Mike Malaska - Getting the club in front of you. Made easy...

[starsail85]

 

 

No wonder Faldo says in the video of his drill that he practiced this "till the cows come home"--- It is really hard to get there consistently but even if you're off a bit you're going to have significantly better misses and better ball strikes.

 

If your margin for error is so small you will always have off days in your swing when you cant hit much fairways or greens oh snap that does happen to the tour pros wonder why?

When you seen Faldo hit a 6i into the ground 3 inches behind the ball in front of a row of pros you understand why he needed to practice as he lost his swing feel with Leadbetter.

If you dont ask the right questions you get the wrong answers.

 

Why do you continually harp on about Faldo being ruined by leadbetter? You do realise that he moulded Faldos swing into a great swing that played great golf from 87 through to 97 . Yes he lost his way after his two wins in 97 and took a backward step technique wise but he was back contending in majors by 2000

 

I take it you never saw his golf between 87 and 97?

[glk]

Piece on shortening swing, tempo, & rhythm.

 

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[Shilgy]

Piece on shortening swing, tempo, & rhythm.

 

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Geez-now that makes waaaaaay too much sense. That was perfect.

[mmbaines1982]

^ great video. As someone whose swing can get a little long, this resonates with me. I've noticed that at times my swing feels more "crisp" when I speed up my tempo, but it doesn't feel like my natural tempo. This swing thought hopefully will help me keep my natural rhythm and keep my swing from getting too long. Thanks for posting that!

[Millbrook]

Many thanks for that.

 

Just today I was taking practice swings outside after watching a video where I thought that swing is just 'one flowing motion' and trying to find my own tempo to make it work.

 

Perfect insight just at the right time. Have a virtual pint on me glk.

[glk]

Many thanks for that.

 

Just today I was taking practice swings outside after watching a video where I thought that swing is just 'one flowing motion' and trying to find my own tempo to make it work.

 

Perfect insight just at the right time. Have a virtual pint on me glk.

 

Thanks. Let's see what is possible? Have a couple of cases of assorted goodies that I must start to diminish.

 

 

 

[glk]

getting shallow. could see a lot of interesting stuff happening when folks start slinging large baskets of balls around their living rooms.

 

[Shipwreck]

getting shallow. could see a lot of interesting stuff happening when folks start slinging large baskets of balls around their living rooms.

 

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Monte's "Zipper Away Drill" in action!

[BKN1964]

I haven't read all 27 pages yet, but I was playing around with this at the range this evening. I'd "discovered" this a few months back; while just taking slow-motion swings in my basement and rolling my arms over at the bottom of my swing, I would have expected the head of the club to go up and over the ball. Instead, it dropped down and whipped through the bottom. At the range I was trying my hardest to roll the club over the ball and miss it completely. Best I could manage was a solid strike with a really hard draw. Seems to be another case of things being exactly the opposite of what you'd expect with the golf swing.

[CrabDaddy]

I think this shows, again, that MM's videos are not for mass consumption. The backswing might fix itself in Giulia's swing, but, considering the takeaway is a directed action with no reactive component, a lot of golfers would never fix their problem. I agree with the message that intent in the backswing helps get you into position for the downswing, but IMHO you have to be in the right neighborhood to begin with (hand path, clubhead outside hands, shoulder plane, etc...).

 

She has an awesome swing, btw. Would be very cool to see some of his students contending on Sunday.

[larssonlegend]

I think this shows, again, that MM's videos are not for mass consumption. The backswing might fix itself in Giulia's swing, but, considering the takeaway is a directed action with no reactive component, a lot of golfers would never fix their problem. I agree with the message that intent in the backswing helps get you into position for the downswing, but IMHO you have to be in the right neighborhood to begin with (hand path, clubhead outside hands, shoulder plane, etc...).

 

She has an awesome swing, btw. Would be very cool to see some of his students contending on Sunday.

 

I think MM's teachings are very similar to Shawn Clement , a lot of let momentum do the work, throwing the ball , get out of the way analogy . Shawn talks about backswing being continuation of a perpetual swing so think dynamically that the backswing is just a through swing coming back for one more cycle then it has a reactive component.

[CrabDaddy]

I think this shows, again, that MM's videos are not for mass consumption. The backswing might fix itself in Giulia's swing, but, considering the takeaway is a directed action with no reactive component, a lot of golfers would never fix their problem. I agree with the message that intent in the backswing helps get you into position for the downswing, but IMHO you have to be in the right neighborhood to begin with (hand path, clubhead outside hands, shoulder plane, etc...).

 

She has an awesome swing, btw. Would be very cool to see some of his students contending on Sunday.

 

I think MM's teachings are very similar to Shawn Clement , a lot of let momentum do the work, throwing the ball , get out of the way analogy . Shawn talks about backswing being continuation of a perpetual swing so think dynamically that the backswing is just a through swing coming back for one more cycle then it has a reactive component.

I think it's a good concept to think/feel ahead to what you're trying to accomplish in your downswing. But, if you're sucking the clubhead way inside or have too much lift in your arms, as examples, during the takeaway, the backswing won't fix itself.

I'm sure that being more mindful of the club's momentum can benefit many golfers. From that standpoint, there are probably similarities to MDLT's teachings. My only point was that MM's info in the videos isn't going to apply to everybody.

[larson92]

Folks, I posted this in a new thread because of this one becoming so large and unwieldy. Here is the link: http://www.golfwrx.c...ng-theory-help/

 

For convenience, I have copied it below---but please respond in the new thread:

 

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For those of you who have had success with the Mike Malaska Swing Theory, please help me understand it by correcting or confirming my understanding below. (Note that this is based solely on my sifting through the original thread and watching a lot of Mike Malaska's videos----so please do not take it as Gospel!)

 

First: Backswing includes an early hinge (i.e. radial flexion) of the wrists. (This is what MM refers to as the "First Corner," although there may be more to it than just the early hinge.)

 

Second: At the start of the downswing, there is a slight "turn the steering wheel to the left" of the hands to prevent the clubhead from getting too far behind you.

 

Third: After the steering wheel turn above, the arms and club drop basically straight down due to gravity and the left arm slides down the chest while the rest of the body stays still. The "left arm slide" may feel like a bit of a roll due to the "turn the steering wheel to the left" part earlier. This combination of these two is supposed to get the clubhead out in front of the right shoulder. The arm and club drop is very much like Shawn Clement's gravity-drop downswing or Monte's "Bump, Dump, and Turn"---although MM never says anything about any kind of "Bump" (a la Monte) or "Getting out of the way" (a la Shawn Clement).

 

Fourth: At some point in the arm/club drop above (and I'm not sure where exactly this is), the body starts turning to the left. (This is what MM refers to as the "Second Corner.") ---and this combined with natural (and automatic) wrist motion is your real power source. It is supposed to feel like the hands do nothing at this point. The club stays in front of the right shoulder.

 

Fifth: After impact, the wrists re-hinge. This is what MM refers to as the "Third Corner."

 

Again, please share your wisdom and knowledge!

[BdaGolfer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzKZjIl5f9Y

 

Probably included earlier, but here is MM talking about the "3 corners and a flat spot". Good video.

[juliette91]

Folks, I posted this in a new thread because of this one becoming so large and unwieldy. Here is the link: http://www.golfwrx.c...ng-theory-help/

 

For convenience, I have copied it below---but please respond in the new thread:

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For those of you who have had success with the Mike Malaska Swing Theory, please help me understand it by correcting or confirming my understanding below. (Note that this is based solely on my sifting through the original thread and watching a lot of Mike Malaska's videos----so please do not take it as Gospel!)

 

First: Backswing includes an early hinge (i.e. radial flexion) of the wrists. (This is what MM refers to as the "First Corner," although there may be more to it than just the early hinge.)

 

Second: At the start of the downswing, there is a slight "turn the steering wheel to the left" of the hands to prevent the clubhead from getting too far behind you.

 

Third: After the steering wheel turn above, the arms and club drop basically straight down due to gravity and the left arm slides down the chest while the rest of the body stays still. The "left arm slide" may feel like a bit of a roll due to the "turn the steering wheel to the left" part earlier. This combination of these two is supposed to get the clubhead out in front of the right shoulder. The arm and club drop is very much like Shawn Clement's gravity-drop downswing or Monte's "Bump, Dump, and Turn"---although MM never says anything about any kind of "Bump" (a la Monte) or "Getting out of the way" (a la Shawn Clement).

 

Fourth: At some point in the arm/club drop above (and I'm not sure where exactly this is), the body starts turning to the left. (This is what MM refers to as the "Second Corner.") ---and this combined with natural (and automatic) wrist motion is your real power source. It is supposed to feel like the hands do nothing at this point. The club stays in front of the right shoulder.

 

Fifth: After impact, the wrists re-hinge. This is what MM refers to as the "Third Corner."

 

Again, please share your wisdom and knowledge!

 

Not sure I'm qualified to help but I have had success with MM swing theory---but not the theory that you're talking about in your post. The theory MM talks about that I've adopted well is this big idea that the swing is a constant flow, action/reaction and swing positions are more of a hindrance to learning a good swing than a help. What I've done is basically given up on trying to achieve certain swing positions and instead focussed my energy on the idea of starting the downswing before I complete the backswing, achieving the distance I want out of clubs by starting the downswing earlier than I would with a longer backswing and always keeping in mind the idea of a flowing swing, a series of dynamic motions. Yes, and I do not have anything close to a perfect swing---and I am not always hitting it where I want it---but it has made the game much more fun!!

[ruascott]

Piece on shortening swing, tempo, & rhythm.

 

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I have watched endless YouTube lessons from teachers. Mike is in a class by his own. Everything he talks about clicks immediately.

 

This thread has done more for my game than years of lessons and studying

[Hoganstriker]

Malaska works well for me I like his teachings. You don't have to be a great athlete to have success with it either.

[Greyboy]

Initially what caught my attention was the video of him with Margarita, and how the swing was really just that motion seen at 2:00 mins into

, keeping the club in front of the body while rotating. At one point he asks her to notice what her hands are doing, nothing she replies and he says that's what's meant when people say to have quiet hands. I think I initially misinterpreted this.

 

I went to the range with this and had some success, but nothing ground breaking. I couldn't get it going with the driver but seemed to work ok with my irons.

 

Then a couple days later I noticed in other videos him saying how the hands are extremely active, and that 90% of the speed is created by the hands, how the pros use their hands a ton (in the correct way) the body just helps a little. Toski also touched upon this in one of the videos with him showing how he can hit a ball very far without using his body, and how students should learn that before getting the body involved.

 

I practiced some swings at my house focusing on the turning of the racquet (or steering wheel) theory rotation from the top. I got a feeling of basically pushing each hand towards each other from the top. It seemed to generate a ton of speed, easier on the body and that I was more so guiding momentum rather than trying to create it. I went to the range again and definitely saw some incredible shots with my irons. What felt like shorter more compact swings and abbreviated finishes were hitting towering iron shots (for me). It wasn't all gravy as I hit a bunch of pulls as usual, but the good ones were basically as good as I've seen them come off my clubface. I still had difficulty doing it with the driver.

 

I took some videos of myself and though it feels like a drastically different swing, my body positions and goat humping still exist

[cardoustie]

Initially what caught my attention was the video of him with Margarita, and how the swing was really just that motion seen at 2:00 mins into

, keeping the club in front of the body while rotating. At one point he asks her to notice what her hands are doing, nothing she replies and he says that's what's meant when people say to have quiet hands. I think I initially misinterpreted this.

 

I went to the range with this and had some success, but nothing ground breaking. I couldn't get it going with the driver but seemed to work ok with my irons.

 

Then a couple days later I noticed in other videos him saying how the hands are extremely active, and that 90% of the speed is created by the hands, how the pros use their hands a ton (in the correct way) the body just helps a little. Toski also touched upon this in one of the videos with him showing how he can hit a ball very far without using his body, and how students should learn that before getting the body involved.

 

I practiced some swings at my house focusing on the turning of the racquet (or steering wheel) theory roration from the top. I got a feeling of basically pushing each hand in the opposite direction from the top. It seemed to generate a ton of speed, easier on the body and that I was more so guiding momentum rather than trying to create it. I went to the range again and definitely saw some incredible shots with my irons. What felt like shorter more compact swings and abbreviated finishes were hitting towering iron shots (for me). It wasn't all gravy as I hit a bunch of pulls as usual, but the good ones were basically as good as I've seen them come off my clubface. I still had difficulty doing it with the driver.

 

I took some videos of myself and though it feels like a drastically different swing, my body positions and goat humping still exist

 

I know that if I am not rotating my forearms and I am trying to be too square back and thru . .I AM DEAD

[Hoganstriker]

I don't know if Malaska is a proponent of hitting with both feet together. To me it's similar to hitting in a chair. I like that drill.

[Millbrook]

New video, same info as seen before but worth a look;

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvjQHEhn5kU&feature=em-subs_digest

[Webby58]

Thanks for sharing. This is amazing stuff :good:

 

New video, same info as seen before but worth a look;

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvjQHEhn5kU&feature=em-subs_digest

[gators78]

Thanks for sharing. This is amazing stuff :good:

 

New video, same info as seen before but worth a look;

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvjQHEhn5kU&feature=em-subs_digest

 

Say what you want about the material, but Mike is probably the best communicator of what to do in a swing, boy does he make it sound easy.

[harolease]

Great thread. Didn't read all the pages but the first couple of video of MM showing how to keep the club in front of me really resonates to help my swing.

It looks like he knows what he's talking about and many videos to view.

[Divot License]

Not swing related but I admire Mike's support of thr LPGA players.

http://youtu.be/7tsr7-n4zMw

[TheGeekGolfer]

His communication skills are excellent. Really easy to watch and understand.

[Hot Rod 71]

His communication skills are excellent. Really easy to watch and understand.

 

To me that's what really sets a great teacher apart from good ones.

[endy]

Hands do not swing at the ball. This is my biggest hang-up. Great videos. Been watching a lot from Mike and Monte, great advice, great guys.

[wybrh]

Wow really interesting stuff. I'm going to experiment with the three corners concept. Can't hurt with the way I'm swinging now.

[triplebogeyblues]

I think this shows, again, that MM's videos are not for mass consumption. The backswing might fix itself in Giulia's swing, but, considering the takeaway is a directed action with no reactive component, a lot of golfers would never fix their problem. I agree with the message that intent in the backswing helps get you into position for the downswing, but IMHO you have to be in the right neighborhood to begin with (hand path, clubhead outside hands, shoulder plane, etc...).

 

She has an awesome swing, btw. Would be very cool to see some of his students contending on Sunday.

 

I think MM's teachings are very similar to Shawn Clement , a lot of let momentum do the work, throwing the ball , get out of the way analogy . Shawn talks about backswing being continuation of a perpetual swing so think dynamically that the backswing is just a through swing coming back for one more cycle then it has a reactive component.

I think it's a good concept to think/feel ahead to what you're trying to accomplish in your downswing. But, if you're sucking the clubhead way inside or have too much lift in your arms, as examples, during the takeaway, the backswing won't fix itself.

I'm sure that being more mindful of the club's momentum can benefit many golfers. From that standpoint, there are probably similarities to MDLT's teachings. My only point was that MM's info in the videos isn't going to apply to everybody.

 

Completely unrelated, but I use your same image on my football teams forum, as it's very appropriate, the Jags. Good stuff.