Fix Your Takeaway: Use Your Trail Leg the Right Way

If you feel like you’re always hanging back…
Struggling to compress your irons…
Or can’t seem to get your weight forward in the downswing…

⛔ There’s a good chance your takeaway is setting you up to fail.

Let’s break it down 👇

Watch the video breakdown here!

💣 The Mistake Most Golfers Make

Most golfers have been told to “load into the trail leg” in the backswing.
That’s not wrong, but the timing and direction of that move are often way off.

❌ Common faults:

• Trying to load late in the backswing

• Pushing straight down or back into the trail leg

• Staying stuck on the right side (for right-handed players)

These moves cause you to hang back, making it nearly impossible to shift pressure properly to the lead side.

🧠 What the Best Players Actually Do

On force plates, we see that elite players start pushing with their trail leg very early, usually by the time the club reaches parallel to the ground (P2).

They’re not just pushing down…

They’re pushing away from the target, which actually starts their center of mass moving towards the target.

That’s right—you need to start your lateral movement early, even though you’re still in your backswing.

🎯 Visualize This Move

Picture your right pocket (for right-handed golfers) as the guide.

Instead of moving straight back in the takeaway, it should feel like it’s moving slightly left and around you. That motion:

• Keeps your turn centered ✅

• Loads your trail side earlier ✅

• Sets you up for a better transition ✅

You’re not just pushing into the ground; you’re pushing in a diagonal direction that sets up the whole swing.

🏋️‍♂️ A Simple Drill You Can Try

Stand on your trail leg, then jump laterally to your lead leg.
Notice the direction of that force?

Your right leg is pushing sideways, not just down.

That’s the move you want to recreate early in the swing. If you wait too long, you’ll never recenter in time for impact.

📍 Key Takeaway

Your trail leg has a job to do—but it needs to do it:

• ✅ Earlier in the backswing

• ✅ In the right direction (away from the target, not just down)

Get that right, and you’ll finally feel yourself compressing the ball, getting off your back foot, and hitting cleaner, more powerful shots.

🎥 Watch the Full Breakdown

Want to see the motion in action?

👉 Click here to watch the video

Let me know if you have any questions—I’d love to hear how it’s working for you.