Force plate technology was originally developed for NASA to analyze balance difficulties when astronauts returned to Earth’s gravity. It’s also used in the medical and the specialized martial arts fields. The system is comprised of a platform that has special sensors that are relayed to a specific program inside a computer. When you stand on the platform, you can see how your center of gravity is moving on a screen directly in front of you. It’s so precise that it gives out the exact percentages of weight distribution from the right to the left foot and from the toes to the heels.
This technology provides information that relates to the most important fundamentals of the golf swing, and of any other activity that has to do with standing up, for that matter. Just think about what we have to go through to learn how to walk. We basically fall around a few thousand times until the central nervous system starts reacting to our out-of-balance condition. As soon as the body’s center of gravity is compromised, there’s an instant reflex action or compensation that occurs to right the ship. The DBS machine not only identifies where the loss of balance occurred, but also shows how the individual reacted or compensated for that loss of balance during the golf swing.
Almost every facet of the golf swing relates in some way to center of gravity location and balance. By monitoring how your body weight Is distributed to your feet during the swing, it’s possible to pinpoint just where your mistakes are occurring, and then take steps to correct them. The DBS Is designed specifically for this purpose.