Originally Posted by rprevost
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I have been practicing the Basic Motion (so far as I understand it). I find that, when I concentrate on getting my hands forward at impact, my body seems to get rigid and quits moving. Consequently, my body gets in the way of my swinging arms forcing them out and/or stopping them so that I stub the ground behind the ball. What can you recommend that I start thinking of to get my body not to get in the way of my arms? I have started trying to monitor PP#3 (again I think I have that right), and that seems to help because I can keep the feeling of pressure through impact with my right wrist staying bend if I move my body properly. Is that the right way to go about it? Monitoring PP#3? Thanks for you help.
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My opinion for your consideration:
What is happening now:
You are very eager to get those hands ahead of the clubhead at impact (primary focus and this thinking needs to change). As a result, you are neglecting clubhead direction control. Your eagerness (and no control) is allowing the clubhead to travel on an outside to in (with impact along the way) path (yes even in basic motion). If you are in true basic motion, this could be the result of the eagerness to get the hands ahead of the clubhead by itself, or if you are going beyond basic motion the right hip will not clear if the hands even start an outside in journey - then it becomes impossible to to anything but outside in as the right hip is in the way.
With no manual clubFACE manipulation, the start of an outside to in path will let your mind know that you will pull the ball. As a rational, thinking person, you don't want this to happen, so you quit, resulting in the stub behind the ball. The quit could also be forced by a right hip that is in the way of zone #2 motion (if not in basic motion).
Solution:
Do not focus primarily on the body.
Focus primarily on establishing, producing, and maintaining clubhead lag pressure (which is NOT hands ahead of the clubhead). Clubhead lag technique is sensing the change of the clubhead with the hands (most likely through PP #3). Tell your mind you need to sense this all the way to the end of basic motion. Tell your mind you don't want to lose the feel. What produces clubhead change? Hands that are driven. Acceleration. If you have this awareness all sorts of wonderful things will happen.
Hands will be ahead of the clubhead - as if they are not, clubhead feel will have been lost.
You will be able to control clubhead direction through the hands.
Now that you are able to control clubhead direction - where to direct it via the hands? Keep # 3 pressure point pointing at a straight plane line. This will dictate that the clubhead move on an inside to out path until low point.
The hands will have no desire or will not be forced to quit. The body will respond in a necessary fashion to keep the feel of clubhead lag pressure in the hands.
This is not endless trial and error of striving to maintain clubhead lag pressure. You already have a huge head start. Through study of TGM - you already KNOW how the body is supposed to respond (independent of hands). You already KNOW the correct direction of the hands. By all means, keep these items in mind (huge confidence that you already KNOW what is right).
Primary focus on the hands. Definitely feel the body motion.
Checks:
Put the ball well back of lowpoint (~left shoulder). Apply basic motion with heavy pressure of driven hands. Examine divot. Should extend to low point.
At a glance from above, it's general direction should mostly be to the right. This does not mean that the clubface does not continue closing after impact (before lowpoint).
The whole clubhead is resposible for the divot going right. Inside the divot itself, the closing of the club face would produce a "left like scoop". Can you see this? Myself I don't look for it - just gereral direction - right.
Check to see that the right wrist remains bent after motion is correct. Maintaining clubhead lag pressure gives the right wrist no desire to flatten.
Indoor practice:
Read 4-D-0 Do the "low bench, straight edge drill" while seeing that you maintained a bent right wrist.