Extensor action in swinging.....
 

6-B-1-D - i find myself a bit fogged up here. I am building a stroke as per 12-2-0 except i use sweep loading. I think Yoda advises using PP1? My way of thinking at the moment is using PP1 to stretch the left arm taut and to keep this action thru the whole stroke. Am i close?

Thanks for any defogging

John

yes close

Extensor action is controlled by the right arm as it folds and straightens. Pressure point #1 or #3 works find but I would train my “describable feeling” in the action of the right arm.

hit 'em loud. 8)

Learning Extensor Action
 

Yes, John, this is the action, and it is mandatory that you integrate it into your Golf Stroke. Without a Club, use the following simple drill:

1. As a Preliminary Address, Grip your Left Thumb with the last two fingers of your Right Hand.

2. Pull on the Thumb to straighten your Left Arm.

3. Now proceed through the remaining eleven Sections of the Stroke, pausing in each for a few seconds and reaffirming the Stretch of the Left Arm by the Right. With the Right Wrist Bent, be very aware of the heel of the Right Hand pushing against the Left Hand Thumb. You can think of it as the 'stump' of the Right Forearm pushing against the Thumb.

4. After training solely with your Hands, go through the same routine with a dowel. Remember to Grip down on the dowel roughly the length of your Left Forearm. This promotes Left Wrist stability and the Feel of the Left Arm Flying Wedge alignments.

Personally, I think of the Twelve Sections as four subsets of three:

• Three to get ready -- Preliminary Address, Impact Fix, Adjusted Address.
  
  Three to get up -- Start Up, Backstroke, Top.
  
  Three to get down -- Start Down, Downstroke, Release.
  
  Three to get around -- Impact, Follow-Through, Finish.

As you pause in the Backstroke and Top Sections (Hands Chest high and Shoulder high), this 'Pushing Out against the Thumb" action should be unmistakeable. Keep your Head Stationary and stretch out all the 'wobble' in the Left Shoulder girdle. Turn your Head slightly and look LOOK LOOK to see the Stretch. I do most of my drill training in front of a full-length mirror and recommend you do, too.

At Start Down, leave your Hands and Right Shoulder at The Top -- they don't move! -- as your Hips move ever so slightly to the Left. Feel the Hip Action Lead as the Right Shoulder Lags and Extensor Action Stretches. This magnificent combination totally removes any left side 'slack.' If there is a Master Move in Golf, this is it.

While checking your Extensor Action visually, also note mentally every 'detectable, distinguishable Feel' the Action produces (3-B). Just as important, become aware of its contrasting Feel, i.e., Extensor Action OFF. In each Section, On...Off. On...Off.

Finally, remember that there are two ways you train Educated Hands: Eyes Open and Eyes Shut. So, complete the process with Closed Eyes.

Do this exercise -- and believe me, it can be a workout! -- for a few minutes every day. Give it your complete, concentrated attention, and you will soon note a new structure and consistency in your Golf Stroke. It will be Extensor Action Feel doing its job, operating invisibly to take your Game to the next level.

Yoda,

Just like there are different swings there are different master moves (you are talking about a stroke pattern that has momentum transfer, not all strokes use that)...just read Harvey Penick's Little Red Book...."The Magic Move"...the end result should be the hips slide at the beginning of the downstroke versus rotating.....and, the on-plane arms keep the left arm straight....go off-plane and you will lose your straight left arm and maximum swing radius.

It's interesting so many golfers that use a lower body start down have back troubles....I was just reading that Greg Norman might give up the game because of his...the article is in the new Golf Magazine or Golf Digest.

Pain-Free Golf
 

I know where you are headed with this, Dave. -- your thesis on the Right Forearm Start Down :D -- but the truth is that every good player uses the Downstroke Release Sequence of 6-M-1. And the fact that the sequence is best monitored and controlled by The Hands -- Hands-Controlled Pivot -- is the essence of The Golfing Machine.

Norman's back problems are not the result of his Downstroke Pivot Sequence: They are the result of his Downstroke Pivot Motion. I should know: the same Motion basically crippled my own Golf Stroke by age 40. The good news is that I learned to Pivot properly, and I now play pain-free.

So could Greg.

8)

Yoda,

Cheers to "Hands Controlled Pivot".....better yet, to "Educated Hands".....man was Homer an abstract thinker compared to all of the golf writers out there....Cheers to thinking out of the box…

For the forum readers:

The big hurdle is...the hands physically don't control the pivot....it's the mind monitoring the path of hands directing the pivot or the arms to do there thing....


DG

Re: Learning Extensor Action
 

Yoda,

Per recommendation of "staying left" at Start Up through Top or using the feet, ankles, and knees as anchors, I have noticed that this also increases the "stretching the wobble out" feeling of extensor action. I have noticed that if I "drift" right as with shifting the weight advised in traditional instruction, the stretching Feel is not as pronounced.

Am I on the right track here?

Thanks!

R

The best place to 'know' that you are using extensor action properly is from impact to both arms straight. You should absolutely feel the right arm extension - the idea behind the "shake hands with your target" image.

Most people haven't felt this move before because they are not working from the ground up, from inside, and hence are 'out and over' with the right shoulder.

Use the split grip drill and move simply from impact fix to both arms straight. Do this without a ball, and in balance (eyes closed is one of the single best drills you can do). Brian's 'twist away' move is a very powerful addition to 6B1D. Check for a proper grip (10-2B) and work on these ideas.

When you really feel that right arm extend without 'doing', move to punch shots.

6B1D is certainly one of the single most imporant concepts in TGM IMO.

"Norman's back problems are not the result of his Downstroke Pivot Sequence: They are the result of his Downstroke Pivot Motion. I should know: the same Motion basically crippled my own Golf Stroke by age 40. The good news is that I learned to Pivot properly, and I now play pain-free."

Yoda, could you please expand upon exactly what was wrong and what you did to fix it? Thanks!

This forum is gods gift to golfers
 

Thank you so much everyone. This place is such a wonderful nestegg of knowledge. Yoda, your post must surely be the definitive one regarding extensor action. The fog has very much lifted, and i doubt it will come back. Your start down desrciption is required reading. Actually the more i read the more i get out of this one, bravo for a sensational post. One for the hall of fame Bagger :)

Regards

John

Good idea - we should have a section for hall of fame posts...

But the beauty of it is, they are ALL hall of fame posts!

Bagger

Agreed
 

Very true Bagger :) I just found this post to be very comprehensive and conclusive, with not much more to ponder.

yoda,

this is basically the same question that i just posted to you in another thread.

what is the difference between extensor action and firing the right elbow?

you describe the firing of the right elbow to be done only when the hands are at a point almost in line with the eyes and the ball, yet in this thread you mention that extensor action is applied throughout the swing, and especially at the top to get rid of the left shoulder "wobble".
isn't firing the right elbow and extensor action the same thing?

thanks, mike.

To the extent that they both result in the proper both arms straight position yes, however 6b1d is a constant move 'away from center', which simplifies rhythm greatly - it simplifies the entire swing.


right arm thrust alone would be a move that would need 'timing', extensor action does not - that is the beauty of it, among other benefits.

Extensor Action And Weight Shifts
 

Having been properly set at Impact Fix, the Head remains Stationary until at least the completion of the Follow-Through (Both Arms Straight). The Weight, however, does not remain fixed -- either for a Hitter who begins from Impact Address (Weight Left due to Hip Slide) or for a Swinger who begins from a Standard Address (Weight equally-balanced between the Feet).

Instead, assuming Full Strokes, the Weight shifts -- to the right on the Backstroke and to the left on the Downstroke. The source of these Weight Shifts are the respective Hip Slides, and it is our 'Hula Hula' flexibility (7-14) that allows these shifts to occur without disturbing the Stationary Head. And as long as the Head remains Stationary, Extensor Action will be unaffected -- in either direction.

Re: Learning Extensor Action
 

Yoda,

I would like to ensure that I understand extensor action. I am quite able to push my right forearm stump on my left thumb. In absence of other muscular activity, I would lose left wrist cock (if applied prior to clubshaft significantly beyond vertical). The only motion that prevents this is right forearm pronation (counterclockwise as the golfer observes it). Is this correct?

As a swinger I'm a bit concerned that this will impede the sequenced release.

Golfie

Even slight pushing on PP #1 will cause some loss of LW Cock, and Right Forearm Roll won't prevent it. That's why players who retain maximum LW Cock into a max delay snap release don't use Extensor Action, but rather have a relaxed trail arm.

Re: Learning Extensor Action
 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Yoda said...
"At Start Down, leave your Hands and Right Shoulder at the Top-- they don't move!"

The picture in 8-7 appears to show this. I believe many Swingers, especially, may be missing this part of the Stroke, and going immediately into a Right Shoulder Throw, or some type of mistaken Axis Tilt move at this Section.

In a dynamic motion, this small part of the Stroke will take up only a fraction of the total time in the stroke. Do you think this is the "magical" TRANSITION move, that is so often spoken about by teachers and golfers from the golf world?

This Section(8-7)... can be seen easily in pictures of Hogan, Garcia, and Clampett.