Post by Pete Hurrikane on Apr 19, 2012 13:29:40 GMT -5
Or Sensory Awareness!
I'm looking forward to getting back onto the fairways this season and working hard on some fun awareness exercises that quickly improve my golf swing. There are many that I use but my favourite is probably the drill I call, 'seeing the arc'. I usually do this with a nine iron at first and start by swinging the club without a ball. At first I intentionally don't make contact with the turf and swish the club slightly above it. My first task is to be aware of the path the club head is following. For me this is 'In to Out' and I will adjust this until its something between 3-5°. I will then turn my attention to the club face and heighten my awareness by specifying if the face is open prior to impact and progressively closing through this arc. Once I can pick up these fine details, I will begin swishing my club through the turf and expect to see the path and face details every bit as clear. Normally this takes at most 5-10 swings to master and I also get up to my desired swing speed.
I now add a ball to the equation and also use some feedback numbers. I take a practice swing and from 1-5 rate how well I was able to see the arc through impact with the grass and also the club head conditions. With the practice swing this is normally a 5. Now I address the ball, take a swipe at it and what usually happens is my awareness for seeing these two conditions drops to a 1 or 2. What's wrong with my eyes? The swing without a ball, I can see everything crystal clear but with it as part of the process, I begin experiencing levels of blindness. Why?
Its simple really, my concentration has been diverted to swing results, e.g. the ball's flight, instead of what I intend to experience. I do however persevere and before too long I can see the arc clearly with the ball. When I get to this stage my ball striking reaches very satisfactory levels. However, have I been working on improving my swing?
Definitely! I have subconsciously given my body the task of creating a swing path between 3-5° in to out and of being alert to the angle of the club face through impact. As I am a sweeper, any deep divots will obscure the clarity of these conditions.This drill is a very effective learning tool and because a high level of awareness is required, deep lasting learning takes place.
I have been working with these awareness drills for many years and I also use them when I am playing on the course.
I'm looking forward to getting back onto the fairways this season and working hard on some fun awareness exercises that quickly improve my golf swing. There are many that I use but my favourite is probably the drill I call, 'seeing the arc'. I usually do this with a nine iron at first and start by swinging the club without a ball. At first I intentionally don't make contact with the turf and swish the club slightly above it. My first task is to be aware of the path the club head is following. For me this is 'In to Out' and I will adjust this until its something between 3-5°. I will then turn my attention to the club face and heighten my awareness by specifying if the face is open prior to impact and progressively closing through this arc. Once I can pick up these fine details, I will begin swishing my club through the turf and expect to see the path and face details every bit as clear. Normally this takes at most 5-10 swings to master and I also get up to my desired swing speed.
I now add a ball to the equation and also use some feedback numbers. I take a practice swing and from 1-5 rate how well I was able to see the arc through impact with the grass and also the club head conditions. With the practice swing this is normally a 5. Now I address the ball, take a swipe at it and what usually happens is my awareness for seeing these two conditions drops to a 1 or 2. What's wrong with my eyes? The swing without a ball, I can see everything crystal clear but with it as part of the process, I begin experiencing levels of blindness. Why?
Its simple really, my concentration has been diverted to swing results, e.g. the ball's flight, instead of what I intend to experience. I do however persevere and before too long I can see the arc clearly with the ball. When I get to this stage my ball striking reaches very satisfactory levels. However, have I been working on improving my swing?
Definitely! I have subconsciously given my body the task of creating a swing path between 3-5° in to out and of being alert to the angle of the club face through impact. As I am a sweeper, any deep divots will obscure the clarity of these conditions.This drill is a very effective learning tool and because a high level of awareness is required, deep lasting learning takes place.
I have been working with these awareness drills for many years and I also use them when I am playing on the course.
