'Connected'?

[rksquire]

With longer clubs recently I've been trying to correct a push fade - I was advised one of my (many) issues was that I appeared to become disconnected in my swing, so have tried to create the feeling that my upper left arm (I'm RH) remains connected through takeaway, backswing and impact - this has resulted in either a straight pull or a pull fade but seems to be more reliable.

Apart from the 'pull', is there any advice on the pressure that this connection should produce - should my arm be pushing into my chest or simply brushing by it? I also read over the weekend that the right arm should also remain connected - haven't really consciously tried this yet but in my head I think this might be a bit restrictive?

As always, any help/ advice appreciated?

 

[bobmac]

so have tried to create the feeling that my upper left arm (I'm RH) remains connected through takeaway, backswing and impact - this has resulted in either a straight pull or a pull fade but seems to be more reliable.

I would say keeping the upper left arm against the chest at impact is not doing you any good at all, it certainly wont cure a pushfade
I'm sure others will disagree with me though

 

[CMAC]

I would say keeping the upper left arm against the chest at impact is not doing you any good at all, it certainly wont cure a pushfade
I'm sure others will disagree with me though

not me! keeping your left arm connected to your chest can only hinder and slow down your swing imo, your arms travel faster than your chest!

 

[Foxholer]

I think the term 'connected' can be interpreted too literally.

'Stuck fast to' definitely seems a bad idea. But the 'brushing by' that you mention seems the intention.

I believe, though with the usual disclaimer, that it's more 'left arm back, right arm down' that is the 'method'. I agree with Bob that left arm against chest at impact is too restrictive in the 'normal' swing. And worth noting that this is an area where 1PS and 2PS are significantly different, so what works for one can be bad for the other! Connection throughout the swing is more a 1PS attribute.

 

[JustOne]

Sounds like you are misinterpreting the term 'connected'.

I can give you a couple of 'feels' and hopefully that will help. Sounds like your rotation with your chest is stopping/slowing and that is what's causing the disconnection.

1) Left arm only swing: put the fingers of your right hand under your left armpit and squash them a little. Make a left arm swing so you feel that pressure is maintained on the fingers throughout the entire swing (after you've hit the imaginary ball) until late in the follow thru when your left arm hinges up - that is being connected. Your chest MUST turn and keep turning way past the 'hit' otherwise that pressure is lost thru impact, then the arms disconnect and fly down the line rather than around with your chest in an arc.

2) Imagine that someone is standing to your right side and THEY are reaching across the front of your chest and they have their hand under your left armpit and they are pulling you into your backswing and then trying to STOP you making a downswing turn by holding onto your armpit... that resistence is the pulling feeling you should have with your upper body all the way thru the ball with your left arm 'pressurising' your left armpit... you can let the left arm fall down your chest into impact but the pressure in the left chest/armpit remains.

A two plane swinger or someone who throws the club down the line (or a caster or flipper) won't have these feelings because they can't pressure the armpit for the whole swing whist swinging their arms... the armpit pressure is lost and they rely on some timing/flipping/rolling of the club into impact to square the face rather than the feeling of the clubface being an 'extension' of the armpit (eg: when the armpit turns the face will square).

 

[Hooper]

Sounds like you are misinterpreting the term 'connected'.

I can give you a couple of 'feels' and hopefully that will help. Sounds like your rotation with your chest is stopping/slowing and that is what's causing the disconnection.

1) Left arm only swing: put the fingers of your right hand under your left armpit and squash them a little. Make a left arm swing so you feel that pressure is maintained on the fingers throughout the entire swing (after you've hit the imaginary ball) until late in the follow thru when your left arm hinges up - that is being connected. Your chest MUST turn and keep turning way past the 'hit' otherwise that pressure is lost thru impact, then the arms disconnect and fly down the line rather than around with your chest in an arc.

2) Imagine that someone is standing to your right side and THEY are reaching across the front of your chest and they have their hand under your left armpit and they are pulling you into your backswing and then trying to STOP you making a downswing turn by holding onto your armpit... that resistence is the pulling feeling you should have with your upper body all the way thru the ball with your left arm 'pressurising' your left armpit... you can let the left arm fall down your chest into impact but the pressure in the left chest/armpit remains.

A two plane swinger or someone who throws the club down the line (or a caster or flipper) won't have these feelings because they can't pressure the armpit for the whole swing whist swinging their arms... the armpit pressure is lost and they rely on some timing/flipping/rolling of the club into impact to square the face rather than the feeling of the clubface being an 'extension' of the armpit (eg: when the armpit turns the face will square).

Nice...very nice JO. I will give that a go up the range this week. I know my chest stops turning through impact.

 

[rksquire]

Thanks - this is very useful, I probably didn't do a very good job of explaining what I was trying to do but as it turns it wasn't giving me the results or feeling that JustOne gives above. In terms of the 'resistance' on the downswing (to be fair I'm sitting at a computer and not able to go through the motions!) is this because the chest/body is powering and accelerating the arms and club and if so, is there a point before impact that the arms could contribute further acceleration by decreasing that resistance (by moving towards the target)? Excuse my naivety!

 

[SocketRocket]

I would say keeping the upper left arm against the chest at impact is not doing you any good at all, it certainly wont cure a pushfade
I'm sure others will disagree with me though

Bob,

Where would you suggest the upper left arm should be at impact?

 

[JustOne]

Yes and no.... you put your arms into it once the club gets down to waist high, but your armpit is still connected and still turning, almost as if the more your hands come down to the ball the more they push your left armpit backwards.

It's important to understand that we don't swing like the hands of a clock, the club doesn't go past towards the target like hands on a clock, this position is very wrong...

What actually happens is the armpit leads the arms as it turns left, the arms then lead the grip which in turn leads the clubhead, more like this....

The clubhead doesn't catch up to the hands/grip until late in the swing once we finally stop turning our upper body (when the chest is approx facing the target). Most important feeling is the chest doesn't stop turning and pressure is maintained in the left armpit until after the ball is nicely gone.


The flying wedge drill is pretty good but you have to realise that it's a drill and it's for a shortened 'practicing' connected swing to kind of get the feeling. It's not QUITE how the full shot is hit. The flying wedge drill is a bit 'punchy' because the shoulders (left armpit) slow down too soon, it's not FULL.

[video=youtube;F9c57NhZFl8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9c57NhZFl8[/video]

(I know I ramble but it's hard to describe feelings and movements in words)

 

[G1BB0]

I was hiting pretty well just using the flying wedge drill. if you do this too much how hard is the transition to a full swing James?

 

[JustOne]

Quite easy Steve.... if you're doing the drill properly!!!! It's probably impossible to do too many flying wedge drills. The drill is a bit punchy, just a half swing punch where your body ends up facing the target (if you're turning properly). In the full swing you would have some upper body tilt away from the target (legs and hips go forward whilst the head stays back.......)

(look at the background rocks behind his left thigh)

at which point the 'wedge angle' is impossible to hold on to as the club head will weigh in excess of 100lbs, so you just turn through to a finish If you get impact correct you will get the follow thru correct.