My Swing (Jetfan1983)

[JetFan1983]

Ahhhh. Thanks, Erik. And Mike. I see it now.

[JetFan1983]

Off-topic but perfect:

[JetFan1983]

I've been working really hard on my swing, and the backswing is starting to take shape. Transition is really improving. I haven't worked on A5 to the finish much really, but that bridge can be crossed when I reach it.

I think A2 is really improving, as well as A4 and the transition.

I toed this ball in this first video, but I'm happy with how the things I'm working on are developing.

Anyway, I'm really busting my hump out there on the range, and it's good to see changes happening.

[JetFan1983]

This is from Sunday.

Well let's see... I hate my A2. I hate my transition. I hate everything after A5. But I somehow love golf. Weird.

The good news is I'm in excellent hands with James, and I know what I have to do to clean up what he wants me to clean up. Just got a new video from him yesterday. Looking forward to fixing this stuff. Hopefully I post some "happy swings" soon.

I was using a 5-iron in this video.

James gave a good speech about not trying to "get things perfect" when changing things. I completely agree, and it was good to hear that.

Our focus points right now:

1) More arm bend at A2

2) no floppy BS in the transition i.e. don't increase right arm flex, don't palmar flex lead wrist, don't mega-load the flying wedge....

3) load trigger finger at start of the downswing (go from steep to shallow)

He explained it to me much better than this, but this is my butchered summary of what's going down right now in my progress.

I'm worried about a ton of other pieces, but am smart enough (or rather "stupid" enough) to know to not go off any bullshit tangents without his guidance. I am officially just a grunt Marine and he is my commanding officer. The only way I answer now is "sir yes sir!" or "sir no sir!"

DAMN IT JETFAN. FIX YOUR DAMN A2! I'VE NEVER SEEN A MORE SORRY A2 POSITION IN ALL MY LIFE. YOU MUST BE A GENIUS JETFAN. YOU MUST BE A REALLY SMART PLAYER. YOU HIT STRAIGHT SHOTS WITH THAT A2 POSITION, JETFAN?

Sir yes sir!!

BULLSHIT! I BET YOU CAN'T HIT IT OUT OF YOUR ****ING SHADOW WITH THAT A2 POSITION. YOU MAKE ME SICK. BEND YOUR RIGHT ARM AND THAT'LL CLEAN UP A LOT OF OTHER PIECES! DO YOU WANT TO CLEAN UP THE OTHER SHITTY PIECES OF YOUR GOLF SWING, JETFAN?

Sir yes sir!!

NO STUDENT OF MINE IS ALLOWED TO HAVE SUCH A SORRY A2 POSITION. YOU WILL BE A MACHINE, JETFAN! LEMME HEAR YOUR WAR CRY!

[cipher]

Well the bad news is you probably are not getting the Stupid Monkey award after than rant.

The good news is, somehow I was given the award and I wish I could get into half the positions you have in your swing.

Your impact position is phenomenal in my uneducated opinion. I have been trying to get the hips more open and the shoulders slightly open like that and just cannot do it. Your entire swing is just extremely impressive.  Keep in mind you are getting to the point where you are working on very subtle things, and that in the scope of things what you have accomplished is some pretty awesome work.    The spilled milk so to speak in your swing is tiny drops compared to a big mess at this point.  Ha ha!

[JetFan1983]

Haha, this is perfect example of "the grass is always greener" then, I guess, because I just looked at your swing thread and feel the same way about what you said about my swing

Yea, the stupid monkey award. Hey, I'm trying. I listen, follow orders. I think my only screw up with that has been an email I sent to an evolvr instructor where I rambled on too much about what I thought was wrong with me. I feel like I've put a lid on it since then. I'm really only repeating what I've been told (minus the Full Metal Jacket reference hehe).

Maybe I'll post some slow-mo work or some shorter swings here like you've done for next time.

I just get frustrated when I get something to work for a day, where the picture looks much better, and then I come back a few days later, and I've regressed back to what I was.... but I also understand that that's completely normal, and I just have to keep practicing.

Thanks for the input though. I appreciate it! I'll keep working at it. I probably need to watch my new evolvr video like 10 times between now and the next time I practice.

[cipher]

Very true, the grass does always seem greener somewhere else.  In some ways the big changes when you first start working on things are easy. When you get into the fine details it takes so much more hard work and can be frustrating when we put all that time in and regress a bit.  That being said, I guess we should both keep in mind what has been and where we have gotten to at this point.  I respect your humility in that you always see what is ahead and what you need to focus on.

As for my kidding about the Stupid Monkey badge, you clearly know what you need to work on and are focused in on it.  That is what matters.  In my own socially awkward way, I was complimenting you on your intelligence as it relates to the golf swing and your ability to understand and describe exactly what is going on.   Keep up the hard work and I will stay tuned.

[boogielicious]

Originally Posted by JetFan1983

Haha, this is perfect example of "the grass is always greener" then, I guess, because I just looked at your swing thread and feel the same way about what you said about my swing

Yea, the stupid monkey award. Hey, I'm trying. I listen, follow orders. I think my only screw up with that has been an email I sent to an evolvr instructor where I rambled on too much about what I thought was wrong with me. I feel like I've put a lid on it since then. I'm really only repeating what I've been told (minus the Full Metal Jacket reference hehe).

Maybe I'll post some slow-mo work or some shorter swings here like you've done for next time.

I just get frustrated when I get something to work for a day, where the picture looks much better, and then I come back a few days later, and I've regressed back to what I was.... but I also understand that that's completely normal, and I just have to keep practicing.

Thanks for the input though. I appreciate it!  I'll keep working at it. I probably need to watch my new evolvr video like 10 times between now and the next time I practice.

Ease up on yourself there Buckaroo!  You remind me of me!  I get really down on myself when things are not working as I expect.  I stopped filming myself for a while because I was getting too obsessive with all the details, which is my nature.  I have always been a goal setter and demand to myself that I achieve them.  We can be too hard on ourselves.

I too am trying to be an ignorant simian. Now I will only work on one thing during any swing session.

[JetFan1983]

Haha, appreciate it, Boogie. Alright... I've eased up.

I'm working exclusively on the right arm fold rate and keeping my arms and wrists stable in the transition, so I will be filming that. In slow motion without a club, I'm starting to engrain the feel. Mirror work or just phantom golf swings is underrated stuff... I think I'm going to finally get this.

I'm trying to get it more like Mac here on the left. I really think I'm going to get this soon. I need to feel super soft arms. It's a very relaxed feeling for me.

And then in the transition, I'll have to hit a lot of balls to get that "stable" feeling James talked about with me. You can see it in some of my videos. There's a very slight right arm bend increase in the transition, plus other things like the wedge and accumulators loading incorrectly. Mvmac mentioned this stuff to me too in an old evolvr video, so I have two perspectives to work with here if need be.

My next video will have these improved! Those two things are the only things I am looking for/working on. Seems doable since I've worked on that stuff for last 7-8 hours of practicing, so it's starting to feel like I'm going to nail it.

PS- Try not to get to distracted by Mac's short shorts!

[theworldengine]

Those shorts are rather precarious.

[boogielicious]

That's all we had in the '70s!  I remember our track team shorts were just like that

[RPMPIRE]

Originally Posted by boogielicious

That's all we had in the '70s!  I remember our track team shorts were just like that

A lot of track and cross country teams still use these short shorts. Not to mention a bunch of elite marathon runners.

[Stretch]

Mac swing:

Mac shorts:

Godspeed my friend.

[theworldengine]

Why do you use so much knee flex in your setup

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by JetFan1983

I'm trying to get it more like Mac here on the left. I really think I'm going to get this soon. I need to feel super soft arms. It's a very relaxed feeling for me.

The only difference is that Mac has his right tricep against his body, while yours is off it.  Just feel that entire tricep squeeze against your side.  I'll put my hand just on a player's rib cage and have them squeeze my hand.

[JetFan1983]

Originally Posted by Stretch

Mac swing:

Mac shorts:

Godspeed my friend.

I would thumbs this up if we were still allowed to

Originally Posted by RPMPIRE

Quote:

Originally Posted by boogielicious

That's all we had in the '70s!  I remember our track team shorts were just like that

A lot of track and cross country teams still use these short shorts. Not to mention a bunch of elite marathon runners.

I wouldn't put it past Mac for wearing those shorts for the sole purpose of getting a better view of what the legs are doing in the swing. Kinda like Grant here in this video Beachcomber sent me over the weekend:

That, or Mac still thinks it's the summer of 1980.

Originally Posted by mvmac

Quote:

Originally Posted by JetFan1983

I'm trying to get it more like Mac here on the left. I really think I'm going to get this soon. I need to feel super soft arms. It's a very relaxed feeling for me.

The only difference is that Mac has his right tricep against his body, while yours is off it.  Just feel that entire tricep squeeze against your side.  I'll put my hand just on a player's rib cage and have them squeeze my hand.

Great point, Mike. You mentioned that to me before. In my recent slow motion practice, I was actually sort of doing that without realizing it to get the arm to bend. It's cool to see my feel fit in with that. It's kind of crazy how long it's taking me to get this feel down... even when you mentioned it this winter, it still felt so weird. And when Erik first mentioned last summer I needed to fold this arm, it felt so alien that I couldn't even hit the ball with that swing thought.

Now though, I think I've reached the point where I can successfully execute this and make it an unconscious part of my swing.

Thanks, Mike. Great reminder.

This stuff seems to really function well when I keep it all "soft" when doing this. The word "soft" being a good feel for me right now for some reason when I do this ^^^.

Originally Posted by theworldengine

Why do you use so much knee flex in your setup

Do I? You might be right about that recent five iron swing where I'm wearing the gray pants, but in the recent others, I think it's good. But if a pro here corrects me on this, then I'll certainly change it. James hasn't mentioned anything to be about it though and rather often praises my setup and posture.... at least he did when he saw this swing:

[JetFan1983]

It's been two months since my latest update, so here's a fresh one.

This is me hitting a 3 hybrid on Saturday morning. I still need to work on the same stuff:

1) Arm bend at A2

2) Steeper shaft plane at A3

4) Shorter backswing with the arms at A4

5) Shallow the club in the transition (aka "load the trigger finger")

6) Shallower shaft plane at A5

7) Maintain a steady head throughout the downswing (I early extend... I need to return to flexion better)

...and now a new thing: Elbow positioning on the downswing. I'm pretty much running out of right arm and my right elbow locations -- namely its descent -- isn't really helping my cause much. So... James (thru Evolvr) has sent me some stuff to mess around with, which I hope to get to sometime this week.

Anyway, I guess this new fault is what I deserve for using Rickie Fowler and Bud Cauley as models with analyzr pro

I ended up shooting a 77 after this session, so I'm making solid progress. The baby steps continue....

Many, many thanks to Erik, Mike, James and the community here for all the support over the past five years. I joined the site as a legit 36 handicap, and am amazed and relieved I've come this far. My irons are still atrocious, but everything else is good enough to go lower than 77.

You are reading the post of one very optimistic golfer.

I have come a very long way since this (Summer of 2011):

[nevets88]

Nice improvement.

I know that range on the bottom. Burlington? I've shanked a few there myself. Not on video though :-)