Paul,You are perfectly right .When I was a young boy ,I lived in the RIFT VALLEY ( KENYA) ,and I ran round with m’y MASAI friends.They showed me how to use a slling ,Like DAVID hurling a Stone to kill GOLIATH .Well ,the “POWERLESS ARMS ” swing is Like slinging a ball ,nô tension in the strings ,just speed .To be sure To keep Loose ,I ” wiggle “ARMS and body before swinging .
If you are careful to nearly let go with your right hand on the handle ( VIJAY SINGH use d to do this ) your club head moves évén faster ,your right arm does’nt act Like a brake and your clubhead keeps accelerating.
Paul ,we talked a year ago about the EDEL clubs use d by BRYSON DE CHAMBEAU .Man y peuple are skeptical about thèse same length irons ,all them 6 Iron shafts. with différent clubheads .BRYSON also Plays a single plane swing ,very upright .
What do you think about this ?
I like the single length clubs just haven’t been able to find ones I like to try them. Edel does not make these clubs for everyone. They only made them for De Chambeau. I have talked to 1 Iron Golf a years ago but I just don’t like offset clubs. I am thinking of making my own set.
As far as one plane goes the best players of all time were 2 plane. So I prefer 2 plane. Jack, Tiger, Rory, Watson, Nelson, Couples, Faldo, Snead, Jones even Hogan as he was not tilted at set up. Once there is a one planer that could beat all of them I will keep teaching 2 plane.
this tip could be very easyly your method in a nutshell. What I noticed so far for me is that the longer the club, the more arms I tend to putt on the swing.
If I tried to put it on a scale (1 would be all arms, 10 ideal powerless arms), I would say I am still on the following pattern :
this is of course only my feeling, but it reflects the output : still very poor results as soon as I have to hit irons past the PW. Very hard to cure indeed.
When you explain powerless arms in another video (your arms streched out and swinging your body without a club demo) your arms seems much more ‘stiff’ than when you demonstrate it in this video. Here it seems more that you fling your arms together with your body. Coud you please explain a little more of what is right ? When I have to loose arms (I let the club drop and let gravity take over) it seems that they come down to early.
I’m not even hitting a ball in this video. I am trying to explain it. So I am showing really loose to get people to loosen up. I think you need to watch these videos for a better understanding of powerless arms:
Powerless arms is not a gravity thing. Powerless arms is you letting your body move your arms. If you are trying to use gravity you are not using your body which is not what I want you doing.
I have seen the videos several times and try to understand the move.
When have very loose armes they seems to start swinging imdependenly of the body and the shpulders, it’s like I have to use some force to hold them in position to the shoulders and the body, and I think have not catched this completely right.
Susan Pedersen says that she likes to keep the club shaft in front of her chest through the downswing. Is this a thought to have in mind when you do the swing ? I know I should foocus on the lower body during the swing, but it seems that the position of the arms bother me since I am not able to swing on a consistent basis.
Hi Paul,
I find your comment absolutely true.
When I execute a proper body swing I hit excellent shots.
I now play using 50% of my speed ability 1st practice swing in address, then about the same 2nd swing focusing on driving the hip into my turn leg touching finish,then with same swing speed execute swing. I feel in complete balance in my finish, the ball sails straigh, with very good distance.
I’m not there yet, but will; as your method makes the swing and game so easy.
Thank you,
Ed Billings
Good stuff. You really have to focus on not hitting. You have had a hard,, fast swing. So think about what I said in this tip and why not hitting will work. If it logically makes sense then you should want to do it.
I think one of the key words in your video is “reprogram your body”. I also refer to your “mantra”: “start again, again and again …” which is the key to progress.
For me, it was only after more than 1,600 drills that my body was reprogrammed.
The brain must also be reprogrammed to NOT hit the little white devil in front of me 🙂
In fact, I played yesterday a fast front 9-holes, thinking “fairway” and not “distance” at 2/3 speed. My thoughts were focused with every shot on “loose and relaxed” . The distances were pretty good (180yds 3W, 155yds 7I) to finish in +3 for the first time in my life as a golfer (60% GIR and 100% fairways).
However, when we see the shape of the best players in the world, we may wonder if at any given time, we should not add the arms to have more distance.
Yes, it is about repetition. You can learn things fast though if you do consecutive repetitions. This is why I want people to stop hitting too many balls and just do practice swings. If so, you will not intertwine wrong and right. If you keep doing right then you will get it super fast.
Those are great numbers. Now imagine if you kept doing that. Wouldn’t you get confident? Wouldn’t you expect those numbers? If so, don’t you think you could go a little faster and not totally lose it. You get used to that level then go a little faster and so on all without losing it.
There are definitely pros who use their arms. Any who look fast with their swing. The thing is they don’t need the money anymore and they have amazing short games. If they don’t play well that week they still get paid and keep waiting until the day it all comes together.
Out of all the top amateurs and pros they measured when they were trying to find a model for the Iron Byron, Byron Nelson was the only one whose numbers did no vary all day long. Imagine if he was playing today. He would consistently beat all of them like he did in the past. He was a true machine.
Paul, the simple way for me to think about this tip is put the word” swing” in place of the word “hit”. The ball is advanced toward the green with golf swings, not golf hits. I am trying to learn a repeatable golf SWING.
I like it. I can’t really say this some of the time because people may not understand what I am talking about but I will if I can. You are not hitting anything. The ball is hit as you do the swing.
Thanks Paul. Just found myself in the last week getting into hitting hard again and not being very loose. The greatest challenge for me is keeping the grip tight enough to hold onto the club well throughout the swing and keeping the wrists and arms loose. Just practice, practice, practice.
P.S.- I have experienced the powerless arms and I visualize it now which assists me a great deal in turning the arms off. I take a breath, feel my arms and wrists go limp before takeaway. Seems to be working to loosen up.
We all want more and more. As soon as you start hitting topped, thin and slicing shots you would immediately slow down toe half speed. Then you build it back up again with more body.
The secure grip with loose wrists is tricky. I put the tee in my grip for 1 month so I would never let go. Might want to do that too. With teh tee under my left heel pad I didn’t have to think about holding on.
This is exactly what I experienced yesterday at the range: consistency and confidence.
I was not thinking about the ball, just swinging and feeling the weight of the club, the whip effect during the release, and keeping a speed between 50 and 60%. All the balls landed effortlessly near the 100yds panel (9I). 1 ball/3 reps … 1 ball/3 reps …
However, I am still struggling with the driver: push or push fade.
Not one person here should be slicing as I have numerous roll over drills on the site. So you need to go back to this drill. Just understand that if the driver is slicing or fading the face is open. This means you are releasing it too late. So why not roll it over early and get it hooking. If so, you are no longer fading or slicing. At this point you would add body to straighten it out.
Do tons of roll overs at the range and every day at home. Memorize the feeling so you can do it without thinking about it.
If you cannot do it at top speed then slow down so you have more time to roll it. It is not about hitting good shots as you do this drill. It is about you learning to hook it which is step 1. Once you get step 1 you move to step 2.
As you recommended, I did hundreds of roll over drills at home and at the range. No more push/push-fade or slice but pulls and hooks. So, I speeded up the lower body but not enough apparently. A light pull remains sometimes. This is not simple to turn the hips fast. More work to come 🙂
I also did the “smooth wrist release” drill and catched the “snap release” feeling. From what I have experimented, the more powerless are the arms, fastest is the snap release.
For me, locking the knee slows the hips rotation and results in the acceleration of the arms rotation. It is the same sensation as with a sling when stopping the hand movement and launching the stone.
Don’t know if it’s correct but that’s what I feel. I would highly appreciate your comment or advice 😉
My main source of frustration has disappeared, however there is still some way to go before being really comfortable on the course. That encourages me to keep on working on the body swing 🙂
I think it comes from the fact that I am confident when I play with the irons and not at all with the driver. My arms and wrists go tight as soon as I have the driver in my hands. It looks like I have negative thoughts when handling the driver. Besides, I don’t like my driver (Callaway XR16), I think to change it because I tried that of a friend (Taylor Made) and I found it perfect for me (well balanced and easy to swing).
I will practice the drills which you have recommended.
So you are trying to hit with Driver. You need to get over this. You need a better understanding of the physics and the feelings. Then you need to get really good at using the lower body. If they body isn’t working you will keep hitting. So you need to get a driver you like and a driver that works. Then I would sit there every day hitting no more than 2/3 distance until you stop hitting and get the arms out of swing. Then drive the legs and hips harder for more power. If you just keep hitting hard when are you every going to fix it? So you need to do something totally different. So think about it and work on it as I suggest. You can do it.
This might be your most valuable video even though it has little technical instruction in it. I’ve been trying to implement your Easy Thoughts video when I’m playing. I recently had to use my three-wood off the tee because I had left my driver out of the bag accidentally. I was achieving 220 plus nearly every fairway. What a great feel. I almost feel guilty getting so much out of so little effort. We have conditioned ourselves to think this game is and has to be hard. Yet you proved to me that easy is better.
Oh how I wish I had had this information 55 years ago.
This is a very important tip. I have often said that if we had a zero wood everyone would hit the driver great because they wouldn’t be trying to kill it. This is what happened when you used your 3 wood.
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24 Responses to “Why Swinging Easier Hits It Farther”
April 9, 2016
RaymondCHASTELPaul,You are perfectly right .When I was a young boy ,I lived in the RIFT VALLEY ( KENYA) ,and I ran round with m’y MASAI friends.They showed me how to use a slling ,Like DAVID hurling a Stone to kill GOLIATH .Well ,the “POWERLESS ARMS ” swing is Like slinging a ball ,nô tension in the strings ,just speed .To be sure To keep Loose ,I ” wiggle “ARMS and body before swinging .
If you are careful to nearly let go with your right hand on the handle ( VIJAY SINGH use d to do this ) your club head moves évén faster ,your right arm does’nt act Like a brake and your clubhead keeps accelerating.
Paul ,we talked a year ago about the EDEL clubs use d by BRYSON DE CHAMBEAU .Man y peuple are skeptical about thèse same length irons ,all them 6 Iron shafts. with différent clubheads .BRYSON also Plays a single plane swing ,very upright .
What do you think about this ?
April 10, 2016
Paul WilsonRaymond,
I like the single length clubs just haven’t been able to find ones I like to try them. Edel does not make these clubs for everyone. They only made them for De Chambeau. I have talked to 1 Iron Golf a years ago but I just don’t like offset clubs. I am thinking of making my own set.
As far as one plane goes the best players of all time were 2 plane. So I prefer 2 plane. Jack, Tiger, Rory, Watson, Nelson, Couples, Faldo, Snead, Jones even Hogan as he was not tilted at set up. Once there is a one planer that could beat all of them I will keep teaching 2 plane.
April 10, 2016
PierreBourgeoisHi Paul,
this tip could be very easyly your method in a nutshell. What I noticed so far for me is that the longer the club, the more arms I tend to putt on the swing.
If I tried to put it on a scale (1 would be all arms, 10 ideal powerless arms), I would say I am still on the following pattern :
SW/GW : 7/10
PW/9 : 6/10
8/7 : 5/10
6 :4 /10
fairway woods : 5/10
driver : 3/10
this is of course only my feeling, but it reflects the output : still very poor results as soon as I have to hit irons past the PW. Very hard to cure indeed.
April 10, 2016
Paul WilsonPierre,
Did you download the powerless arms chart I created a couple weeks ago:
https://ignitiongolf.com/start-here/
Look under downloads.
Looks like you are getting closer. Keep at it.
June 10, 2016
JohnSteenPaul,
When you explain powerless arms in another video (your arms streched out and swinging your body without a club demo) your arms seems much more ‘stiff’ than when you demonstrate it in this video. Here it seems more that you fling your arms together with your body. Coud you please explain a little more of what is right ? When I have to loose arms (I let the club drop and let gravity take over) it seems that they come down to early.
John
June 10, 2016
Paul WilsonJohn,
I’m not even hitting a ball in this video. I am trying to explain it. So I am showing really loose to get people to loosen up. I think you need to watch these videos for a better understanding of powerless arms:
What Is Powerless Arms?: https://ignitiongolf.com/what-is-powerless-arms/
Powerless Arms Test: https://ignitiongolf.com/powerless-arms-test/
Also:
Powerless Arms vs Floppy Arms: https://ignitiongolf.com/powerless-arms-vs-floppy-arms/
Powerless arms is not a gravity thing. Powerless arms is you letting your body move your arms. If you are trying to use gravity you are not using your body which is not what I want you doing.
June 10, 2016
JohnSteenI have seen the videos several times and try to understand the move.
When have very loose armes they seems to start swinging imdependenly of the body and the shpulders, it’s like I have to use some force to hold them in position to the shoulders and the body, and I think have not catched this completely right.
Susan Pedersen says that she likes to keep the club shaft in front of her chest through the downswing. Is this a thought to have in mind when you do the swing ? I know I should foocus on the lower body during the swing, but it seems that the position of the arms bother me since I am not able to swing on a consistent basis.
September 20, 2018
EdwardBillingsHi Paul,
I find your comment absolutely true.
When I execute a proper body swing I hit excellent shots.
I now play using 50% of my speed ability 1st practice swing in address, then about the same 2nd swing focusing on driving the hip into my turn leg touching finish,then with same swing speed execute swing. I feel in complete balance in my finish, the ball sails straigh, with very good distance.
I’m not there yet, but will; as your method makes the swing and game so easy.
Thank you,
Ed Billings
September 21, 2018
Paul WilsonEd,
Good stuff. You really have to focus on not hitting. You have had a hard,, fast swing. So think about what I said in this tip and why not hitting will work. If it logically makes sense then you should want to do it.
September 21, 2018
Frederic DeyrieuxHi Paul,
I think one of the key words in your video is “reprogram your body”. I also refer to your “mantra”: “start again, again and again …” which is the key to progress.
For me, it was only after more than 1,600 drills that my body was reprogrammed.
The brain must also be reprogrammed to NOT hit the little white devil in front of me 🙂
In fact, I played yesterday a fast front 9-holes, thinking “fairway” and not “distance” at 2/3 speed. My thoughts were focused with every shot on “loose and relaxed” . The distances were pretty good (180yds 3W, 155yds 7I) to finish in +3 for the first time in my life as a golfer (60% GIR and 100% fairways).
However, when we see the shape of the best players in the world, we may wonder if at any given time, we should not add the arms to have more distance.
Fred
September 21, 2018
Paul WilsonFredric,
Yes, it is about repetition. You can learn things fast though if you do consecutive repetitions. This is why I want people to stop hitting too many balls and just do practice swings. If so, you will not intertwine wrong and right. If you keep doing right then you will get it super fast.
Those are great numbers. Now imagine if you kept doing that. Wouldn’t you get confident? Wouldn’t you expect those numbers? If so, don’t you think you could go a little faster and not totally lose it. You get used to that level then go a little faster and so on all without losing it.
There are definitely pros who use their arms. Any who look fast with their swing. The thing is they don’t need the money anymore and they have amazing short games. If they don’t play well that week they still get paid and keep waiting until the day it all comes together.
Out of all the top amateurs and pros they measured when they were trying to find a model for the Iron Byron, Byron Nelson was the only one whose numbers did no vary all day long. Imagine if he was playing today. He would consistently beat all of them like he did in the past. He was a true machine.
September 21, 2018
prm436165Paul, the simple way for me to think about this tip is put the word” swing” in place of the word “hit”. The ball is advanced toward the green with golf swings, not golf hits. I am trying to learn a repeatable golf SWING.
September 21, 2018
Paul WilsonI like it. I can’t really say this some of the time because people may not understand what I am talking about but I will if I can. You are not hitting anything. The ball is hit as you do the swing.
September 22, 2018
SteveAirdThanks Paul. Just found myself in the last week getting into hitting hard again and not being very loose. The greatest challenge for me is keeping the grip tight enough to hold onto the club well throughout the swing and keeping the wrists and arms loose. Just practice, practice, practice.
P.S.- I have experienced the powerless arms and I visualize it now which assists me a great deal in turning the arms off. I take a breath, feel my arms and wrists go limp before takeaway. Seems to be working to loosen up.
Thanks as always, Steve
September 23, 2018
Paul WilsonSteve,
We all want more and more. As soon as you start hitting topped, thin and slicing shots you would immediately slow down toe half speed. Then you build it back up again with more body.
You Will Top It: https://ignitiongolf.com/you-will-top-it/
Greed Is NOT Good: https://ignitiongolf.com/greed-is-not-good/
Look For This Clue: https://ignitiongolf.com/thin-topped-clues/
The secure grip with loose wrists is tricky. I put the tee in my grip for 1 month so I would never let go. Might want to do that too. With teh tee under my left heel pad I didn’t have to think about holding on.
Secure Grip Loose Wrists: https://ignitiongolf.com/secure-grip-loose-wrists/
September 24, 2018
SteveAirdThanks Paul. Will start using the tee.
September 23, 2018
Frederic DeyrieuxHi Paul,
Thank you for your reply,
This is exactly what I experienced yesterday at the range: consistency and confidence.
I was not thinking about the ball, just swinging and feeling the weight of the club, the whip effect during the release, and keeping a speed between 50 and 60%. All the balls landed effortlessly near the 100yds panel (9I). 1 ball/3 reps … 1 ball/3 reps …
However, I am still struggling with the driver: push or push fade.
September 23, 2018
Paul WilsonFrederic,
Not one person here should be slicing as I have numerous roll over drills on the site. So you need to go back to this drill. Just understand that if the driver is slicing or fading the face is open. This means you are releasing it too late. So why not roll it over early and get it hooking. If so, you are no longer fading or slicing. At this point you would add body to straighten it out.
Do tons of roll overs at the range and every day at home. Memorize the feeling so you can do it without thinking about it.
DRILL: 3 Ways To Roll It Over: https://ignitiongolf.com/3-ways-to-roll/
Roll Around The Stick: https://ignitiongolf.com/roll-around-stick/
Clarifying the Roll Over Drill: https://ignitiongolf.com/clarifying-roll-drill
Another Reason To Do The Roll Over Drill: https://ignitiongolf.com/another-reason-to-roll/
DRILL: Smooth Wrist Release: https://ignitiongolf.com/smooth-wrist-release/
Modified Roll Over Drill: https://ignitiongolf.com/modified-roll-over-drill/
Then:
After The Roll Over Drill: https://ignitiongolf.com/after-the-roll-over/
If you cannot do it at top speed then slow down so you have more time to roll it. It is not about hitting good shots as you do this drill. It is about you learning to hook it which is step 1. Once you get step 1 you move to step 2.
September 27, 2018
Frederic DeyrieuxPaul,
You are a the best! Thank you!
As you recommended, I did hundreds of roll over drills at home and at the range. No more push/push-fade or slice but pulls and hooks. So, I speeded up the lower body but not enough apparently. A light pull remains sometimes. This is not simple to turn the hips fast. More work to come 🙂
I also did the “smooth wrist release” drill and catched the “snap release” feeling. From what I have experimented, the more powerless are the arms, fastest is the snap release.
For me, locking the knee slows the hips rotation and results in the acceleration of the arms rotation. It is the same sensation as with a sling when stopping the hand movement and launching the stone.
Don’t know if it’s correct but that’s what I feel. I would highly appreciate your comment or advice 😉
My main source of frustration has disappeared, however there is still some way to go before being really comfortable on the course. That encourages me to keep on working on the body swing 🙂
September 29, 2018
Paul WilsonFrederic,
Glad you are working on it and you are close.
Just got to stay behind it a little more. This will tilt you back and stop the pull.
2 Things Flatten the Plane: https://ignitiongolf.com/2-things-flatten-plane/
See The Plane Flatten: https://ignitiongolf.com/see-the-plane-flatten/
The left leg as the trigger is fine. I think you are shifting onto this leg a little too soon so you are sending it over the top a little.
Still Coming Over The Top – Shifting Too Soon: https://ignitiongolf.com/shifting-too-soon-forward-leg/
September 23, 2018
Frederic DeyrieuxThank you Paul,
I think it comes from the fact that I am confident when I play with the irons and not at all with the driver. My arms and wrists go tight as soon as I have the driver in my hands. It looks like I have negative thoughts when handling the driver. Besides, I don’t like my driver (Callaway XR16), I think to change it because I tried that of a friend (Taylor Made) and I found it perfect for me (well balanced and easy to swing).
I will practice the drills which you have recommended.
September 24, 2018
Paul WilsonFrederic,
So you are trying to hit with Driver. You need to get over this. You need a better understanding of the physics and the feelings. Then you need to get really good at using the lower body. If they body isn’t working you will keep hitting. So you need to get a driver you like and a driver that works. Then I would sit there every day hitting no more than 2/3 distance until you stop hitting and get the arms out of swing. Then drive the legs and hips harder for more power. If you just keep hitting hard when are you every going to fix it? So you need to do something totally different. So think about it and work on it as I suggest. You can do it.
October 15, 2018
MichaelBarrettPaul,
This might be your most valuable video even though it has little technical instruction in it. I’ve been trying to implement your Easy Thoughts video when I’m playing. I recently had to use my three-wood off the tee because I had left my driver out of the bag accidentally. I was achieving 220 plus nearly every fairway. What a great feel. I almost feel guilty getting so much out of so little effort. We have conditioned ourselves to think this game is and has to be hard. Yet you proved to me that easy is better.
Oh how I wish I had had this information 55 years ago.
Thanks for all of your great work!
Mike
October 16, 2018
Paul WilsonMichael,
You’re welcome.
This is a very important tip. I have often said that if we had a zero wood everyone would hit the driver great because they wouldn’t be trying to kill it. This is what happened when you used your 3 wood.