Going along with the force
Tai Chi and Golf Swing
In Tai Chi, we are not physically moving your hands and arms. We are using our mind to create minor motions, and those minor motions affect all your body parts. We can say that each part of your body reacts to those minor motions.
FORM FOLLOW FUNCTION
Let start from the BRAIN
THE DATABASE
Muscle memory is actually a build up, by a pile of records storing somewhere in your brain through experience. When we learn to throw a ball when we where younger, we fine tune ourselves by reacting to the ball flight. We then store a numerous amount of information in our brain, namely the database. With all the experience that we had through out the years, we end up having a lot of motions and feels in our brain cell. So, each time when we pick up a ball, our brain will start searching the database, with a view to instruct our body to use the best possible muscle group to function, in order to delivery the ball to the position that we want.
Now, when we pick up the ball, the first muscle group close to the ball should be our fingers, then the palm and the wrist (Group A). (Group A) then trigger the search in our database (our brain). Our brain then try to provide the best solution in order to delivery the ball to where we wanted, and start to function the right group of body muscles in view of assistant that motion. Once we see the result, we registered the “feeling” during the process. That feeling will then record in our database for the next search.
Some people was trying to think about using the big muscle to throw the ball, with difficulties, I believe it might be a case that, we are so use to start the ball throwing motion with our arm/wrist rather then starting it with the big muscle; just like the Yahoo search, 9999999 occurrence of using “ wrist” as the trigger, and only one registered of using the “Big muscle” listed in the last occurrence.
So, is the dog wag the tail, or the tail wag the dog??????? I think is the dog wag the tail then it generates enough momentum for the tail wag the dog… Just like the swing that we play when we were younger. We swing the Swing by transferring body energy to motion, and the Swing, swing us.
The Step
Your brain is the primary source to generate the amount of momentum in your golf swing. Most good players look at the target before they swing the club. Optics – brain – force – shape.
The human brain
Learn from experience, and all the success cases are recorded in the memory.
• No matter how young you are, the brain can always sense gravity i.e. when we are swinging the swing, we can always feel the highest point before we accelerate when we are come down /forward.
• The brain will always calculate the amount of force and angle that we need in order to counter balance before we are losing our balance.
Joining the sequence
We are not trying to position the club to a preset hand sequence. The force travels from front foot to rear foot, and we are making use of the force to form the hand sequence. The best way to generate the momentum would be dragging the club rather then lifting the club
Any unnecessary energy/force applied during the swing within the momentum path, or improper hand sequence would affect the swing plane.
Unnecessary force include – movement that is not generated by the momentum path
• rotation
• Lifting your arm
• Shifting your weight
• Extending the arm on both upswing and downswing
The thoughts
There is only one point in transferring energy/force to the club head. Where the transferring point should be the point which is closer to the club. I would guess that it should be in between the lower hand’s “second index finger joint” and the knuckle. If we do not aware the position of transfer point, we won’t be able to redirect the force to the club head in an efficient manner.
Balance
We are trying to maintain our balance within the centre, and the momentum is just like a rubber band. The more you apply to your swing, it will always take you back to the intended balance position.
The wrist is pretty much a balance vehicle within the golf swing, where the use of the wrist will allow the club head to travel a wide arc and maintain the balance by having less moving parts..
Opposite thoughts
Acceleration
If we are thinking too much about accelerate the club, very likely we are decelerating the speed. The minute you start trying to apply additional force, rather then using the natural momentum within the swing to accelerate, your mind will slow you down, and as it will think that you should slow down to maintain your body balance.
Visualisation on the golf swing
By looking at the photos in a swing, we can see the following
• Wide extension
• Shoulder turn
• Wrist cock
• Hip turn
• Balance shifting
• Follow through
But all the above shapes are caused by the momentum
The feel and sensation
Most people find that the hand sequences occur during the upswing, but the hand sequence are occur during the down swing.
There is only one point transferring the energy/force to club head, where we should feel like
The momentum and your wrist sequence are the root, because it dictates the shape of your swing.
Golf analysis on computer
Side View.
Evaluating the plane line on the screen is just an indication of whether you are making use of the natural momentum generated by dragging the club to the intended wrist position.
Incorrect Swing Path is just an indication of applying unnecessary force or incorrect wrist position during the down swing.
Front View
Evaluating the impact position is just an indication of whether you are landing on the correct wrist positions before impact.
Reverse pivot is a sign of not making use of the natural momentum generated by dragging the club to the intended wrist position
The fixes – Assuming we are have a perfect setup
Reverse pivot –
• they are not dragging the club, instead they are lifting the club with their wrist.
Unable to get to the finishing position. –
• They think about the rotation rather then letting the momentum take them round
Slice and pull shots –
• Trying to rotate the body rather then letting the momentum takes the body round. Right shoulder, and too much body movement which causes the club face to not have enough time to square up. (On finishing their back foot is over twisted)
• Improper wrist sequence or the left and right wrist is not in sync. (On finishing their back foot is not over turn)
• Standing too close to the ball at address.
Hitting fat shots and drop kick
Do not have enough time to return the body balance to the ball position (Just before the lowest point on the swing arc). After math of position teaching
Men make arm movement, or trying to maintain a wider arm radius. Where the radius should be maintained by the amount of centrifugal force generated by the momentum.
Men make rotation on upswings. Should let the wrist hinge; it should feel like swinging the wrist joint rather then the shoulder. Wrist hinge is the first moving part affected by the swing momentum, then elbow hinge > arm hinge.> body rotation
We should always think of less moving part, the better balance you are. The weight of the arm plus the g force can easily drag you off the balance.
Distance and power
The elements which determine the distance would be the loft, shaft, as well as
Impact angle and the leverage generate by the wrist.
