[tongzilla]

As a swinger am I "pulling" my left arm at start down into release? How does this relate to an "inert" left arm.... which seems to imply a left arm that is essentially doing nothing?

Inert left arm = no left arm muscle power.
Advice: do not try and pull with your left arm when Swinging!

Inertia can hold the Left Arm against the chest while the Body Turn is accelerating it and Momentum can then sustain it and come out with the Feel of Left Arm Power. See 2-M-4.

Get your butt off your chair and do this exercise to help you understand the previous paragraph:

1) Go to your normal address position and take a grip without a club.

2) Go to top of your backstroke.

3) Now "bump" your hips towards the target. This is the Hip Slide and is not exaggerated- only a little slide- enough to feel the tension of your left shoulder tighten. Notice how the angle formed by the Left Arm and the Left Shoulder decreases slightly (see photo in 6-B-4-0).

(Side note: Yoda usually talks about the Right Shoulder driving down plane to provide the Left Arm blast off, rather than hip slide/bump. This is like a Right Shoulder bump rather than a hip bump. It's the same. They both provide left side tension. If you do the Hip Slide properly, your right shoulder should move downplane (and on plane!) anyway- which is what Yoda is refering to)

4) Now, immediately after you feel this left side tension, release your right hand grip and perform a normal downstroke body turn. It need not be quick. Notice how your Left Arm springs off / blasts off your chest into the finish while maintaining reasonably straight with the help of Centrifugal Force.

Congratulations! You have just experienced Pivot Thrust and Momentum Transfer. This is how Swingers get most of their power. See 2-K. And this is why Swingers ain't got problems with Release Deceleration (6-F-0), while Hitters do! However, both Swingers and Hitters need to overcome Impact deceleration. But thats another topic...