the inclined plane (which is the swingplane that his clubshaft will descend along between P6 and impact). Note how he maintains a supinated right forearm so that his right palm faces skywards during this time period.
Image 3 is at P6.5. Note that he still has an intact LAFW/GFLW and that he is releasing PA#2 so that his clubshaft can descend along his chosen impact zone swingplane towards impact.Note that his clubshaft is "on-plane". Note that the back of his GFLW is still roughly parallel to the inclined plane (and ball-target line) and that means that he has not yet started to release PA#3. Note that he is now pronating his right forearm so that his right palm moves from being under the clubshaft at P6 to being more behind the clubshaft at P6.5. In other words, his right forearm is moving from being supinated at P6 to becoming less supinated by P6.5, but it is never frankly pronated at any time point during his late downswing between P6 and impact.
Image 4 is at impact, where he has completed his release of PA#3 (by supinating his left forearm by the necessary amount) so that he can have a square clubface at impact. Note that his right palm faces the target and that his right forearm is neutral, and not frankly pronated (where the right palm would be facing the ground).
Rory McIlroy
Image 1 is at the P5.5 position. Note that he has an intact LAFW/GFLW and an "on-plane" clubshaft.
Image 2 is at the P6 position. Note that he still has an intact LAFW/GFLW at P6 with the back of his GFLW roughly parallel to the inclined plane (which is the swingplane that his clubshaft will descend along between P6 and impact). Note how he maintains a supinated right forearm so that his right palm faces skywards during this time period.
Image 3 is at P6.5. Note that he still has an intact LAFW/GFLW and that he is releasing PA#2 so that his clubshaft can descend along his chosen impact zone swingplane towards impact.Note that his clubshaft is "on-plane". Note that the back of his GFLW is still roughly parallel to the inclined plane (and ball-target line) and that means that he has not yet started to release PA#3. Note that he is now pronating his right forearm so that his right palm moves from being under the clubshaft at P6 to being more behind the clubshaft at P6.5. In other words, his right forearm is moving from being supinated at P6 to becoming less supinated by P6.5, but it is never frankly pronated at any time point during his late downswing between P6 and impact.
Image 4 is at impact, where he has completed his release of PA#3 (by supinating his left forearm by the necessary amount) so that he can have a square clubface at impact. Note that his right palm faces the target and that his right forearm is neutral, and not frankly pronated (where the right palm would be facing the ground).
In summary, I believe that if a golfer has an intact LAFW that is "on-plane" at the P5.5 postion, then there is ZERO reason why he should perform a "tumble action" as he transitions between the mid-downswing to the late downswing.
In terms of practical golf instructional teaching, I believe that the "feel" of a tumble action should only be used if a student golfer shallows the clubshaft excessively in the early downswing (between P4 and P5) so that an imaginary line drawn out from the butt end of the club (at the P5 position) points well outside the ball-target line. Under those circumstances, a golfer should be instructed to experience a "feel" of a "tumble action" - experience the "feel" of creating more postive beta torque in the early downswing - so that he can successfully keep the clubshaft "on-plane" during the early-mid downswing between P4 and P5.5. If he can successfully learn how to keep the clubshaft "on-plane" all the way between P4 and P5.5, then there is obviously no reason why he should ever have to think of using a "tumble action" as he transitions from the mid-downswing to the late downswing.
Jeffrey Mann.
January 2017.