Hogan - closing clubface

[Dariusz J.]

Dariusz

You wrote-: "I am more than sure that his right arm/forearm was intentionally involved in his motion."

How can you be sure? What are you actually seeing in his swing, and at what point of the downswing are you seeing "it" so that you can definitively conclude that Hogan is actively using his right arm/forearm?

You wrote-: "The more I look into Hogan's swing motion the more I believe in his "three right hands" comment; I think he was "above" those swingers/hitters criteria and sincerely am of the opinion that his downswing was a mixture of a dominant left side of the body (pulling) turboed by right arm/forearm/elbow/hand action."

I do not doubt your sincerity as a serious student of Hogan's swing. I just would like to know precisely what you mean when you state that you can see Hogan "using his right arm/forearm/elbow/hand to turbo his downswing." At what point in his downswing do you see this happening, and how can you incontrovertibly conclude that it is an active versus passive phenomenon. When I look at Hogan's swing (as in his swing video lesson) I see an incredibly fast downswing pivot action that throws the left arm off the chest wall with immense force/speed (release of power accumulator #4) in the mid-downswing. I then see his other power accumulators (#2 and #1) release ultra-fast in the late downswing. According to HK, the release of power accumulator #1 is passive in a swinger's action because the clubshaft is traveling so fast after the release of power accumulator #2 that the straightening right elbow simply allows the right forearm to keep up with the released clubshaft. HK seemingly implied that any "push" action by an active release of power accumulator #1 in the late downswing would not be advantageous because the clubshaft is already travelling at optimum speed due to a super-efficient sequential release of power accumulators #4 and then #2. How would an active push action release of power accumulator #1 be advantageous in a swinger who has an optimised swing? Yoda has stated that he can understand the "three right hand" concept as being an optimal isometric contraction of the right forearm muscles and right triceps muscle so that the right forearm can provide optimal support behind the clubshaft in the late downswing and at impact, and in that sense I can understand the "three right hands" concept (as a non-push, "keep-up", support action). However, you are seemingly implying that the right arm/forearm/hand can provide extra push power. The onus is on you to i) demonstrate how that is theoretically possible in a super-efficient swinger's swing (like Hogan's swing which I think can be accurately described as a triple barrel 4:2:3 swing) and ii) how you know with 100% certainty that Hogan is performing that active right hand action.

Jeff.

Jeff, when i said "I am more than sure" I tried to say that it is my own belief - with due proportions of course, as was Mr.Kelley's belief that one must be either swinger or hitter and that Hogan was a pure swinger; please, do not go into semantics I have utmost respect to Homer Kelley's work, but he did not eat all brains and was not all-knowing person, since he was only a human afterall...

Let me ask one question - have you ever tried to throw a discus ? If not, try it and it shows you more than I can say here in my broken English. Also, observe what happens when a tennis player uses one-handed backhand and compare to a double-handed one.

Pay attention to two things when looking at swing of Hogan:

1) during the second phase of downswing, he squares the clubface while still maintaining huge lag and his right hand goes into sort of palm-down position; I call it the conversion of a left wrist cock lag into a right wrist hinge lag;
how do you explain this phenomenon without an active right arm ? not possible to do it, IMHO, by only pulling with the lead arm since it would bring inevitably his right arm away from his body at impact.

2) what I already said - compare his right elbow move in relation to his pivot - you will observe that his right elbow moves independently (i.e. more than his pivot would suggest); it's easily visible on each post-secret DTL Hogan's swing motion.


Cheers

[pistol]

Dariusz
First off it is nice to see you have a great grasp on reality versus illusion and some interesting ideas on the right elbow position.
This is my opinion on the deal regarding Jim Hardy and how i see the right elbow position.
Hogan 1946 to accident had the right elbow well in front of his hip and maintained the left wrist cup and predominantly faded the ball with the odd hook thrown in according to Dr Cary Middlecoff .
Post accident and later footage 1960's in particular Hogan clearly changed his pivot and his hands move longitudinally out and down while his lateral shift is just finishing and in my opinion his knee action is part of the deal.
Now the right elbow moves into a deep pitch position early in the transition as a result of the knee action and the right hand /wrist/forearm throw that TT describes and this is why the right elbow "freezes" on the hip and some footage marginally behind while the pivot continues and Hogan gets that long right arm after impact.
Release and hold i describe this motion as the right hand releases down and out while the left hand holds.
This is my opinion why Hardy was fooled by the right elbow as it is still in a pitch and not punch position as it will " freeze" when this motion of the right hand/forearm karate chop is done correctly.
In Summary
Hogan 1946 to accident
very evident cup on left wrist with standard pivot and left arm dominant and not the master of his swing
Hogan later years
less evident cup on left wrist, different pivot/knee action and right arm dominant and master of his swing

[Jeff]

Dariusz

You wrote-: "during the second phase of downswing, he squares the clubface while still maintaining huge lag and his right hand goes into sort of palm-down position; I call it the conversion of a left wrist cock lag into a right wrist hinge lag How do you explain this phenomenon without an active right arm ? not possible to do it, IMHO, by only pulling with the lead arm since it would bring inevitably his right arm away from his body at impact."

I am willing to take time to understand your viewpoint because I know that you are a serious student of Hogan's swing. However, I can only understand your viewpoint if you express it in sufficient detail that I can grasp what you are implying.

What do you mean by "squaring the clubface in the late downswing"?

What do you mean by the "right palm-down" position?

What do you mean by "conversion of a left wrist cock lag into a right wrist hinge lag"?

What do you mean when you state that the "right elbow moves independently more than the pivot suggests"? When does this happen? Are you implying that the right elbow moves independently, and out of synchrony, with its right arm flying wedge relationships?

It is interesting that you made this statement -:"not possible to do it by only pulling with the left arm"?

I wonder whether we have the same conception of HK"s description of a swinger's swing. It is my understanding that HK stated that a swinger uses a triple barrel swing - 4:2:3 - and that the release of power accumulator #1 is not active. From my perspective, that only means that power accumulator #1 doesn't apply additional "push" power over-and-beyond that required to supply continuous extensor action via PP#1 and more than is necessary for the right elbow to straighten at a rate that is synchronous with the left arm pulling away as a result of release of power accumulator #4.

Yoda can correct me if I am wrong. However, this is my perception of a swinger's downswing action - like Hogan's downswing action.

A swinger (who is not an arm swinger, but a body swinger) initiates the downswing with a downswing pivot action starting with the lower body and then involving the upper body. During the early/mid downswing, the torso moves as fast as the arms, so that the entire power package remains intact until the hands reach waist level. Then, the downswing pivot action subsides and that causes the left arm to be catapulted off the left shoulder area thus widening the angle between the left arm and upper chest wall between the shoulder sockets. From this time-point onwards the arms are moving faster than the torso, and this represents the "effect" of the release of power accumulator #4. When the left arm is moving faster than the torso, it is indeed pulling the grip end of the club in a longitudinal direction. However, that doesn't mean that the right arm/forearm is passive. During the mid downswing, when the distance between the left hand and the right shoulder is increasing as a result of the release of power accumulator #4, the power package structure remains intact and the right elbow is still bent at a right angle. I think that it is only possible to maintain these power package relationships if the right arm/forearm muscles are isometrically active. In other words, I believe that the right arm/forearm is very active in an isometric sense during the downswing, and it is only correct to state that the right arm/forearm is passive from an isotonic perspective (which means that the right triceps doesn't shorten and actively straighten the right elbow, and the right forearm flexor muscles do not shorten and palmar flex the right wrist). However, the right arm/forearm muscles must be very active from an isometric perspective for a golfer to maintain the right arm flying wedge relationships and to also maintain constant extensor action throughout the downwswing. I also believe that the isometric contraction of the right arm/forearm muscles allow a golfer to "direct" the right forearm to remain "on plane" and avoid a situation where the left arm flies away from the body during the mid-late downswing (as you implied). It is the right arm/forearm that keeps the clubshaft "on plane" during the downswing and that would not be possible if the right arm/forearm muscles are not actively contracting. However, that doesn't mean that the right arm/forearm muscles are supplying "push" power in the sense of actively releasing power accumulator #1. HK suggested in his TGM book that one shouldn't "pull" and "push" at the same time, which is why he stated that a standard swinger's action (non-right arm swinger's action) can only be a 3-barrel action (4:2;3) and not a 4-barrel action (4:1:2:3).

Jeff.

[pistol]

Thankfully Hogan changed from a 3 barrel to a 4 barrel or else nobody would even discuss him.
APPLICATION is the order of the day not reciting a textbook with no true understanding of motions.
Dariusz i saw your latest swings and that motion is a vast improvement so keep up the application and good things will happen

[Jeff]

Dariusz

Here is another comment to supplement my previous post.

This graph shows the kinetic sequence in an excellent swinger's swing.



The graph is from Philip Cheetham of TPI.

Note how the angular speed of rotation of the hips/shoulders/arms is the same in the early downswing. Then note that the pelvis slows down slightly before the shoulders, and that the shoulders slow down a little later, just before the arms reach peak velocity. Note that the arms reach peak velocity when the hands are at waist level - in the mid-dowswing. Note that the arms are moving at a slower speed in the late downswing, but that the clubhead is rapidly accelerating in the late downswing to reach maximum velocity at impact. The reason why the club is moving so fast in the late downswing is due to the release phenomenon (release of power accumulator #2). Considering how fast the club is moving in the late downswing due to the sequential release of power accumulators #4 and then #2, how could an active release of power accumulator #1 at this same time-point in the late downswing increase clubhead speed? Remember that the the right elbow is straightening in the late downswing at the same time as the clubhead is traveling at an ultra-fast speed. How can any active isotonic contraction of the right triceps muscle at this same time-point in the swing get the club to move faster than is demonstrated in this diagram.

Maybe that is why Hogan "wished he had three right hands". He wished that he could get the club to move faster in the late downswing, but practical common-sense probably made him realize that his swing was already optimized for maximum clubhead speed generation., and that any attempt to add extra swing power in the late downswing was not practically possible for a swinger who had a perfected triple barrel 4:2;3 swing.

Jeff.

[Yoda]

Maybe that is why Hogan "wished he had three right hands". He wished that he could get the club to move faster in the late downswing, but practical common-sense probably made him realize that his swing was already optimized for maximum clubhead speed generation., and that any attempt to add extra swing power in the late downswing was not practically possible for a swinger who had a perfected triple barrel 4:2;3 swing.

Great thread; lots to learn here. Thanks to all who are participating.



Jeff, I understand and agree with your premise regarding the Swinger's passive Right Arm participation. But for me, it does not explain Hogan's desire for "three right hands". In fact, the whole notion of 'passive right arm' conflicts with it.

Here's my view:

As do all good players, Hogan sensed tremendous Clubhead Lag Pressure Point Pressure from Release to the end of the Follow-Through ('Through the Ball' per 7-24). He felt this Lag Pressure (Acceleration Rate / 2-M-2 #1) in his #3 Pressure Point (first joint of the Right Hand forefinger) and wanted more. Alas, since Clubhead Inertia can withstand all the Lag Pressure anyone can generate (7-19), there was no 'more' to get. Thus, with only one right hand, Hogan felt deficient.

Further, though Clubhead Lag Pressure only indirectly drives (7-11) the Club through Impact, it is nonetheless a dominant Feel. In fact, creating and maintaining this Lag Pressure (1-L #7) is no less than The Secret of Golf (6-C-2-0 / - A). And this indirect drive at Pressure Point #3 -- Right Hand -- is transmitted via the passive Power Accumulator #1 -- Right Elbow (6-C-2-C / 10-11-0-3).

All of which explains the Swinger's Feel ("describable sensation" per 1-J and 3-B) of the "stiff-wristed Right Forearm Slap" (Major Basic Stroke / 10-3-B) and the mantra of The Golfing Machine:

Sustain the Lag! [3-F-7-B]

[Jeff]

Yoda

I find your explanation very credible. It makes much more sense than the idea proposed by the proponents of a "right arm throw action" who claim that Hogan actively used his right arm in a karate-chop action, which started at the very beginning of the downswing.

In fact, I would imagine that an active right arm throw action, which occurs out-of-sequence at the very start of the downswing, could predispose to clubhead throwaway and a premature loss of that "feeling" of lag pressure at the PP#3 point. I presume that when you state "stiff-wristed right forearm slap" that you are not implying an active release of power accumulator #1 (due to an isotonic contraction of the right triceps muscle), but rather a well-sequenced release of power accumulator #4, and then PA #2, synchronously combined with the optimum amount of isometric contraction of the right arm/forearm muscles that allows a golfer to sustain the lag.

Jeff.

[Yoda]

I presume that when you state "stiff-wristed right forearm slap" that you are not implying an active release of power accumulator #1 (due to an isotonic contraction of the right triceps muscle), but rather a well-sequenced release of power accumulator #4, and then PA #2, synchronously combined with the optimum amount of isometric contraction of the right arm/forearm muscles that allows a golfer to sustain the lag.

Exactly right.

Moreover, I am referring to the Swinger's Feel -- monitored in the Right Forearm and Pressure Point #3 -- of sustaining (not creating) Lag Pressure 'Through the Ball'. This Lag Pressure is the indirect drive of the Clubhead (7-11), and its associated Accumulator #3 Action (Clubhead Overtaking) is the product of the passive Accumulator #1, i.e., the straightening Right Elbow per 7-3, 7-20, 6-B-3-0 and 10-11-0-3.

In my own case, my Right Forearm through Impact feels as if I am pressing the palm of my right hand on the inside of a doorway (with the Pivot and its Right Shoulder leading the action), but the doorway won't move. Presumably, this is the "optimum amount of isometric contraction" to which you refer.

[Dariusz J.]

Great thread; lots to learn here. Thanks to all who are participating.



Jeff, I understand and agree with your premise regarding the Swinger's passive Right Arm participation. But for me, it does not explain Hogan's desire for "three right hands". In fact, the whole notion of 'passive right arm' conflicts with it.

Here's my view:

As do all good players, Hogan sensed tremendous Clubhead Lag Pressure Point Pressure from Release to the end of the Follow-Through ('Through the Ball' per 7-24). He felt this Lag Pressure (Acceleration Rate / 2-M-2 #1) in his #3 Pressure Point (first joint of the Right Hand forefinger) and wanted more. Alas, since Clubhead Inertia can withstand all the Lag Pressure anyone can generate (7-19), there was no 'more' to get. Thus, with only one right hand, Hogan felt deficient.

Further, though Clubhead Lag Pressure only indirectly drives (7-11) the Club through Impact, it is nonetheless a dominant Feel. In fact, creating and maintaining this Lag Pressure (1-L #7) is no less than The Secret of Golf (6-C-2-0 / - A). And this indirect drive at Pressure Point #3 -- Right Hand -- is transmitted via the passive Power Accumulator #1 -- Right Elbow (6-C-2-C / 10-11-0-3).

All of which explains the Swinger's Feel ("describable sensation" per 1-J and 3-B) of the "stiff-wristed Right Forearm Slap" (Major Basic Stroke / 10-3-B) and the mantra of The Golfing Machine:

Sustain the Lag! [3-F-7-B]

Yoda, I'd love to understand your version, but I am too dumb to grasp it. Too bad, since I believe it may be another top post about Hogan...
I agree 200% to the first sentence of yours directed to Jeff.

[Yoda]

Yoda, I'd love to understand your version . . . I believe it may be another top post about Hogan . . .

Thanks, Dariusz.

I know it was a tough read, especially for those not well down the road that is TGM. Now that the nuts and bolts are up for the 'deep drillers' -- -- I'll put up a capsule summary ASAP that might actually mean something to the other 98 percent of the readers on this site.

Meanwhile, though, it's Father's Day, and I'm out for a family celebration!