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What do people think of Dr. Michael Austin
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Mike Austin is a long time friend of mine.
I talked to him last night.
I have often wondered where Homer Kelly got his info.
There are a lot of similarities.
Asking Mike about any other system, but his, would be a wast of time.
One of the first things he taught me was the Flail, Axis tilt, and hand and forearm rotation.
Mike's hip action is more complex.
Of all his tapes, I like the 4 tape set the best.
He has just finished a book that he has worked on for several years.
He had a stroke about 14 years ago and has not been able to play since.
I played many rounds with Mike and still am amazed at some of the shots, I saw him hit.
At 78 he still hit it really long. His last driver was a Langert with a 44" Titanium shaft, that had an E5 swing weight.
I couldn't get his driver off the ground.
I talked to him last night.
I have often wondered where Homer Kelly got his info.
There are a lot of similarities.
Asking Mike about any other system, but his, would be a wast of time.
One of the first things he taught me was the Flail, Axis tilt, and hand and forearm rotation.
Mike's hip action is more complex.
Of all his tapes, I like the 4 tape set the best.
He has just finished a book that he has worked on for several years.
He had a stroke about 14 years ago and has not been able to play since.
I played many rounds with Mike and still am amazed at some of the shots, I saw him hit.
At 78 he still hit it really long. His last driver was a Langert with a 44" Titanium shaft, that had an E5 swing weight.
I couldn't get his driver off the ground.
quote:Originally posted by hue
Doug: Thanks for the link but it only shows him at the top and at impact. I would like to see his swing.
Steve and Doug: Does he move his hips laterally or diagonally in the downswing? Thanks.
Hue
If the target line is 12:00, he moves his hips toward 1:00 and and shifts his hips back on the same line.
There is also a tilt of the hips, rib cage gets closer to top of hip bone both ways.
Mike calls it a compound pivot, with kidney crunch on the forward swing.
The bottom of your spine moves on the same line.
quote:Originally posted by cdog
Doug, do you see his leg movement causing the hips to tilt? When one leg straightens and the other bends, the hips will tilt.
That's what it looks like, on the outside, but it really is the diagonal shift of the bottom of his spine in both directions.
He calls this move "one leg" The bottom of your spine becomes part of your rear leg back and front leg thru.
Mike Austin is still teaching.
Being a TGMer, and having taken lessons from Mr. Austin last year, I have also noticed similarities between TGM and "Austinology:"
1) Both stress the connection between the upper left arm and the upper left chest as part of the downswing. In TGM, this is referred to as PP4/Pressure point #4; Austin calls this move the Figure 7--one line is the shoulder line, the other line is the left arm.
2) Both stress tilting to get on plane. Austin says he "crimps his right side on the downswing." That is, you shorten/lower your right side and raise/lengthen your left side. He talks about directing his "bottomright rib into his right hip." These are his words.
3) Both talk about the importance of creating the angle in the right elbow during the backswing (Austin calls it "flexing your right elbow," Homer Kelley calls it Accumulator #1), and maintaining it as you tilt during the downswing. On some other boards (specifically, Single Axis Golf), I've seen people interpret the throwing action Mike Dunaway describes in the "Secrets of the Game's Longest Hitter" (or whatever the video produced by Peace River Golf is called) as releasing or straightening the right arm/elbow from the top of the backswing. This is wrong. During my lesson, Mike Austin told me to tilt then throw--that is, you tilt your spine until you get on plane, then you straighten your right arm.
I am sure there are other similarities that are unique to both TGM and Austinology, but I can't think of them right now. I would like to note one major difference: TGM teaches that the left arm/hand rolls to square the clubface, then the left arm rolls/swivels the club to get back on plane from separation to followthrough. And that from release to followthrough, the left wrist is to remain flat. Austin believes that left arm DOES NOT roll or swivel, because if you roll your left arm, you'll hook it. In the move he teaches, the left wrist bends after impact to keep the club on plane, causing your forearms to touch during the followthrough. Basically, it's a very angled--almost vertical--hinge that keeps the clubface parallel to the spine or perpendicular to the ground when your arms are parallel to the ground during your followthrough. Another way to think of it is that in TGM, whether using angled or horizontal hinging, PP3 will roll (in varying degrees) on top of the grip during the followthrough; during the Austin followthrough, PP3 will stay behind the grip, and your thumbs will stay on top of the grip, causing your left wrist to bend and your forearms to touch.
It's been a while since I've thought about this stuff, so I probably am not 100% correct in my representations of TGM and Austinology, but I think that I've depicted them decently enough.
Being a TGMer, and having taken lessons from Mr. Austin last year, I have also noticed similarities between TGM and "Austinology:"
1) Both stress the connection between the upper left arm and the upper left chest as part of the downswing. In TGM, this is referred to as PP4/Pressure point #4; Austin calls this move the Figure 7--one line is the shoulder line, the other line is the left arm.
2) Both stress tilting to get on plane. Austin says he "crimps his right side on the downswing." That is, you shorten/lower your right side and raise/lengthen your left side. He talks about directing his "bottomright rib into his right hip." These are his words.
3) Both talk about the importance of creating the angle in the right elbow during the backswing (Austin calls it "flexing your right elbow," Homer Kelley calls it Accumulator #1), and maintaining it as you tilt during the downswing. On some other boards (specifically, Single Axis Golf), I've seen people interpret the throwing action Mike Dunaway describes in the "Secrets of the Game's Longest Hitter" (or whatever the video produced by Peace River Golf is called) as releasing or straightening the right arm/elbow from the top of the backswing. This is wrong. During my lesson, Mike Austin told me to tilt then throw--that is, you tilt your spine until you get on plane, then you straighten your right arm.
I am sure there are other similarities that are unique to both TGM and Austinology, but I can't think of them right now. I would like to note one major difference: TGM teaches that the left arm/hand rolls to square the clubface, then the left arm rolls/swivels the club to get back on plane from separation to followthrough. And that from release to followthrough, the left wrist is to remain flat. Austin believes that left arm DOES NOT roll or swivel, because if you roll your left arm, you'll hook it. In the move he teaches, the left wrist bends after impact to keep the club on plane, causing your forearms to touch during the followthrough. Basically, it's a very angled--almost vertical--hinge that keeps the clubface parallel to the spine or perpendicular to the ground when your arms are parallel to the ground during your followthrough. Another way to think of it is that in TGM, whether using angled or horizontal hinging, PP3 will roll (in varying degrees) on top of the grip during the followthrough; during the Austin followthrough, PP3 will stay behind the grip, and your thumbs will stay on top of the grip, causing your left wrist to bend and your forearms to touch.
It's been a while since I've thought about this stuff, so I probably am not 100% correct in my representations of TGM and Austinology, but I think that I've depicted them decently enough.
Galopin
Your post is 100% current with the way Mike now teaches.
He has taught this non roll release for the past 5 years or so.
Before he had a stroke and 50 years prior, he taught plenty of arm and hand roll.
With Flail intact he turned his left elbow up like a ujoint. His hinge was a loose left wrist that turned and rolled centered around his left ulna bone.
He called this radial flexion and ulna deviation.
Your post is 100% current with the way Mike now teaches.
He has taught this non roll release for the past 5 years or so.
Before he had a stroke and 50 years prior, he taught plenty of arm and hand roll.
With Flail intact he turned his left elbow up like a ujoint. His hinge was a loose left wrist that turned and rolled centered around his left ulna bone.
He called this radial flexion and ulna deviation.
OK, STOP THE BOAT.......
This is the 2nd person to tell me he almost verticle hinges thru impact. Now i will admit, i have only been studying him for a month, i have his 4 tape set with him working with Dunaway, and him teaching and actually swinging with his skeleton suit on. He explains, stresses, demonstrates a FULL ROLE.
Dick Farley and Gary Mccord, both are Austin certified (Rag stated this), both demonstrate and teach a full roll.
This is the 2nd person to tell me he almost verticle hinges thru impact. Now i will admit, i have only been studying him for a month, i have his 4 tape set with him working with Dunaway, and him teaching and actually swinging with his skeleton suit on. He explains, stresses, demonstrates a FULL ROLE.
Dick Farley and Gary Mccord, both are Austin certified (Rag stated this), both demonstrate and teach a full roll.
Doug,
That's interesting that he changed his philosophy after 50+ years of doing it another way. Why did he change?
During my time with him, he talked about radial flexion and ulna deviation, but he demonstrated it with his new release. I believe both ulna flexion and radial deviation are discussed in Joe Dante's book but I could be wrong--I'll have to check.
Also, could you explain Austin's "flail" concept and how the left elbow works (I don't know how a u-joint works)? I assume the left wrist remains fairly flat during this release.
CDOG,
If you review the Peace River Golf video, you can see Austin's hands overworking/overaccelerating when he is chipping and pitching. I haven't seen it in a while but his left wrist isn't as firm as it should be, and the clubhead has a bit of recoil as his hands stop. Ben Doyle would call this an overacceleration of the hands. When my friend, a mini-tour player who takes lessons from Doyle, chips and pitches, the clubhead stops when the hands do--all lag is dumped into the ball. I wish I could do it.
That's interesting that he changed his philosophy after 50+ years of doing it another way. Why did he change?
During my time with him, he talked about radial flexion and ulna deviation, but he demonstrated it with his new release. I believe both ulna flexion and radial deviation are discussed in Joe Dante's book but I could be wrong--I'll have to check.
Also, could you explain Austin's "flail" concept and how the left elbow works (I don't know how a u-joint works)? I assume the left wrist remains fairly flat during this release.
CDOG,
If you review the Peace River Golf video, you can see Austin's hands overworking/overaccelerating when he is chipping and pitching. I haven't seen it in a while but his left wrist isn't as firm as it should be, and the clubhead has a bit of recoil as his hands stop. Ben Doyle would call this an overacceleration of the hands. When my friend, a mini-tour player who takes lessons from Doyle, chips and pitches, the clubhead stops when the hands do--all lag is dumped into the ball. I wish I could do it.
"Austin believes that left arm DOES NOT roll or swivel, because if you roll your left arm, you'll hook it. In the move he teaches, the left wrist bends after impact to keep the club on plane, causing your forearms to touch during the followthrough."
If that's what Austin teaches then he advocates violating 2 of the 3 TGM imperatives. Bending the left wrist through the impact interval will most certainly cause a bent plane line and a failure to "mash" the ball. Check out Brian's 8 iron video - a flat left wrist is imperative, but an arched one is even better.
If that's what Austin teaches then he advocates violating 2 of the 3 TGM imperatives. Bending the left wrist through the impact interval will most certainly cause a bent plane line and a failure to "mash" the ball. Check out Brian's 8 iron video - a flat left wrist is imperative, but an arched one is even better.
A flat left wrist is only an imperative if you have a weak left hand grip.quote:Originally posted by MizunoJoe
"Austin believes that left arm DOES NOT roll or swivel, because if you roll your left arm, you'll hook it. In the move he teaches, the left wrist bends after impact to keep the club on plane, causing your forearms to touch during the followthrough."
If that's what Austin teaches then he advocates violating 2 of the 3 TGM imperatives. Bending the left wrist through the impact interval will most certainly cause a bent plane line and a failure to "mash" the ball. Check out Brian's 8 iron video - a flat left wrist is imperative, but an arched one is even better.
I havent seen Mike Austins swing but i bet he has a strong left hand grip.If he has,he will hook the bejesus out of the ball if he flattened the left wrist through impact.
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