Angle Of Attack And Approach Drawings
 

I was inspired to do these drawings by Mr. Lynn Blake himself. He presented these drawings to us at our school a couple of weeks ago. With these drawings he helped us all realize that this is what it is all about. They have made teaching so much easier when students finally see what it is they are actually trying to do with the golf club.

I am sure Lynn will explain these in more depth.

Forever Hitting,
Hunter

Terminology and Viewpoint?
 

Great drawings. They got me thinking.

Do these names "attack" and "approach" coincide with airplane flight terminology :?: If so, when landing a planes "angle of attack" measures steepness while "angle of approach" measures runway alignment; right :?:

If the viewpoint for both drawings was perpendicular to the inclined plane, would not the angle of attack and approach be the same, just oriented 180* from each other :?:

SOS

To See Or Not To See
 

These Lines are, in fact, one and the same. One -- the Angle of Attack -- appears to the Golfer (from his 'above the Plane' view) to be inscribed upon the face of the Inclined Plane. The other --the Angle of Approach -- is its Visual Equivalent and appears to be inscribed upon the ground.

Re: Terminology and Viewpoint?
 

I haven't landed a Cessna in years but I don't remember a reference to an attack angle- at least not in the jargon of landing an airplane. We did use an angle of approach when landing and it was a downward angle that took the aircraft down to the beginning of the runway- a most important place to get to- you didn't want to be so close to the ground and not be short or long on the approach.

Lynn, for all of us city folk- how does a King Fischer attack?

Re: Terminology and Viewpoint?
 

[quote="6bmikeI haven't landed a Cessna in years but I don't remember a reference to an attack angle- at least not in the jargon of landing an airplane. We did use an angle of approach when landing and it was a downward angle that took the aircraft down to the beginning of the runway- a most important place to get to- you didn't want to be so close to the ground and not be short or long on the approach.

Lynn, for all of us city folk- how does a King Fischer attack?[/quote]

Ahhh! But you did have an "angle of attacK". This "angle of attack" is measured on the wing (airfoil). You controled the wing angle of attack with the "stick or wheel". You controled the rate of decent ( angle of approach) with the throttle.

I don't know what this has to do with golf but it was fun thinking about it again. :)

I hated "touch and goes." lol

Nice pics, a great 'sticky' that should be added to the top of the 'must view' threads in the beginner's section

I've never flown (well, landed anyway), but I played quite a lot of golf on an airforce base as a kid, I loved watching the F-16's do their touch and go runs, those guys know how to fly! To this day I swear I hit one with a wedge approach to the 16th hole, flying in a bit low that time!

Looks like in INCREDIBLY deep divot, no? :shock:

Principles
 

Rob's drawings are merely illustrative (of the geometric Principles) and are not 'to scale.' In actuality, a five foot Shoulder-to-Ball Radius (as opposed to the two inch Radius in the graphic) would have a much longer arc and hence a far more shallow Divot, even with the Ball located well behind Low Point.

I don't get it...
is the clubhead following the "clubhead orbit" in the diagram or is following the angle of attack?

Understanding The Angles Of Attack And Approach
 

The Clubhead is following the Clubhead Orbit. The Angle of Attack is that straight line drawn on the face of the Inclined Plane (and viewed from above it) that connects the Impact Point and Low Point. This is Impact's Downward Dimension.

That same line viewed upon the ground is the Angle of Approach (Impact's Forward Dimension).

Impact's Outward Dimension is determined by the Angle of the Inclined Plane.

If the Right Forearm Angle of Approach were also on this drawing, it would be a line parallel to the Angle of Approach line just intersecting at a point farther down the Plane Line, right?

Me And You...Just Two..Together
 

Normally...

Yes.

Pictures missing
 

It looks like these images were lost during the forum conversion. I have just started studying the arc and angle of approach procedures. Can someone please repost these pictures?

Thanks in advance!

Drawing a blank
 

Can the drawings be resurrected?

Hunting For Hunter's Drawings
 

We'll get on it, guys. Thanks.

Any luck on these drawings? Looking forward to them, thanks.

What was once lost, has been found.

Bagger

Angle of attack is the line draw on the plane while tracing the angle of attack of the clubhead
Assuming if we have a laser sitting perpendicular to the plane (or a Flash Light in Homer’s day) tracing the Angle of attack line, the projection of the laser on the ground = the Angle of approach.

Attack Angles, Approach Arcs and the Straight Line Delivery Line
 

The Angle of Attack is the arbitrary straight line drawn Down Plane between Impact Point and Low Point. The Arc of Attack is the actual curved path the Clubhead Covers as it orbits Down Plane through the same two points, i.e., the curved Clubhead blur through Impact. The Angle of Approach and the Arc of Approach are those same two lines as seen by the player on the ground from his Above Plane view. These are illusions because they are actually inscribed on the face of the Plane.

As the Clubhead Covers the Arc of Attack and Arc of Approach, it always Traces ('points at' ) the true Geometric Plane Line, i.e., the straight Line Base Line of the Inclined Plane (normally the Target Line). In so doing, it neither traces nor covers the Angle of Attack or Angle of Approach.

So, except when using the Hitter's Angle of Approach procedure, the Clubhead never covers or traces the Angles of Attack or Approach. Instead, it covers the Arcs of Attack and Approach as it traces the Geometric Plane Line.

Thankfully, all this happens automatically when you 'Trace the Straight Plane Line' through Impact with the Right Forearm and #3 Pressure Point (Right Index Finger).

Said another way, through Impact, a correct Golf Stroke (performed with a laser beam at the Right Forefinger) will only Trace, i.e., point at, the true Geometric Plane Line. In so doing, the clubhead will always cover its Visual Equivalents, the Arc of Attack and the Arc of Approach. It will point at or cover the Angle of Attack and the Angle of Approach only at Impact and Low Point.

All this sounds tough, doesn't it? Stay with us and read this a year from now.

It will be animal crackers and duck soup.

:)

Is it be safe to say, that the direction of the clubhead after impact would peel away the illusion of Angle and Arc appraoches since Angle still goes straight and Arc curves inward?

Delivery Line Illusions
 

I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Mike, but I'll go ahead and answer anyway: "I don't think so." :)

Even post-Impact, the player sees "through" the Plane and thus the Angle and Arc of Approach Delivery Lines that are actually on the Plane appear on the ground.

I was thinking about the right arm driving crossline in a Hit stroke with an Angle Hinge toward right field vs a Horizontal Hinge Action of the Swing stroke that rolls the face shut.

Delivery Lines Primer
 

Both Hitter and Swinger see their respective Delivery Lines as being on the ground, not on the Plane.

There are three possible Delivery Lines to guide the Clubhead into Impact:

1. The true Geometric Plane Line. This is the straight-line Base Line of the Inclined Plane, and it may be used by both Hitter and Swinger. As the fundamental Plane Line Variation listed for both the Basic Stroke Patterns -- Drive Loading (Hitting / 12-1-0) and Drag Loading (Swinging / 12-2-0) -- it sits atop the Target Line. The player Traces this Line with the Clubhead, the #3 Pressure Point and the Right Forearm to Deliver the Clubhead into Impact.

2. The Arc of Approach. This is the curved line of the Clubhead Blur through Impact. It is a Visual Equivalent of the true Geometric Plane Line and is best restricted to Swinging. The player Covers this Line with the Clubhead and Traces it with the Right Forearm and #3 Pressure Point to Deliver the Clubhead into Impact.

3. The Angle of Approach. This is the straight line drawn through the Impact Point and Low Point. It is likewise a Visual Equivalent of the true Geometric Plane Line and is best restricted to Hitting. Because the Inclined Plane is inclined, this Delivery Line goes out to "right field." The player Covers this Line with the Clubhead and Traces it with the Right Forearm and #3 Pressure Point to Deliver the Clubhead into Impact. Hitters may use -- but are not required to use -- this Line to guide their Cross-Line Thrust through Impact. If it is used, it serves only as a Delivery Line (to Cover) and not as a substitute Closed Plane Line (to Trace). It is, in fact, the Angle of Approach to the Geometric Plane Line, not a true Plane Line in and of itself. If it were a true Plane Line, then it would have an Angle of Approach. And as all seasoned students of The Golfing Machine know...

There is no Angle of Approach to the Angle of Approach.

:)

Is this why dead straight shots look like pulls?

Clubhead Line-Of-Flight Versus Ball-Line-Of-Flight
 

Interesting question, glcoach. I've never thought about it that way. But, I can see both the illusion and the reality.

The Clubhead has an Inclined Plane Line-of-Flight and passes Inside-Out -- Down Plane -- through Impact Point to Low Point. The Ball, on the other hand, in a dead straight shot has a Vertical Plane Line-of-Flight. So, assuming a Ball positioned prior to Low Point -- Up Plane -- the Clubhead passes outside the Line of Flight of the Ball. Hence, the dead straight shot could appear to be a Pull as the Clubhead passes outside the Vertical Plane.

But...

Only to the untrained eye.

Hey buddy . . .I got something you can trace.
 

Stroke Dr. Spock,

Could one not also "trace" the extension of the Straight Line Delivery Path of the HANDS with the #3 PP from the Top to the Ball or Aiming Point?

As Mr. Kelley said in the 5th . . . Just like drawing a straight line . . . you don't LOOK AT THE CHALK . . . YOU LOOK AT THE POINT WHERE YOU WANT THE LINE TO FINISH . . . In this case I reckon the chalk is the thrust or the loaded pressure in your paws.

Yellow is beautiful.

Lines and Paths
 

I suppose you could look at it that way. However, the Delivery Path is best conceived as a Line of Thrust, not as a Line to Trace. And, as you have stated, that Thrust is always directly toward the Ball or, alternatively, the Aiming Point, even as the Hands move in a curve.

Keep these identities distinct: Delivery Lines refer to the Delivery of the Clubhead into Impact. Delivery Paths refer to the Delivery of the Hands into Impact.

Correctly executed, both produce identical Impact Alignments and Line of Compression through the Ball.

Although I wasn't referring to ball flight, I think I was trying to make fact of the path of the clubhead outside the vertical plane. But it is good chewing on your posts again. :)

Could you explain the differences between the two? I think I have a kind of vague intuition regarding those differences, but I think it would be helpful to hear it put into words.

Check out:

http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/gallery...to=231&cat=512

This is the LBGLessons with Collin Neeman. I just finished watching it, covers this topic very well.

Differentiating Path and Line
 

At the Top, the Clubhead Lag (as sensed in the #3 Pressure Point, the right forefinger), is the "stone" you are going to throw, i.e., propel, toward Impact. That Throw is accomplished as a Straight Line Effort toward the Aiming Point (usually the Ball). This is the Delivery Path of the Hands (and Thrust).

As the Hands take their straight-line Path Down Plane toward the Ball, the #3 Pressure Point and Forearm seek to Trace the straight-line Base Line of the Inclined Plane. This is the Delivery Line of the Clubhead.

These are interdependent efforts, and you should practice them separately. Monitor one or the other but not both at the same time. Both are Imperative, but of the two, the Delivery Path rules.

Under the control of the subconscious Computer, they ultimately combine to produce with maximum precision the On Plane orbit of the Sweetspot through Release and Impact.

Deja Vu All Over Again!
 

Right on, Mike. This is a great link. Thanks!

Remember everybody: Double-click on the mini-screen for Full Screen (thanks Bambam!). :)

In the Brian Gay first clip on the ranging hitting his driver, near the end- you can see him driving his hands to aiming point in an extented practice motion before address. Been studying tonight- hahahah

Down Plane Pressure
 

You've hooked me, Mike! :)

The next video in the Collin Neeman Lesson Series talks of Lag Pressure -- the Pressure to be sustained in the Hands as they make their way Down Plane...

Down Plane...

DOWN PLANE to Full Extension.

http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/gallery....php?photo=230

It's easy to get hooked in the gallery. I love the new set-up.

Boss,

This here's from the 4th . . . It ain't exactly "tracing" . . . And this didn't make the cut. 6-E-2. He speaks to this too in the audio.

This Aiming Point procedure seems more easily acquired if introduced as a Feel. At the top of the Backstroke - even at the End (10-21-C) - mentally construct a line from the Hands to the Aiming Point. Let a careful Downstroke Pivot move the Hands precisely along this line - they will Feel as though they remain at the top of the stroke. Don't question that Feel - just sustain (monitor) it per 5-0, all ready for Release at the preselected Release Point (10-19, 10-24). Drive the Hands (Clubhead Feel 7-19) down the line (2-N) until both arms are straight - i.e., NO QUITTING. That procedure merely utilizes a long used method for drawing freehand straight lines between two points. Using the Clubshaft as the pencil is an effective equivalent.

Excellent thread - I think part of the general confusion in this area is that the 'illusions' run strong here.

Most important to keep in mind that you are always looking at both the hands (delivery paths) and clubhead (delivery lines) from ABOVE plane.

Add to that the general confusion in the discussion of 'plane' - that of the pressure points/CF (delivery paths) and that of the clubshaft/head (delivery lines). They are very closely related, but are not the same. When in doubt, monitor the hands.

Bucket - aiming point is a delivery path concept, and therefore is most closely related to 'the plane' of the pressure point #1 travel. Thanks for the quote from the 4th, it is unfortunate that it was removed from later versions.

I had the opportunity to hit some wedges on a lined football field one day, and a 2-5 yard push "looked" like a straight ball and a ball that went directly down the painted line "looked" like a pull. Hence my question.

Thank you for your explanation, that makes a lot of sense.

Another question....What happens on the golf course? Do we instinctively play the push becasue the push is the line our eyes follow, when we line up to the flag? All things being equal, How do we train our eyes to know they are looking down the right line?

Port Side Perfection
 

Most players instinctively align to the right of Target, but not because the eyes align for the Push. Instead, the faulty alignment is because the Computer aligns for the Pull. It KNOWS the Clubface will Impact the Ball Square (instead of the desired slightly Open) -- usually because of the Bent Left Wrist or Off Plane Right Shoulder or both -- and hence it will be Closed at Separation. To avoid the Pull, the Computer aims right.

A simple test of this phenomenon is to ask the player to Address the Ball as if he were Left-Handed. Invariably, the alignment to the Target will be perfect. So, the normal 'to the right' alignment is not a case of 'bad eyes' or 'aligning for Pushes.' Instead, it is the fact that the Computer has no conflicting information from the other side of the Ball. And until it learns that the Right Wrist will Bend through Impact or that the Left Shoulder will Turn Off Plane during the Start Down -- thus Closing the Clubface at Separation -- it will not compensate.

Hence, the Square Alignments.