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How To Uncoil For Power And Consistency
By
Paul Wilson
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on January 5, 2013
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25 Comments
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Tags: DownswingHow to Uncoil Golf SwingUncoiling Downswing
Author Description
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+
25 Responses to “How To Uncoil For Power And Consistency”
July 7, 2012
barrybowerbeen using your technique for 3 months great improvement in my game , question is sometimes when i fire my left leg straight back i feel like my upper body is coming forward rather than tilting back keeping me behind the ball, causes me to pull ball , when i get this feeling. do i need to focus on staying behind the ball as i straighten the left leg. question 2 when i finish the follow through, sometimes i find my right toe has gone past 90 degrees,(spining out) does this meen i have used the arms.i try to minimize the arms. My shots now are on my target line but are fading more than i would like. 2weeks ago i was hitting them much straighter.any drills i should be concentrating on. thanks love your tips easy to understand and follow.
July 8, 2012
Paul WilsonThe move of the left leg is just like it would be when throwing a ball. You have done this before just try throwing a ball overhand out in front of you. If you are falling forward you are not doing the move properly. You are either shifting your weight onto the forward leg too soon or standing up. This is not the move. You should be turning. When you turn the leg straightens. If you end up on the tip of your back toe the weight will shift without having to think about it.
The back foot going past 90 degrees would tell me that you are doing this way too fast and you are shifting to the forward leg too soon. The fading shots are also telling me you are swinging way too hard. The harder you hit, the tighter your wrists, the more the ball will fade.
So you have to get the ball hooking first. You do this by manually rolling the wrists over one another. Tee the ball up and swing easier. Just get it hooking:
Manually Square the Clubface: https://ignitiongolf.com/impact-squaring-clubface
Manually Square the Clubface (Follow Up): https://ignitiongolf.com/impact-squaring-face-follow-up
Once you can hook it consistently you forget this rolling and start working on your body rotation (touch legs position). If your body starts first you will hit the ball dead straight or with a slight draw. If you move to the body and you slice it you have not hooked enough shots so go back to hooking it. If you are thinking body and you pull hook it this is a good sign. Just start the lower body sooner in the downswing. If you do it will straighten out.
Once you get all go back to work on precise positioning with the feet in the follow through. Just hit about 10 balls keeping the ball foot flat footed as you hit the ball. After 10 shots allow it to lift as you hit your shots. If done properly it will end up perfectly straight up and down on the very tip of the toe. You can also work on this in practice swings around the house. This should only take a few minutes to fix.
In the future
Slow down. Relax the arms. Watch your ball. If you go back to slicing it you are hitting too hard. Go back to step one above.
July 9, 2012
barrybowerThanks for the feedback, cant wait to try them out,your website has been the best golf investment yet.
January 10, 2013
daviddufourPaul, after many false trails I really beleive I have found the right path with your method.I have dropped from a 13 to an 8 in 5 months.
One problem I continue to have is turning my hips in a circular path on the downswing because I am an old hip slider.I have found that sometimes I am touching my legs at the end of the swing but my hips are angled with the left hip up and the right hip down.
I have tried to fix this this by holding a club across my belt line and turning the club level with my beltline until my legs are touching.This drill gives me instant feedback wether I am making a level circular turn.
What do you think of this drill and do you have any other ways to practise getting this right? Dave
January 10, 2013
Paul WilsonDaivd,
This drill sounds good because you can see the hips turning. You really need to be doing it slowly and precisely. You are trying to eliminate something you have done for years so it takes time and effort. Most people rush through this and if they do not get it in 5 swings they go back to their old swing.
Curing the slide took me 2 months practicing everyday but noone told me the touch the legs position back then. This would have made it a lot easier. First I put a shaft in the ground 3-4″ off my left hip. For 1 month I turned an missed the shaft. Once I consistently missed the shaft I then worked on getting the weight off my right foot and ending up on the very tip of my right big toe. I had to work on this because missing the shaft got me hanging back (but at least I was missing the shaft).
Today, I like people to feel the back of the left knee going straight back. I like to get people to do my touch the legs position with the left leg perfectly locked. Again, this takes time and effort. So you do it at home, at the range and when you play. You do it slow and you forget the ball and where it is going. If you are thinking you are going to hit great shots it is not going to happen. So you take it one step at a time and make the change.
Touch the Legs:
Legs Touching: https://ignitiongolf.com/touch-knees
Lean On Club to Touch Legs: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-lean-on-club
Curing The Slide:
Slide: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-slide
January 10, 2013
paulelliottHi Paul,
Fantastic website i enjoy your passion for teaching!
As regards starting the downswing with lower body sometimes i hit the ball a mile BUT sometimes i lose my balance to the LEFT Can you assist?
Paul
January 10, 2013
Paul WilsonPaul,
Glad you like the website.
Sounds like you are driving the lower body too hard. Just slow down for a little while and make the move perfect. You have the rest of your life to do it harder.
Watch:
How Much To Use Your Legs: https://ignitiongolf.com/downswing-how-much-legs
Position:
Uncoil 1: https://ignitiongolf.com/uncoil
Uncoil 2: https://ignitiongolf.com/uncoil-follow-up
Legs Touching: https://ignitiongolf.com/touch-knees
Lean On Club to Touch Legs: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-lean-on-club
July 18, 2013
CameornWolffPaul,
“I am left handed”. Turning my left knee to to my right knee has been very helpful. However, I have always hit from the top with my arms and shoulders and upper core. I have been working for the past couple of years to get my hips to be open at impact. Problem is that my hips are racing my arms and shoulders to the ball thus at impact my hips are not as open as they should be (in the 20’s instead of 45 degrees).
I have been trying to hold my upper body back while I turn my hips. The approach I took was to hold my left shoulder and arm back while I turned my knees to touch. That helped. However, after looking at your uncoiling videos again I believe you have shown me a better solution. By focusing on coiling my right shoulder under my chin and feeling the coil, I then can turn my left knee to touch my right knee without wanting to hit from the top. Thus, my lower lower body and upper body are not racing each other to the ball. Hope this makes sense to you.
Key is to take the emphasis off of my left shoulder and left arm and left side of my upper core. If I feel them in the coil my “human nature” wants to take over and hit from the top. By focusing on coiling by turning my right shoulder under my chin and then uncoiling by turning my left knee to my right knee, I have prevent the reflex of hitting from the top. This is a subtle difference but has worked well for me.
July 18, 2013
CameornWolffPaul,
One additional thought to add. As I start to uncoil, the sense is my left knee (remember I am left handed) is moving under my right shoulder (where I feel the coil of the upper body instead of feeling the coil in my left side) as it moves to my right knee. This has eliminated the desire/ reflex/ human nature to hit from the top, thus my hips and upper core are not racing each other to the ball. It has enabled my hips to lead my upper core, shoulders and arms to create the whipping action you mentioned so often.
I have enjoyed and benefited from your understanding and explanation of the swing. You have taken teaching beyond teaching about positions. Instead of focusing on position, you have shown me how to “move my upper body” to coil and to “move my legs and hips” to uncoil to create an effortless swing.
July 19, 2013
Paul WilsonCameron,
I’m glad you are getting it. As I explained in the previous post just manually tilt the focus on doing it only with the legs and hips.
Glad you like this tips. I appreciate the feedback.
July 19, 2013
Paul WilsonCameron,
You are coming over the top because you are hitting. As much as you think you may be doing it with the hips you are also using your arms. Think about what should be happening. When you uncoil with the lower body, your upper body should be leaning left (for a lefty). So why not just manually tilt left in the downswing. Try it a the range. Tilt right and hit some shots. You will see they will pull for a lefty. Then tilt left. If you do you will start the ball left. If this is the case, just do it for a week or two until you get used to it. Then once you are used to it go back to working on touching the legs as I suggest.
Body Tilt – Left Right: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-pulling
Stop Coming Over the Top: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-stop-over-the-top/
So give this a try for a while. I hate when people are coming over the top. You should be able to fix this in no time.
July 21, 2013
CameornWolffPaul,
Thanks for your reply. Your tips certainly are helpful. However, I am a life long “hit from the top’r”. Even though I may be able to prevent myself from hitting with my arms, I can feel my upper back tighten up during the downswing, especially the muscles around my shoulder blades. This is a nearly an involuntary action that has been engrained from years of inconsistent play. When my upper back tightens it interrupts the whipping action of the club created by the hip turn as much as tightening ones wrist does.
Your tip of starting out by turning ones hips slowly helps. I suspect it will take a number of weeks or months to train my body to swing only from my hips and to keep my upper back and arms out of the swing.
Things I am aware of and working on are:
– keeping my weight centered over the arches of my feet, I tend to lose my balance by falling toward the ball during the downswing – I have watched all your videos on balance
– turning my hips during the downswing by moving my left knee to my right knee and doing so slowly enough to keep my upper back out of the swing, this has been a tremendous help, it has increased my hip turn significantly
– keeping my core relaxed at setup while using my lower back and waist to stabilize my core and keep my chest pointing 8 feet beyond the ball at address
– keeping my head behind the ball during the backswing and downswing (tilted backward and not moving forward causing an over the top move)
When I get it all right the feeling is tremendous and the ball flight is the big pay off. My fault is I want to turn harder on the next swing and thats when it all goes south. I am working on being patient and teaching my body new habits.
As you can see, I have much to think about. I frequently shoot in the 80’s but my goal is to shoot in the 70’s. I believe if I keep applying your teachings I can get there. I spend time reviewing all your posts for beginner players starting from the grip. I often learn something new with each viewing.
I enjoy golf and the challenge of learning an effortless swing. Your teachings have contributed significantly to my enjoyment of the game.
July 21, 2013
Paul WilsonCameron,
Glad you are learning and improving. Once you hit enough good shots swinging easy a light bulb should go off that says “why am I wasting all this energy swinging hard it goes just as far with nothing.” Hopefully this is soon rather than later.
Start doing this drill immediately and DO NOT stop until you are good at it:
DRILL: This Is The Best Drill You Should Be Doing Right Now: https://ignitiongolf.com/drill-three-quarter-distance/
July 22, 2013
CameornWolffPaul, thx, yes I can see why it is a good drill for my swing. I will do the drill in morning and keep doing it until the light bulb goes off.
July 22, 2013
Paul WilsonCameron,
Great. It won’t take long. Once you do it you will see that effortless produces results as good if not better than full out so why waste all that energy.
July 23, 2013
CameornWolffPaul,
Did my first bucket employing the drill yesterday. Will do another today. What I noticed is as I learned to slow down, the ball would go further, causing me to slow down even further. It allowed me to feel the heaviness of the club. What I am learning is that if I can’t do something slowly I don’t have a chance doing it at normal speed.
July 24, 2013
Paul WilsonCameron,
That’s great news. It doesn’t take long for your mind to figure out it is wasting energy hitting hard plus the ball goes way offline. All you have to do is see enough good shots to trust it and make the switch. Too many people give up after 5 shots so they never experience it. You are on track. Give it more practice sessions then this will become your norm.
July 23, 2013
CameornWolffPaul,
I am Improving on preventing the over the top move. Found a swing thought that is helping. First, I must be upright (sitting on the edge of a barstool as you refer to it). If I am learning over too far, my tendency is to fall forward causing me to use my arms to hurry the club to the ball before I fall over. This is certainly an over the top move.
The other thought is when I reach the top with my hands and my weight balanced over the arches of my feet, I focus on my left hand with the club sitting in the groove between my index finger and thumb (which are touching per your grip video). The though is that the club is a bar that is running parallel to the target over my left shoulder. I then think of it as being fixed as I turn my left knee towards my right knee. Eventually, the turning causing me to “drag” the club butt side towards the target line eventually causing the head of the club to whip around through the ball. Great felling. Very easy felling with tremendous power and a ball flight that is a delight to watch.
July 24, 2013
Paul WilsonCameron,
That’s seems like a good thought. If it is working then keep doing it. Remember, the over the top move is caused because your body is tilting left in the downswing. So as you do your new thought also feel your whole upper body staying behind the ball (leaning right) in the downswing. This should be occurring due to the driving of the lower body but if you have to manually tilt I am okay with it. Keep at it.
July 24, 2013
CameornWolffIt works well Paul as long as my weight distribution is done properly during setup. I have discovered an issue with setting up on the balls of my feet. I posted the issue and question under the beginners section for weight distribution.
July 25, 2013
Paul WilsonCameron,
I replied to this on your previous question.
August 9, 2016
ChrisSkinkleHi Paul, your videos are totally helping my game. I am having two persistent issues. When I am at the top and uncoil using my lower body I end up taking my eye off the ball as I face forward. I’m chunking 2-5 shots a round which I never used to do because I’m not looking at the ball when I hit it. The second issue is I am over rotating sometimes. I pull the ball dead left and when i stop at the end of my follow through my shoulders are facing right where I hit it and my left foot has twisted out.
Do you have any suggestions? Am I just uncoiling too fast and hard?
August 9, 2016
Paul WilsonChris,
The chucking is too much on your back foot at impact. In looking up you are using your arms which is getting them ahead of your body trapping you on the back foot at impact so you hit it fat.
Watch:
Fat: https://ignitiongolf.com/fat-shots-cure/
So why would you be taking your eye off the ball? Why would you be spinning out? Sounds like you are swinging way too hard. These moves have to be precise. If you can only do them slowly but perfect then do them slowly but perfect. Get good at them. Then speed up your body rotation. If you keep going that hard you will never get it. So slow right down. Know the follow through positions and think about going to the follow through positions as soon as you start down.
Watch:
DRILL: Do It Right at 1MPH https://ignitiongolf.com/right-at-1mph/
Forward Foot: https://ignitiongolf.com/follow-through-forward-foot/
DRILL: Touch Legs Touch Head: https://ignitiongolf.com/follow-through-sequence-drill/
How Far Around Should You Swing?: https://ignitiongolf.com/swing-how-far-around/
Hit, Hold and Check: https://ignitiongolf.com/hold-check-follow-through/
Drill: Hold Your Finish Until The Ball Stops: https://ignitiongolf.com/hold-finish-till-ball-stops/
How to Stop Coming Out Of It
Spine Angle Follow Through: https://ignitiongolf.com/follow-through-eyes-tilted/
Topping: Watch for the Blur: https://ignitiongolf.com/watch-for-the-blur/
Are You Practicing Looking Early?: https://ignitiongolf.com/practice-looking-early/
August 1, 2018
RussTsuchidaHi Paul. Really like your physics approach to the golf swing, makes complete sense.
Downswing trigger question. Do you have any issues if my trigger thought from the top of the backswing is to rotate my back right hip to be even with the ball before my hands are? In other words, “right hip beats hands” in a race to the ball? Thank you. – Russ
August 1, 2018
Paul WilsonRuss,
I did get your email which I will be getting to in the near future so keep you eye out. I like your swing. Could be a great move.
I like that trigger. Someone else mentioned this not too long ago. I need to think about and try it but I can’t see how this won’t work. Just keep turning it though after the initial move. I kind of did a tip on this today so I am definitely thinking about it. It could be tied in with the hips as the trigger which I already promote. 6 triggers sounds so much better than seven.