Hi Paul…your cue about feeling the stretch in my lats when I coil has been a BIG, a HUGH, did I say BIG, help with my Body Swing. It clears my mind of other thoughts I use to have…now,it’s a “FEELING” vs. a thought…now, I need to get the feeling in my instep area…one feeling at a time…I so respect your teaching technique…thanks a bunch …and, Hug, too!!!
Hi Paul,
In another tip on taking the club back, you mention use of the left arm pushing, I think. I have long focused too much on my left arm position, which I think has resulted in loss of that loose arms feeling, as the left arm and hand are a focus of attention from the beginning of my swing. But at a recent session on the range, while trying to get looser arms, i tried to focus on pulling back by turning my right shoulder as far as possible, since all else as to follow. It gave me a much looser feeling in the arms, and resulted in more correctly hit shots. Do you have a comment about the positive or negative influence of this swing thought?
Colin
You would and should only be doing the takeaway thinking of pushing or arms going back in any way until you understand the path and eliminate and errors as you go back. Once you do I would like to you choose a backswing trigger. Sounds like you choose one of them in the right shoulder. Watch this tip for further explanation:
Love it Paul, but this is definitely the hardest part for me. I am an old baseball player and swing with too much arms. I am doing well with the drills. But am still struggling with the arms out on the course. I am a believer.
The idea is to build the swing first. This means totally focus on positions. You can also have the feeling of swinging easier, lighter, looser etc but don’t get hung up on it. You need to look like a pro first and my positions will all you to do that. Once you get them and people are asking you where you got your swing your thought switches to absolutely not hitting or helping the shot in any way with the arms. So take it in stages. If you do your swing will last forever.
Paul, with tha loose and easy feeling, which I like, how do you keep you wrists firm at the top of
the swing to prevent a floppies and preventing the club shift from flopping below parallel?Do you
have any thoughts when at the top of the back swing? my club flops below parallel.
You would be extending your arm and feeling the thumbs towards the back ear.
Don’t confuse powerless arms for floppy arms. There are times when you need to work on positions (setting the top of the backswing). In this cause you would be manually setting it there until you have the position mastered. Then it will go there on its own.
Hi Paul
Thank you for great tips.
I am thinking of backswing too much,whether I am doing right or wrong?
It delays turning the hip for downswing and make me too much conscious.
Any suggestions ?
I have been trying to activate lower body and turning to complete follow thru for year–now I see your teaching clearly shows how do to this! As I try the armless swing, I feel a slight strain in my shoulders and upper back after doing your favorite drill–swing about knee level. am I doing something wrong? will be taking this swing to a warm state in a week–AZ (live in Chicago area now-freezing!)
Thank you
Glad you are trying and working on it. The follow through is the key.
Not sure why you would feel a strain in the shoulders as your arms would be turned off. Maybe you are not used to the arms fully extending through and past impact. I would also slow down. People tend to get injuries when they are trying to go too hard and they are doing something new or they are not good at it. Got to gradually build up. If it persists we may have you send us a video so we can check it. Stay loose.
Paul, I have been practicing for a month all the positions but am still struggling with the armless idea. After using my arms for so many years, I am struggling to turn them off and still come from the outside. Any other suggestions?
You should still be working on positions not powerless arms. You perfect the positions and get the swing first. Then your last step is turning the arms off. This means you are not hitting or helping the shot with your arms. For me it took 3 practice swings. I just told myself to not hit or help the shot with my arms. Maybe you are trying to keep them turned off throughout your whole swing.
Thanks Paul, very useful to understand what the diff positions should feel like. Your method emphasizes powerless arms. You also highlight the triangle formed by the forearms (with hands aligned with the ball) in the setup. I can see that this “triangle” remains relatively constant throughout the swing in your videos. In my swing, when i lose this triangle going back (by going too flat, by twisting/bending the wrists, etc) all sort of bad things happen. So my question is, how do you retain this “triangle” throughout the swing (particularly the back swing) while still having “powerless arms”? Thanks for all the great insights!
I get a bit of what you’re talking about…finally! Yesterday a friend and I played 18 and with driver and woods I completely left the ball out of my mind, only focusing on relaxed wrists, smooth swing and positions. My friend of 30 years as speechless as one drive or wood after another sailed on dead straight and up to 230-250 yards, farther than I’ve hit in ten years, and scored 10 points below my usual 94. The thing that blew MY mind, however, was that my swing passed through the ball with a tiny click and the shots neither faded nor drew. I still have an emergent mindset with my irons though, so I’ll focus on them more than anything else in practice, just to win myself over to a relaxed, effortless swing on those as well. It’s amazingly counterintuitive for me, so most of my progress will probably be happening between my ears lol. I’ve been recommending your teachings to everyone I play with, knowing if they take it up they’ll be thanking me soon.
Very good. Breakthroughs are great. They can take your game to a whole new level. Keep this thought. As I keep saying I am not trying to hit or help the shot in any way with my arms. Just let it go and think of what you are thinking of as well as hitting my follow through so you can do it consistently and never lose it. Great job!
Hello Paul, Loving all of this! My swing feels like a u shape or v shape? I can’t in my head get that feeling of a “around my body swing”? Hoping this tip helps to “just let the club go where it wants”? I think I am thinking of guiding it around my body? But it feels jerky not smooth? Wish I would have stumbled on to you 30 years ago! Thanks! Mike…
If the swing feels up and down you are lifting it up going back and off plane coming through. Just take it from the beginning. Work on these positions first:
This means the follow through positions first. This will start fixing the backswing. To help the backswing along just brush the grass a little as you go back. You can’t brush it if you pick it up. This will be a start then once you know where you are going to end up you add the coil.
I would also make sure you do my setup. If you are bent over too much you may feel up and down with your swing.
When I take practice swings without the ball, I think I am managing to get the feeling you are describing. But as soon as I am focused on hitting the ball with my eyes, I start thinking about directing my arms to ensure that the club makes the appropriate contact. How do I separate what I am looking at, from what my arms are doing? I am worried that the club won’t strike the ball accurately if the club is driven by my hips.
You do it slowly. Right now you put a ball in front of you and you swing at top speed. So do it slow but do it right. Crawl before you can run. Get it slowly then drive the lower body a little harder to make the ball go a little farther. Get used to it and do it again and so on until you are powering the swing the legs and hips not the arms.
Your arms are connected to you body. You drive the legs and it moves the body which moves the arms.
I have been using a training club which is about 2-1/2 feet long with a detachable weight at the end when swinging. It has more weight than a regular club but doesn’t have a clubface or reach the ball so the hit complex isn’t there. I think that allows you to concentrate on the lower body and just let the lower body move the weight until you reach a level of comfort with turning.
I have issues getting more than a 3/4 arm swing on both sides which doesn’t allow me to touch the back of my head with the club. I am extremely tight in the shoulders or torso. Are there some stretching exercises I can do to help this problem?
I know the training device you are using. That’s fine.
You need to touch your neck then. I rarely, if ever, have a problem getting someone to do this. You are never going to get this if you are chipping it off at 3/4 through.
Try this drill and you will see that you can do it and how simple it is:
Hi Paul
I am new to all your ideas which I am trying to buy into.
Just a couple of things:
1. Do you keep your upper left arm connected to your chest (side) on the takeaway and at the beginning of the downswing? (I know it must separate after impact).
2. On the down swing do you just let the arms fall?
1. Yes, both armpits would be connected in the initial takeaway. The left would be connected to 3/4 back while the right folds. Then the lead arm rides up the pec muscle.
2. In the downswing my arms are turned off. In no way am I trying to hit or help the shot. I don’t like the thought of letting the arms drop. I have resorted to this from time to time in rare cases where the person is sending it way over the top and I can’t fix it through just getting them to stop hitting. In this case we would be doing slow swings dropping then turning.
Keep in mind from the top to impact is 1/4 of a second (less than the blink of an eye). So if you think drop when are you going to turn? As soon as you drop your club will almost be at impact. Although you will attack from the inside you will not get the distance because your hips will not have rotated enough.
Paul, I sometimes”top” the ball. I think I am coming up or raising my body or maybe “chicken wing”. Any suggestions on how to stop doing that? Thanks, Jim
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27 Responses to “The Body Swing – Extra Tip 7 – What I Feel”
September 17, 2016
KathyMedlarHi Paul…your cue about feeling the stretch in my lats when I coil has been a BIG, a HUGH, did I say BIG, help with my Body Swing. It clears my mind of other thoughts I use to have…now,it’s a “FEELING” vs. a thought…now, I need to get the feeling in my instep area…one feeling at a time…I so respect your teaching technique…thanks a bunch …and, Hug, too!!!
September 19, 2016
Paul WilsonKathy,
That’s great news. This is exactly what I think of when I play. Clears the mind and it’s gives you the torque. Stick with it.
May 3, 2018
ColinWalkerHi Paul,
In another tip on taking the club back, you mention use of the left arm pushing, I think. I have long focused too much on my left arm position, which I think has resulted in loss of that loose arms feeling, as the left arm and hand are a focus of attention from the beginning of my swing. But at a recent session on the range, while trying to get looser arms, i tried to focus on pulling back by turning my right shoulder as far as possible, since all else as to follow. It gave me a much looser feeling in the arms, and resulted in more correctly hit shots. Do you have a comment about the positive or negative influence of this swing thought?
Colin
May 3, 2018
Paul WilsonColin,
You would and should only be doing the takeaway thinking of pushing or arms going back in any way until you understand the path and eliminate and errors as you go back. Once you do I would like to you choose a backswing trigger. Sounds like you choose one of them in the right shoulder. Watch this tip for further explanation:
What is Your Backswing Trigger: https://ignitiongolf.com/backswing-trigger/
January 15, 2018
ThomasMarshallLove it Paul, but this is definitely the hardest part for me. I am an old baseball player and swing with too much arms. I am doing well with the drills. But am still struggling with the arms out on the course. I am a believer.
Thanks
Tommy
January 15, 2018
Paul WilsonTommy,
The idea is to build the swing first. This means totally focus on positions. You can also have the feeling of swinging easier, lighter, looser etc but don’t get hung up on it. You need to look like a pro first and my positions will all you to do that. Once you get them and people are asking you where you got your swing your thought switches to absolutely not hitting or helping the shot in any way with the arms. So take it in stages. If you do your swing will last forever.
How To Tell If You Have An Ugly Swing: https://ignitiongolf.com/how-to-tell-if-you-have-an-ugly-swing/
February 26, 2018
JamesBakerPaul, with tha loose and easy feeling, which I like, how do you keep you wrists firm at the top of
the swing to prevent a floppies and preventing the club shift from flopping below parallel?Do you
have any thoughts when at the top of the back swing? my club flops below parallel.
February 27, 2018
Paul WilsonJames,
You would be extending your arm and feeling the thumbs towards the back ear.
Don’t confuse powerless arms for floppy arms. There are times when you need to work on positions (setting the top of the backswing). In this cause you would be manually setting it there until you have the position mastered. Then it will go there on its own.
Watch:
When To Use Your Arms: https://ignitiongolf.com/when-to-use-arms/
Powerless Arms vs Floppy Arms: https://ignitiongolf.com/powerless-arms-vs-floppy-arms/
July 4, 2021
MUKESHSHAHHi Paul
Thank you for great tips.
I am thinking of backswing too much,whether I am doing right or wrong?
It delays turning the hip for downswing and make me too much conscious.
Any suggestions ?
March 9, 2018
johnabaker1Paul
I have been trying to activate lower body and turning to complete follow thru for year–now I see your teaching clearly shows how do to this! As I try the armless swing, I feel a slight strain in my shoulders and upper back after doing your favorite drill–swing about knee level. am I doing something wrong? will be taking this swing to a warm state in a week–AZ (live in Chicago area now-freezing!)
Thank you
March 9, 2018
Paul WilsonJohn,
Glad you are trying and working on it. The follow through is the key.
Not sure why you would feel a strain in the shoulders as your arms would be turned off. Maybe you are not used to the arms fully extending through and past impact. I would also slow down. People tend to get injuries when they are trying to go too hard and they are doing something new or they are not good at it. Got to gradually build up. If it persists we may have you send us a video so we can check it. Stay loose.
May 13, 2018
JavierTeruelPaul, I have been practicing for a month all the positions but am still struggling with the armless idea. After using my arms for so many years, I am struggling to turn them off and still come from the outside. Any other suggestions?
May 14, 2018
Paul WilsonJavier,
You should still be working on positions not powerless arms. You perfect the positions and get the swing first. Then your last step is turning the arms off. This means you are not hitting or helping the shot with your arms. For me it took 3 practice swings. I just told myself to not hit or help the shot with my arms. Maybe you are trying to keep them turned off throughout your whole swing.
What Is Powerless Arms?: https://ignitiongolf.com/what-is-powerless-arms/
May 31, 2018
JaimeGarzaThanks Paul, very useful to understand what the diff positions should feel like. Your method emphasizes powerless arms. You also highlight the triangle formed by the forearms (with hands aligned with the ball) in the setup. I can see that this “triangle” remains relatively constant throughout the swing in your videos. In my swing, when i lose this triangle going back (by going too flat, by twisting/bending the wrists, etc) all sort of bad things happen. So my question is, how do you retain this “triangle” throughout the swing (particularly the back swing) while still having “powerless arms”? Thanks for all the great insights!
May 31, 2018
Paul WilsonJaime,
The triangle going back would be here:
One Piece Takeaway: https://ignitiongolf.com/master-one-piece-takeaway
Then:
Gap In Elbows: https://ignitiongolf.com/maintain-gap-elbows-wider-arc/
Feel like you have a brick between the elbows and you are not going to drop it especially at the follow through.
Also, type in the word chicken in the right side of the red navigation bar. I have tons of tips on curing a chicken wing.
July 21, 2018
DirkMousHi Paul!
I get a bit of what you’re talking about…finally! Yesterday a friend and I played 18 and with driver and woods I completely left the ball out of my mind, only focusing on relaxed wrists, smooth swing and positions. My friend of 30 years as speechless as one drive or wood after another sailed on dead straight and up to 230-250 yards, farther than I’ve hit in ten years, and scored 10 points below my usual 94. The thing that blew MY mind, however, was that my swing passed through the ball with a tiny click and the shots neither faded nor drew. I still have an emergent mindset with my irons though, so I’ll focus on them more than anything else in practice, just to win myself over to a relaxed, effortless swing on those as well. It’s amazingly counterintuitive for me, so most of my progress will probably be happening between my ears lol. I’ve been recommending your teachings to everyone I play with, knowing if they take it up they’ll be thanking me soon.
You have my respect,
Dirk
July 22, 2018
Paul WilsonDirk,
Very good. Breakthroughs are great. They can take your game to a whole new level. Keep this thought. As I keep saying I am not trying to hit or help the shot in any way with my arms. Just let it go and think of what you are thinking of as well as hitting my follow through so you can do it consistently and never lose it. Great job!
August 31, 2018
michaelayalaHello Paul, Loving all of this! My swing feels like a u shape or v shape? I can’t in my head get that feeling of a “around my body swing”? Hoping this tip helps to “just let the club go where it wants”? I think I am thinking of guiding it around my body? But it feels jerky not smooth? Wish I would have stumbled on to you 30 years ago! Thanks! Mike…
August 31, 2018
Paul WilsonMike,
If the swing feels up and down you are lifting it up going back and off plane coming through. Just take it from the beginning. Work on these positions first:
https://ignitiongolf.com/start-here/
This means the follow through positions first. This will start fixing the backswing. To help the backswing along just brush the grass a little as you go back. You can’t brush it if you pick it up. This will be a start then once you know where you are going to end up you add the coil.
I would also make sure you do my setup. If you are bent over too much you may feel up and down with your swing.
A New Way To Get The Taller Setup: https://ignitiongolf.com/new-way-taller-setup/
Taller Setup: https://ignitiongolf.com/bartender-setup/
Stand Tall with Short Clubs: https://ignitiongolf.com/stand-tall-short-clubs/
Also,
See The Circle: https://ignitiongolf.com/see-the-circle/
September 2, 2018
OlafHeinzelHi Paul,
When I take practice swings without the ball, I think I am managing to get the feeling you are describing. But as soon as I am focused on hitting the ball with my eyes, I start thinking about directing my arms to ensure that the club makes the appropriate contact. How do I separate what I am looking at, from what my arms are doing? I am worried that the club won’t strike the ball accurately if the club is driven by my hips.
September 3, 2018
Paul WilsonOlaf,
You do it slowly. Right now you put a ball in front of you and you swing at top speed. So do it slow but do it right. Crawl before you can run. Get it slowly then drive the lower body a little harder to make the ball go a little farther. Get used to it and do it again and so on until you are powering the swing the legs and hips not the arms.
Your arms are connected to you body. You drive the legs and it moves the body which moves the arms.
September 27, 2018
JimBenjaminA couple things…
I have been using a training club which is about 2-1/2 feet long with a detachable weight at the end when swinging. It has more weight than a regular club but doesn’t have a clubface or reach the ball so the hit complex isn’t there. I think that allows you to concentrate on the lower body and just let the lower body move the weight until you reach a level of comfort with turning.
I have issues getting more than a 3/4 arm swing on both sides which doesn’t allow me to touch the back of my head with the club. I am extremely tight in the shoulders or torso. Are there some stretching exercises I can do to help this problem?
Jim
September 29, 2018
Paul WilsonJim,
I know the training device you are using. That’s fine.
You need to touch your neck then. I rarely, if ever, have a problem getting someone to do this. You are never going to get this if you are chipping it off at 3/4 through.
Try this drill and you will see that you can do it and how simple it is:
DRILL: Hinge Up and Turn: https://ignitiongolf.com/hinge-up-and-turn/
January 29, 2019
RNaharHi Paul
I am new to all your ideas which I am trying to buy into.
Just a couple of things:
1. Do you keep your upper left arm connected to your chest (side) on the takeaway and at the beginning of the downswing? (I know it must separate after impact).
2. On the down swing do you just let the arms fall?
Kind Regards
Rajan from London UK.
January 29, 2019
Paul WilsonRajan,
Glad to have you on board.
1. Yes, both armpits would be connected in the initial takeaway. The left would be connected to 3/4 back while the right folds. Then the lead arm rides up the pec muscle.
Lead Arm Rides Up: https://ignitiongolf.com/lead-arm-rides-up/
Connection: https://ignitiongolf.com/connection-backswing
2. In the downswing my arms are turned off. In no way am I trying to hit or help the shot. I don’t like the thought of letting the arms drop. I have resorted to this from time to time in rare cases where the person is sending it way over the top and I can’t fix it through just getting them to stop hitting. In this case we would be doing slow swings dropping then turning.
Drill: Let the Club Fall Down: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-let-club-fall/
Keep in mind from the top to impact is 1/4 of a second (less than the blink of an eye). So if you think drop when are you going to turn? As soon as you drop your club will almost be at impact. Although you will attack from the inside you will not get the distance because your hips will not have rotated enough.
You need to watch these tips:
2 Things Flatten the Plane: https://ignitiongolf.com/2-things-flatten-plane/
Also:
Powerless Arms Explained: https://ignitiongolf.com/powerless-arms-explained/
What Is Powerless Arms?: https://ignitiongolf.com/what-is-powerless-arms/
Powerless Arms Test: https://ignitiongolf.com/powerless-arms-test/
How To Get Powerless Arms: https://ignitiongolf.com/how-to-get-powerless-arms/
Why You Can’t Stop Hitting With Arms: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-hitting-with-arms/
May 21, 2020
jeverett3Paul, I sometimes”top” the ball. I think I am coming up or raising my body or maybe “chicken wing”. Any suggestions on how to stop doing that? Thanks, Jim
May 21, 2020
Paul WilsonBest thing to do is go to the SEARCH bar at the top of the page and look for “topping”. There will be a lot of tips about how to cure it.
Topping: https://ignitiongolf.com/stop-topping-golf-ball/
Stop Topping Your Fairway Woods: https://ignitiongolf.com/stop-topping-fairway-woods/
Topping: Watch for the Blur: https://ignitiongolf.com/watch-for-the-blur/