| Problem: How many times have you heard the expression “keep your head down?” The common assumption made is that if I hit too much ground before the ball, or if I didn’t catch the ball solidly, I must have not kept my head down or my eyes on the ball. This swing thought only tends to exacerbate the problem of not making solid contact with your shots.
Why: As discussed in earlier newsletters, assuming your other fundamentals are in a good place, one major reason for not hitting solid shots is simply due to the fact that your body stops rotating through the impact area. If the swing thought is to keep your head still and your eyes fixated on the ball, your body will not be able to rotate properly. When the body stops rotating, the bottom of the swing arc will tend to fall too far behind the ball, giving you a mixture of hitting too much ground before the ball or hitting shots that are very thin and low.
Try: Instead of focusing on keeping your head down, focus on two things. First, allow your eyes and head to rotate freely through the shot. This will help to move the bottom of your arc into the correct position. Then if you are still hitting your shots thin, check the tension level in your forearms. If your forearms are too tight, your arms will shorten, giving you that thin contact. So, let your arms relax, and allow your eyes, head, and body to rotate freely and get that solid contact back. |
