I have found the X

[pnearn]

Re: I have found the X

Not to throw a monkey wrench into this, but anatomically speaking, if you're VERY FIRST move from the top is to throw your hips open (or straighten that left leg), that's going to throw the club to the outside, causing and outside-in swing path. Try it. Pause at the top, and only straighten your left leg. The club goes to the outside, right?

No it wont. It only WILL if you push down with your hands at the same time. This is the the discussion point of one of my future podcasts but ostensibly many players learn or realise they have to rotate and find a comfortable way to do that (bump hips, turn hips, straighten left leg, psh down on left heel, turn chest etc). BUT the urge to pull/push the hands down from the top is ingrained and so as they rotate through on the downswing the hands go as well and come OTT and cast.

If you can learn to rotate whilst doing 2 things

1. Keep the shoulders back as you start. Feeling is keeping your back pointed at the target. This will let you unwind from the ground up and properly transfer weight

2. Hold the angle in your wrists until half way down. Do this with as light a wrist feeling as possible (enough to feel like you hold the angle)

If you do these two things you should feel the rotation passively 'pulling' the arms and hands down rather than you actively pushing them/pulling them down. Plane will shallow, Right elbowwil tuck into right hip, club head will be inside or on the plane line. You will also keep the wrist cock (leverage) late into the downswing from where you can release it as you keep rotating

These are the positions

Face on: http://www.inpractis.com/img/tech/classic06l.jpg
Down the line: http://www.inpractis.com/img/tech/classic06r.jpg (note the angle of the clubhead . inside the hands )

If like I used to be, this is antahema to your hands and arms you will have to make many many practice swings to learn to take those hands out of the start of your downswing but it will be worth it in the end

A good drill to practice this is to set up next to a golf bag so that your clubhead just reaches the bag halfway back. Then take some practice swings, stopping to check the clubhead position halfway down. The rotation and wrist angle hold should pull the clubhead at least a foot inside the bag on the downswing

[shootin4par]

Re: I have found the X

Not to throw a monkey wrench into this, but anatomically speaking, if you're VERY FIRST move from the top is to throw your hips open (or straighten that left leg), that's going to throw the club to the outside, causing and outside-in swing path. Try it. Pause at the top, and only straighten your left leg. The club goes to the outside, right?

You must be doing something more that you may not realize. There may be a weight shift first or the left knee moving towards the target, or you may be manually dropping your hands into the slot.

Congrats, regardless, but I'm just a little confused...I do think the swing thought is helpful, but not as the very first move down.

on the down swing the lower body leads the way