CAN YOU SEE YOUR SHINS?

Byline: Joe Buttitta Special to the Daily News

See your shins for proper posture.

One of the important ingredients to a good swing is good posture over the ball. Your posture often dictates the path of the arms during the swing and the correct angle of the spine, around which you swing.

Since the golf swing is such an individual thing dictated by the physical makeup of the golfer, it's often difficult to know when you are in the proper posture.

One question I get more than just some of the time is, ``How much should I bend my knees?'' Great question. Simple answer.

Do this little experiment: Lock your knees rigid. Now try to swing your arms. Kind of makes you feel wooden, doesn't it? Now simply unlock your knees and swing your arms. Suddenly, freedom!

But how much should we unlock the knees? Just enough so that you can still see your shins when you look for them. If you bend your knees too much, all you see is the tops of your knees and your thighs. In that position, there is too much weight in the wrong place and the proper move is impossible to make.

Simple solution to all of this: Stand as tall as you can over the ball. Bend from the hips and relax your knees to the point where you feel free to move. Look down and see your shins. Now swing.