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Old 06-05-2007, 08:35 PM
Martin Levac Martin Levac is offline
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Re: The good, the bad, and the ugle

Ubizmo, the one thing that stands out is that you don't look up to your target once during the video. That lends me to believe that you don't aim for a target during practice. Let's compare what you do during that video and what you probably must do during play.

Practice.

Focus on swing technique without an apparent purpose. You don't look at your target. You swing and strike the ball then look up to see where it went with no reference because you don't aim for a target. Because you have no reference, you can't correct either way. You are sending balls anywhere, you might as well send them nowhere.

Play.

You must aim at a target. But since you don't practice that, your skill in this matter is somewhat low. You miss shot after shot and probably get discouraged after a while. You don't have fun after that.

Bear in mind, I'm only speculating based on that single video of yours. Perhaps you do look up to your target during practice but you were focused on something else for the purpose of this video. I don't mean to be harsh.

I advise that you practice aiming for a target. Select a target down range and select the appropriate club for the distance. Focus on making proper contact with the ball. Maintain your eyes on the ball as long as you can during the swing even after the ball is gone. Instead of counting on power to strike the ball, count on precision to strike the ball. With high precision, the club transmits more power to the ball and thus sends it farther. The worse the contact, the less the power, the shorter the distance. So, instead of focusing on technique to produce power, focus on precision to strike the ball properly. Swing under control, not out of control.

In another thread, I wrote a short list of important things to consider during the swing. Here it is:

1. Maintain a solid and stable base on my feet and legs throughout.
2. Maintain focus on the ball with my eyes throughout.
3. Focus on making proper contact with the ball above all else.

Notice that there is barely any technical aspect to that list, it's just a few guidelines to follow. It describes my intent and nothing else, if you will. From this intent, I can deduce any technique that I need to satisfy this intent. No technique is taboo as long as I satisfy my intent. Notice also that it lacks the target, that is so obvious to me that I leave it out of that list. Instead, it is the ultimate purpose of that list in the first place. Anyway, I don't aim for the target during the swing, I do so before I swing.

My purpose is to send the ball to the target using the club. That short list allows me to do just that. In your case, I advise that you begin your short list, if you have one, with the explicit command "aim for a target". At least until it becomes automatic. I also advise that you use the exact same list during practice and during play.
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