Extensor action in swinging.....
 

6-B-1-D - i find myself a bit fogged up here. I am building a stroke as per 12-2-0 except i use sweep loading. I think Yoda advises using PP1? My way of thinking at the moment is using PP1 to stretch the left arm taut and to keep this action thru the whole stroke. Am i close?

Thanks for any defogging

John

yes close

Extensor action is controlled by the right arm as it folds and straightens. Pressure point #1 or #3 works find but I would train my “describable feeling” in the action of the right arm.

hit 'em loud. 8)

Learning Extensor Action
 

Yes, John, this is the action, and it is mandatory that you integrate it into your Golf Stroke. Without a Club, use the following simple drill:

1. As a Preliminary Address, Grip your Left Thumb with the last two fingers of your Right Hand.

2. Pull on the Thumb to straighten your Left Arm.

3. Now proceed through the remaining eleven Sections of the Stroke, pausing in each for a few seconds and reaffirming the Stretch of the Left Arm by the Right. With the Right Wrist Bent, be very aware of the heel of the Right Hand pushing against the Left Hand Thumb. You can think of it as the 'stump' of the Right Forearm pushing against the Thumb.

4. After training solely with your Hands, go through the same routine with a dowel. Remember to Grip down on the dowel roughly the length of your Left Forearm. This promotes Left Wrist stability and the Feel of the Left Arm Flying Wedge alignments.

Personally, I think of the Twelve Sections as four subsets of three:

• Three to get ready -- Preliminary Address, Impact Fix, Adjusted Address.
  
  Three to get up -- Start Up, Backstroke, Top.
  
  Three to get down -- Start Down, Downstroke, Release.
  
  Three to get around -- Impact, Follow-Through, Finish.

As you pause in the Backstroke and Top Sections (Hands Chest high and Shoulder high), this 'Pushing Out against the Thumb" action should be unmistakeable. Keep your Head Stationary and stretch out all the 'wobble' in the Left Shoulder girdle. Turn your Head slightly and look LOOK LOOK to see the Stretch. I do most of my drill training in front of a full-length mirror and recommend you do, too.

At Start Down, leave your Hands and Right Shoulder at The Top -- they don't move! -- as your Hips move ever so slightly to the Left. Feel the Hip Action Lead as the Right Shoulder Lags and Extensor Action Stretches. This magnificent combination totally removes any left side 'slack.' If there is a Master Move in Golf, this is it.

While checking your Extensor Action visually, also note mentally every 'detectable, distinguishable Feel' the Action produces (3-B). Just as important, become aware of its contrasting Feel, i.e., Extensor Action OFF. In each Section, On...Off. On...Off.

Finally, remember that there are two ways you train Educated Hands: Eyes Open and Eyes Shut. So, complete the process with Closed Eyes.

Do this exercise -- and believe me, it can be a workout! -- for a few minutes every day. Give it your complete, concentrated attention, and you will soon note a new structure and consistency in your Golf Stroke. It will be Extensor Action Feel doing its job, operating invisibly to take your Game to the next level.

Yoda,

Just like there are different swings there are different master moves (you are talking about a stroke pattern that has momentum transfer, not all strokes use that)...just read Harvey Penick's Little Red Book...."The Magic Move"...the end result should be the hips slide at the beginning of the downstroke versus rotating.....and, the on-plane arms keep the left arm straight....go off-plane and you will lose your straight left arm and maximum swing radius.

It's interesting so many golfers that use a lower body start down have back troubles....I was just reading that Greg Norman might give up the game because of his...the article is in the new Golf Magazine or Golf Digest.

Pain-Free Golf
 

I know where you are headed with this, Dave. -- your thesis on the Right Forearm Start Down :D -- but the truth is that every good player uses the Downstroke Release Sequence of 6-M-1. And the fact that the sequence is best monitored and controlled by The Hands -- Hands-Controlled Pivot -- is the essence of The Golfing Machine.

Norman's back problems are not the result of his Downstroke Pivot Sequence: They are the result of his Downstroke Pivot Motion. I should know: the same Motion basically crippled my own Golf Stroke by age 40. The good news is that I learned to Pivot properly, and I now play pain-free.

So could Greg.

8)

Yoda,

Cheers to "Hands Controlled Pivot".....better yet, to "Educated Hands".....man was Homer an abstract thinker compared to all of the golf writers out there....Cheers to thinking out of the box…

For the forum readers:

The big hurdle is...the hands physically don't control the pivot....it's the mind monitoring the path of hands directing the pivot or the arms to do there thing....


DG

Re: Learning Extensor Action
 

Yoda,

Per recommendation of "staying left" at Start Up through Top or using the feet, ankles, and knees as anchors, I have noticed that this also increases the "stretching the wobble out" feeling of extensor action. I have noticed that if I "drift" right as with shifting the weight advised in traditional instruction, the stretching Feel is not as pronounced.

Am I on the right track here?

Thanks!

R

The best place to 'know' that you are using extensor action properly is from impact to both arms straight. You should absolutely feel the right arm extension - the idea behind the "shake hands with your target" image.

Most people haven't felt this move before because they are not working from the ground up, from inside, and hence are 'out and over' with the right shoulder.

Use the split grip drill and move simply from impact fix to both arms straight. Do this without a ball, and in balance (eyes closed is one of the single best drills you can do). Brian's 'twist away' move is a very powerful addition to 6B1D. Check for a proper grip (10-2B) and work on these ideas.

When you really feel that right arm extend without 'doing', move to punch shots.

6B1D is certainly one of the single most imporant concepts in TGM IMO.

"Norman's back problems are not the result of his Downstroke Pivot Sequence: They are the result of his Downstroke Pivot Motion. I should know: the same Motion basically crippled my own Golf Stroke by age 40. The good news is that I learned to Pivot properly, and I now play pain-free."

Yoda, could you please expand upon exactly what was wrong and what you did to fix it? Thanks!

This forum is gods gift to golfers
 

Thank you so much everyone. This place is such a wonderful nestegg of knowledge. Yoda, your post must surely be the definitive one regarding extensor action. The fog has very much lifted, and i doubt it will come back. Your start down desrciption is required reading. Actually the more i read the more i get out of this one, bravo for a sensational post. One for the hall of fame Bagger :)

Regards

John