Get the Hitch Outta Here!

Many people have the urge to get “a little extra” in their swing in an effort to generate more power on the ball. This month I’d like to talk about the results of those  efforts – a hitch in your swing – and what physical and mental steps you can take to make your swing smoother, more repeatable, and more effective.

First, there is no flow to the swing without balance. Make sure you can hold your setup position, even if someone comes up next to you and tries to nudge you out of balance. Make sure the weight is balanced on your feet and your ball is in a comfortable position – your center of gravity should be near and slightly in front of your hips.

In the takeaway step (first step of four), if you still follow the theory of full extension and locking the elbow, I would suggest that you make that move into more of a “reverse C” motion, a smooth, arcing motion that starts the swing smoothly and allows gravity to work with you to create a free swing. Letting gravity be your friend helps a lot as you start the downswing. Many of us want to grab or help the ball at this stage. If you are one of those people, try this drill. Have a friend help you identify the point in the swing where you either slow down or speed up the swing, thereby disrupting the natural flow of gravity in getting the ball down into the swing. Once you have identified this point, take a couple of shots to see if you can now feel it for yourself. Now, on the next swing, use gravity and “swing through” this point, allowing a relaxed arm swing to neither slow down nor speed up the swing at this point. Practice “swinging through” your swing hitch until it becomes natural.

Similarly, from the top of the backswing to the release point, most people prematurely try to accelerate the swing. This is also known as “pulling the trigger” too quickly. Follow the same drill as before. Once you confine any acceleration to the bottom of the swing, you will find that you have a lot more power and control
over the shot than you did before making this change.

So, how about the mental part? A portion of this is getting the feeling of “swinging through” the point in the swing where your muscles try to take over. The other part is to gradually feel that your swing is continuous and free flowing. The start of the swing just flows into the second step, where you just walk past the ball in a
continuous, smooth motion. Feel the flow of the swing in your mind and your body – getting a song into your head is often a good way to feel this flow.
The mind is a powerful thing. Continue to tell yourself that you are smoother and more graceful in your swing, and you will be. Close your eyes and practice this feeling of a free-flowing swing, aided by gravity, which gives you great power and a consistent swing with minimal effort. I’ve even used the analogy of floating down an inner tube in a stream – anything that gives you the feeling of a smooth, continuous flow to
your swing.

Although there are key places in your swing where the rhythm changes (most notably in the shorter power step on step 3), these movements should never jerk you off line or cause you to get off balance. Practice these movements and your consistency will improve!