ABS Module 2 Thread

[Richie3Jack]

I just got to start Module 2 of ABS which goes into ground pressures.

Again, let's keep this thread somewhat vague in order to not give away how Lag teaches this. But for those not in the modules, we can discuss your thoughts on ground pressures.

One thing I noticed awhile ago, before I got into Lag's ABS modules were that the 3 most prominent teachers of ground pressures I knew of were Mike Maves (aka Sevam1), Shawn Clement and Mike Bennett from S&T fame.

Maves and Clement are both Canadians. Bennett grew up near the Finger Lakes section of NY and was great friends growing up with former PGA and Nationwide Tour winner, Tommy Scherrer (who I've played golf with a few times).

I don't know all of Bennett's bio, but I do know that Scherrer was a very good HS hockey player growing up and it wouldn't surprise me if Bennett played hockey as well. Clement and Maves are from Canada, where Hockey is their nation's beloved sport.

I think these instructors understood ground pressures from playing hockey. Anybody who has ever played ice hockey (I have, but only a few times) realizes how difficult it is to brace and plant yourself against the ice while on skates and I think of all-time powerful slap shots like former NHL'er Al Iafrate, probably were able to hit a slap shot so hard in large part of their ability to grip and push off the ice.

Lag says that he in part got the idea for ground pressures from taking a martial arts class, which I thought was interesting as well.






3JACK

[cloran]

It's a challenging module. I find myself really hitting the bag hard my hands/ elbows have been paying the price.

I'm 900 or so reps deep and I find that I can't do more than 50 per hand in one day... so progression to M3 will be slower than it was from M1 to M2... for me anyway.

I also find it more effective using a board or something firm to push against. The carpet bubble was a good visial, but squeezing your feet together with little resistance makes for some funky positions.

Keeping deep knee bend is critical and I think we'll be releasing that bend in M3...

What are your first thoughts on M2 Richie'?

[bentshaft]

Mar 5, 2010 14:01:55 GMT -5 cloran said:

It's a challenging module. I find myself really hitting the bag hard my hands/ elbows have been paying the price.

I'm 900 or so reps deep and I find that I can't do more than 50 per hand in one day... so progression to M3 will be slower than it was from M1 to M2... for me anyway.

I also find it more effective using a board or something firm to push against. The carpet bubble was a good visial, but squeezing your feet together with little resistance makes for some funky positions.

Keeping deep knee bend is critical and I think we'll be releasing that bend in M3...

What are your first thoughts on M2 Richie'?

cloran
yes yes and yes again
I had tendonitis whern I started mod 1---it sure as hell isnt getting better anytime soon...
50 (max) a day is all I can do, and much less than that if I play 9...
I try to keep the knee bend....
I just try to treat mod 2 as a "knee bend and squeeze) mod1

I took forever on mod 1, so I am sure this will be the same...
general comments welcome
bent
bob

[TeddyIrons]

I've done nearly 20,000 reps of Mod 2 as I started in September of last year. I think this module is really important, and a big eye-opener. Now when I look at the swing of a pro, I look for these ground pressures. I feel I understand the swings of people like Tiger a little better now, as a result. It's a very tiring drill, but what is odd is that today, nearly 20,000 reps in, I actually find it more tiring than when I started it. I can only do 25 reps at a time before I have to take a pause. I'm pretty good at this drill, though, and Lag liked my attempts and graduated me quite quickly. It's part of the backbone of ABS - I try to do 150 reps now at least every 2 days.

[Richie3Jack]

I just got into it today, but haven't actually done the module work. I will later tonight. I was doing it a bit on the range, but I don't think I was doing it quite right. I'll probably send him over a video tonight of M2 and then see what I need to correct and go from there. Hogansquest told me that physically it's a tough module for him as well.

I'm starting to think that one of the reasons the average golfer's score hasn't gone down is the soft spike rule has seen footwork go downhill.



3JACK

[Richie3Jack]

One thing I found fascinating about this module is the backward movement of the right foot. Reason being is for YEARS I would notice that I would strike the ball great when I would have this type of foot movement. And when I was really striking it well, I would do this a lot.

It's difficult to describe what exactly I would do, perhaps one day I will show what happened in a video. But I just chalked it up to a coincidence and didn't really put the two together.

I think this is really important to note.



3JACK

[cloran]

There's a good video of Moe Norman on one of the threads at ABS. I commented on it in the M2 section.

Moe's right heal remains down through impact, we all know that... but as soon as there's not enough weight for his foot to press against (after he has shifted to the left foot) his right foot simple flops over it's instep. It doesn't go up on the toes.

I believe this shows that his weight has moved in a linear fashion parallel to the target and in balance. He was pressing/ squeezing so hard with his feet; and with the entire foot, that it doesn't twist. It's pretty neat to see now that I know what to look for.

[Richie3Jack]

I thought that was a keen insight as well.



3JACK

[gmbtempe]

Footwork is more important than many golfers realize.

[Richie3Jack]

I think that's what Lag is trying to stress. It's almost never mentioned in golf magazine instruction articles and the general thought amongst amateurs seems to be that it more or less is good for balance, but that's about it and having good footwork really doesn't do much.

Another reason why the average score has not gone down in golf.




3JACK