Punch swing.

[cloran]

I just went to the range to tape this "punch swing." A few things came of it.

1. I froze my ninnies off. There was a 20mph wind dead into my face... fun. I didn't bring a jacket, and was dressed for work. Wonderful, lol...

2. I taped two 8i and two 5i swings. Both in regular and 210fsp speeds... then when trying to cut down the 210 clips I ended up deleting them both. I'm too cold and frustrated to do it again, so you only get to see the regular speed ones, sorry...

3. When watching the slo mo vids I saw a few problems. I have an OTT move. Always have. It's gone from severe to what I have today... Not huge, but there. The finish was anything but "punch." The feeling was there, but it really ends up looking more line a 3/4 swing. It certainly feels shorter. Load up and fire into the ball. That could be a good thing though. I'm probably cutting our alot of access garbage backswing that is unneccessary.

4. I froze my butt off... did I say that yet? I sacrificied hypothermia for the love of this Richie3jack forum...

5. All 4 of the shots were dead straight. A few shots throughout the bucket were "power fades," but I noticed those came when I lost concentration and didn't focus on powering through the ball. Towards the end of the bucket I began hitting some real nice draws. With the strong wind the 5i was only landing on the 165 yard green, but time and time again which was nice. The balls that weren't on the green were darn close.

6. There were some pulls and pushes as well, but the vast majority were solid strikes... and none were fat. I think I'm going to get these irons bent another 2* flat. There at 4* now. They play between 4* and 5* flat as my irons are about 1/4" shorter than standard. But I think going straight to 6* flat will help with the pulls, and maybe even that OTT move.

I'll upload the videos tonight. I'm "working" right now... lol!!

[cloran]

Did I mention it's still a CF release, I'm coming down steeper than I want, and I flip the club like a dork at the end of my follow through?

Other than that I'm spot on, lol!!

I'm not going to argue with the results though. I've been pleased with my last two sessions... results wise. Still a very long way to go.

[cloran]

5 Iron Swing...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1yKHMf-aTc

8 Iron Swing...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PQLZqbA4Rk

The 8i swing didn't download correctly... go figure.

I had a 2 hr. commute home from work tonight and I listened to the Honda Classic and thought about the swing the whole time.

I stopped at the range by my house for 15 minutes to work on the swing a little more after thinking about it during the commute.

I focused not so much on the backswing, but on remaining connected with PP4 through impact. Trying to make more of a CP follow through. IT WAS AWESOME!!!

I had one of (if not the) best range sessions I've ever had. I really need to get what I was working on on tape. The backswing felt compact, but most importantly, I felt like I wasn't cocking the wrists at all. I'm sure I was, but it fealt like how J.B. Holmes looks (if that even makes sense, lol).

So I would just make a 3/4-ish backswing without worrying about hitting spots or positions or anything else. I would turn, feel pressure in my left shoulder and arm as it stressed across my chest and NOT make a conscious effort to cock the wrists. It felt like the club head was pointing straight up in the air, not behind me.

I'd then start the downswing with the same thought of "smash into the ball with the force of 1000 Thunder Gods" while keeping my left arm connected as long as possible. I wanted to get that CP feeling.

My finish was much more "around" than in this video with the right arm finishing straight across my chest and my hands just above my left shoulder. I didn't finish with the club behind me like in this video. It was pointing straight up in the air- to slightly left of me, but not behind. More of a sawed-off finish.

I did, however, make a conscious effort to come in more shallow. The compression was still there, but the pulls were minimal.

Very fun.

[jonnygrouville]

When it is going well it is indeed and it sounds like you are having fun with it.

Must feel pretty simple at the moment, so hang on to this stuff and the videos and everything so you can refer to them later on in your journey. A face-on video would be good.

As far as the OTT move is concerned, the more and more I read, the less and less people seem to think that such 'compensations' matter. If the ball and divot are telling you that you are improving your impact conditions, don't worry about it. If you are struggling with a big slice or something like that, you might be over-doing it.

[gmbtempe]

Mar 5, 2010 19:34:27 GMT -5 jonnygrouville said:

When it is going well it is indeed and it sounds like you are having fun with it.

Must feel pretty simple at the moment, so hang on to this stuff and the videos and everything so you can refer to them later on in your journey. A face-on video would be good.

As far as the OTT move is concerned, the more and more I read, the less and less people seem to think that such 'compensations' matter. If the ball and divot are telling you that you are improving your impact conditions, don't worry about it. If you are struggling with a big slice or something like that, you might be over-doing it.

I think people mistake over the top with having a poor plane line which is not always the case. You can move to a steeper plane as long as the club stays on plane through the downswing. Now its like to impart some fade spin on the ball but there is nothing wrong with that.

[gmbtempe]

Cloran,

I just watched the 5 iron swing, you make a good motion through the ball and you can shoot some decent scores with it.

You are NOT steep in my book. Do you have V1 software to view your swing? If you don't download it for free, its a must have.

Stop your swing at the P6 position, its frame 31 of 94, look at the Magic of the Right Forearm, if you are not familiar with that term at P6 it should be pointed at are about at the ball, yours is dead nuts on plane.

In fact that whole downswing is on plane. You shift ever so slightly down from the turned shoulder plane and then you stay on play through impact. Your shoulders are in great position as they are starting to open at impact.

Now I don't see a real shift to the elbow plane like ABS prescribes but whatever you are doing I would not change a thing. I would embrace the plane you have chosen and continue to work on the CP release and your body motion through the ball.

Good work!

p.s......I see some things that I don't like but you have a teacher and maybe those same things that seem like issues to me are fine for his teaching.

[gmbtempe]

Getting back to punch swings....I am a player who can hit punch shots much better than my regular shots. I am a very good wind player and work a punch shot both directions. I have been tempted to see if I could play an entire round hitting punches to see what would happen.

I think one of the reasons people punch it well is that they know to punch it you need to drive the club down and get the ball first so the mind get that body and hands into the position to make that happen.

[cloran]

Thanks for the feedback G.

I do have the free version of V1. I haven't put these swings on it yet, but I will tonight. The last few swings I put on there I was coming down with the shaft bisecting my right bicep. On plane back and through, but I've always thought the OTT move was "wrong."

I'm gonna keep working on the CP release. I'll video the swing changes I was working on tonight the first chance I get.

And GMB, please don't hold back on me... let me know what you see that I can work on.

Thanks.

[gmbtempe]

Here is a good video by Ted Fort explaining swing planes and misconceptions.




I notice hold the club very low, even lower than say MOG. From there you actually take the club inside a line placed up the shaft which is not easy to do holding them that low. To do it I think you might be breaking your wrists in a unorthodox manner, I think you would be better served trying to pick the club up a little more, nothing drastic.

Do you have the face on?

[cloran]

Not from today, no...

I'll try to get a face on video soon though. thanks.

[cloran]

That's a good video. The more I think I know, the less I know, lol.

I've been telling myself that the ball doesn't know/care about how I get to it... just that I get to it first. But the OTT move looks so "beginner" to me. I'm a bit self conscious of it, as silly as that sounds.

[imperfectgolfer]

Cloran

I am not suprised that you think you are coming OTT. It is not that your downswing path is too steep. However, it is much steeper than your backswing path because you start off below the hand plane.

At address, you have a large amount of spinal bend - like a Hardy OPS golfer. That gets your hands too low. Your clubshaft-at-address plane is below the usual hand plane (which points at the belt buckle). Then, you take the club back along this shallow plane. You come back down the elbow plane, which is not steep - but it is steeper than your hand plane.

You definitely look like a TGM hitter in the sense that you use PA#1 in an active thrust action directed at the ball. You have a straightened right elbow at impact - presumably because you do not get your right shoulder sufficiently far enough downplane to maintain a bent right elbow at impact.

Interestingly, you look like you are using HH instead of AH. I think the reason is that you are running-out-of-right arm. AH goes along with a TGM hitting action, but one needs to get the right shoulder far enough downplane to be able to drive the right palm up the plane board in the followthrough - like Lee Trevino in the next photo.



Note that his right wrist is still dorsiflexed in image 10 - and his right shoulder is far downplane.

Here is his DTL view of his downswing



He uses a classic slot swing action, while you use a reverse slot swing action - and that is why you look like you are coming OTT.

I am biased and I would recommend that you consider making a few changes to your excellent swing - i) stand slightly more upright; ii) use a RFT backswing action that will allow you to follow the same path in the downswing as you use in the backswing; iii) use the same hitting action, but ensure that you thrust your right shoulder far enough downplane, so that you do not run-out-of-right arm.

Jeff.

[Richie3Jack]

Like what I'm seeing. I really don't worry too much about the backswing, but just finding a way to put me in a position where I can make the downswing I want.



3JACK