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Get your arm swing and pivot in sync


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By Dan Carraher (iteachgolf), GolfWRX Featured Writer

 

One of the largest problems most golfers face is the hands and arms not moving in sync with their pivots. This causes all kinds of issues with both how they will pivot and the ball flight that will result.

 

I see far more golfers whose arms move too slow than too fast. When this happens, multiple issues arise. I will discuss these first, and then will discuss a drill and some ideas designed to address these issues.

 

When the arms swing too slowly, two general things will happen: The arms will end up too far behind the pivot (common with better players) or the arms won't work down or forward fast enough and will be carried too far out by the pivot. These moves create two different results, but the root cause is the same. As a compensation, many golfers will either pull their arms across their bodies in an effort to get their arms back in front (the case of arms being too far behind the pivot), wiping across the ball and steepening the angle of attack. The other common compensation when the arms don't work down and forward soon enough is to dump all their leverage in an attempt to reach the ball and get their path more in-to-out. If this sounds like you, I have something I want you to try.

 

This is a drill to train you to keep your arms more in sync with your pivot and working faster, which has the other benefit of helping you hit the ball farther. I want you to make some swings with both arms straight from side-to-side about hip-high to hip-high. The key part of this is I want you to set/c0ck the club fully, but do it without bending your arms. The majority of golfers over-bend their trailing arm in the backswing and the leading arm in the follow-through. This drill will force the club to stay in front of you and teach you to separate cocking the lead wrist and folding the arms. The sensation while doing the drill will be that it is very army, but if both arms stay straight while doing it, the club will stay in front of you and you will pivot back and through.

 

You can't swing the club with your arms straight without turning -- it's not possible. The turn will happen subconsciously. The goal here is to swing the arms while keeping them straight and set the club from hip-high to hip-high as fast as possible. This drill is done without a ball, and meant to be done with speed once you feel comfortable with the motion.

Once you feel comfortable doing it without a ball, I want you to go hit balls while maintaining the same feel while keeping your arms below chest-high. If you were to film these swings, I expect the trailing arm to fold slightly in the backswing and the lead arm to fold slightly on the through swing.

 

The wrists will c0ck the club slower and later than it feels (it will be very gradual). I also expect the swing to be longer than you feel like it is and the ball will go farther than you expect it. The body will pivot back and through, but it will be doing so as a reaction to the arms swinging while extended. The faster the arms swing, the faster you will/can pivot and the farther the ball will go. This will create a shorter, more efficient and more in-sync swing allowing for consistency and hopefully lower scores.

 

Golf-Sync-2.jpg

 

Golf-Sync-1.jpg

 

Above are examples of a golf swing that has both arms are extended with the club setting in backswing and through the ball. The arm swing is in-sync with the pivoting of the body.

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Good stuff Dan...this sounds like a drill/feel that would would support the concept behind the Swing Shirt. Dan, do you consider this to be a viable/good training aid to assist in gaining the feel you describe of snyc the arms and body? [url="http://www.golfswingshirt.com/"]http://www.golfswingshirt.com/[/url]

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I would suggest that there are two relatively easy ways to keep the arms in synch with the pivot. One is to allow the pivot to be a response to the swinging of the arms. So long as it is a response it will be in synch. The second is to relax the arms and allow them to be moved by the pivot. Either works.

Difficulties arise when the golfer tries to consciously pivot and consciously swing their arms at the same time. Then the golfer has to also figure out how to make them move together.

Steve

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great tip. that looks like James Hahn in the pictures btw.

RYAN

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Very nice piece Dan. Thank you.

I suspect I am subject to both faults you describe in para 3 at times so I look forward to giving this a try.

During a real quick 'test/demo' indoors, it felt as if I had to excessively extend my left shoulder/upper arm to allow room for my right arm to remain straight in the backswing. I do not feel the opposing sensation on the follow through. Is this a normal comment you hear from folks you introduce to this drill or am I likely performing the drill incorrectly?

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[quote name='FairwayGolfUSA.com' timestamp='1360719966' post='6417115']
great tip. that looks like James Hahn in the pictures btw.

RYAN
[/quote]

It is :)

And to DAN's article - guilty as charged. Dominate arms in backswing that traveled too far and broke down - then because they were too far behind traveled or were flung from the top outward loosing the angle... I've been working on the same thing as prescribed - and for me had to "deaden" the arms on the takeaway as they were overly active.

Great info!

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[quote name='russc' timestamp='1360732396' post='6418623']
How is this as another example
[media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq85IzLhkv8[/media]
[/quote]

I would venture not a good example because the club is not setting fast enough. From my understanding the wrists should be fully set with both arms straight (as can be) by the time left arm is parallel to the ground. Rickie has a much later set than prescribed for the drill.

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[quote name='WT Door' timestamp='1360731132' post='6418527']
Very nice piece Dan. Thank you.

I suspect I am subject to both faults you describe in para 3 at times so I look forward to giving this a try.

During a real quick 'test/demo' indoors, it felt as if I had to excessively extend my left shoulder/upper arm to allow room for my right arm to remain straight in the backswing. I do not feel the opposing sensation on the follow through. Is this a normal comment you hear from folks you introduce to this drill or am I likely performing the drill incorrectly?
[/quote]
How long of a swing are you trying to make? Should be able to get to hip high and keep arms straight. Once you get to chest high the right arm will bend. But the drill is to make short swing.

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[quote name='russc' timestamp='1360732396' post='6418623']
How is this as another example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq85IzLhkv8
[/quote]
Club is too steep going back for the length of swing described. There isn't time to shallow the club that much. He is an example of width and someone who's right arm never gets behind him.
If you're doing this right, even though the pivot is responding to the straight arms and not consciously doing anything, due to there being a tiny armswing the pivot will kick in hard. Faster you swing the arms the harder you'll pivot. You can't keep your arms straight and move the club any length without turning.

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This is definitely the most helpful swing article I've read here - mostly because it is most relevant to me. Historically my arms have lead the pivot and go well past parallel and end up getting stuck on the way down or flipping. This is a great drill to help me feel like I'm using the big muscles in the swing. I also try to feel the my hands are always in front of my sternum back and through the swing to keep them in sync. Thanks Dan.

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[quote name='iteachgolf' timestamp='1360757468' post='6419255'] [quote name='WT Door' timestamp='1360731132' post='6418527'] Very nice piece Dan. Thank you. I suspect I am subject to both faults you describe in para 3 at times so I look forward to giving this a try. During a real quick 'test/demo' indoors, it felt as if I had to excessively extend my left shoulder/upper arm to allow room for my right arm to remain straight in the backswing. I do not feel the opposing sensation on the follow through. Is this a normal comment you hear from folks you introduce to this drill or am I likely performing the drill incorrectly? [/quote] How long of a swing are you trying to make? Should be able to get to hip high and keep arms straight. Once you get to chest high the right arm will bend. But the drill is to make short swing. [/quote]

That was exactly it - thank you again.

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Good read Dan.

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