There’s certain school’s of thought about turning. How it’s done, what parts of the body are being used most, and how does it all come together? I want to show you exactly how to turn your body during the full swing.
Pull, don’t push. You might be thinking, when do I ever pull or push during the swing? Well, you might be doing one or the other, or a combination of both, but let me explain myself so you can understand where I am coming from.
If you start the backswing with your left side your pushing. Your pushing because your left hip, shoulder, and/or arm are dominating the backward turn by maneuvering the club with a pushing motion away from your body. And in the other direction, if you start the downswing with your right side you’re pushing as well. You’re pushing because your right hip, shoulder, and/or arm are dominating the forward turn by maneuvering the club with a pushing motion away from the body. Pushing is a common tendency among players, but there is a symptom to pushing that you should be aware of. It causes too much movement in your head and too much separation between your arm and torso.
Here’s what you need to think about.
Start the backswing with a pull from the right side. Meaning your right hip, shoulder, and arm should pull the club back by rotating around your spine angle. The club maneuvers inwards and upwards all from the pulling motion of your right side. Everything happens in reverse on the way back down. Start the downswing with a pull from the left side. Your left hip, shoulder, and arm pull the club back down by rotating around your spine. The club drops down and travels through the hitting area from a pulling motion of your left side.
Try this drill. Stand tall and cross your arms in front of your chest. Now, rotate in each direction with a pushing motion. In other words, rotate to the right with a push from your left side, and then, rotate to the left with a push from your right side. Now, do the same thing, except this time rotate with a pulling motion. Rotate to the right with a pull from the left, and then, rotate to the left with a pull from the right. Have you noticed a difference in the coordination of your turn. Did you notice how much your head moved during the pushing and how quiet it was during the pulling.
There’s so much less moving parts with a pull rather than push. Give it a try, I promise it will improve the consistency of your turn.
Long and Straight,
Adam
