Brian Manzella
Administrator
...
Bent Left Arm
- Thread starter Brian Manzella
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birdie_man
New
Crazy swing:
http://media.putfile.com/Canadian-Long-Driver
...
I've posted this swing in a thread before but couldn't find it.
Anyway....
Is this guy's left arm bent because he squats and uses the ground so much??
....i.e. he's so much closer to the ground in the downswing so he has to shorten his radius. (but now I'm thinking- well Tiger and these guys don't have to)
Or he he a "hang-a-new-hinger"?
I was in the ga-rage tonite doing some "mirror work"....I was working on my Start Down and got to thinking about this bent left arm thing.
http://media.putfile.com/Canadian-Long-Driver
...
I've posted this swing in a thread before but couldn't find it.
Anyway....
Is this guy's left arm bent because he squats and uses the ground so much??
....i.e. he's so much closer to the ground in the downswing so he has to shorten his radius. (but now I'm thinking- well Tiger and these guys don't have to)
Or he he a "hang-a-new-hinger"?
I was in the ga-rage tonite doing some "mirror work"....I was working on my Start Down and got to thinking about this bent left arm thing.
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Brian Manzella
Administrator
Wow!
What a great powerful swing.
He does hang a new hinge, though.
What a great powerful swing.
He does hang a new hinge, though.
birdie_man
New
Ya man....someone sent me this video after I was reading about him on another forum.
He's about 17 if I remember right......(under 20 anyway).......160 lbs......5'10.
And......that freakin ball went FAR.
Most dynamic swing ever? (can't think of any other 160 pounders who can hit it like that)
EDIT: In the link below it says 153 MPH swing speed as of August 7, 2006. (@ 18 years old)
He's about 17 if I remember right......(under 20 anyway).......160 lbs......5'10.
And......that freakin ball went FAR.
Most dynamic swing ever? (can't think of any other 160 pounders who can hit it like that)
EDIT: In the link below it says 153 MPH swing speed as of August 7, 2006. (@ 18 years old)
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birdie_man
New
Found this:
http://www.golfbusinesswire.com/2006_articles/108139
And from another site:
"GEEK GOLF Drivers were the only golf component driver head used to win a Re/Max World Long Drive Title at this event! In doing so...Jamie Sadlowski broke the following Long Drive Records:
1. Longest drive to ever win a world title in any division at any Re/max Event! 420 yards!
2. Longest drive ever in Re/Max Junior Finals, 437 yards and 2nd to all Long Drive Re/Max Finals at 437 yards!
Only Jason Zuback hit one longer at 441 yards.
The record setting balls are being retired to the LDA Hall of Fame!
Jamie Sadlowski's record at the Junior Re/Max Finals over the past four years is 2nd, 2nd, 1st. & 1st.!
The best record in boys ever at the Re/Max Finals!
JAMIE WILL BE COMPETING IN OCTOBER AGAINST THE MEN'S OPEN DIVISION AT THE RE/MAX WORLD LONG DRIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS...JAMIE JUST TURNED 18!
http://www.golfbusinesswire.com/2006_articles/108139
And from another site:
"GEEK GOLF Drivers were the only golf component driver head used to win a Re/Max World Long Drive Title at this event! In doing so...Jamie Sadlowski broke the following Long Drive Records:
1. Longest drive to ever win a world title in any division at any Re/max Event! 420 yards!
2. Longest drive ever in Re/Max Junior Finals, 437 yards and 2nd to all Long Drive Re/Max Finals at 437 yards!
Only Jason Zuback hit one longer at 441 yards.
The record setting balls are being retired to the LDA Hall of Fame!
Jamie Sadlowski's record at the Junior Re/Max Finals over the past four years is 2nd, 2nd, 1st. & 1st.!
The best record in boys ever at the Re/Max Finals!
JAMIE WILL BE COMPETING IN OCTOBER AGAINST THE MEN'S OPEN DIVISION AT THE RE/MAX WORLD LONG DRIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS...JAMIE JUST TURNED 18!
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Chris Sturgess
New member
It looks like his head really moves backwards through impact too, I think I've noticed a lot of long hitters do this. Why do they?
mandrin
New
Chris,
At these large clubhead speed generated there will be as by product a very large centrifugal force pulling the golfer towards the target, past impact. By trying to keep the head and hence upper body back, they can more readily brace against the left instep. Just a thought.
Another possibly explanation could be that if you use a very violent hip shift/rotation towards the target one is better of to balance the action with some compensatory motion backwards of the upper body. Just another thought.
Or perhaps it helps them to stay a fraction longer behind the ball the with their upper body to be able to really come into the ball from behind with all their might as one big coordinated outburst of contracting muscles and moving mass. Something else to ponder.
Bending the left elbow at address allows for a lighter left-hand grip.
His swing looks very Jack Hamm-ish (POW!...) apart from the up-down movement..
The head action is a counter action to (balance) the swinging bell action of the lower torso and hips, with the swing center being around the inside of the 7th cevical bone...
Note the shoulder tilt at address...no level shoulders here then.....
His swing looks very Jack Hamm-ish (POW!...
) apart from the up-down movement..The head action is a counter action to (balance) the swinging bell action of the lower torso and hips, with the swing center being around the inside of the 7th cevical bone...
Note the shoulder tilt at address...no level shoulders here then.....
Brian Manzella
Administrator
If you use the CORRECT swing center (between the shoulders) and you add axis tilt, you do it.
This is a quote from an article about one of the power sources of Vardon's swing...interesting reading...can't verify its accuracy.
"......So how could he be a long hitter and suffer from tuberculosis at the same time? The answer is in his bent left elbow.
Yes, I know your Pro has told you many times to keep a straight left elbow. And that is the classic thinking even today.
But there is a difference between the problem the Pros are trying to prevent and what Vardon did. Many amateurs will over-swing at the top and let their left elbow bend.
On the start down, they will again straighten out the elbow causing extra movement and swing plane variations. What Vardon did was something else. He HELD the bent left elbow until just before impact with the ball.
John Jacobs, in his book - The 50 Greatest Golf Lessons of the Century (HarperAcademic), described Vardon’s swing LIKE THROWING A FRISBEE!!
Theodore Jorgensen in his book - The Physics of Golf - devotes 1 separate chapter to Vardon’s swing and comes to the conclusion that by using his left elbow as an additional hinge a power increase of up to 50% is theoretically possible.
Another description of Vardon’s bent left elbow is that he made his left arm into a whip with an additional bending point in it. And then threw his left arm down the target line similar to an athlete throwing a discus but in a more vertical plane. How can you try this out?
Think - throw the Frisbee down the target line.
Keep your left elbow bent on the way down to the ball and unfurl it, like throwing a discus, down thru the ball."
"......So how could he be a long hitter and suffer from tuberculosis at the same time? The answer is in his bent left elbow.
Yes, I know your Pro has told you many times to keep a straight left elbow. And that is the classic thinking even today.
But there is a difference between the problem the Pros are trying to prevent and what Vardon did. Many amateurs will over-swing at the top and let their left elbow bend.
On the start down, they will again straighten out the elbow causing extra movement and swing plane variations. What Vardon did was something else. He HELD the bent left elbow until just before impact with the ball.
John Jacobs, in his book - The 50 Greatest Golf Lessons of the Century (HarperAcademic), described Vardon’s swing LIKE THROWING A FRISBEE!!
Theodore Jorgensen in his book - The Physics of Golf - devotes 1 separate chapter to Vardon’s swing and comes to the conclusion that by using his left elbow as an additional hinge a power increase of up to 50% is theoretically possible.
Another description of Vardon’s bent left elbow is that he made his left arm into a whip with an additional bending point in it. And then threw his left arm down the target line similar to an athlete throwing a discus but in a more vertical plane. How can you try this out?
Think - throw the Frisbee down the target line.
Keep your left elbow bent on the way down to the ball and unfurl it, like throwing a discus, down thru the ball."
Brian Manzella
Administrator
FRIZZ-baaaaay!
May the Forces be with you.
By Brian Manzella
There are many movements the player must perform in an efficient golf swing. But there are only two forces that the golfer has to create. A downward force and a rotational or what I like to call an ‘around-ward’ force. Poor players add directional forces such as forward and upward in a vain attempt at making the ball fly toward the target. If can you learn to create the “Two Forces” and eliminate the unnecessary other forces, you can simplify your swing and maximize your distance and accuracy.
Let’s start with the downward force. Doesn’t there have to be a forward force? The answer is no. If you put a golf club against a wall, horizontal to the floor, and drop it, it would fall straight downward due to gravity. Same if you pull it down the wall or push it down the wall. Straight down. But, if you had a pin the the grip end of the shaft, into the wall, the clubhead would go down the wall and forward toward the ball and target (pic 1).
Dropped, pulled or pushed STRAIGHT down, the clubhead will go forward also if there is a pin at the grip end of the shaft. The key is that there is only a downward force at work in this ‘pinned’ example. In the golf swing there are two pins: the primary one at the left shoulder where the left arm attaches, and a secondary one at the left wrist. So with or without wristcock, the golfer gets two for one with the correct application of a downward force. The clubhead will go downward and forward.
The ‘around-ward’ force is necessary for two reasons. One is transportation. Transportation? Yup. If you make a ‘normal’ backswing and let the arms/hands/club unit just fall from the top, the clubhead will hit the ground several inches behind the ball (pic 2).
But if you pivot forward, around your spine, you can ‘drop’ the club right on the ball (pic 3).
Or drag it down on the ball. Or push it.
The second reason you need the rotating ‘around-ward’ force is for speed. Simply, the faster you unwind (RPM’s) the faster the clubhead will go.
The ‘around-ward’ move most closely approximates a left handed frisbee toss. Just go out to the store and buy a basic model (if you already don’t have a half dozen in your garage) and practice throwing it left handed. Just stand 90 degrees to the target, like your golf stance, unwind and fling that frisbee. Just like in the golf swing ‘over-accelaration’ of the left arm BY the left arm, is a disaster. Allow your torso to drag your left arm around and flail your left arm off of your chest (pic 4).
The only difference in the frisbee pivot and the golf version is the plane. The frisbee plane is horizontal to the ground, and the golf one is on an incline. You could throw the frisbee into the ground, on the target line, a few yards forward on the ball, to get the feel (pic 5). The change in planes necessitates the tilting of your spine both more over and slightly to the right, just like in the golf swing (also pic 5).
The combination of the downward force, and the rotational one, can be exercised by skipping rocks. Rock skipping includes the right arm throw (downward on plane) and the ‘around-ward’ pivot with a titled axis. So many golfers have trouble with this all important detail. The golfer MUST be able to create this throw without ‘un-tilting’ as the release occurs (correct pic 6)
(incorrect pic 7).
This ‘around-ward’ rotation of the golfer, called the PIVOT, creates a resultant OUTWARD force just like the one created by twirling a rock on a string (pic 8).
It should be obvious that poor players with their upper body forward lunges and lifts, disturb the orbit of the clubhead much as any non-rotating force would disrupt the twirling of the rock on a string.
With a frisbee, a hand full of rocks and a piece of string, you should be able to understand the two forces in the golf swing and apply them to your swing effectively. Just as important, is the elimination of the forces that are NOT either downward or ‘around-ward.’ The reason the great players look like they are doing less than you are is because...they are!
May the Forces be with you.
By Brian Manzella
There are many movements the player must perform in an efficient golf swing. But there are only two forces that the golfer has to create. A downward force and a rotational or what I like to call an ‘around-ward’ force. Poor players add directional forces such as forward and upward in a vain attempt at making the ball fly toward the target. If can you learn to create the “Two Forces” and eliminate the unnecessary other forces, you can simplify your swing and maximize your distance and accuracy.
Let’s start with the downward force. Doesn’t there have to be a forward force? The answer is no. If you put a golf club against a wall, horizontal to the floor, and drop it, it would fall straight downward due to gravity. Same if you pull it down the wall or push it down the wall. Straight down. But, if you had a pin the the grip end of the shaft, into the wall, the clubhead would go down the wall and forward toward the ball and target (pic 1).
Dropped, pulled or pushed STRAIGHT down, the clubhead will go forward also if there is a pin at the grip end of the shaft. The key is that there is only a downward force at work in this ‘pinned’ example. In the golf swing there are two pins: the primary one at the left shoulder where the left arm attaches, and a secondary one at the left wrist. So with or without wristcock, the golfer gets two for one with the correct application of a downward force. The clubhead will go downward and forward.
The ‘around-ward’ force is necessary for two reasons. One is transportation. Transportation? Yup. If you make a ‘normal’ backswing and let the arms/hands/club unit just fall from the top, the clubhead will hit the ground several inches behind the ball (pic 2).
But if you pivot forward, around your spine, you can ‘drop’ the club right on the ball (pic 3).
Or drag it down on the ball. Or push it.
The second reason you need the rotating ‘around-ward’ force is for speed. Simply, the faster you unwind (RPM’s) the faster the clubhead will go.
The ‘around-ward’ move most closely approximates a left handed frisbee toss. Just go out to the store and buy a basic model (if you already don’t have a half dozen in your garage) and practice throwing it left handed. Just stand 90 degrees to the target, like your golf stance, unwind and fling that frisbee. Just like in the golf swing ‘over-accelaration’ of the left arm BY the left arm, is a disaster. Allow your torso to drag your left arm around and flail your left arm off of your chest (pic 4).
The only difference in the frisbee pivot and the golf version is the plane. The frisbee plane is horizontal to the ground, and the golf one is on an incline. You could throw the frisbee into the ground, on the target line, a few yards forward on the ball, to get the feel (pic 5). The change in planes necessitates the tilting of your spine both more over and slightly to the right, just like in the golf swing (also pic 5).
The combination of the downward force, and the rotational one, can be exercised by skipping rocks. Rock skipping includes the right arm throw (downward on plane) and the ‘around-ward’ pivot with a titled axis. So many golfers have trouble with this all important detail. The golfer MUST be able to create this throw without ‘un-tilting’ as the release occurs (correct pic 6)
(incorrect pic 7).
This ‘around-ward’ rotation of the golfer, called the PIVOT, creates a resultant OUTWARD force just like the one created by twirling a rock on a string (pic 8).
It should be obvious that poor players with their upper body forward lunges and lifts, disturb the orbit of the clubhead much as any non-rotating force would disrupt the twirling of the rock on a string.
With a frisbee, a hand full of rocks and a piece of string, you should be able to understand the two forces in the golf swing and apply them to your swing effectively. Just as important, is the elimination of the forces that are NOT either downward or ‘around-ward.’ The reason the great players look like they are doing less than you are is because...they are!
Nice Article
Brian,
Nice article...I hadn't seen this one before...thought I had read all your articles.
Have you read the book on Extraordinary Golf where the author/teacher video sequenced some very high handicap players performing two motions- one motion was hitting a ball with a club...the other was throwing the club down the fairway...which sequence had the player in a more golf-like impact position with a flat left wrist and the clubshaft/left arm in an online position at "impact"?
This drill apparently gave the students a ray of hope and confidence that good alignments are possible when hitting at something was not the focus.
Brian,
Nice article...I hadn't seen this one before...thought I had read all your articles.
Have you read the book on Extraordinary Golf where the author/teacher video sequenced some very high handicap players performing two motions- one motion was hitting a ball with a club...the other was throwing the club down the fairway...which sequence had the player in a more golf-like impact position with a flat left wrist and the clubshaft/left arm in an online position at "impact"?
This drill apparently gave the students a ray of hope and confidence that good alignments are possible when hitting at something was not the focus.
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