Frozen at the top....HELP!!

So Im a new member to the forum here and was wondering if anyone else may have experienced almost "Charles Barkley-ish" yips that I am currently and have any tips or advice to help cure this. Here's the problem....takeaway is fine but when I get to top of backswing I absolute freeze. I have a very hard time initiating the downswing, my weight goes forward(to my left leg) and when I finally do swing the hands are so fast and you can probably guess what happens from there. My practice swing is very fluid and flowing but when I get over the ball you would think I had never swung a golf club before. Any tips that could help a fellow golfer out would be very appreciated.

First, it is mental and nothing can fix that unless you get that area stronger. Second, set up to the like your going to hit the ball, raise the club over the ball, half swing forward then go into your full swing and hit the ball. Lastly, try to have engagment words like for Rory it was Pro cess or Swing full... two word combinations. First word for the backswing and the second for the downswing. Good luck.

Thanks for the feedback, at this point I will try anything. Im playing tomorrow so will see how it goes.

Monte gave me a suggestion this spring that's really helped my game a great deal.... You may be suffering "paralysis by analysis". This can help clear your mind a bit and allow the downswing to happen...

Have ONE thought for the back swing, and ONE thought in the downswing. Try to have them match syllables so you'll have a nice rhythmic swing.

Maybe something like "Rotate left arm" .... "fire right elbow". Or something that fits your swing/thoughts. Good luck.

Getting stuck at the top is an interesting issue. If your backswing has some speed, there should be some "coil" that wants to react back toward the ball. Are your certain your backswing has enough pace to respond in the way of a functional downswing?

try this to clear the mind

[url="http://youtu.be/XWN4TvSyL74"]http://youtu.be/XWN4TvSyL74[/url]

[quote name='Cmartingolf' timestamp='1406262716' post='9780785']
Getting stuck at the top is an interesting issue. If your backswing has some speed, there should be some "coil" that wants to react back toward the ball. Are your certain your backswing has enough pace to respond in the way of a functional downswing?
[/quote]

From what I know the backswing speed is about normal, not too fast and not too slow. I do fell my hands tense up when I get to the top of backswing and that's when I "freeze" up in initiating the downswing.

Hi Pray4par

Did any of the suggestions help or what did you do to overcome it?

I have a son with the exact same problem.

Thank you

> @Bossen said:

> Hi Pray4par

> Did any of the suggestions help or what did you do to overcome it?

> I have a son with the exact same problem.

> Thank you

>

So something else to think about Bossen, is to remove the "pressure" of hitting a shot. By that I mean removing the visual of ball flight by hitting into a net. This is pretty common when working on a new movement pattern in a block style with a lot of internal focus so hopefully it will help some of the shot "anxiety" he may be experiencing. If possible maybe alternate just swinging into a net with shots to a target.

I'm going to go the other way and say it's probably mechanical, it could be a subconscious way to give yourself time to get into a better spot, i.e. you're so steep that if you did fire from there you'd hit way behind the ball etc.

Quick edit, if you watch Barkley is wildly steep at the top and has to pause, if he was to keep going he'd drill himself in the leg or 3 feet behind the ball.

Sounds like a case of instructional overload. How many swing thoughts are too many in a down swing that lasts 1/3rd of a second?

Hideki?

Hopefully he hasnt been stuck at the top for 5 years.

> @Pray4par said:

> So Im a new member to the forum here and was wondering if anyone else may have experienced almost "Charles Barkley-ish" yips that I am currently and have any tips or advice to help cure this. Here's the problem....takeaway is fine but when I get to top of backswing I absolute freeze. I have a very hard time initiating the downswing, my weight goes forward(to my left leg) and when I finally do swing the hands are so fast and you can probably guess what happens from there. My practice swing is very fluid and flowing but when I get over the ball you would think I had never swung a golf club before. Any tips that could help a fellow golfer out would be very appreciated.

I'm guessing the cause of the hesitation to complete the golf swing could be either the fear of failure, or very possibly, some physical issue .

Have you had any sports injury ? it could be your back, hip, knees, hands...… anything that you had in the past or a current issue ?

When you have a physical injury, subconsciously your mind will try to prevent it from harming yourself. If the golf swing will trigger the harm.

The injury may not need to be an obvious one that's hurting you now, it could be an underlying issue. My right shoulder had been bothering me off and on from old injury and the senior's shoulders. This had prevented my from an aggressive move to swing through the golf ball, for years.

Until I had it diagnosed and treated, believe it or not, that shoulder had also been causing my posture to tilt one way without me noticing for a long time.

I have enclosed a video of it where you can see the practice swing, the pre shot routine and then the final swing with the stop at the top.

Did you solve the issue of "Freezing" at the top?  I have the same issue after working on the "pause" drill.  For 3 years, I have had this issue.  I swing to the top and I can feel my grip pressure tighten drastically.  I have tried closing my eyes when hitting, saying two words to sync my swing, and a dropping the club into the slot.  However, I still have it.  I believe it is all mental.

Kyle

Hi same issue here. Practice swing is perfect. Driver swing WITH ball no problem. Hitting it 280-290. Totally freez stop in the backswing, but only with my irons!! Must be in the head. Have 4 i hcp. Bought new clubs and played 99!!!! Thats when it started. Evaluating hypnosis. Tried the «say a name in the back / down swing». Worked for 3 swings. Freezing has been going on for 7 months Will do anything as I love golf. Please help🙏