This Popular Swing Advice is Ruining Your Downswing!

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Golf Instruction · Oct 1, 2026 · 17K views · 202 likes

In this video Mike Granato & Shaun Webb from Athletic Motion Golf break down checkpoint six: where your knees should be squared up by mid downswing, just past lead arm parallel. They explain the "uni leg" look you want to see on camera, and why so many golfers never get there because of one classic piece of golf advice: keep your back to the target. They show why that cue, while it can create a shallow-looking club on camera, actually shuts off the body's rotation, causes the trail hip to shoot up, and produces wildly inconsistent club paths (16 degrees in to out in their live demonstration). They explain why Trackman can't catch this fake shallowing because it only reads the target line, not what the body is actually doing, and what good players do instead: regaining flex in the trail leg to let the turn pull everything into place. If you've ever been told to "keep your back to the target," this explains why that advice can quietly be working against you. Let us know in the comments if this is a cue you've been taught. 🎁 FREE Training Here: 🎁 Make your BEST swing your NORMAL swing: https://athleticmotiongolf.com/consistency Chapters: 00:00 Checkpoint 6: knees squared by mid downswing 00:19 What "square to the target line" actually looks like 00:35 Using your down the line camera to check this 00:52 How a good sequence gets you here naturally 01:34 The old trope working against you 01:55 Why "keep your back to the target" is a cheater move 02:13 Why this causes more golfers to quit than over the top 02:39 How the lower body should actually start the motion 03:13 Why pulling the arms shuts off rotation 03:28 A live demonstration of the fault 03:54 When the knees square up in a bad swing 04:12 A personal admission about this exact tendency 04:36 What to feel instead 04:57 Why width matters here too 05:16 Demonstrating the correct motion 05:42 Why great players add trail knee flex early 06:06 Why pelvis rotation should happen before impact 06:24 Comparing this to a real pro's data 06:47 Why leg action determines pelvis motion 07:03 Why most golfers don't know this checkpoint exists 07:19 What happens if you overcorrect 07:56 Why this move fakes shallowing on camera 08:15 Every swing choice has a consequence #golf #golfswing #golfdownswing #golfinstruction #athleticmotiongolf