Daily Video Blog

Forward Foot Movement
Forward Foot Movement
Authored by: Brady
Posted on: 7 March 2026

One of the most misunderstood aspects of the golf swing is the movement of the forward knee and foot during transition. This lesson from the late Don Trahan reveals
why so many golfers struggle with consistency and power.

The Common Mistake

If you've been taught the modern rotational swing, you're likely keeping your forward foot flat and your forward knee straight during the downswing. Try walking
with your feet flat and knees locked—within a few steps, you'll feel lower back stress. Your knees and ankles are flex joints designed for dynamic motion, not to be
locked rigid.

The Peak Performance Solution

In the Peak Performance Golf Swing, we use "the bump" or lateral left shift to start the forward upswing. Your belt buckle moves laterally about an inch while your
knees stay level. As you shift, your forward knee maintains its flex, creating a bow in your body that keeps your head still and gives you room to straighten your
arms... Read More

Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 20 June 2017
Comments: 2
How many people do you know that quit playing the game due to frustration? They are beaten by the game rather than playing the game. Golf does not have to be hard. If you are following the PPGS, you... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 28 May 2017
Comments: 2
One of my Surgism's is "Setup determines the motion". But do you know what determines setup? It should not take too much to guess. It is a topic I preach daily - "The Big A" alignment. A lot of my... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 26 May 2017
Comments: 5
Your backswing should be one continuous fluid motion. Never should you feel like there is more than a single movement. In this video, I explain how to execute a proper takeaway into the vertical... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 19 May 2017
Alignment... Have you heard this story before? Yes! I talk about this a lot and for good reason. We have golf schools scheduled almost every month. Therefore I get to see a lot of students every... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 25 April 2017
Comments: 10
We have a letter today asking about other golf instructors that clearly teach a rotational swing using PPGS like terminology and even some of our concepts. This is a phenomenon we have been seeing a... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 5 April 2017
Comments: 5
Today I read you an excellent letter I got from someone that came to see me for private lessons. What is noteworthy about this student is his golf game was already very good. After he had left, I got... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 17 March 2017
Comments: 6
We all know that ball speed is directly proportional to club head speed and that distance is a function of ball speed - simple math. But from where does your club head speed originate? Of course, the... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 13 March 2017
Comments: 10
We stumbled upon a great video of Jack Nicklaus on Youtube and we wanted to share this with everyone. Often we are asked what golfers use a vertical golf swing and there is no better example than the... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 2 March 2017
Comments: 2
Rather common is the problem of making a good practice swing but yet a bad golf shot. A topic we have talked about on the blog in the past. The root of the problem is the Big A. Alignment is the... Read More
Authored by: Don Trahan
Posted on: 20 February 2017
Comments: 3
Feedback from our readers and customers is always welcomed here at Swingsurgeon.com, and we especially like feedback on our Certified Professionals. I read a message from a Surgite that got a fitting... Read More