Clear this once and for all- "flat wrist" when gripping.
 

Hi there... This post only deals with THE LEFT HAND

I you hold your left hand karate chop flat in front of you with extended fingers and all..

...doesn't it seem mighty difficult to grip the club with the meaty part of the inside of your left hand on TOP of the club (in order to be able to hold it with just the left index finger and resting on the meaty part)?
When I try to grip with my left hand FLV I get a grip that is left of the clubshaft. And that doesn't feel right.

And also... if you line up the clubshaft center perfectly with the left arm center and cock your wrist you are certainly getting a bent left wrist... OR your clubshaft will have to be a tad to the inside of your arm.

Do you agree? Set me straight!!!

thanks

a

I don't know if it clears anything for you, but how about gripping the club with your right hand first, in its bend, level and vertical position, then fit your flat/level/vertical left wrist into that. If you swing from standard adress you'll have to adjust, but if you hit from impact fix (like me) you just take your right forearm back/up/in.

If you take your grip in 'impact fix' you want a flat left wrist, but that does not mean it will be facing exactly towards your target (90 degrees to target line).

If you have assembled your flying wedges properly, gone to a proper impact fix and have a bent right/flat left/verticle wrists and the pressure points in place to 'support' the force of impact (downplane, the tilted plane, not toward the target), you will find that the back of your left hand matches the direction your right forearm is pointing.

There are, of course variations depending on the grip type you use, but let impact fix and the flying wedges alignments be your guide. See the drills section for a post 'setting up for compression' for an excellent proxy for getting into those alignments as part of your routine. Go to impact fix, then setup using this drill, then back to impact fix. You will notice you can use the routine to ensure your alignments.

As far as the left hand is concerned, some more food for thought...

To make a 'pure' horizontal hinge motion with your arm at shoulder high, the left hand would stay 'verticle' to the ground. A backhand slap.

If you were going to make a 'pure' verticle hinge motion it would in effect be a 'karate chop'.

Given those observations, geometrically, a pure angled hinge motion would then result in a 45 degree left hand. No roll feel.

One of the reasons that hitters may find a more turned left hand beneficial (no roll), and that swingers may find a more verticle left hand (full roll - physics assisted geometry).

Thanks! But...
 

Thank you for your reply.

I understand what you write and I agree with all of it. It's just that with that left wrist position (not pointing to target, but rather in the direction of the right forearm), I would argue that the wrist is turned and not vertical.

And there was/is my problem trying to set up FLV/BLV.

Or maybe impact fix should always be FLT/BLT? Can't find that in the book though.

I'll check the drills you mentioned.

A