We live in a golfing world where we have data. Lots and lots of great data. We even have portable devices that allow to to track what the most important body part you have in the swing is doing.
Hackmotion.
Let’s discuss what it is we like about Hackmotion, what our dislikes are and if we think it may be worth it for you to purchase and use for your own game.
3 Main Reason We Like Hackmotion…
- Ease of use, strap it on your wrist either wrist, hit balls with your own clubs, never worry about battery life during your practice session and its connected directly to your phone or ipad.
- The data collection is pretty awesome. You can see how much flexion or extension, radial or ulnar deviation you start out with at address, see how your wrists are moving through the swing all the way through impact to see if you are within the acceptable parameters for your grip style.
- The training programs and the haptic feedback. I like that they offer some simple drills for you to develop good feels in the important positions and how you can set the haptics so it makes a noise or vibrates when you fall within the parameters. That can be a useful tool to your training.
3 Main Reasons Why We Dislike Hackmotion…
- Going back to the ease of use category, the calibration process is not ideal and as simple as the app may make it seem like it is to setup…I have a lot of doubt in my head when my grip changes 8-10 degrees from one session to the next. So go from position to position can be harder for a student from one session to the next if they are looking for a certain number. Plus, living in florida, devices get HOT and they shut down so it makes it harder for you to track whats going on.
- The data is good when you know how to interpret the data. Yes, you can look at the values from one swing to the next but as an instructor, I would really only use the graphs to know how my student is responding to the changes. I also DO NOT agree with the stored rotational values from p6-p7 and p7-8 being absolutes. They should show more data in this field and measure it mostly from p6-p7.5
- And the final reason why I do not like it…The tour pro data. There’s not a lot to choose from, and my biggest beef is, I want to feel what David toms feels like in his swing…from address, to the top, to impact. I dont find it easy to read the +/- values and get them all lined up since the wrist have more than one trackable function. It would be easier if I saw David’s grip numbers to see if I were capable of holding the club like that. Then to see his value at the top and down in front.
Closing Remarks
The main reason why I would use this personally, is to establish baseline. Either with myself or with a student. Yes, it can show you how far outside of the ranges you currently are and give you some feels that can help you change the most important part of the swing…impact. But the wrists don’t act alone in the golf swing and if you really look deep into it…you’ll never find 2 identical wrist patterns on planet earth. Leave us with this final conclusion that yes, you can benefit from Hackmotion but having the device doesn’t ensure you that you’re going to use it the most perfect way possible for you.
