Tom is a good player from Charlotte, NC who had been trying to fix certain things in his swing for some time, namely a faulty takeaway and a steeping of the shaft in transition. The cool thing here is that Tom digested the online lesson, worked on it for a few days, and then filmed another swing that I was able to compare to his first batch. I think you’ll find the difference significant to say the least.
As I continue to focus on swing patterns that promote a flattening of the shaft early in transition and a right arm approach that is in front of the right rib cage I am seeing great results in all my students, but especially (somewhat surprisingly, since anything that really helps the beater is rare) in the less accomplished players. In focusing on the athletic side-arm throwing motion that Hogan so conspicuously highlighted in “The Five Lessons” I am finding that just about anyone can relate (some quicker than others, obviously) to the idea of rotating freely while the hands are allowed to move outward in transition. The key component here is the lag of the clubhead against the right index finger as the forward movement of the body “catches” the left arm against the chest and both arms “squeeze” toward each other and into the chest. This feeling of lag is automatic in a throw (you couldn’t conceive of throwing without the ball leaning back in your hand) unless you can’t throw. Thus, you can see why it would be far more difficult to teach the complete non-athlete or women (and men) who never were taught to throw sidearm. That said, it is worth an attempt to teach these people to throw a ball from the side, as whatever translates into proper swing mechanics would be helpful.
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Click here for part 5
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