Foot Tension

[Timothy Slaught]

Hello All:

As we have heard many times, tension ruins more golf swings than any other affliction. Firmly believing this to be true, I have worked hard to monitor the tension level in my grip, arms and shoulders but I was overlooking another very important area. The tension in my feet and ankles has been severely hampering my ability to shift my weight smoothly during the swing. It has been a perplexing issue (as many facets of the golf swing are) because while concentrating in one area (hands ,arms shoulders) I was blatantly overlooking another (feet, ankles, knees).

I have always been a fan of Jack Nicklaus's instructional writings and I kept reading about how his first and primary teacher, Jack Grout would have young Nicklaus take practice swings for hours concentrating soley on rolling the ankles of both feet at the correct time in the swing. Although I read this many times, being the hard headed sort that I am, I either did not think it was relavent to me or dismissed it while latching on to some other swing key. Jack's (Nicklaus and Grout's) theory was to keep the ankles very supple and use their unique rolling capabilities to allow weight transfer while still remaining centered between the feet. If you look at Nicklaus's footwork you can really see this beautifully in action and it requires a suppleness of the ankles to perform correctly.

As I realized recently that my swing was lacking a certain rythym and smoothness, I was very confused and frustrated because I was certain my upper body muscles were feeling relaxed. I kept trying to hold the grip lighter and shoulders looser but to no avail. Then I had the eureka moment and the words and vision of Nicklaus whipping his ankles and knees through his drives popped into my head. Clearly I was not even coming close to having that type of suppleness in my lower body. In fact, the bottom line was that my feet were like cement blocks with rusted tite ankles sitting on top of them. My lower body action had become rigid and cumbersome due to tension that I was not even consciously aware of.

After some pleasant practice work getting used to the feeling of what I now call "light footed and loose ankled". I am shifting my weight in a controlled but very fast and dynamic manner. I can really feel the ankles rolling which in combination with a supple knee flex allows me to keep my proper body height not dipping or raising out of the shot. This allows my hips to rotate faster through the ball and I have regained the whipping , lagging action to my swing. I just make sure not to allow my weight to shift out past the outer bounderie of the feet during the swing.

Once again, golf has taught me that you must perservere through the many subtle "traps" that the mystery of the swing presents. It is easy to stuck in a rut and misguide your focus only to find the answer down another path. Still, the challenge this presents is part of the fun and the learning process is fascinating to me. You never know when you can stumble, (literally in my case) over the answer to your problem. Sometimes following a little word of advice from a Jack Nicklaus can do wonders as well.

[BrianW]

Re: Foot Tension

Interesting article Timothy. Thank you!

[Neil18]

Re: Foot Tension

I agree! Very nice.

I never considered my feet and ankles until my coach pointed it out. In particular, getting my back foot rolling inwards during the downswing instead of getting it up on the balls of my feet. That simple action does get a lot of things working in the right way.

Jury's still out on the whole "tension" subject though.

Nice one Timothy!

[bampot]

Re: Foot Tension

Some good points raised. I would welcome thoughts on tension as related to golf swing. Personally, I believe the swing should be likened to a coiled spring.

[Neil18]

Re: Foot Tension

Morning!

If you haven't read the recent link in the "4 magic moves" thread, I shall copy the relevant bits on here below. I thoroughly agree with all of this:

"Watch carefully. The fuse is lit!

"Relax." Rubbish. This fallacy is so old it should have been dead long ago. But it is a hardy perennial, and it has come down to us through generations of golf teachers right to the present day.

On the very face of it the advice is foolish. When you swing a golf club you are taking a comparatively violent action. Is there any other violent action you take while you are relaxed? Stop and think. Of course there isn't. It's impossible. Do Ben Hogan or Cary Middlecoff or Arnold Palmer look relaxed when they take their stance or hit those prodigious drives? If they are, why are their lips compressed and their features contorted, as countless pictures show they are?

It is easy to see how "Relax" became fixed in the language of the golf teacher. He gives lessons to a great number of middle-aged men and women who never in their lives have done anything of an athletic nature. When these people get on the lesson tee they are so self-conscious and frightened that they tense up to the point, almost, of absolute rigidity. In order for them to swing the club at all, the pro has to loosen them up to some extent. He tells them to relax. Then, since that advice has a beneficial effect, he promptly adopts an unsound line of thought. If a little is good, he thinks, a lot must be much better. He now makes a fetish of relaxation. Everybody has to relax as soon as he takes hold of a club.

We do not want a rigidity of the rigor mortis variety. But we do want a firmness, a feeling of muscular movement under constant control, ready for instant response.

Nor do we want a mental relaxation either. Don't get the idea your mind should be a complete blank when you step up to a shot. If it is, you might as well be asleep. The mind should be alert, thinking about what should be done and what should not be done, which side the trouble lies on, which way the wind is blowing, whether the tactical situation of the match or round calls for safety or boldness, and what adjustments, if any, should be made in the golf swing.

So forget everything you have heard about relaxing. For the purposes of playing good golf it is sheer rubbish."

I would add to the above that one should be alert and thinking of the above points when approaching a shot, but when the preparation is done, think only if the target.

So, Bampot, I agree with you!

[GregJWillis]

Re: Foot Tension

We do not want a rigidity of the rigor mortis variety. But we do want a firmness, a feeling of muscular movement under constant control, ready for instant response.

Agreed....

[bill reed]

Re: Foot Tension

hi
i also think there is a relaxation that comes with confidence that you got when you know you will put the ball where your aiming. i have watched a couple of older golfers at my last club and they play well within there selfs and have a nice easy swing and a relaxed manner on all shots. they play to there handicaps and enjoy the game, there is also a couple of younger guys that hit further than most at the club and always try and burst there shoe laces when they drive off, the older guys often beat the younger guys and the difference in how the older and younger guys look really sticks out, the younger guys are always tense and figity on the tee and the older guys are so laid back, we have a couple of young guys that do seem relaxed but i think most seem to set up to hit with power and as a result there body tenses up. i do think there is a point where confidence does play a big part in not only how you feel when setting up but also how the body relaxes when setting up too. i think if you feel you are about to hit a good shot then the body and mind relax more and you swing free too.
cheers
bill

[GregJWillis]

Re: Foot Tension

Amen brother Bill.

[BrianW]

Re: Foot Tension

Very true Bill. Alas such is the way of most things in life!

[takinitdeep]

Re: Foot Tension

The article is total rubbish

Morning!

If you haven't read the recent link in the "4 magic moves" thread, I shall copy the relevant bits on here below. I thoroughly agree with all of this:

"Watch carefully. The fuse is lit!

"Relax." Rubbish. This fallacy is so old it should have been dead long ago. But it is a hardy perennial, and it has come down to us through generations of golf teachers right to the present day.

On the very face of it the advice is foolish. When you swing a golf club you are taking a comparatively violent action. Is there any other violent action you take while you are relaxed? Stop and think. Of course there isn't. It's im*possible. Do Ben Hogan or Cary Middlecoff or Arnold Palmer look relaxed when they take their stance or hit those prodigious drives? If they are, why are their lips compressed and their features contorted, as countless pictures show they are?

It is easy to see how "Relax" became fixed in the language of the golf teacher. He gives lessons to a great number of middle-aged men and women who never in their lives have done anything of an athletic nature. When these people get on the lesson tee they are so self-conscious and frightened that they tense up to the point, almost, of absolute rigidity. In order for them to swing the club at all, the pro has to loosen them up to some extent. He tells them to relax. Then, since that advice has a beneficial effect, he promptly adopts an unsound line of thought. If a little is good, he thinks, a lot must be much better. He now makes a fetish of relaxa*tion. Everybody has to relax as soon as he takes hold of a club.

We do not want a rigidity of the rigor mortis variety. But we do want a firmness, a feeling of muscular movement under constant control, ready for instant response.

Nor do we want a mental relaxation either. Don't get the idea your mind should be a complete blank when you step up to a shot. If it is, you might as well be asleep. The mind should be alert, thinking about what should be done and what should not be done, which side the trouble lies on, which way the wind is blowing, whether the tactical situ*ation of the match or round calls for safety or boldness, and what adjustments, if any, should be made in the golf swing.

So forget everything you have heard about relaxing. For the purposes of playing good golf it is sheer rubbish."

I would add to the above that one should be alert and thinking of the above points when approaching a shot, but when the preparation is done, think only if the target.

So, Bampot, I agree with you!

[BrianW]

Re: Foot Tension

The article is total rubbish

TID,

The article is taken from Joe Dante's book which has been around for around 60 years now. I did spend some time looking at it once and it did contain some sound principles.

I think you need to read the complete article to get an understanding of what he was promoting. Some of the key principles like an early wrist break and what happens with the wrists through impact are used by many top players.

[takinitdeep]

Re: Foot Tension

I've read Dante's stuff many years ago, like so many or all teachers who think they have stumbled across the "secret", you can take something from most but don't swallow the whole hot dog or drink the entire cup of koolaid.
Another issue here is many desperate hackers willingness to just accept this or that concept without questioning if it will apply to their swingset or abilities.
Over my 45 years of playing and some teaching(although as I have said many times, I am not a good teacher-I am a better player) I have luckily for me never accepted anyone's entire concept but rather have benefited most from taking a little from many different sources. But then, I counted myself lucky also because I knew myself and was at least honest with what I could or couldn't do. You don't just accept without questioning everything.

TID,

The article is taken from Joe Dante's book which has been around for around 60 years now. I did spend some time looking at it once and it did contain some sound principles.

I think you need to read the complete article to get an understanding of what he was promoting. Some of the key principles like an early wrist break and what happens with the wrists through impact are used by many top players.

[BrianW]

Re: Foot Tension

I've read Dante's stuff many years ago, like so many or all teachers who think they have stumbled across the "secret", you can take something from most but don't swallow the whole hot dog or drink the entire cup of koolaid.
Another issue here is many desperate hackers willingness to just accept this or that concept without questioning if it will apply to their swingset or abilities.
Over my 45 years of playing and some teaching(although as I have said many times, I am not a good teacher-I am a better player) I have luckily for me never accepted anyone's entire concept but rather have benefited most from taking a little from many different sources. But then, I counted myself lucky also because I knew myself and was at least honest with what I could or couldn't do. You don't just accept without questioning everything.

Yes, good point.

[Neil18]

Re: Foot Tension

I've read Dante's stuff many years ago, like so many or all teachers who think they have stumbled across the "secret", you can take something from most but don't swallow the whole hot dog or drink the entire cup of koolaid.
Another issue here is many desperate hackers willingness to just accept this or that concept without questioning if it will apply to their swingset or abilities.
Over my 45 years of playing and some teaching(although as I have said many times, I am not a good teacher-I am a better player) I have luckily for me never accepted anyone's entire concept but rather have benefited most from taking a little from many different sources. But then, I counted myself lucky also because I knew myself and was at least honest with what I could or couldn't do. You don't just accept without questioning everything.

Hi TID,

I consider myself a sporty person.

During my life I've played many sports and been lucky enough to be one of those guys that's been pretty good at most things I played without trying too hard.

Except golf.

Mainly because it's the only sport I've come across where, for unknown bizarre reasons, there isn't an accepted technique that can be taught to all, and so the BS flies.

I was so frustrated at not being able to bring my natural sporting ability to this game that I almost gave the sport up a couple of years ago, but at that moment I stumbled across my current coach and haven't looked back.

This writing encompasses all of what my coach teaches me and my swing has never looked or performed better. I still have a way to go to squeeze out the old habits, but the evidence is undeniable, having been through so much spouted rubbish in this game and tried every technique possible, that this is the one that works very well most often, and is easiest to repeat.

It's almost identical to the techniques Jack Nicklaus used, Arnold Palmer, Mac O Grady, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Watson, Tom Kite, Sam Snead..........the list of top level players who've succeeded swinging a club in this manner needs no further additions. They may look different on telly, but the workings and principles are almost identical.

In my experience, you have to "swallow the whole hot dog" and I'm surprised you advise the opposite. Taking two elements from one swing and five others from somewhere else is the fastest way to look like a drunk on the dancefloor and slap the ball around all over the place. Maybe you could elaborate on your experience? I'm interested.

I wouldn't have gone through so many different ways of doing the golf swing if I didn't question what I was learning, and with that I came down from a handicap of 16 to 5. So any naivety or lack of single-mindedness on my part can be discounted.

For me, this method makes the most sense from an instructional point of view, learning point of view, repetitiveness, simplicity of check points and it all compliments itself. In applying what is written here, there isn't anything that can't be physically done, so I'm not sure why you state that you're honest about what you can and can't do (maybe you could explain?). If you've got two arms and two legs, you can repeat the movements described.

One swing element compliments another. It's all there in this writing.

Fear not though! I'm not going to spend the rest of my days totally discounting any other method of swinging a golf club, or anyone elses teachings. I probably just won't comment on them unless someone's having issues that I've experienced and I think this can help them! I will, however, defend this one until it either stops performing for me or makes better logical sense. I have no other yardsticks!

I'd be interested to hear from you what happened when you tried this out, for you to dislike it so much.

I've read and tried to apply most (if not all) other ways of swinging. For me, this is the way I swing/am learning to swing that gives me the consistency of distance and direction I'm looking for.

Maybe you could elaborate on a couple of the points above and describe why it is you discount this with such apparent vigour?!

[bill reed]

Re: Foot Tension

hi Neil
a agree that when you find a style and system that works for you then you stick with it until someone comes along with a system that works better for you. i think with most systems you have to eat the whole hot dog to get the results. i know with my Trevino system that the only way to learn it was to believe that all he said worked and follow his instructions. when you then have a working swing of what ever system then i think you can try and add different things but i do think you need to swallow the hot dog first then nibble at the second hot dog and only eat the bits you want after you swallowed the first hot dog. if you see what i mean.
cheers
bill