Rory McIlroy’s Incredible Power: Pelvis Slide

Two critical movements in Rory McIlroy's swing are nearly impossible to see with the naked ey, but his 3D data tells the full story.

1️⃣ Pelvis Slide in Transition

One of the first things elite players do in transition is begin recentering their pelvis toward the target.

We measure this by looking at the difference between:

• Maximum pelvis sway during the backswing (typically around P2–P3 for elite players)
• Pelvis sway at the top of the backswing

 If that difference is less than 1 inch, it may mean you're not recentering enough—or early enough—during transition. 

2️⃣ X-Factor Stretch

A proper transition starts with the pelvis, followed by the chest, arms, and finally the club.

As the pelvis begins rotating toward the target, the chest is still completing its backswing motion. This creates additional separation between the pelvis and chest—known as X-Factor Stretch.

Sportsbox measures how much your X-Factor increases from the moment your pelvis transitions from backswing to downswing to its maximum value during the downswing.

For example:

If your X-Factor is 50° when the pelvis transitions and increases to 55° at its maximum, your X-Factor Stretch is 5°.

Check out your Pelvis Slide and X-Factor Stretch to see how you compare to Rory!