Friday 10 February 2012

Omne Trium Perfectum

"Omne trium perfectum" means that all things that come in threes are perfect - now also in the sense of golf biokinetics. Although big picture studies rarely deal with small movements of distal limbs joints such as wrists and they rather treat them as loose chains between two sticks of a nunchaku there are nonetheless important correlations that influence the chain of events and help in automating also in this area.






It is worth noting that the most usual movement of the wrist is one of dorsi flexion (extension) combined with radial deviation, and of palmar flexion combined with ulnar deviation. Pure palmar-dorsal flexion (flexion-extension) and radial-ulnar deviation are movements that rarely occur in a straight plane. It is like that because when we want to maximize ulnar deviation range we unintentionally bow the wrist which means we flex it palmarily; conversely, when we want to maximize radial deviation range our wrist becomes dorsally flexed. It should give us the picture that the axis of wrist deviation RoM is not parallel to pure deviation motions but is slanted from slight palmar flexion to slight dorsal flexion.



This phenomenon brings the third type of motion in force, namely, supination and pronation of the forearm. When we assume that full ulnar deviation must be accompanied by palmar flexion we have to observe that it must also be accompanied by slight supination of the forearm. There is no other choice. We can add that of course full radial deviation would not only require slight dorsal flexion but also slight pronation of the forearm. This is why motions in threes are so efficient in the wrist area.


Now the best part - the first three, i.e. ulnar deviation, palmar flexion and supination are gravity-friendly movements that happen unintentionally in the downswing phase. They are useful even more for a golfer that stands circa 90 degrees closed to the target because of supination movement that is quite normal because elbow joint has a limited RoM and it is not possible to avoid lead forearm pronation going back and, consequently, its supination going down.



Therefore, we not only should have no fear about controlling our wrists via any conscious actions or unnecessary training - nature cared sufficiently enough to join movements in pairs and sometimes, as in this example, also in threes to ease the kinetic goal.