Your back knee – as in, “the knee bones connected to the hip bone”
In golf, as you finish your swing, you are able to easily walk down the fairway
Similarly, Tom Stow (who taught the game based on the form of a 3/4 nine iron) trained that on the follow thru if you so chose, you could continue waking to the net
Recently I came across coaching material that tried to separate process from instructional content
Meaning,( I think) the process of how the material is conveyed is as important as the actual content
A little bit like thoughts from a book by Ellen Langer, The Power of Mindful Learning, where she believes that if I tell you how to hit a topspin forehand that may work, but if I ask you to explore elements of that task until you solve it yourself, there becomes more ownership
And the first step in this “ownership” process is to access your AWARENESS, not in a general sense but specifically to the task at hand
With that in mind, explore the soundless video below, to see if elements of what you see actually transfer on court
If a coach might tell you where to look but not what to see …..What do you see ?
Love this particular lesson. Many golf articles I have ever read contrast hitting and swinging, not swinging and throwing. I recently revisited this question. I had noted on my best strokes the club was floating encircled by my hand. It occurred to me maybe I was looking in the wrong direction for the answer so I looked up a couple articles on chopping wood. One was on splitting logs, the other on chopping wood. Both said you completely released your grip before the axe hit the wood. One put it succinctly, “The work was complete before the axe hit the wood.” I have since completely abandoned the concept of lag. Does it really make sense to hit the ball several feet before the implement reaches maximum speed?
Tennis on the theory of golf.the golf swing and a tennis swing you show is wrong for golf. look at his left foot and using his right hand on the back swing is inside to fast you must us the leftwrist to cock the club not right. i have been playing golf for 54 for years.started playing tennis forty five years started when i was 23 won a gold ball on the hard courts in the 55s. my back hand sucks, would like to take a lesson sometime. since 1980 i play tennis in the morning and golf in the afternoon. i play or hit balls at at least six days a week in both sports. I have had a lot of lessons and I’m stuck. would love to connect either video lesson or in person. I’m in tahoe all summer and la quinta in the winter. i like your videos and thinking.
Stella – actually quite a few years ago World Tennis magazine featured Jack Nicklaus hitting serves – but whether the golf swing is closer to the serve or the forehand – that will be open for a discussion
At my end I am not sure – best Jim
Golf and tennis it’s all about ground reaction forces being able to efficiently travel through the body and out into the racket or club. I saw your 8 board video also. I have one of those from years back also.
And in regards to the stance it should very much be decided on where you need to go afterwards. Neutral/closed stance whatever people call it allows you to seamlessly keep moving forward. Open stance allows you to seamlessly move from out wide and back to the middle in recovery. Neither is right or wrong just depends what you need to do afterward.
Alex – thanks for this note and well said as regards hitting stqnce, for it does depend on where one is on court, what the incoming ball is like, and how the hitter hopes to move next – best Jim
Loved that book, but her On Becoming an Artist was even better. I have been playing golf in lieu of tennis and am dying to try out my approach to golf in tennis. Basically, took the approach of Manuel de la Torre that you should learn how to operate your tool and let your body figure out the details. But I decided to take the approach that you throw the club at the ball rather than swinging the club. That seems like a small change but it really clarified things for me. When I look at this individual he swings the golf club but throws the tennis racquet and throwing looks more fluid. When you throw, you use your index to fling the racquet at the ball.
Donald – thanks for this and I will check out both the book On Becoming an Artist, as well as your note about Manuel de la Torre – and I had another note about the differences showed between the golf swing and forehand – I want to “relook” to see between the swinging and throwing – best Jim
That guy has a sweet golf swing. I once played golf with someone that looked like him…a bit older…but the same sweet swing. I wonder if he ever put all if that golf talent to good use.
KA – your golf comments are spot on – once years ago I was told I had a sweet swing, then this observer came to the practice tee and hit an 8 iron farther than I was doing with my 3 iron – as o good use I am still searching – best Jim
Your back knee – as in, “the knee bones connected to the hip bone”
11 Comments
Donald McDonald
October 7, 2021Love this particular lesson. Many golf articles I have ever read contrast hitting and swinging, not swinging and throwing. I recently revisited this question. I had noted on my best strokes the club was floating encircled by my hand. It occurred to me maybe I was looking in the wrong direction for the answer so I looked up a couple articles on chopping wood. One was on splitting logs, the other on chopping wood. Both said you completely released your grip before the axe hit the wood. One put it succinctly, “The work was complete before the axe hit the wood.” I have since completely abandoned the concept of lag. Does it really make sense to hit the ball several feet before the implement reaches maximum speed?
mark peterson
June 23, 2020Tennis on the theory of golf.the golf swing and a tennis swing you show is wrong for golf. look at his left foot and using his right hand on the back swing is inside to fast you must us the leftwrist to cock the club not right. i have been playing golf for 54 for years.started playing tennis forty five years started when i was 23 won a gold ball on the hard courts in the 55s. my back hand sucks, would like to take a lesson sometime. since 1980 i play tennis in the morning and golf in the afternoon. i play or hit balls at at least six days a week in both sports. I have had a lot of lessons and I’m stuck. would love to connect either video lesson or in person. I’m in tahoe all summer and la quinta in the winter. i like your videos and thinking.
Jim McLennan
June 26, 2020Mark – thanks for this note – please send me a video as travel may be limited for quire some time
best
Jim
Stella
May 14, 2020I’ve heard it said that the golf swing is arguably closer to a tennis serve than an forehand. Sort of an upside down swing.
Jim McLennan
May 14, 2020Stella – actually quite a few years ago World Tennis magazine featured Jack Nicklaus hitting serves – but whether the golf swing is closer to the serve or the forehand – that will be open for a discussion
At my end I am not sure – best Jim
Alex
May 13, 2020Golf and tennis it’s all about ground reaction forces being able to efficiently travel through the body and out into the racket or club. I saw your 8 board video also. I have one of those from years back also.
And in regards to the stance it should very much be decided on where you need to go afterwards. Neutral/closed stance whatever people call it allows you to seamlessly keep moving forward. Open stance allows you to seamlessly move from out wide and back to the middle in recovery. Neither is right or wrong just depends what you need to do afterward.
Jim McLennan
May 14, 2020Alex – thanks for this note and well said as regards hitting stqnce, for it does depend on where one is on court, what the incoming ball is like, and how the hitter hopes to move next – best Jim
Donald McDonald
May 13, 2020Loved that book, but her On Becoming an Artist was even better. I have been playing golf in lieu of tennis and am dying to try out my approach to golf in tennis. Basically, took the approach of Manuel de la Torre that you should learn how to operate your tool and let your body figure out the details. But I decided to take the approach that you throw the club at the ball rather than swinging the club. That seems like a small change but it really clarified things for me. When I look at this individual he swings the golf club but throws the tennis racquet and throwing looks more fluid. When you throw, you use your index to fling the racquet at the ball.
Jim McLennan
May 14, 2020Donald – thanks for this and I will check out both the book On Becoming an Artist, as well as your note about Manuel de la Torre – and I had another note about the differences showed between the golf swing and forehand – I want to “relook” to see between the swinging and throwing – best Jim
KA
May 13, 2020That guy has a sweet golf swing. I once played golf with someone that looked like him…a bit older…but the same sweet swing. I wonder if he ever put all if that golf talent to good use.
Jim McLennan
May 14, 2020KA – your golf comments are spot on – once years ago I was told I had a sweet swing, then this observer came to the practice tee and hit an 8 iron farther than I was doing with my 3 iron – as o good use I am still searching – best Jim
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