LynnBlakeGolf Forums - MacDonald Drills and Basic Motion

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Burner (Post 56634)

Keeeerect!:golf:

Remember no more jelly legs and right forearm Burner!!! I better not see that next time we meet :sad2:
Alex

Slo-Mo Movies Coming!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Burner (Post 56634)

Keeeerect!:golf:

As time and student permissions permit, we will be posting some of these swings in the Homecoming thread. They were shot by golfguru in super-slow motion using the new Casio Exilim EX-F1 camera. Stay tuned!

The best "Big Mac" ever!

Quote:

Originally Posted by O.B.Left (Post 54472)

Yoda showed taught me exercise 5 and 6 on the practice tee at Orange County National in front of about 50 people. The player to my right was a tour pro on the Canadian tour. I was a little abashed but played along as people watched Yoda and I working on what I am sure they thought were dance moves. Yoda is one heck of dancer, I bet!

That was almost two years ago and I now do 5 and 6 on the course when ever I feel the need. Its also a good warm up drill. It creates a feel that sets me straight. A feeling of the arms going sort of "up" independent of the body and knees. For me it is a feeling of the right hip going back and the arms going up with the shoulders held still. If you were to add a little shoulder turn you'd have the hands going not only back and up but also in, just like in a real swing. It is a good "hands to pivot" drill. Not sure if that is just what the doctor diagnosed for me or whether it is prescription for all. Hope I got it right here. Correct me if I got wrong.

I have been doing these drills and lifting my heels while keeping my Balance over a golf ball and Lagging a club tracing back on the Baseline of the Plane. It has been over a week and my club "swoosh" sound has increased as my muscles have gotten use to the move! My goal is to do these drills daily as a type of stretching, Balance, and Rhythm.

Thanks Lynn! :study:

ICT

Quote:

Originally Posted by innercityteacher (Post 84151)

Nice idea. I do them in elevators looking in the mirror..... when Im not doing Startdown Waggles that is.

Ice, check out Harry Vardons swing for some serious lagging on the takeaway. A not so popular these days move but it'd make a real shot seem more like a Melhourn drill shot with its tremendous Loading via momentum, Swinging from the Feet, Lag and Drag. Lag is "golfs secret". Even when putting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by O.B.Left (Post 84163)

That's right OB. I have been using dowels since the Swamp and you can feel the lag of the club very clearly. It has forced me to rethink Extensor Action "heaviness."

ICT

Quote:

Originally Posted by O.B.Left (Post 84163)

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one doing these drills at every available opportunity :laughing9

Make sure you revisit Post #5 in this thread: http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/forum/s...4468#post54468

Overactive shoulders -- Pivot-Controlled Hands -- continue to be the bane of golfers everywhere. Keep those puppies square to the target line through impact and swing your arms and hands freely past them (while keeping your head still). Get reckless!

This is the essence of the effective, efficient golf stroke.

Aficionados should study 6-B-3-0. For the very brave, add 6-M-1.

:golfcart2:

Nice reminders, Lynn

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoda (Post 84388)

I was starting to turn too inside and not trace enough! Keeping the shoulders more square to the Base Line of the Plane will help every shot as my arms swing more up!

That would explain the odd "duck hook" since everything else was solid: Grip, Standard Address, Mid-Body hands, TSP, Right/Left March and Flail then Arrow through the Ear (Should I call this the "Osama?") .

Awesome! :golf:

MacDonald Drills Redux

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yoda (Post 54462)

Because of their apparent simplicity, I have no doubt that both amateurs and professionals woefully underestimate the effectiveness of the MacDonald Exercises (drills). http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/forum/s...ed=1#post39845 Correctly performed, they have the power to transform one's game. But, there's the rub: They rarely are performed correctly, at least not at first.

Here are ten common mistakes I see -- there are more -- as students attempt them under my tutelage. I will talk to you as I talk to them:

Exercises 5 and 6 (No Club)

1. Your feet are too wide apart. Get your heels together . . . actually brushing against each other back and through. [I usually have to repeat this instruction a half dozen times or more before it finally sinks in.] And keep your hands apart . . . you're swinging your hands, not gripping a golf club.

2. Keep the motion continuous . . . don't stop after one 'swing' . . . back and through and back and through and back and through. Oops, you've got it backward: You're on your left foot when you swing back and your right when you swing through. It should be the opposite: Swing your arms back when you're on your right foot and through when you're on your left foot.

3. Your feet and knees are too wobbly . . . too much sideways motion. The 'mark time' motion should be straight ahead. The knees don't 'kick in' independently, and the ankles don't roll excessively. Later, they will be pulled in slightly as the hips rotate.

4. Let your left heel 'unload' on the backstroke. In fact, let it come up a fraction just to make sure you've got the right action. Keep the outer edge of the toe of the left shoe on the ground. [Here, I often will squat down and physically place the left foot in its proper 'top' position.]

5. Your shoulders are way too active. Feel as though you keep them facing the line. Don't let them turn toward 'the target'.

6. Swing your arms freely from the shoulder joints. Yours really aren't swinging at all. They are tied into your shoulders and you're dragging them around like this (demo).

7. Your arms and hands are swinging way too much inside . . . going back and coming through. Feel like you swing them 'parallel' to the plane line. Point both your index fingers at the target line throughout the motion. Your arms should swing more 'up' and less 'around'.

8. You're holding your right arm too straight on the backstroke. Let it bend at the elbow. And you're not fanning the elbow. Let the 'pocket' of your right elbow look upward and your hands turn to plane, like this . . . [Yoda 'hands on' correction is applied with virtually instantaneous results.]

9. Let the right arm 'go' a little at the bottom, like you're pitching a ball.

10. Keep your head still. Here, I'll help keep it steady -- [I actually reach out and stabilize the head position] -- while you 'mark time' with your feet and knees and swing freely back and forth with your arms from the shoulder joints. This is the essence of the swing, including its timing. It's just like walking, but with a sideways arm swing. See?

And so it goes . . .

:golfcart2:

I wrote the above post nearly four years ago.

Every word stands.

In the past three days, an earnest 'hacker' has, under my equally earnest tutelage, transformed his golf stroke from 'can't' to 'can'.

It's why I'm here. I know that and thank the Good Lord for the opportunity he has granted me.

The solution to virtually all your golf stroke 'issues' await your diligent application of these fundamental basics.

Have at it.

:salut:

let it swing baby.

I can attest to the transformative powers of the MacDonald drills. Under the tutelage of Mr Blake Ive stripped away a lot of excess motion and effort. My swing looks different , better, way better, but I didn't get there via copping positions... position golf . No Sir. The Alignments allied with motion as per the MacDonald drills did it. Actually only motion can produce some of the positions we admire. Positions that can't be copped, posed or attained without the proper motion and its precious momentum. Momentum which produces lag and drag. Lag golfs secret.

Take special note of the title to Lynns post #27. "Free at last". And also point 9 in post #29. Homer said in the end we all feel like we were pitching a ball underhanded. Thats what golf can reduce to .... after training.

Try under handing a golf ball at a hole within chipping range. Then chip one to the same hole. How did your two procedures differ in terms of mental imagery and intentions? In regard to "free at last" did you tie your arm to your pivots motion mechanically when throwing the ball? I suspect not. Did you pivot? If so , I bet it happened without you instructing it to do so. Your brain was in your hand not your pivot I suspect. You pivoted perfectly not too much nor too little. You're "wired" to this... all day long actually. The Arms and your Pivots motions are independent of each but coordinated.

Prior to your actual throw , you probably had a clear picture of the hole and the terrain you needed to traverse , the ideal loft of the throw , the proper amount of acceleration needed as later sensed in your hand (lag pressure). You probably did all of this in an instant without much thought to it. You didnt need to take any practice throws I bet. Freeing you from the temptation to critique your practice strokes ... go upstairs , get inside your head and probably ruin the whole process. You didn't need to measure the shot in feet or yards. Your brain gave your hand the correct instructions without you intervening with warnings, messages , swing thoughts etc.... In the end golf is reduced to "hand / eye coordination" , just like tossing an underhanded ball or if you prefer a side armed ball.

Tracings good. It goes with the underhanded throw idea nicely. Same with the Aiming Point Procedure if you use it for longer shots. Visual Equivalents too .... if you see a club head blur that is and understand the geometry.