That's the trick. It may feel awkward at first, but after a while you'll do it automatically & never leave home without it.
The "checklist for all shots" section towards the end of the book has Extensor Action all over it. For a reason.
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When James Durham recorded 94 at the Old Course at St Andrews in 1767, he set a course record that lasted 86 years. Golf: A curious sport whose object is to put a very small ball in a very small hole with implements ill desiged for the purpose - Sir Winston Churchill
By this do you mean stretching out of the left arm towards the ground.?
Is this what Tom Tomasello describes in the drill on his video (chapter 2 ARMS) when takes the left wrist in the right hand and first stretches it towards the ground?
By this do you mean stretching out of the left arm towards the ground.?
Is this what Tom Tomasello describes in the drill on his video (chapter 2 ARMS) when takes the left wrist in the right hand and first stretches it towards the ground?
Exactly. If you think of the left arm as a piece of rope; the right hand keeps the "rope" taut using extensor action via PP#1.
To make it less dramatical, extensor action is a general medical/anatomical term - sort of. An extensor muscle is a muscle that has has the purpose to open a joint, increasing the angle between the limbs attached. So extersor muscles are used to straighten fingers and straighten legs. In TGM Extensor Action refers to the (deliberate) action performed to increase the angle between the right forearm and upper arm - thus using extensor muscles.
So where does the resulting force end up?
When Hitting the pressure is applied through PP#1 and down the shaft. When Swinging the pressure is applied through PP#3 and down the shaft. In both cases the effect will be the left arm (the primary lever) being extended to straight.
I am not the right person to list all the benefits of EA, but maybe the most obvious ones are:
- Creating width
- Presetting alignments at Impact Fix and make sure we keep the alignments during the swing.
Again in Homers checklist he wants you to make sure about EA in some 9-10 places during the swing.
If there is no Extensor Action we - for example - need hand-eye coordination and manipulation to hit the ball solidly. But if we apply it at setup - and keep it - we "know" we will hit the ball solidly, since the left arm will want to extend at impact anyway.
A few extensor muscles shown here:
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When James Durham recorded 94 at the Old Course at St Andrews in 1767, he set a course record that lasted 86 years. Golf: A curious sport whose object is to put a very small ball in a very small hole with implements ill desiged for the purpose - Sir Winston Churchill
Last edited by metallion : 05-11-2006 at 09:10 AM.
By this do you mean stretching out of the left arm towards the ground.?
Is this what Tom Tomasello describes in the drill on his video (chapter 2 ARMS) when takes the left wrist in the right hand and first stretches it towards the ground?
Yes but the stretch off pp3/1 is not in any old direction towards the ground - its towards the impact point plane line.
Yes but the stretch off pp3/1 is not in any old direction towards the ground - its towards the impact point plane line.
Except with Zero #3 Accumulator, the stretch (Non-Accelerating Thrust) of Extensor Action -- whether executed by Pressure Point #3 or #1 or both -- is not On Plane, i.e., toward the Impact Plane Line. Instead, it is Below Plane -- in the direction the Left Arm is pointing.
Except with Zero #3 Accumulator, the stretch (Non-Accelerating Thrust) of Extensor Action -- whether executed by Pressure Point #3 or #1 or both -- is not On Plane, i.e., toward the Impact Plane Line. Instead, it is Below Plane -- in the direction the Left Arm is pointing.
Except with Zero #3 Accumulator, the stretch (Non-Accelerating Thrust) of Extensor Action -- whether executed by Pressure Point #3 or #1 or both -- is not On Plane, i.e., toward the Impact Plane Line. Instead, it is Below Plane -- in the direction the Left Arm is pointing.
Exactly.
When I first learnt about this, I thought 'cool, but how's this going to be useful for my own swing'.
After a bit more incubation, I realised that that's one of the ways you can differentiate between an Active Right Arm Thrust and Extensor Action. You can feel the Right Arm Thrust going directly at the Ball, whereas the stretch of Extensor Action is clearly below Plane. Learn to feel the difference! It’s very useful especially if you’re Swinger because you don't want to be inadvertently activating that Fourth Barrel (Accumulator #1)!
Except with Zero #3 Accumulator, the stretch (Non-Accelerating Thrust) of Extensor Action -- whether executed by Pressure Point #3 or #1 or both -- is not On Plane, i.e., toward the Impact Plane Line. Instead, it is Below Plane -- in the direction the Left Arm is pointing.
Could the incorrect directional application of extensor action (i.e. directing it toward the plane line rather than below plane) cause the club to get too flat from start down into release? Although I'm able to go from start up to top staying nicely on plane, I've always fought a tendency to have the club move under-plane from start down to release (a Sergio like motion). I just grabbed a club trying to feel proper extensor action, and I can see that my natural tendency is to direct that stretching direction toward the plane line.