Overthinkering

Knowing where someone is coming from when they’re explaining a concept is really important. It sounds obvious, but it isn’t always to me. I need things to be spelled out in their entirety and I have a hard time knowing what someone means if they don’t say it explicitly. I’m thinking specifically about my golf swing issues.

I’ve gone back and forth between swinging with my body moving first in the downswing and my arms moving first. Instructors talk about doing it both ways, which was very confusing to me. I felt like there had to be one best way, the part I forgot was my starting point versus other golfer’s starting points.

I have always been an upper body swinger. I could produce a decent amount of power, but suffered from a steep delivery and no release. So when I first came upon the kinematic sequence, it was really difficult for me to produce the hips first movement. With more practice it became easier and I was able to swing effectively and play some good golf.

After a few months spent practicing this new movement, I developed a hook. Add in some new information, we can thank you tube for that, I decided that my lower body was overactive. This new information was about getting your arms to move down first and then turning the club into impact using the body. This is a great thought if your hips are in fact overactive. Your arms will come down more deliberately at the top instead of getting stuck so far behind. The problem I had though was that my hook had developed from my body unknowingly reverting back to my natural, arms first swing.

I spent a lot of time trying to get my arms moving sooner at the top to solve this hooking issue, not realizing that I was only making the issue worse. It’s taken me probably 2 years to realize that I actually needed to be diligently practicing getting my hips to move first. Now I’m able to swing freely again, I’m not putting myself into awkward situations or trying to use muscles that shouldn’t be used.

Had I taken some time to reflect on my past experience and determine my starting point, I might have realized that I’ve never had enough early hip movement. I should have trusted myself and what I had been feeling instead of deciding that the coaches I’ve never met knew better. It’s a frustrating lesson, but I’m glad I’ve finally gotten here.