Why does my left arm get stuck?

[coachwalls]

I'm not sure if I can effectively put my swing problem into words but I'm going to try. After impact I have a dificult time getting my left (lead) arm to roll enough to let me left elbow bend so the club can go back up the plane. I played (before finding Brian's site) with a very strong left hand grip. I don't know if this has anything to do with it or not.

It has gotten to the point that I'm starting to have a lot of pain in my left elbow. I've started wearing a strap below my left elbow to try to relieve some of the pain that has developed there. It isn't tennis elbow because the pain is more in the forearm below the elbow.

Anyway, any ideas what is causing this problem and how to fix it?

 

[Kevin Shields]

A strong grip can definately prevent the lead arm from rolling properly.

 

[starretj]

Coach,
Even though you properly mentioned trying to get your left arm to roll, a lot of people actually try and roll their hands or wrists while swinging their arms down the target line. Make sure that you are letting your whole left arm roll, not just your hands. This may not even be close to your problem, but it is an easy solution and easy for you to check.

Jim S.

 

[Chris Sturgess]

Sounds like you are gripping the club too tightly. A lot of people fall into the habit of putting a death grip strangle hold on the club. How tense are your forearms? They should be pretty relaxed. Sam Snead used to say to hold the club like a live bird, don't crush it but don't let it get away. On a scale of 1 to 10 grip it a 3 or 4. Then you should be able to release easier and not fight yourself.

 

[coachwalls]

Sounds like you are gripping the club too tightly. A lot of people fall into the habit of putting a death grip strangle hold on the club. How tense are your forearms? They should be pretty relaxed. Sam Snead used to say to hold the club like a live bird, don't crush it but don't let it get away. On a scale of 1 to 10 grip it a 3 or 4. Then you should be able to release easier and not fight yourself.

I'm sure I've been guilty of changing my grip pressure on the way down. Sometimes my hands hurt after a round so that would be a good indication that I'm gripping the club to tight. I'll monitor my grip pressure during my next round and see if that helps.

Could my problem have anything to do with my pattern? I'm a hitter and tend to swing to far to the right. My misses are pushes to the right and the occacional flip / pull hook to the left.