Is Brooks Koepka's Swing a Classic Swing? (Video)

Although Brooks is definitely a power hitter, this video explains his move as more of a classic swing that is easy on your back. It's an unusual analysis... and it just might be correct.



Part of the key to this analysis is the emphasis on how Brooks uses a one-piece takeaway and focuses on using his shoulders to power the swing. In this approach Brooks is creating his power with his shoulder coil and arm extension, while his lower body is just shifting and turning in response to his shoulders rather than actually driving the body around to the finish.

I know, it sounds like semantics. In fact, rotary power is being created by BOTH the shoulders and the lower body in any swing. It's simply a matter of how you think about the swing, whether you think of starting your swing with your lower body and consciously twisting your hips to pull your upper body around OR you think of consciously starting your swing with upper body rotation and letting your lower body move in response.

• Think lower body drive and you're in modern swing mode, complete with extra back strain.
• Think upper body drive and you're in classic swing mode, placing much less stress on your back.

And I'll be the first to say that the difference between the two is more about feel than appearance. Your lower body has to start first in both cases; that's just simple physics. The real difference is in the violence of the move. If you try to drive your lower body hard, your hips and lower back experience a much more violent stress. But if you feel as if you originate the move with your shoulder turn, you don't have to tense your back as much and there is far less stress on the hip and lower back muscles.

To me, this analysis has some real merit because Brooks doesn't seem to have the violent hip twist I see in a lot of other swings. I'm unwilling to call his swing a classic swing because I don't know exactly how he visualizes and feels this move. But I can certainly see how this could be felt as a classic swing if it was visualized and approached that way.

In the end, I think it depends on how you feel your swing when you make it. And if it doesn't feel like a chronic back problem in the making, I'm in favor of giving it a try.