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Jonathan started with an online lesson, and since he lives not too far from Woodmont he decided to come down to Rockville for a face-to-face lesson. What we see here is a classic case of a good athlete with excellent motion and power but trouble controlling the ball as far as direction and trajectory. What jumped out at me right away was the dropping hands and steepening shaft in transition, and this was our major focus after doing some grip and setup work. I was hopeful that he could change the pattern right away, but as I have seen with others the change from the drop and steepening to outward hands and shallowing shaft is so opposite that it is almost not possible for the brain to allow a swing to hit the ball immediately with that type of movement. Thus, it takes some doing with drills, practice swings, and me moving him around to get the feel of it, along with constant filming to assess what is really happening to get the thing to move differently. I am convinced that outward move is more natural and that it is only conventional instruction and a constant barrage of comments and “advice” that guides players into fearing “over the top” and opting for an “inside approach”, which the new launch monitor data refutes. I have explained to Jonathan that this will be somewhat of a project, but I am confident that he has the talent and ability to accomplish the change and become a much better ball striker.
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