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More Balance - the ignored essential
I think that most people see "balance" as a result of good mechanics....commentators always talk about a "balanced finish" and stuff like that... it is seen as a external manifestation of sound swing mechanics. ie, a "description of the result" rather than something that can be used as your primary tool.
You have parts of you brain which are highly specialised in balance and generally act in an unconscious manner to allow us to do the clever things like write poems, kill people etc... I am starting to feel that balance is actually the very core of the swing and hence fully deserving it place as an essential ... not merely some afterthought... but as an active conscious part which we should seek to use. All the old books ( Hogan, Snead, Morrison etc ) in the pre video era have alot to say about footwork..they always go on about it..photos...feet rolling etc.... you hardly ever see as much on footwork in a modern book!! Why... i think the problem with video cameras is the have allowed us to focus on mechanics and people have forgotten about balance. We already have balance built in as a standard in Homos Sapiens...no need for an upgrade!!! Just need to tap into it...keep something stationary and really feel your footwork whilst directing your loaded lag on plane... just thinking about this recently has dramatically improved my impact. ( both where my hands are at impact and the way the ball flies off the clubhead...it decreases any intention to flip...my focus is on managing forces whilst maintaining balance...what? hit the ball?? no need to worry about hitting it now!!...it runs into my clubhead like a lemming waiting for death!) Consciously feel your balance and do your imperatives.... wow! Any comments??? |
I agree,it can feel like a" no power "swing.
But if you are in balance you have much more chance of getting that lag pressure delivered-effortless power. |
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Balance is an engine...a key part of your brain...always listening to your body and having rapid message pathways back to your body to make it stay in balance...even when your steady state balance is under attack from variable forces ( as in golf swing) ... your balance centre is already connected to all the bits of the body it needs to control....it will do the work if you focus on force and balance... A steady lower body, correct footwork etc are results of using balance to drive/power your swing....the problem is that golf is being taught by people who teach the result ( stable lower body) rather than teach the cause which is using your in-built balance engine to create the results... The balance engine needs to be educated to the task...and that is understanding the forces and orientation required in a G.O.L.F. stroke. Teach forces and orientation and imperatives... Balance DRIVES.... not balance IS... Yes, i have been re-reading Shivas Irons' thoughts recently... No, I have not been using any illegal and/or prescription medication... But the doors of perception have been smashed wide open... Just my 2 cents...please take with salt as required...:laughing9 |
Master of balance
Ernie Els is always described as having smooth tempo, great rhythm and balance....
He does whole body waggles... not just moving the clubhead prior to hitting the shot... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCD-52z0vW0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsf-M9VkIZU Most people skip over this passage in Ben Hogan's "The Modern Fundamentals of Golf" page 40 my edition...Chapter 2 Stance and Posture... "Many golfers make the sizeable error of thinking of the stance as that preparatory part of the swing in which the player merely lines himself up on the target he's shooting at. While one of the purposes of the stance certainly is to set up the direction of the shot, it also has quite a number of other functions that are much more important. Power and control must be combined in a good golf swing, and the stance is that step in which a golfer sets himself up so that 1) his body will be in balance throughout the swing, 2)his muscles are ready to perform fluidly and , 3) as a logical result, all the energy he pours into his swing will be channeled to produce maximum control and power. When you see a fine player making little individual movements of his feet or his knees or his shoulders as he settles into his satnce, do not mistake these for empty gestures of nervousness. And they're not movements, either, that precede his arriving at a static, fixed position. What he's actually trying to do is to feel that everything he will be calling on in his swing is in balance and poised for action" Now go back and watch the Els footage and see him feel his balance...or perhaps see his balance feel his body and clubhead.... I tell you "true gravity" is there for all to use... |
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Like - "hit the ball with your inner ear". :laughing1 :happy3: I think we need a more well balanced opinion from Edz than my humorous(?) musings. |
I am going to keep stirring this pot....
Hi Burner, i agree - waiting for some other opinions to discuss this further. This is my second thread on balance and i am threatening a third unless we get some activity on this thread! :laughing9
If you consider that the book has only 3 imperatives and 3 essentials....do a search for each and balance comes out near the bottom in terms of threads.... why..because it is unimportant?? or we just do not get it...what it really means... There were some old photos of Brian Gay on a balance ball thing making swings with yoda in front of full length mirrors... now i am not sure exactly what the drill was... but i bet Brian was thinking balance! |
I think that the reason that balance is overlooked is that it isn't as sexy as the other stuff. Maybe it's because golfers are looking for things to "work on", and they consider balance something that will take care of itself, believing that a loss of balance only occurs as the result of a bad swing (instead of being the potential cause of a bad swing).
As an aside, while I was preparing for a longdrive competition a few years ago, one of the main things that I focused on at address was being in a completely balanced position, as if I were just standing around, relaxing. My reasoning was that if I were absolutely balanced, then my body wouldn't have to expend excess energy trying to regain or maintain my balance; everything could be dedicated to trying to split the ball in half. |
insatiable ...
I am going to keep on ranting on this thread...:laughing9
Only after thinking these balance crazy thoughts did the "tripod" concept seem to make sense.... Now i have revised my opinion...from tripos as a desirable goal which might work albeit at a sacrifice of distance .... to something that is near -mandatory to make the whole "balance driven / on plane force aware" swing.... or B.D.O.P.F.A.S as i like to call it... successful! OK - so G.O.L.F. might be better....:laughing9 |
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Bigwill , the bit I underlined, italicised and made bold is the mistake that I think millions have over-looked!! Learning golf = learning to do all the complicated stuff and then balance will come.... WRONG!!! Challenge your balance to deal with lag pressure and a straight plane line.... and all the complicated stuff will come for free!!!!!!!!! |
I thought I said that (in few words) in my previous post !:pumpkin:
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