Update: WOW – It looks as though I was absolutely on the money with my speculation, because you’ll find at bottom a clip I found just before hitting “publish” on this post.
Rather than re-write it, I’ve inserted it at bottom, but I’d love if you’d read the post from beginning to end instead of jumping to the evidence.
Original Posting with Update at End
The question in the above title, my not being a medical doctor, is of course opinion and therefore speculation, but I’ll tell you why that’s my opinion.
Yes, I said I would stop posting things people do wrong in the swing a while back, and focus on the proper way to swing, but it’s mid-winter doldrums over here, bear with me.
OK, so how heavy are golf clubs, especially modern drivers? A matter of ounces or a few hundred grams, no?
So I’m wondering why Bryson needs to be doing so much weight work to strengthen “weak” wrist muscles that are supposedly the cause of his issue at moment?
Before you ask me what qualifies me to diagnose BDC from afar, I’ll say “Absolutely nothing,” but I’d also remind people that I was calling out Tiger Woods’ back-breaking swing techniques from the time he began working with Sean Foley in 2010 until he completely wrecked his back over the next 5 years, and not one physical trainer or medical specialist told T.W. the real source of his problems, which was his swing technique.
Those of you who’ve been around WAX Golf for a number of years will also remember my saying that the faster one swings, the more force one puts on one’s body and so it is essential to be mechanically-sound, the more so the faster and harder one swings.
Remember my saying I was fortunate not to have injured my left knee a few weeks ago while swinging because I added speed and power with an adjustment that my address position was not optimally set up to withstand.
So, Bryson DeChambeau has a left wrist problem caused by his speed training due to his… “weak” left wrist?
I’m a pretty out of shape guy in my 50s and when I was in my mid-40’s I liked to show myself swinging a Momentus Heavy Driver with the exact same technique as my regular driver, and I was able to produce over 160 mph ball speed with the Momentus at the time.
I’d probably actually outperform that now with my improved swing model and technique, but I’d say that if I could swing a weighted driver as hard as I could without feeling any extra force in my wrists…
Something doesn’t translate, because this fellow is the strongest man on Tour by virtue of his strong man weight training. How on earth is his wrist too weak to swing a 13oz club at whatever speed?
The answer of course would be that his wrists are likely more than strong enough to swing his driver properly at whatever speeds he reaches, and that the problem is in his technique.
The reason for my assertion is that one does very little of the work in the swing with the wrists and most of it with the lower body and torso – however, if one is swinging the club with enough speed, the added force through the bottom will definitely be an issue if one’s technique is causing undue strain on the wrists with the technique being applied.
Now, let’s take a look at BDC’s swing from the first clip I put up:
Notice right away the stiff and straightened (actually bowed) aspect of the left wrist at address.
Remember my posting before on “cupped wrist at address, straight wrist at impact?”
Not a big fan of that nor the left-biased setup, to be honest, because neither are optimal in a setup for a hard and vigorous swing, even if that’s not the actual source of the wrist issue, but it could be a factor:
Looking at the impact and follow-through even more slowly, you see that same problem with anchoring the trailing foot rather than fully transferring the weight to the leading foot and releasing the trailing.
There are two things you’ll see, one pretty clearly, and that is the momentum of the swing post-impact forcing Bryson to leave the ground with the leading foot, and the other, not so evident but look very closely at that left arm:
There’s a tiny bit of chicken wing in that post-impact motion, where BDC delays the bending or folding (breaking, if you will) of the left elbow and it separates from his chest, and you see some funny action in the entire left arm post-impact if you watch the last gif again.
It’s as if the club wants to keep swinging around BDC but the failure of the leading arm to break or fold as it naturally should… you’d almost think this would put a good deal more stress on the left wrist and forearm than if it was breaking naturally in a proper release motion.
Notice in Mike Dunaway’s swing action, you don’t see that chicken wing separation or a delay in the left elbow break, it’s all one continuous motion from the top to finish and Mike Dunaway produced as much as if not more club speed at impact compared to BDC.
I’ll end by saying that if Bryson’s wrist issue is technical and not a true physical reason, then strengthening that wrist will only solve the problem short-term if at all.
He’s more likely to, if he’s swinging in a way that stresses his left wrist and forearm, continue to do so and possibly incur a sudden injury during a swing or develop chronic tendon and muscle issues that never really heal.
Like I said, purely speculation.
Update:
WOW, and I mean WOW, I’ve actually found the evidence of some madness going on in BDC’s swing technique:
Now, evidence is not proof but yes, friends, he’s actually holding off the left elbow bend post-impact:
Make it stop.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this, to be honest. It is the last thing you should be doing or even attempting when swinging an object.
Elbows bend for a reason.
Of course, he isn’t able to hold off the release as long with a high-speed driver swing, but the fact that this is in his mind with regards to his swing technique means that what we’re seeing is a deliberate action and resulting arm position post-impact.
There and right there is your likely source of his left wrist issue, not to mention the issues he’s going to have with his forearm and elbow if he keeps this insanity up.
In the end, there is no substitute for mechanically-sound technique, and trying to countermand what the body is designed to do and how it is supposed to do it will always end in tears.
What’s mad to me, this is or should be basic kinesiology, so where is he getting this stuff from?
Methinks the Mad Scientist should put aside the mad kinesiology and start looking at proper kinesiology.
WAX Golf 