Technique, not Effort; Cause, not Effect

[comdpa]

In my limited but enriching teaching sessions with students, I find a common thread that runs between the good students who graduate to greatness and the so-so ones who get mired in mediocrity.

What is the difference?

Per 3-B, "Eons of manhours are lost trying to substitute effort for technique and trying to eliminate effect instead of cause."

Technique is simply: "Skillfulness in the command of fundamentals deriving from practice and familiarity."

Applied in a golf sense, this simply means that we have an effective and efficient golf swing.

Technique stems from proper application of the scientific principles of the golf swing - physics which is the action and geometry which is the motion.

Technique does not and will never arise from applications of seems-as-ifs.

One seems-as-ifs is: "If I swing harder, then the ball must go further." This is giving effort precedence over technique and is the distinguishing hallmark of hackers the world over.

The relationship between effect and cause is one that is rarely understood by some groups of golfers and even instructors.

By way of analogy, a person unknowingly suffering from a brain tumour usually has unexplainable bouts of headaches.

The tumour is the cause but the headache is the manifestation of that malfunction in the head. Taking tons of Tylenol® only serves to provide a brief respite.

In much the same way, a bobbing (3-F-7-D) head which causes a thin/fat shot is simply the manifestation of a breakdown in the lead wrist.

However, if a wrong diagnosis is given, the student/player will be practicing aimlessly on "keeping their head down" with the end result being more thin/fat shots.

The bottomline here is that good players (often with the aid of a good coach) usually become good because they are able to pinpoint the cause and not the effects of the errors in their golf swing.

The hackers stay the way they are because they keep working the effects - much like taking Tylenol® will destroy a brain tumour.

[6bmike]

Nice post, Justin. Your students are in good (educated ) hands.

Your post reminded me of what Ernest Jones said, "You must have worked hard being this bad..." Maybe the art form in instruction is teaching by subtraction rather than by piling on.

Cause and Effect is Newton's Law of Motion.

And much ill fate (the effect-bad shots) is born out of anxiety (the cause- the four snares).

Time to toast a bagel. Why do they taste better on the weekend?

[drewitgolf]

Very nice post comdpa. The belief that effort is power is what keeps us golf pro's in business .

[tongzilla]

Law is cause. Ball behavior – intended or unintended – is effect.

Now that's something for the Golf World to think about.

[mb6606]

Effort <> Lag

[jim_0068]

If your hands are educated and technique is fairly sound, don't fool yourself that extra effort can't create any extra speed otherwise you'll never reach your potential for distance when you need it.

[comdpa]

If your hands are educated and technique is fairly sound, don't fool yourself that extra effort can't create any extra speed otherwise you'll never reach your potential for distance when you need it.

Most definitely jim_0068,

I believe that there is a point in time if a player with good technique desires to hit the ball further that weight training should be explored.

This was the case with Camilio Villegas who averaged only 280 plus yards when entering college. After a dedicated season of weights, he tacked on almost 20 yards to his drives and developed into the big hitter that he is today.

[mabramb]

What was Michaelangelo's response when asked how did he sculpt David?

He took a large piece of marble and removed everything that wasn't David...

I believe most golfers have a good golf swing in them... its finding the "sculptor" to aid in the removal of all that is hindering that. Could be an instructor, could be a book, could be a friend, could be many things that finally lead them to their own "ah-hah".

Thanks Justin for contributing to my "ah-hahs"!!!

Michael

[comdpa]

What was Michaelangelo's response when asked how did he sculpt David?

He took a large piece of marble and removed everything that wasn't David...

I believe most golfers have a good golf swing in them... its finding the "sculptor" to aid in the removal of all that is hindering that. Could be an instructor, could be a book, could be a friend, could be many things that finally lead them to their own "ah-hah".

Thanks Justin for contributing to my "ah-hahs"!!!

Michael

You are most welcome Michael!

[bts]

The "intention" is the cause and the rest is "effect".

"a bobbing (3-F-7-D) head which causes a thin/fat shot is simply the manifestation of a breakdown in the lead wrist." or a golfer's intention of hacking at the ball, "moving the club to hit the ball", rather than simply "moving the club through the ball". Usually the head stops "bobbing" in a practicing swing, which no "ball intention" is involved and the lead wrist stops "breaking down" as well, because there is no ball for the clubhead to be released at.

"Effortless power" feels "effortless" but do demand effort, which moves the club(head) effectively, efficiently and precisely and randers it "powerful".

"Powerless effort" feels "powerful", yet the effort/intention is directed toward the ball (or/and its behavior), which usually causes the opposite of the above to the clubhead movement and randers it "powerless".