New to hitting, any thoughts?
 

Hi all,I am pretty new to hitting and would like any guidance you all could share with me to improve my swing. I love the forum and look forward to your feedback.

Thanks,
Steve


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEOZ-...eature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iY10...eature=channel

Another view

hitting
 

tyfu,my dimes worth,it still looks like your swinging,maybe switting,my limited knowledge tells me that you should be letting the c/face look at the ball more.
takeaway looks wrong also,look up in search toolbar for "hitting stickman" it may clarify re-c/face looking at ball.
Im no teacher,but have used hitters pattern for last 2 yrs,and luv it. good luck man

Thanks Brownman for the insight.

Steve,
Golf's a difficult game to learn - outside of any swing changes - the importance of understanding "essentials" and thinking long term in building and integrating your swing - is key. It's the "web" not so much any particular string that's important. With that said here's a few basic ideas given your request for feedback.

First, you can work on some changes that are common to both hitting and swinging - later as you progress you can choose to swing or hit, etc. While your strength and stature may give you the ability to hit - it seems that you naturally are a swinger - but even that can be mis-leading as you are "throwing the clubhead at the ball" and that makes it look like you are swinging.

I need to eat dinner - I'll be back shortly to provide my feedack.

It would be nice if you could get the ability to shoot some better quality i.e. higher speed shutter speed so that the downswing of the clubshaft, hands, etc. was clearly visible.

Understand that one's intent, first shows up with that part of the body that is moving the implement that one is trying to move - the distal joints of the upper extremities in the case of golf. That is the hands, wrists, forearms motions.

Therefore, that's really the order of approach for changing the movement - 1st) One's intent or procedure, 2nd) The distal joints closest to the implement that one is trying to move and finally addressing the proximal body motion that is created by the first two items. You work on them all at once - as they are tied closely together and completely related - however, understanding their causal relationship is important.

Sorry - need to take another short break - family - I'll be back within the hour.

Intent: If you have constant acceleration from the top past impact - then you have constant lag pressure- in that regard there is no release, no release feel. The clubhead lags behind the hands - doesn't get thrown past the hands during release.

That creates a situation where the right wrist is more bent, which creates a condition where the right arm is more bent at impact, which creates a condition where the clubhshaft can arrive at impact on the proper lie angle that is built into it, creating a right shoulder that is lower at impact, which creates a condition where there is more lateral bend of the trunk at impact, which creates a condition where the hips have slid out of the way, which creates the knee rolling in and the right ankle rolling in.

In contrast, you have the intent or habit of releasing the club, throwing it past the hands in the effort or belief to get power, which flattens out the right wrist, which straightens the right arm, which raises the clubshaft angle through impact, which creates a high right shoulder, creating little lateral bending of the trunk through impact, creating less hip slide movement, creating right knee and ankle movements that move out and up - as opposed to in and around. This results in a finish position of the body with little side bend into the follow-through.

That's definitely a swing.

My novice advice would be to try to make the swing ENTIRELY right arm focused. Literally try to make everything else not exist and/or be simply along for the ride.

For me it is as much of a mental thing as it is a golfing thing. Consider it this way:

Swinging = a factory. There is lots of workers, lots of machines, several stations all working to create one thing.

Hitting = a blacksmith with a hammer. There is one thing, one guy, one station, it is simplicity.

The great thing about less moving parts is you have less things to break down. The bad thing about simplicity is it doesn't take much to wreck the motion.

For the take away, make it completely right fore arm driven. Let the body respond to movement but not create movement. Try to keep the club face from opening in your take away, almost like you wanted to keep the club face pointed at the ball for as long as possible.

For the down stroke, keep your right foot stuck in the ground for as long as you can. Feel like the hips are quiet, the feet are quiet, the knees are quiet, everything is just kinda there.

Then simply use the right arm to power down and out through the ball.


A swinger uses his entire body to create power to transfer to the ball.

A hitter simply positions his body in such a way to provide a stable base to drive the right arm down the plane line.


For me the trick is to feel like the body and pivot is no longer powering everything like a swinger does and truly make EVERYTHING right arm centric.

You'll know when you do it because it is a COMPLETELY different feeling.

Mike you have given me a lot to think about and I will heed your advice.. I've struggled with throwing the club for a while, I will work on maintaining my angles among other things. Thanks for your time.

Steve

Thanks Grant for your feedback, much appreciated.

Thats a great post Mike. Great post. Carefully chosen wording which requires careful consideration; "constant" acceleration, "constant" lag pressure etc.

Does the identification of the feel of throwing the clubhead vs swinging the hands help in the retraining?

If only that darned clubhead was invisible then maybe we'd stop steering, throwing it all over the place.

Hi TY. Might I recommend...
 

The premium Ted Fort video : The Address Routine ? (available in the Gallery, here with millions of downloads on any device you own, for a low, low price of $24.95. And if you act in the next 67 seconds, we will throw in......steak knives...joking :eyes: ) It is worth a couple thousands of millions of words! (not joking)

From my own adventures, when I first heard the term "hitting" I thought I'd be better able to use my natural hand-eye coordination and save wear and tear on my artificial hip and shorter front or left leg. To some extent, that is true. However, the Pivot (use our search functions here) must carry the Power Package regardless of hitting or swinging. The Pivot can be done with a slow precision that will allow your back arm to slowly knock the stuffing out of the ball.:)

Then, you will have even more friends and be very, very, very, popular, (though I'm sure you are popular now) people will greet you on the street "saying how do you do..." and the music of "What a Wonderful World" will descend from the clouds granting you ... "bright blessed days ...dark sacred nights..." and you will think to yourself..."What a Wonderful World." Oh Yeah!

I'm getting ready to go back to school TY and well... it's like an athletic event that lasts nine months..anyway. Good golfing!


:golfcart:

this is good stuff, thanks Grant...

Grantc,

I'm afraid this is a myth. And one that may be very counter productive for a lot of golfers trying to hit the ball. If this were true you should be able to hit the long ball without even moving the right shoulder. That is never going to happen.

All great hitters also have a good pivot motion. For some it is very different from a good swinger's pivot. For others it is very similar. They pull from the left side as well. Take a look at Yoda hitting and swinging. The part from feet to shoulders is basically inseparable!

hula hula:salut:

Hitting is just a new type of experience after swinging for so many years.
At first I had difficulty allowing my right side to "hit " the ball. Felt unnatural because I did it with my left side so long.
But after a few pure solid contact, I wonder "why didn't i?"

Some good tips are to keep the clubface "looking" at the ball during the backswing with the right arm. Drive the right arm in a thrusting action.
Imagine a bicycle wheel in front of your body,
In hitting I would be using the right hand to hold on of the wire spokes and driving the wheel down.
In a swinging motion I would grab the rubber end of the tire with my right hand and throwing the wheel around.
same result different way of doing it.

I also found that I had to adjust my ball position a bit more out than usual. I think because I wasn't use to the OUTWARD component. In swinging I was aiming FORWARD, DOWN and IN and had a FADE . Now it's FORWARD, DOWN and OUT and a natural DRAW.

Good Luck.

Just a couple of random Friday morning thoughts.

I think a lot more people start off as hitters rather than swingers, despite the fact that many of the tour are swingers. I think popular instruction takes talented people and guides them to a swinging pattern. Naturally I think many people start off with right arm power to hit the ball rather than a left shoulder arm tug. I know unless I concentrate on pulling with the left arm and shoulder to pull the arrow out of the quiver I never have that feel, its very much of the right arm making the motion.

Question for anyone who has messed with both, I have found that I actually have better alignments hitting rather than swinging but when I try to take it to the course it does not hold up. Anyone have this happen as well?

For me there a constant struggle between centripetal force( controlled primarly by ACC #4) and centrifugal force( controlled primarly by ACC#1).
These two forces can either work well together or mess up you up.
One force( the swinger in me) wants to swing left. you guess it the centripetal force.
The other (the hitter in me) want to hit right, you guess it the centrifugal force.

Now there has to be one master chef and one sous cook in the kitchen, so once you know how to delegate the task.......there are countless ways in TGM terms to swing or hit.

Too much centripetal force , a fade becomes a slice because it overpowers my centrifugal force.
Too much centrifugal force and overpowers the centripetal force then the draw becomes a hook.

I don't disagree but that said if someone were learning to hit I personally would go for a different feel than swinging.

When I swing I felt like my entire body was flexing, coiling, sliding, twisting, etc to create power.

When I hit the feel I go for is literally bring the shoulder down towards the ball then drive the right arm down through the ball.

Sure the body moves and reacts but when I hit I feel as if the body isn't creating motion it is responding to motion.

The body is an effect not a cause if you will.



Now scientifically that might not be exactly right per se, but also it isn't a bad thought process when making the transition from swinging to hitting.

I try to do my dowel work in my living room, check the mirror really go in slow motion. Tracing, looking, feeling the pressure build in #1 and maintained in #3.

Once I hit the course I just concentrate on keeping my head as steady as possible, trace w/ #3, and direct the thrust through #1 at my aiming point. Depending on the club driver its basically at the ball irons in front...but you knew that already:laughing9

program the computer, and then just let it go only focusing on 3 thoughts at a time:

1) STEADY HEAD! (always #1!)
2) trace the plane line (at least attempt to get close to it
3)drive w/ PP #1, as I "sense" #3

These are interchangeable w/ the following....but I try to use a max of 3 before any swing.

4) hula,hula (if Im not pivoting correctly)
5) aiming point (in front for irons at the ball for driver)
6) cross line delivery
7) SLOW DOWN
frozen wrists
9) both arms straight on f.t.

Hi Ty. What are you working on and what are you experiencing? What videos or DVD's or exercises are you using for a template of hitting?