The waggle and swing triggers

[Timothy Slaught]

Hello All:

Looking for feedback from those of you who use either a waggle or swing trigger to start the golf swing in motion.

Lately, I have employed a routine suggested by David Leadbetter in his Fundementals of Hogan instructional book. It involves a waggle action to keep my hands, arms and shoulders loose as I view my target. It also involves a slight forward press of both knees to trigger the swing.

For years I have kept to a good set-up routine which maintained good alignments and posture but I could never quite get comfortable with waggling or a forward press as a trigger. I assume I was uncomfortable with any real body movement once I set-up correctly for fear of loosing those carefully aligned positions of the club and myself.

I find using the waggle and swing trigger is very liberating once I got used to it by way of practicing over and over. It is as if I am in a constant, although very subtle, motion from the time I set-up to taking the club back. This motion really does seem to be keeping the creeping tension sensation I often experience over the ball at bay. Also the slight forward press of both knees does seem to ingite the swing in a positive way. My takeaway seems more fluid and connected versus starting from a totally static position.

Any ideas or suggestions concerning this topic is always appreciated.

Thanks and Happy New Year....cheers

Tim S

[BrianW]

Re: The waggle and swing triggers

Hi Tim,

I use a trigger whereby I push my right knee towards my left then as I start to return it I start my takeaway, it makes a nice free flowing action. I am pretty sure it was also recommended by Leadbetter.

[Timothy Slaught]

Re: The waggle and swing triggers

Brian:

Yes, in the book I reference, Fundementals of Hogan, David Leadbetter gives his personal technique as a template but really does suggest finding a waggle and trigger routine that best fits the individual player.

The point that he stresses is to make sure the routine is consistent and keeps the body loose and tension free. The waggle, does definitely keep my wrists very supple which in turn keeps my arms and shoulders loose. As I keep waggling until I'm ready to swing, there is never an opportunity for the wrists, arms and shoulders to tense up because I keep them moving. As I review video clips of Hogan, his waggle is very aggresive and mimics an opening of the clubface which he employes in his full swing. In my case, I use a slower moving waggle to try and prepare for a slightly slower takeaway. Leadbetter suggests trying to make the waggle imitate or prepare for the full swing.

I have viewed preshot routines of many other pros and they are all different but they all seem to keep in motion during the set-up and before swinging. They may stop for just a moment but overall keep in motion right up until the time they swing. They also most always use a trigger although this is usually very very subtle and I usually have to view the move many times over before I can pick it out. Still, this trigger can have a very positive effect on the takeaway and overall tempo. This is conjunction with the waggle routine which keeps things loose is very encouraging to me as I have never quite found a way to break preshot tension.

Your right knee kick is very popular as a trigger. I think of shuttling both knees because this feels a little more comfortable to me. Again, the key is to make it happen. I have also spyed on high handicaps at the range and on the course and very few use a waggle or trigger. Many stand static at address for up to 30 seconds which is a sure fire way to a bad swing.

[BrianW]

Re: The waggle and swing triggers

Tim,

I also like to waggle the club and picked that one up from Hogan's 5 lessons where he devotes a whole lesson to it. I like to use his method of making the waggle a mini rehearsal of the actual shot you want to play, some easy with a nice tempo for a drive, others fast and shorter for a punch type shot.

You are correct when you talk of people standing over the ball for long periods before swinging, sometimes they seem frozen with a head full of swing thoughts that create tension and doubt. 3 Skills has a nice section that explains as the ball is static before being struck in golf it allows our brain to fill with swing thoughts, you don't get this in other sports. It goes on to suggest that top players tend to use imagery of the shot to be taken and explains how 3 skills helps with this.

[ben hogan]

Re: The waggle and swing triggers

The swing triggers listed also serve other purposes,forward press...
is a rehearsal of impact conditions... shaft leaning forward... hands
in front of ball...etc...etc....
The waggle is an animal in its self...setting of the wrist (cocking)...
The only thing cocking upwards is the right arm lifting the left in the
backswing.

[BrianW]

Re: The waggle and swing triggers

The only thing cocking upwards is the right arm lifting the left in the
backswing.

I don't quite understand that statement? The only way the wrists should cock is in an up and down direction.

[ben hogan]

Re: The waggle and swing triggers

Right wrist bends backward....
Left wrist cocks from the lifting of the right arm.
Sometime ago a thread about Joe Dante's book "4 Magic Moves" was
discussed regarding the wrist.
Many here have given positive respones when using Greg Norman's Secrete. This device locks the right wrist in place so you can't cock
it upwards.

[Martin Levac]

Re: The waggle and swing triggers

To help clarify how the wrist and hand can move, look here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatomical_terms_of_motion

Under "Special motions of the hands and feet"

The terms:

Supination / Pronation
Turning of the palm toward the sky or toward the ground. Like turning a key.

Dorsiflexion / Palmarflexion
Flexing of the wrist palm side or dorsum side. Like swatting a fly.

Eversion / Inversion
Flexing of the wrist in a side to side fashion. Like a karate chop.


The cocking of the left wrist for a right hander using the above terms. On the backswing, the wrist is flexed in a combination of pronation / dorsiflexion / inversion. On the downswing, the wrist is moved in a combination of supination / palmarflexion / eversion.


As for the waggle and swing trigger, I waggle to feel the heft of the club and begin the swing when I've determined that the clubhead is aligned properly.

[GolfJunkieSr]

Re: The waggle and swing triggers

Since I am one those golfers who believes it is not a good idea to play the game by trying to do something with a body part while you swing, (conscious manipulation?) I do not know what my swing trigger might be. Never think about it much, if at all. When I feel ready to start my back swing I just just do it. I most likely have one. I guess I would have to say it is probably in my set up, and alignment (preshot routine) since this is what I focus on most prior to starting my swing.

Just to clarify something I said above. I do work on body swing positions during my practice time, but never on the course while actually playing. GJS

[D J B Z]

Re: The waggle and swing triggers

GJS: An appropriate name for your swing trigger / pre-shot routine might be "Nike"!!! I love the way you keep it simple and "Just Do It"!!!

Regards,

D J B Z

[Avid Golfer]

Re: The waggle and swing triggers

Hello All:

Looking for feedback from those of you who use either a waggle or swing trigger to start the golf swing in motion.

Lately, I have employed a routine suggested by David Leadbetter in his Fundementals of Hogan instructional book. It involves a waggle action to keep my hands, arms and shoulders loose as I view my target. It also involves a slight forward press of both knees to trigger the swing.

For years I have kept to a good set-up routine which maintained good alignments and posture but I could never quite get comfortable with waggling or a forward press as a trigger. I assume I was uncomfortable with any real body movement once I set-up correctly for fear of loosing those carefully aligned positions of the club and myself.

Any ideas or suggestions concerning this topic is always appreciated.

Thanks and Happy New Year....cheers

Tim S

Waggles and swing triggers can be both positive or negative depending on what specifically you do.

Positives:

They are good in that they can release tension, give you a way to rebound into the swing, and be geared to eliminate or reduce a fault.

Someone who has problems with grip pressure (gripping too tight) may find milking the club (ala Greg Norman and Sergio Garcia) to be beneficial.
Someone who has problems shifting outside the back leg on the back swing may benefit from bumping the back knee (Gary Player) or hip toward the target before starting back.
Someone who has problems getting balanced may benefit from shifting weight back and forth from one foot to the other, or from the heels to toes to balls of the feet (Ernie Els).

Waggles can be used to rehearse takeaway tempo (Nick Faldo). If you stick to doing it a set number of time every time it may help eliminate focus on negative thoughts (Greg Norman said he always made two waggles and then rebounded into the swing).

Negatives:

They can put you in bad positions. People who forward press their hands ahead of their ball and body before starting back tend to add tension, become unbalanced, open their shoulder, and make a bad takeaway.
Bumping your forward knee toward the target could lead you to get your weight outside your front foot throwing off balance, and preventing the left side wall (that you see many pros achieve) from forming at impact.

People need to be careful in what type of waggle or swing trigger to use. It may make your swing better, but it may also make it worse.