Best drill for hitting from over the top

[white_feather]

I've been watching this guy, Zac Allen on youtube and i found his swing drill for hitting over the top to be quite interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P38JNe-HMsM
do you better players consciously move the club down your back as you begin your down swing?

I know reading Ben Hogan in his book talks about returning the club on a plane lower than which you took it away from the ball but i found it difficult to picture.

However this dropping the club sensation really seems to make sense, any thoughts?

 

[CMAC]

I can't picture this "move the club down your back as you begin your down swing" you mention.

I learned from John Jacobs book and he drew a sheet of glass going through your shoulders to the ball, if you take it outside the glass on the way back or especially the downswing you'll break the glass. It's a good swingthought but be carefull not to start going to far inside to avoid the glass as that creates other issues.

 

[timchump]

My aim this season was to get rid of my over the top movement, im slowly getting there.....

The Zac Allen video makes sense to me, its along the lines of the drills etc ive read about

The two swing thoughts that have helped most for me is:

1) At the top of the back swing the club head should fall away back behind you, away from the ball.
If it does this you can't help but hit it from the inside, if it goes towards the ball your in trouble straight away.

2) The shaft angle shallows out / flattens in the fist move from the top, this allows the club head to fall behind you.

It feels very strange and ive hit a lot of bad shots, thins, blocks shanks etc, but on the videop the swing looks good, so im sticking with it

My pro said i will have to activley start releasing my hands more as people who come over the top tend to hold the club face open in the downswing.


So yep id go with it, but don't expect immediate results if your anything like me,

 

[power fade]

Had/still have on occasions same issue. I cant find link atm for drill, but a drill i use is to put an alignment stick or similar on/thru butt of the club handle and when making downswing imagine stick aiming/staying on target line till you uncock wrists and strike ball.

With ott swing the stick will be aiming well left of target line

I use this as a swingthought at top of b/swing and that first movement is key i find to starting downswind on correct path - wish i could find link as its easier to see than explain

 

[CMAC]

stick a long white tee in the top of the grip

 

[Foxholer]

Bob's Headcover drill is pretty good at encouraging a better downswing for over-the-top-ers. Though the cause could well be earlier in the swing, so better fixed 'at source' imo!

 

[Jensen]

This was an area where I struggled for years. I would start the downswing at the top by throwing my right shoulder out ( Im right handed) causing me to come over the top. I asked various people what started the downswing and strangely they could never identify it or explain it. Well now finally a while ago I learnt and was told from various pros. At the top of the swing the downswing starts with a weight shift to the left, ie a subtle bump with the left hip towards the target, this in turn then naturally pulls the arms down on the correct inside plane.
The previous posts are correct regarding the plane of glass on an angle and also to use canes set up as the same angle as the shaft, where at half way back the shaft end should point at the target line, ie correspond to the angle of the cane stuck in the ground.
I don't think about my arms coming down behind my back, it happens naturally when you shift you weight by the subtle bump forwards to the target. It pulls the arms down on a shallower plane compared to when they were taken back.
Try it now at home even without a club, take your posture then swing the arms back and from the top bump your hip slightly towards the target and you will feel and see them fall down on a shallower plane. From the top bump forwards and just bring your arms down to the half way point. Then take them to the top of the swing and repeat. You will feel the arms coming down on a shallower plane, ie more towards your back.O
If like me you've been throwing your shoulder out and coming over the top for a while it will feel strange when at the top of the swing you start to bump your weight forward. But with practice it will become in grooved and become second nature, from there muscle memory will then kick in as it becomes natural.

 

[Zimkitch]

Despite being a useful single figure player for many years, I've got the best part of 25 years of OTT action ingrained in the swing.
Agree with everything JENSEN says and believe it to be exactly where the answer lies BUT (personally) find it very difficult to put in motion. Works and looks beautiful in a segmented practice swing but when making an actual swing at the ball the desired "bump" becomes more of a slide. First time of seeing Zac Allen's theory so will be giving that a try next.

 

[Wolfman]

Like many, this fault was with me for a while as i had never had the downswing explained until i had studied the swing in more detail

even my last bunch of lessons last year the Pro kept suggesting dropping the club down but also the hip bump and neither helped me at all. ( rubbish Pro )

Then i think it was a Paul Wilson and maybe Mark Crossfield video online that showed the start of the backswing with a turn of the belt buckle towards the target, this with the weight shift and then along came the arms more inside for the ride !

Wow this now works and is my swing thought if the shoulders misbehave.


Another important point is swinging through the ball and keeping the connected arms after impact to avoid the snap hook or chicken wing arm faults

 

[Foxholer]

Balance id the key to me. I don't believe a slight OTT swing is any worse than an equivalent 'stuck inside' one. It's only the fact that it's a more common problem and perceived to be a fault of the poorer golfer that it's given the greater emphasis.

@Jensen. I'm not sure whether 'shallower' is the best description. Perhaps better to describe it as dropping then staying below the plane. It has to be 'steep' somewhere during that process in order for it to be shallower for most of the down-swing. Sergio Garcia is an obvious example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xijAJcyT2Zc

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28ouYHYAYgQ

 

[garyinderry]

overswing makes me swing OTT !