Pivot Drill for Rotated Shoulder turn (10-13c)
 

Since many folks have difficulty with a proper pivot, maintaining the centered head and having a proper hip motion I wanted to suggest the following image:

Take your address position.

Imagine moving the left shoulder in a straight line down towards the right big toe, letting the power package move along for the ride and the right hip respond freely (it will move straight back).

While you certainly don't want to over do the feel (which would give you pivot control, rather than hands control), this can be a nice shortcut to learning a good pivot.

the caveat with this drill is that you may tend to bob/lower the head slightly, so check in a mirror as you do it. Establish your impact fix, and keep a stable head position.

This is the type of drill that will give you that "breaking down a wall with the left shoulder" type motion (see EdZ drills).

If you are a chronic over the topper, you might also find benefit in feeling like you hit the ball with the back of the left shoulder as you start down, which will tend to help you keep the sequence and zone 1 power.

Very instructive, ED, thanks!

Thanks Ed.
I started trying this drill and quickly benefitted. Due to my terrible habit of pushing my arms too far inside resulting in being terribly under plane, I found an aid for myself. If I thought of lifting my right hand up (extensor action) and perceived that of pulling my right shoulder toward my right foot, it worked! It is all perception, I guess.
Without your suggestion I never would have come up with this.
Thanks.

Hey Ed, that really screwed me up big time. How do I get that Image out of my head?





(just kidding :) , nice image)

Daryl, take the umbrella out of your ear!
 

I like the odd strawberry daquari from time to time, but I must be sitting on a boat with a clean towel over my head to prevent my tripod from breaking down. :laughing9


Patrick

Mike O . . . . buttnekkid . . . galloping languidly in swingvision slow mo on a black sand beach chasing a young confused goat.

You're welcome . . . .

maybe taking this a bit off topic but does the rotated shoulder turn = easier to keep head centered?

That seems true for me but I don't focus so much on the Shoulder Turn. I try to move the Hands onto the TSP ASAP. That pretty much takes care of the Shoulder Turn.

I've noticed in your recent video that you've moved in that direction too. But how do you get the right amount of Flat in a Flat Backstroke Shoulder Turn?

I think the Stationary Head and EA allows the Hand Path and thus determines the Shoulder Path, not the other way around. It works well for me because when the Shoulders get Dragged by the Hands while your Head remains Stationary, your Shoulders have only one path to follow.

YODA once said that the Rotated Shoulder turn is awesome as long as you are always playing down wind! :)

No right, wrong, or best, just an FYI... :salut:

Kevin

No, I don't know that I would say that, but what does help a lot is having proper hip motion. When the right hip moves properly, it is much simpler to keep a stable center.

That is really the key benefit of this image IMO, that if you allow the hip to respond to it, you'll feel proper hip action, perhaps for the first time.

Kev - I agree, I'd be quite surprised to see any of the 'stacked' players winning a British Open for that reason.

Just to make sure I've got this right, I feel like my hips are already leaning, or almost moving left by the time I get to top - much like VJ's "The Final Missing Piece" dvd. Does that sound about right, Ed?

Andy . . . . . after having seen your move . . . . be a little careful about taking too much of the VJ pill . . . if you get your hips too far forward you'll run of out range of motion and stall out . . . . you're already stalling . . . . so you just be sure you don't take the whole bottle of pills where maybe half a pill will do. You need your hips pushing forward and turning thru the ball not really on the b.s. Getting your hips that forward early is a hook/push move . . . you already got hook move . . .

Yea, just trying to get the hands on plane quicker in the backswing, they were getting to much out, now trying to get the hands working more in and up, naturally it seems like the shoulder turn gets closer to rotated, its not a conscious effort to turn the left shoulder down.

I hit my irons off the chart good last round working it both ways. The driver was a bit of a struggle, not sure why. Its usually the other way around with a flatter shoulder turn.