This Mike Malaska video changed my golf game :) I understand what pivot is now !

[ChrisNH]

The thousand foot view of all this is Malaska understands that all the positions everyone is trying to get into and force to happen start to show up automatically when you simply utilize the momentum of the club head by offsetting it's natural force.

 

Nearly the whole golf industry studies effects, like hold the wrist angle for lag, create an X factor, shift your weight, keep your head down, etc.  Those things are effects that happen automatically when you athletically get in synce with the momentum and weight of the club head and your body athletically offsets all those natural forces as the club swings around.

 

That's why feel is so different than real and the game is so unnecessarilly hard - because the industry talks static positions inside an athletic movement where you have to simply athletically react to those natural forces.

 

If humans analyzed static moments and tried to get into positions when throwing a ball or walking down the stairs we wouldn't be better throwers or walkers.

[PracticeSwinger]

32 minutes ago, ChrisNH said:

Nearly the whole golf industry studies effects, like hold the wrist angle for lag, create an X factor, shift your weight, keep your head down, etc.  Those things are effects that happen automatically when you athletically get in synce with the momentum and weight of the club head and your body athletically offsets all those natural forces as the club swings around.

Good post - and I think the golf industry understands it way better than a few years back; thanks to technology - I guess we are at a crossroad, from positions seeking (static effects; as it was the best instruction possible capturing frames) to being able to 'see' in 3D dynamically where the CoM of the club is going, and how to use the momentum of the clubhead, to reroute it where you want it to be by making different body/arms/hands moves - and getting into the desired positions doing so... 

 

If you know where your clubhead is at all times during your swing, where momentum is taking it, and how to use it to reroute it where you want it to go - you're in the 1% 

[marlon]

To the original poster: thank you, thank you so much... I watched his other video on the movement of the hips but this one solidifies the concepts well.

 

While I can move the right hip away from the ball in the BS, I don't think about moving the left hip back since this is way too fast to think about.  Instead, I've been just waiting for weight to "fall to the left" to initiate the downswing.  The funny thing is, the more you drive the right hip backwards (more hip "turn"), the more you fall left!

 

I am only 2 days into this whole hip feel thing...My question: should I consciously start thinking about pushing the left hip back instead of relying on "falling" left when coming down??  Any drills to help me with this feel? Maybe some 30 yd 7i shots to groove this?  

Edited October 24, 2021 by marlon

[golfarb1]

On 10/24/2021 at 1:09 PM, marlon said:

To the original poster: thank you, thank you so much... I watched his other video on the movement of the hips but this one solidifies the concepts well.

 

While I can move the right hip away from the ball in the BS, I don't think about moving the left hip back since this is way too fast to think about.  Instead, I've been just waiting for weight to "fall to the left" to initiate the downswing.  The funny thing is, the more you drive the right hip backwards (more hip "turn"), the more you fall left!

 

I am only 2 days into this whole hip feel thing...My question: should I consciously start thinking about pushing the left hip back instead of relying on "falling" left when coming down??  Any drills to help me with this feel? Maybe some 30 yd 7i shots to groove this?  

Watch some of the videos on the “ force pedal”

[marlon]

A quick sear

49 minutes ago, golfarb1 said:

Watch some of the videos on the “ force pedal”

A quick search in YT - this round pad is pure gimmick...why not just practice driving the heel into the ground akin to a pitcher digging his left cleat into the ground during a pitch on the mound?  Same action, different sport.

 

Right after watching the Malaska videos, I went out with a PW and this was life changing...hit the sweet spot every cotton picking time and long...OMG.  Today, I was hitting driver - this will take time since the instinctive goat hump raises it's ugly head and throws me off balance.  I have to keep working with the driver before playing.

 

I am not used to coming into impact with perfect spine angle  (head somewhat below address position) and staying down is obviously foreign to me...hence, a nice finish was never possible.

 

I will get this...in due time.  Like tomorrow!

Edited October 25, 2021 by marlon

[golfarb1]

1 hour ago, marlon said:

A quick sear

A quick search in YT - this round pad is pure gimmick...why not just practice driving the heel into the ground akin to a pitcher digging his left cleat into the ground during a pitch on the mound?  Same action, different sport.

 

Right after watching the Malaska videos, I went out with a PW and this was life changing...hit the sweet spot every cotton picking time and long...OMG.  Today, I was hitting driver - this will take time since the instinctive goat hump raises it's ugly head and throws me off balance.  I have to keep working with the driver before playing.

 

I am not used to coming into impact with perfect spine angle  (head somewhat below address position) and staying down is obviously foreign to me...hence, a nice finish was never possible.

 

I will get this...in due time.  Like tomorrow!

Overpriced , yes- simple , yes 

but your response of  “practice driving the heel into the ground ….” has evoked the response that it is meant to teach. 

The vast majority of golfers suffer from poor footwork and fail to use the ground correctly in either loading the trail foot in the backswing or in weighting the lead foot in transition . If this device or others can help golfers do this  correctly  it is cheap even at its current price . 

[liquorandpoker]

Yeah. 

 

This dude is a genius IMO.  Changed my game for the better in a huge way.

 

Went from 13 HC to 2 HC in 8 months using his stuff exclusively.  Swing is MUCH easier on the body and takes less practice.  I know where the ball is going.

 

That was after working the body driven swing from 06-16 and fluctuating 2-10 most of that time - with lots of working at it to achieve results 

 

[marlon]

8 hours ago, liquorandpoker said:

Yeah. 

 

This dude is a genius IMO.  Changed my game for the better in a huge way.

 

Went from 13 HC to 2 HC in 8 months using his stuff exclusively.  Swing is MUCH easier on the body and takes less practice.  I know where the ball is going.

 

That was after working the body driven swing from 06-16 and fluctuating 2-10 most of that time - with lots of working at it to achieve results 

 

Curious, did your swing speed increase? I use a swing speed radar and with the driver and no ball, yesterday my CHS increase by 15 MPH with the addition of that left heel digging into the dirt on the way down! Oh man..my 12.9 hcp is going to drop. I feel it already.

[playit]

1 hour ago, marlon said:

Curious, did your swing speed increase? I use a swing speed radar and with the driver and no ball, yesterday my CHS increase by 15 MPH with the addition of that left heel digging into the dirt on the way down! Oh man..my 12.9 hcp is going to drop. I feel it already.

 

What video did you glean "left heel digging into the dirt on the way down?" I read a lot of this thread but I did not read every page. Are you talking about the video that started this thread or another one?

Edited October 26, 2021 by playit
left out "not"

[marlon]

Yes, I'm referring to the OP vid of moving the left hip away from the ball on the way down. How do you drive your left hip back,  by pressuring your left heel - my mental image of this is a digging of the left heel, or as Malaska states: "the force is going into the left heel."   This was completely foreign to me .

 

With early extenders, the left heel comes up at impact.

Edited October 26, 2021 by marlon

[liquorandpoker]

3 hours ago, marlon said:

Curious, did your swing speed increase? I use a swing speed radar and with the driver and no ball, yesterday my CHS increase by 15 MPH with the addition of that left heel digging into the dirt on the way down! Oh man..my 12.9 hcp is going to drop. I feel it already.

 

I don't know, but my distance increased a bit.  Not sure if clubhead speed or smash factor

[Wasted_Talent]

This is very interesting.  This past weekend I played and was trying to turn my left left as opposed to sliding a bit and early extending.  I was hitting some decent shots that were solid, but still a little higher ball flight.  However, I did notice the better/ lower and more compressed shots felt like I was almost squatted at impact and more more in the shot as opposed to coming out of it.

[Nard_S]

2 minutes ago, Gawbage_man said:

However, I did notice the better/ lower and more compressed shots felt like I was almost squatted at impact and more more in the shot as opposed to coming out of it.

Exactly what you want. 

[Wasted_Talent]

3 minutes ago, Nard_S said:

Exactly what you want. 

 

 

Yes, I figured that but I just couldn't figure out what I did to achieve that feel.  I this thread may have answered that.

[Nard_S]

7 minutes ago, Gawbage_man said:

just couldn't figure out what I did to achieve that feel. 

For me, it's a sense of creating space with hip depth & holding tush line that allows one to stay "squatted" and swing through. I'm always battling the crash of left hip that's too close to ball & then forced to stand up to hit it. This Malaska tip is one that resonates. Up to #5iI do alright, still shaky with longer clubs but really need to devote more to the move.

[liquorandpoker]

On 1/20/2021 at 5:29 AM, ChrisNH said:

The thousand foot view of all this is Malaska understands that all the positions everyone is trying to get into and force to happen start to show up automatically when you simply utilize the momentum of the club head by offsetting it's natural force.

 

Nearly the whole golf industry studies effects, like hold the wrist angle for lag, create an X factor, shift your weight, keep your head down, etc.  Those things are effects that happen automatically when you athletically get in synce with the momentum and weight of the club head and your body athletically offsets all those natural forces as the club swings around.

 

That's why feel is so different than real and the game is so unnecessarilly hard - because the industry talks static positions inside an athletic movement where you have to simply athletically react to those natural forces.

 

If humans analyzed static moments and tried to get into positions when throwing a ball or walking down the stairs we wouldn't be better throwers or walkers.

 

This post is just flat out excellent. 👏👍

[playit]

The video in the OP reminds me someone with a swing I admire. Actually, one of the most amazing swings I have ever seen. He makes a little bump in his downswing and that is his left hip moving as Malaska describes, and it stops, and then the clubhead is delivered. And he absolutely smashes the ball. One of the longest hitters I know. I love to watch his swing. I would kill for that swing and I don't think he even plays anymore.

[Nickc]

On 10/24/2021 at 9:09 PM, marlon said:

Any drills to help me with this feel? Maybe some 30 yd 7i shots to groove this?  

Well..I am a bit old school (and old) and in the back swing lift my left heel slightly and therefore  in transition there is no where for it to go other than "digging into the dirt on the way down" - though not a description I would use or think of!

[golfarb1]

Mr Malaska demonstrating his suggested pivot and impact positions

[marlon]

On 8/27/2020 at 9:14 AM, me05501 said:

 

Dunno about that. To me it seems very similar to the AMG Pros vs Ams video where they demonstrate how pros achieve a "fingerprint" move with their butt cheeks during transition. This is essentially describing the same move, where the trail hip stays in place a little longer and the lead hip moves back to meet it in that plane before the trail hip then rotates around. 

 

 

 

Yes, essentially the same result but the description of the action are radically different...AMG guys talk about rotation, turn, pivot, the standard nonsense of the tail wagging the dog...they failed to assist the viewers, in that, it is the pushing of the left leg BACKWARDS 90 deg to the line of the ball that is causing the left cheek to wipe the glass.

 

I saw this video and it got me started with the right cheek, which is basically causing a dipping of my head in the BS.  Malaska completed it for me with the left hip movement.

[marlon]

I've taken this left hip movement to the short game.  The gurus always say on short chips, weight stays left - why?  Gurus will say:

 

• it assures a descending blow into the ball
• it assures club head speed increases into the ball
• it allows the club to "turn" around the left post.

In my opinion, this is all bad advice.  I can keep weight on my left heel and not move my hip which will cause a slide and a deceleration of the club.  The real purpose of keeping weight on the left heel, according to the principles applied from Malaska's video is....drum roll please...get the dang hip/body out of the way(hip socket goes backwards) so that the goods can get delivered.

 

Same for sand - try this move and it worked wonders today. Again, bravo original poster.

[KD1]

On 8/24/2020 at 4:38 PM, chipa said:

I'm kind of surprised Malaska is talking about this when his other videos speak about the speed coming from the hands and arms almost exclusively and I'm happy that he recognizes the importance of the lower body in generating clubhead speed, although springing off both legs with more emphasis on the right would be preferable imo as opposed to snapping the left leg.

 

I know I'm way late to the ball game but I wanted to push back on this comment. Malaska has said in many videos that speed comes from the lower body. However, I believe he would rather maximize efficiency (literal smash factor) before beginning to worry about stepping on the gas.

 

[nitram]

Glad to see this resurrected. MM's comment about the difference in pushing your left hip backwards as opposed to "popping" the left leg straight and hyper-extending the knee are worth paying attention to. I see several folks who are doing this wrong these days in an attempt to gain more speed and activate ground forces. It's an orthopedic surgeon's dream.

[dvq9654]

I tried this at the range today. Definitely a notable difference on video. Far more open and my rotation looks a bit more natural. I also seem to be more balanced in my finish. Great video. 

[pgetzen]

On 10/26/2021 at 1:02 PM, marlon said:

Yes, essentially the same result but the description of the action are radically different...AMG guys talk about rotation, turn, pivot, the standard nonsense of the tail wagging the dog...they failed to assist the viewers, in that, it is the pushing of the left leg BACKWARDS 90 deg to the line of the ball that is causing the left cheek to wipe the glass.

 

I saw this video and it got me started with the right cheek, which is basically causing a dipping of my head in the BS.  Malaska completed it for me with the left hip movement.

Is the movement pushing the leg 90 degrees back from the target line?  Or is it back and away from the target line?

[marlon]

3 minutes ago, pgetzen said:

Is the movement pushing the leg 90 degrees back from the target line?  Or is it back and away from the target line?

Define away and which leg are you referring to?

[pgetzen]

2 hours ago, marlon said:

Define away and which leg are you referring to?

Right handed golfer, left leg/hip.  Are you supposed to push away directly (i.e. back on a line perpendicular to the target line - if ball is 12:00, push left leg/hip back to 6:00)?  Or back plus away from target (if ball is 12:00, push left leg/hip towards 5:00)?

[liquorandpoker]

26 minutes ago, pgetzen said:

Right handed golfer, left leg/hip.  Are you supposed to push away directly (i.e. back on a line perpendicular to the target line - if ball is 12:00, push left leg/hip back to 6:00)?  Or back plus away from target (if ball is 12:00, push left leg/hip towards 5:00)?

 

Push away from the momentum of the club

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvx05Q1xzok

 

[marlon]

8 hours ago, pgetzen said:

Right handed golfer, left leg/hip.  Are you supposed to push away directly (i.e. back on a line perpendicular to the target line - if ball is 12:00, push left leg/hip back to 6:00)?  Or back plus away from target (if ball is 12:00, push left leg/hip towards 5:00)?

Watch the video in the original post. It's moving back in a perpendicular line or whatever your body allows of course. But you certainly don't want to slide the hips left/right...the push backwards will CAUSE the "rotation" of your core, hips etc.

[RoyalMustang]

I have been playing around with this; my problem is that I tend to slide forward. When I get good loading (right hip back, weight on back heel) and almost feel like my front foot is balanced on my tie, then rotate back through, it takes my arms out of the equation and lets me deliver them to the ball, almost effortlessly.  Otherwise, I get an early hand flip, but if I really sync up the right leg drive with pulling that left hip around and out, watch out. 

I practiced this at the range earlier this week and I was flushing every shot.  It forced me to get through the ball and not rush my hands.  Too much and I can "spin out" but coordinating it with a good rear hip drive yielded good results.  

 

My wife has been telling me to do this for a year (she is a DPT and has a ton of biomechanical knowledge) but it was the "heel pull back" feel that really clicked. She had me trying to clear with my hip and oblique, but that had me moving forward.  The key is going straight back, as the right leg drive takes care of the weight shift.