The Body Swing – Extra Tip 7 – What I Feel

By | on May 30, 2016 | 27 Comments |

For years people have mentioned that my swing looks slow and effortless.  This tips explains why.

 

 

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Paul Wilson is the creator of Swing Machine Golf and founder of Ignition Golf. Paul's golf swing technique is based on the Iron Byron swing machine. YouTube Channels: Paul Wilson Golf and Ignition Golf Tips. Please Join me on Google+

27 Responses to “The Body Swing – Extra Tip 7 – What I Feel”

  1. September 17, 2016

    KathyMedlar

    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!!!

    • September 19, 2016

      Paul Wilson

      Kathy,

      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.

    • 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

      • 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:

        What is Your Backswing Trigger: https://ignitiongolf.com/backswing-trigger/

  2. January 15, 2018

    ThomasMarshall

    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.

    Thanks
    Tommy

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      January 15, 2018

      Paul Wilson

      Tommy,

      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/

  3. February 26, 2018

    JamesBaker

    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.

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      February 27, 2018

      Paul Wilson

      James,

      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/

      • 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 ?

  4. Paul

    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

    • John,

      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.

  5. 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?

    • Javier,

      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/

  6. 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!

  7. July 21, 2018

    DirkMous

    Hi 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

    • Dirk,

      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!

  8. August 31, 2018

    michaelayala

    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…

  9. September 2, 2018

    OlafHeinzel

    Hi 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.

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      September 3, 2018

      Paul Wilson

      Olaf,

      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.

  10. September 27, 2018

    JimBenjamin

    A 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

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      September 29, 2018

      Paul Wilson

      Jim,

      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/

  11. January 29, 2019

    RNahar

    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?

    Kind Regards
    Rajan from London UK.

  12. May 21, 2020

    jeverett3

    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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