This simple trail-foot adjustment can quickly increase the compression of your claim
If your irons lack compression, the problem may have less to do with your swing equipment and more to do with how you use the ground. Specifically, how the pressure moves through your trail foot.
As Dr. Alison Curdt, GOLF Top 100 teacher, explained in a recent post on Instagram, many beginners make the critical mistake of pushing off their toes during the downswing – sending power to the wrong place and a weak impact.
“When you push off from the toe, it shifts your weight incorrectly, causing joint forces to go wrong and reduce impact stress,” says Curdt.
Instead, players need to learn how to properly transfer pressure to their feet so that the body aligns properly and the club lands with more speed and stability. The secret to unlocking this power: “bank” your footprint.
Foot banking describes how pressure is loaded and released by the foot as the swing changes direction. As Curdt explains, banking isn’t something golfers do in retrospect — it’s an emergent response as the swing changes direction.
During the backswing, Curdt says keeping pressure inside the trail foot is important. This sets the stage for banking properly as you move into the fall.
“Using the inside of the foot, push sideways in the direction you’re directed from the whole inside of that foot,” he explains.
The key is to engage your entire foot, from toe to heel, to avoid spinning or rolling on the toes. If done correctly, this should help you shift your weight more effectively and increase pressure at impact.
Train the feeling
If you want to practice this feeling and master this important movement, a simple training aid can be an important tool. In the video above, Curdt uses a board he made himself by sticking a dowel down the middle of the board slightly larger than his foot. If you don’t want to make your own, there are many ready-made training resources – like the one shown below – that work just as well.
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To use it, place the board under your trailing foot with your pressure on the inner edge. The board should be slightly tilted, as Curdt shows in the clip above. Start with slow, controlled exercise variations. As you go downhill, use the rest of your foot to start pushing off the inside edge.
Curdt says: “If you use the bank correctly, it should feel like the board is almost pitching down, which should propel your body forward, allowing you to shift your weight correctly and press the golf ball.”
Once you are able to make the correct swing motion, launch the golf ball. Start slowly, and as your confidence grows, gradually progress to shooting at full speed.
