Great story Yoda...that is one for the memory banks that will be with you forever....but I have got to know...how big was that milkshake & what flavor did Annie get?
I always felt balance was a by-product of good mechanics. Important, yes indeed. Most over looked- Start Down.
Hi Mike, if you read my old threads about balance then it probably comes as no surprise that I think that one can and should consciously use balance to improve mechanics...."balance drives, not balances is..." is what I said then and still believe...
Balance is the body's ability to maintain COG in an appropriate position relative to stance, in the context of forces acting upon the body (forces which may vary), so that the body as a whole can maintain a desired position. - my definition. Websters does theirs:-
If G.O.L.F. is about force management and maintaining stability of "stationary post" then balance in the very heart of G.O.L.F.. Adults have forgotten how to use balance to learn motor tasks - IMO.
Children ( and grandchildren - like Yoda's Annie ) I suspect are more used to learning motor tasks with their balance at the core... I think of kids learning to ski and then compare that to adults learning to ski... the subtle movements of the body are too refined to be learnt purely through "seeing" and copying them -ie. imitation...but they spent the first 2-4 years of their lives struggling and playing with gravity and the way their body reacts to gravity makes them experts in force management...maybe not consciously but experts none the less.
I also think waiters carrying trays...dashing through crowded restaurants, tray held above their heads... nobody would teach that through consciously telling an apprentice waiter how to move their body to counteract the wobbly glasses full of wine and beer...instead they use their hands controlled pivot technique....remember the sensor homunculus.... enormous hands....teach the young waiter to appreciate the varible forces through the pressure receptors in his/her fingertips and trust in balance is a more refined method.
I agree with Mrodoch, dynamic balance and footwork...my footwork improved alot when i consciously worked on balance...and the mechanics improved ... but , for me, balance was the first egg and mechanics my chicken.
Balance, being conscious of ones balance and improving balance are key to so many life techniques...gets alot worse with age sadly...
If you read my old threads about balance then it probably comes as no surprise that I think that one can and should consciously use balance to improve mechanics...."balance drives, not balances is..." is what I said then and still believe...
I agree with Mrodoch, dynamic balance and footwork...my footwork improved alot when i consciously worked on balance...and the mechanics improved ... but , for me, balance was the first egg and mechanics my chicken.
Balance, being conscious of ones balance and improving balance are key to so many life techniques...
The Mechanical Checklist For All Strokes (12-3) starts with Balance (Item #1) and ends with Balance (Item #45). So, from Preliminary Address to the Finish, the entire operation depends on Balance. This, in turn, demands mastery of Zone #1 (the Body and its Pivot Components).
Does anyone out here think Annie has a decent chance to get good at this game?
One aspect of the swing I have overlooked is the overtaking of the hands by the club through impact. In good swings the hands slow way down at impact. Then the club takes over. If done well, the centrifugal force of the club is what pulls on you through and post impact. I may have been aware of this before, but I have forgotten it for about ten years or so. Hogan said it. Lynn said it. Homer laid out the three lane freeway in Chapter Nine. I just didn't get it. Till this week.
I have noticed that most people do not have even the foggiest clue that address and impact are two seperate things...and are a combination of alignments not positions.
My pops tried that milkshake deal with me . . . didn't work . . . . so I played hoops of all things until I got to college (that's right . . . COLLEGE . . . I went and got out). I think if Dad had a pocket full of potted meat and crackers that day . . . I coulda been Tiger Woods y'all.
You'll remember that forever PoppyMachinusMagnus. Good story.
I got Lil' Bucket Parfait clubs and we went to the putting green. He hit one putt . . . saw a mudpuddle . . . dove in . . .
I have noticed that most people do not have even the foggiest clue that address and impact are two seperate things...and are a combination of alignments not positions.
I've only given two people lessons. This one dude who is like a 4. He can play. I go show me address . . . .
Show me IMPACT.
Nothing changed . . . I was like Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!!!!!
I like Yoda's concept for the rudimentary player. At all the junior lessons and clinics I run (which can be over 100 at a time), the junior has to show be the bottom of their back foot (right foot for the right handed golfer) at the Finish. I make it a point to look at what is on the bottom of their shoe or sneaker. Whether it is spikes or a Nike logo, I have to see it at finish or we don't move on.
For experienced player's looking for more precision: Educated Hands. Uneducated Hands can nullify it all and never be suspected (5-0). Think Mr. Kelley was on to something here?
For experienced players looking for more precision: Educated Hands. Uneducated Hands can nullify it all and never be suspected (5-0). Think Mr. Kelley was on to something here?
Remember, every Stroke has a Finish. Even short Chips and Pitches -- Basic and Acquired Motion -- that conclude at the end of the Follow-Through (Both Arms Straight position).
And the five Finish alignments (12-3-12) are just as important here as in the Total Motion:
(1) Finish Swivel (deliberately not employed; monitor the Hinge Action instead);
(2) Left Wrist alignment;
(3) Hand location;
(4) Clubshaft position;
(5) Balance and Body position.
In other words, the Finish -- even if it is merely the end of the Follow-Through -- is a precision destination. And, from the Top of the Stroke, it is this destination that the Hands are Educated to seek. The student practices the shorter Strokes, not just to improve his Short Game, but also to train the Hands to swing through Impact and into the correct Follow-Through / Finish alignments.
"Take advantage of the fact that the Hands are better at moving into a position than at holding a position. This is especially effective with Wrist Action and Release Motions." (3-B; italic added)
-- Homer Kelley
Using first the Putter and then the Chipper, that was Annie's second lesson.
) I suspect are more used to learning motor tasks with their balance at the core... I think of kids learning to ski and then compare that to adults learning to ski... the subtle movements of the body are too refined to be learnt purely through "seeing" and copying them -ie. imitation...but they spent the first 2-4 years of their lives struggling and playing with gravity and the way their body reacts to gravity makes them experts in force management...maybe not consciously but experts none the less.
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