Golf Movement
Golf is such a peculiar sport, it complains when there is too much movement, it complains when there is too little movement. Starting from the ankle, knee, hip, waist, upper torso, shoulder, arm, elbow, wrist, there is not a single piece that connect the grip of the golf club to the ground that can be neglected or ignored.
If I could invent something beneficial to golfers, I should invent some devices that lock portion of these "hinges" to appropriate degree of freedom. Too much knee movement may cause an overswing, too much hip movement may introduce a hook or slice, too much wrist movement may affect accuracy, too little shoulder turn may lead to a fat shot, too little weight-shift may sacrifice distance... These devices could be as simple as two boards or planks that bandaged together and lock these "hinges" and prevent unnecessary movement except the desire directions.
I have not seen any of these products in the overwhelming golfing-aids market yet. Either these devices are simply not designable or no golfer willing to robotize oneself. I guess I would like to be a robot when I play golf, after all, isn't that every golfer pray and ask for accuracy, distance and consistency?
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Golf Directions
Thinking about my golfing experience, I started learning golf by swinging in the air. By swinging in the air I meant I intended to hit the ball, but I had used too much body-raise to help lifting the ball, thus early body raise had caused me to swing the empty air above and missed the ball often.
I learned to hit the ball at last, but I also learned to slice it. There was a time where I could swing nothing but slicing. I sliced it so horribly that the ball flight really looked like banana shape. I tried to help cure the slicing by pulling the swing path to the left. By doing so I created an over the top and pulling swing. The more I pulled, the more I sliced. Eventually, I could turn and face left to the target, sliced a shot and the ball might have reached the target that was on my right. I was thinking it would be really something if I could hit a boomerang shot where the ball would return to the starting point where I teed off. If you know golf well enough, you will understand that this is a sport where the ball often does not go the way you want.
After months of trials and errors, I stopped slicing. Guess what? I started hooking. I hooked so badly that it might be as severe as my banana shots, only in the opposite direction. Well, if slicing was created by two components, then hooking is created by one component where I had backswing that encouraged an over the top downswing. Yet I thought if I could hook, it might still be better than slice. Unfortunately left side of the fairway is just as bad as right side of the fairway. If it is not woods then it is mostly bushes. I kept loosing ball after balls.
Months passed, sun rises and sets, flowers boomed and died. People I know gave birth to baby and babies.... I cured my ball topping, slicing and hooking, I thought I was a happy golfer then. Just as erratic as golf goes, I hit more fat shots than ever now. I started digging ground. I dig and dig and I think I could create a bunker out on the tee box soon, if not then have successfully digged out some potatos...
Guess that after I have swung to the top, swung to the right, swung to the left, now swinging to the bottom, if there is a day, before I break all my golf clubs, what left for me is the reverse front to back shot. If I have then succeded that, I would be allowed to hit some balls that go out straight.
Golf is really a wonderful thing, it let all my other troubles seem so far away.
Thinking about my golfing experience, I started learning golf by swinging in the air. By swinging in the air I meant I intended to hit the ball, but I had used too much body-raise to help lifting the ball, thus early body raise had caused me to swing the empty air above and missed the ball often.
I learned to hit the ball at last, but I also learned to slice it. There was a time where I could swing nothing but slicing. I sliced it so horribly that the ball flight really looked like banana shape. I tried to help cure the slicing by pulling the swing path to the left. By doing so I created an over the top and pulling swing. The more I pulled, the more I sliced. Eventually, I could turn and face left to the target, sliced a shot and the ball might have reached the target that was on my right. I was thinking it would be really something if I could hit a boomerang shot where the ball would return to the starting point where I teed off. If you know golf well enough, you will understand that this is a sport where the ball often does not go the way you want.
After months of trials and errors, I stopped slicing. Guess what? I started hooking. I hooked so badly that it might be as severe as my banana shots, only in the opposite direction. Well, if slicing was created by two components, then hooking is created by one component where I had backswing that encouraged an over the top downswing. Yet I thought if I could hook, it might still be better than slice. Unfortunately left side of the fairway is just as bad as right side of the fairway. If it is not woods then it is mostly bushes. I kept loosing ball after balls.
Months passed, sun rises and sets, flowers boomed and died. People I know gave birth to baby and babies.... I cured my ball topping, slicing and hooking, I thought I was a happy golfer then. Just as erratic as golf goes, I hit more fat shots than ever now. I started digging ground. I dig and dig and I think I could create a bunker out on the tee box soon, if not then have successfully digged out some potatos...
Guess that after I have swung to the top, swung to the right, swung to the left, now swinging to the bottom, if there is a day, before I break all my golf clubs, what left for me is the reverse front to back shot. If I have then succeded that, I would be allowed to hit some balls that go out straight.
Golf is really a wonderful thing, it let all my other troubles seem so far away.
If it has been painful golfing, perhaps pain is not an unavoidable outcome for serious golfer. Yet, the degree of painfulness shall be reduced, as described below:
Golf, Golf injuries, golf fitness, Back Pain,Sciatica, Active Release, Graston
Golf, Golf injuries, golf fitness, Back Pain,Sciatica, Active Release, Graston
Thursday, January 05, 2006
In search of the Swing
1. During impact head height should be as leveled as addressing position
2. During ball impact, butt should feel like sitting on an invisible stool and tights should be squatting forcefully.
3. When swinging, toes and feet are balanced and weight is distributed evenly at the center of the feet.
4. Balance body from backswing to follow-through, no leaning forward or backward.
5. Elbows are pointing at the ground through out the swing.
6. Maintain a 'Y' formation using both hands and club for backswing, during impact and follow through.
7. Twist torso first, then follow by hands during backswing.
8. Arms never rise above shoulder level at top of backswing.
9. Through out the swinging motion, hands are constantly in front of the torso.
10. Backswing sequence shall be twisting hip, torso and raising hands upwards, no body swaying left or right.
11. Downswing sequence shall be twisting hip, torso and swinging hands, no body swaying. Weight transferring is by product and will occur naturally.
12. If push or pull ball shots, check ball position at stance.
13. If sequence of downswing is followed properly, hands will be leading clubs, head will be behind the ball, club face will be square at impact, right hand will cross over left hand and pointing to target at follow through, hip will open and facing at the target, weight will be transferred from right to left. All these are by products and will occur naturally, none of them need to be intentionally focused on.
14. The whole golf swing shall be imagined as a pendulum pivoting the back spine at center.
Never over done any of the above.
2. During ball impact, butt should feel like sitting on an invisible stool and tights should be squatting forcefully.
3. When swinging, toes and feet are balanced and weight is distributed evenly at the center of the feet.
4. Balance body from backswing to follow-through, no leaning forward or backward.
5. Elbows are pointing at the ground through out the swing.
6. Maintain a 'Y' formation using both hands and club for backswing, during impact and follow through.
7. Twist torso first, then follow by hands during backswing.
8. Arms never rise above shoulder level at top of backswing.
9. Through out the swinging motion, hands are constantly in front of the torso.
10. Backswing sequence shall be twisting hip, torso and raising hands upwards, no body swaying left or right.
11. Downswing sequence shall be twisting hip, torso and swinging hands, no body swaying. Weight transferring is by product and will occur naturally.
12. If push or pull ball shots, check ball position at stance.
13. If sequence of downswing is followed properly, hands will be leading clubs, head will be behind the ball, club face will be square at impact, right hand will cross over left hand and pointing to target at follow through, hip will open and facing at the target, weight will be transferred from right to left. All these are by products and will occur naturally, none of them need to be intentionally focused on.
14. The whole golf swing shall be imagined as a pendulum pivoting the back spine at center.
Never over done any of the above.
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