Swing You Can Trust A Breakthrough Approach for Confident, Low-Scoring Play

1 SWING MOTION "How did you hit the ball today?" That's one of the most common questions you'll hear golfers ask oneanother after a day of play. But it's also one of the most misguidedfor anybody who wants to execute a great swing. In baseball or tennis, where the ball is moving -- often very fast --your object is to "hit the ball." In both of these sports there's alot of emphasis on proper hand-eye coordination. But in golf, where the ball is stationary, trying to "hit the ball"is the underlying cause of many a faulty golf swing. In golf, yourobject should be to move your club and body through space in aconsistent, repeatable way. If you can learn to do that while holdinga club, you'll be able to move a golf ball around the course withpower and precision. But it all starts with swing motion -- with how your body movesthrough space, even when you are not holding a club. It's much morelike dancing than like baseball or tennis, which explains one of thejoys of mastering golf. It's a sport that really involves your entirebody in a coordinated effort, combining grace and power. The key factor for a correct swing is developing a feel for how yourentire body moves from the beginning, through an intermediatepoint, to the end of the swing. Of course all those pieces are involved, and indeed lots of golfinstruction teaches you how to move one of them separately, thenanother, then another. But the piecemeal approach actually worksagainst what you ultimately must learn and feel: having all theparts working effortlessly together. I've found that it's actuallyeasier for students to get all their body parts moving together rightfrom the start than to learn how to integrate them later. To develop that feel, try the Swing Motion drill: 1. Stand tall. 2. Simply turn your body and shift your weight. 3. Next, bend forward from the hips into more of a golf posture,and make the same motion. 4. Finally, repeat the same motion with a golf club and ball. You may be surprised how natural and graceful your swing suddenlyfeels! Especially at the onset, the simple act of feeling thegeneral Swing Motion is the singularly most important element, thecornerstone of your development. As time passes, you will share my conviction that the Swing Motionis the "lifeblood" of your swing. Its benefits include: A clear perspective.Knowing how your body moves and"swings the club" puts you way ahead of those trying to "hit theball." You are seeing the big picture before focusing on anyindividual element. Even if you are an experienced player, thispowerful exercise can help you override an inefficient swingmotion. A conditioned move.Your top priority is developing aconditioned and consistent movement that takes the club throughspace. When you've repeated this exercise a few hundred times, asyour muscle memory increases, your swing will begin to assume itsideal shape.You may also try this exercise with your eyes closed. When youeliminate the visual component, you experience a heightenedphysical sensation and further develop your "proprioceptive"abilities. Power.The Swing Motion exercise engages the larger,stronger core muscles, thereby generating the most powerful andefficient motion. Athletic posture, pivot, and rotation become theblueprint for all powerful athletic motions. By learning thesepositions, you will automatically rotate your body and shift yourweight. Rotation and weight shift underlie the biomechanics ofmany sports, including tennis, skiing, baseball, and basketball. I recently brought this point up with Jay Feely, place kicker forthe New York Giants, and perhaps the best golfer in the NFL (ascratch playerBorgatti, Roberto is the author of 'Swing You Can Trust A Breakthrough Approach for Confident, Low-Scoring Play', published 2007 under ISBN 9780743298285 and ISBN 0743298284.