Yet another "feel" question ...

[Jimmy A.]

Since I believe I Swing the club, this feel question is, again, for swingers. I have the tendency to get to the top of my swing, then rip the club down at the ball. Naturally, the results usually aren't very good when I do this. I have to really focus on tempo and the motion that I want to make in order to overcome the urge to "hit the ball" when I get to the top. As the irons get longer, the problem gets worse. It seems that I associate "far" with "fast" (I'm sure I'm the only one with that problem, right? ). Interestingly enough, when I am able to just focus on the motion, and keep a smooth tempo, I don't lose any distance at all (perhaps even the opposite). However, despite these results and the fact that I *know* what will happen if I rip the club down at the ball, I still find myself doing it (usually in a fit of downstroke blackout as well). When I'm standing over a long iron, or a wood, I can't help but start to feel the power that I'm going to hit that poor ball with - before I even start the backswing. [sarcasm] However, that feeling isn't correct because what that feeling translates to is me trying to hit the ball harder by uncoiling faster, which usually leads to me being out of sequence, blah blah blah. My question is this: Is there a proper feeling of "power" for a swinger? Assuming there is, what is it?

 

[birdie_man]

So what happens when you do this anyway? Lose balance? Bad contact? Ball goes where?

The arms and hands are loose until the moment of impact- then everything snaps tight...just for that split second. Like cracking a whip. That's what I feel. They say the same thing about throwing a punch in martial arts- relaxed muscles react faster than tense ones.

Aiming Point (read it in TGM if u have it) is something that I have recently discovered. Now I don't feel like I have to time anything really...almost feels like I am trying to hit straight down to low point in front of the ball...like I'm not really even trying to hit the ball or focus on the ball. Just that spot in front of the ball. I focus on aiming my hands there and aiming my clubhead there.

Clearkeys or something might help too. When I start to "feel the power", as you say, before I hit a shot that usually means either I am very confident or I am having some anxiety over the shot (prolly because I am confused about my swing or I'm not to the point of trusting my swing yet) and am trying too hard. You are most likely having anxiety, right? Just remember that if you have some anxiety you are prolly trying too hard to MAKE something happen or defeat something (that's a bad habit of mine- always trying for PERFECT shots- I've learned that you can't force anything) instead of acknowledging that something IS wrong and that it won't help to battle it and try and overcome it.

Anxiety is always there for a reason...it's an involuntary response from your body telling you that SOMETHING is wrong or different. It's alerting you of something...whether you are unsure about your swing, or you don't feel good about the shot or w/e. Your mind knows and it tells your body.

You can't turn anxiety off you just have to know it's there and that you can't GRIND through it...but you can and must MANAGE it.

Not sure if that mental stuff is what you were looking for but I think it's more relevant than most people think.

Read Carey Mumford's "The Double Conexxion" if you're interested. The homepage is www.keygolf.com I believe. Understanding what it means to 'play within my style' and 'manage</u> anxiety' have been prolly the two hugest things for me to put into play and even into my life...and prolly two of the biggest things I will EVER learn how to do. Those are the two most important mental process-related things I have ever learned...

-anxiety is the basic first reaction that something is wrong.
-if it's bothering you, you can't just ignore it or grind through it- it will just build and eventually overrun you; you have to understand that it's there for a reason and your body decides if it's there or not- you don't.
-anxiety is always at the lowest when you play within your style.

.....................Again, I'm not sure if that's what you needed to hear- I'm feeling ambitious and I got going there lol. I just like to talk about that stuff because I don't think it gets enough attention.

 

[Brian Manzella]

"Is there a proper feeling of "power" for a swinger? Assuming there is, what is it?"

Like Mike Finney says, "I just hold on to the club and unwind hard."

For me, and many of my other students, 'swinging feel' is letting the "Air out of" your arms from the top and 'catching' it with your pivot.

The combined thought of these FEELS, would be wait for your pivot, but make sure you pivot, and then some will feel just the pivot and some will feel sort of a throwing out from the wrists.

Keep us up to date.

 

[cdog]

Jimmy, the description you give is the #1 problem in golf IMO, i think it will wreck the mechanics of those that have and understand good mechanics.The dreaded 'Hit complex'.
I dont think there is a feeling of power, after all, the best and longest shots i hit are when im just trying to make pure contact, trying to just keep it in play out there. Conversely, the shots i stand over and actually feel powerful, are the ones the are my worse. It ws the same way playing baseball and softball, try to crush it,results weren't very good, try to just make good contact, Gone!

Bertholy's book talked much about this and ways to try to combat it, but it's still hard to do, at least for me.
What worked best for me in this area was hitting less that full distance with my clubs, like 1/4 , 1/2 disance of a given iron.
If you can find a clip of Annika doing this, its great, while i would work on this at the range, for some reason when i saw her demonstrating it something clicked with me.

Tour tempo was selling just on this problem, I think they have a good idea, however most dont contunue to work on this ever present problem.

 

[Jimmy A.]

quote:Originally posted by brianman


For me, and many of my other students, 'swinging feel' is letting the "Air out of" your arms from the top and 'catching' it with your pivot.

The combined thought of these FEELS, would be wait for your pivot, but make sure you pivot, and then some will feel just the pivot and some will feel sort of a throwing out from the wrists.

Keep us up to date.

Hi Brian. Thanks for the reply. I guess that when I hit it good, I really only feel the pivot. My question really stemmed from that. I wasn't sure if that was valid, or if I was supposed to be feeling something more. What usually happens is that I'll hit the ball pretty well for a while when I first get out there, then I'll slowly fall back into the mode of trying to kill it from the top. I think that part of the reason that this happens is because, instinctivly, I'm trying to produce some "power" feeling - especially in the longer irons and woods. I don't consciously strive for that. In fact, quite the opposite, but when I get a longer club in my hand, that smooth, pivot-only feeling doesn't feel like it's going to get the ball out there as long as I'm trying to hit it. I think our natural instincts tell us that "faster, harder, more muscular effort" = "power".

 

[Jimmy A.]

quote:Originally posted by birdie_man

So what happens when you do this anyway? Lose balance? Bad contact? Ball goes where?

The problems that arise are almost exclusively pulled shots and/or poor contact (typically fat).

 

[bts]

For a real swing, I try to feel/do what I feel/do in the practicing swing. Or I only focus on moving the club instead of the ball.

When I intend to move the ball HIGH, STRAIGHT and FAR, I end up moving the club in the fashion of "scooping", "outside-in" and "throwaway hard".

 

[EdZ]

quote:Originally posted by cdog

Jimmy, the description you give is the #1 problem in golf IMO, i think it will wreck the mechanics of those that have and understand good mechanics.The dreaded 'Hit complex'.
I dont think there is a feeling of power, after all, the best and longest shots i hit are when im just trying to make pure contact, trying to just keep it in play out there. Conversely, the shots i stand over and actually feel powerful, are the ones the are my worse. It ws the same way playing baseball and softball, try to crush it,results were very good, try to just make good contact, Gone!

Bertholy's book talked much about this and ways to try to combat it, but it's still hard to do, at least for me.
What worked best for me in this area was hitting less that full distance with my clubs, like 1/4 , 1/2 disance of a given iron.
If you can find a clip of Annika doing this, its great, wheile i would work on this at the range, for some reason when i saw her demonstrating it something clicked with me.

Tour tempo was selling just on this problem, I think they have a good idea, however most dont contunue to work on this ever present problem.

great post Steve! [8D]