Finishing Your Swing by EA Tischler This material is copyrighted by EA Tischler and these paragraphs are excerpts from his book, The Way Of The Golfer - Searching for New Horizons. Copyright 1996 by EA Tischler All rights reserved. |
New Horizons Golf Approach I n n o v a t i v e C o a c h i n g F o r G o l f e r s |
Study this sequence to get a feel of how to swing back-n-thru in one continuous motion. |
If you have any questions regarding New Horizons Golf Approach please contact EA Tischler at (408)203-7599, or email your questions to EA Tischler newhorizonsgolfer@yahoo.com. |
As I mentioned earlier, the swing is the motion that connects your set-up to your finish position. The question is, where should we begin? Traditionally we begin the quest by undertaking a sound grip and a fundamental address position. I believe we should start with the finish. Before you can build a sound address position, you must understand what that position is preparing you to do. Of course we know we must play the shot to the target, and to do this we must follow-through to our target and finish off our swing. So, the address position prepares you to swing and finish in a target-oriented manner. One of the best ways of ensuring your shots will be target-oriented is to make sure your finish is targeted. If you understand how a target-oriented finish looks and feels, then you will find a way to address the ball so that you can swing to the target-oriented finish. This is the main reason I believe we should develop our full swing by beginning with the finish. Let’s delve into this process a little more. The finish is the culmination of the swing, and the sum total of the entire swing sequence. Since the finish is the product of the total swing sequence, you can blend together all the fundamentals of the full swing by focusing your attention on finishing properly. In this way the finish is the final destination of the swing, and the beginning of your focal process. By focusing on the finish, you give your swing purpose beyond merely contacting the ball. As you remain committed to your newly acquired purpose, all the forces of your swing will begin to work together. As these forces work together, the swing's activity will become more synchronized. They will also feel more natural. As you focus on swinging to a target-oriented finish, you will find your shots being targeted as well. This becomes a powerful aiming tool. Because, as long as you swing to a well targeted finish, you will be targeting your shots well. Once you know this process, you will be able to find your address position more naturally. As a matter of fact, you will instinctively address the ball in what ever way will allow you to finish in a target-oriented manner. This is much like a baseball player does when they are getting ready to throw a ball. The baseball player does not think about how to stand. He merely prepares himself so he can throw the ball to his target. He prepares himself to follow-through to his target. Therefore, the process of taking up your address position should be a reaction of how you want to follow-through to your target. Since the finish is the sum total of every moment of the swing, the quality of each individual moment will be expressed in the quality of the finish. If tension exists in the swing, there will be tension in the finish. If the swing is out of balance, the finish will be out of balance. If timing is off, then the body will be misaligned in the finish. However, if the swing is balanced, relaxed, effortless, and well timed, you will finish your swing properly. Conversely, by focusing on finishing the swing properly you can perform the proper fundamentals naturally. You can perform the fundamentals without dissecting each one individually. If we are going to have a fundamentally sound finish, then we must understand the fundamentals we are trying to achieve in the finish. Remember earlier that I described the finish as completing the body motions. Therefore, we should first understand what body motions are fundamental to a good golf swing. So, by finishing off the basic body motions, we will establish the basic finish. There are two basic body motions in the golf swing. They are rotating the body, and shifting the weight. The combined effort of these actions is called the pivot. So, the fundamental concern with regard to completing the body motions is that of pivoting to the finish. If all the forces of the pivot are directed to the target, then all parts of the body will finish aligned toward the target. This means that once you reach your finish, your face, chest, stomach, and knees should all be facing your target. Also, if you are going to transfer all your weight through the ball and out to your target, then all your weight must reach the forward foot by the end of the finish. Thus the basic finishing action is that of shifting your weight completely onto your forward foot, while at the same time completing your body’s turn so that you are facing your target squarely. Now that we understand the basic finish position, let’s complete the process by understanding what other qualities make a good golf swing. We all want our swings to be in balance, we want them to be relaxed, and we want them to be as effortless as possible. I believe the key feeling here is effortlessness, because if you want your swing to feel effortless, then all parts of your body must be well balanced and relaxed. Thus, the proper finish is well balanced, effortless, and relaxed. The body stands tall and natural. All the weight is on your forward foot, and your body is aligned directly toward the target. You should spend considerable time learning how to produce the proper finish. Since the finish is a static position, it can be worked on and developed quite easily. Again, without this foundation, your swing will have no purpose beyond contacting the ball. As a result you will fail to complete your swing, and will never transfer your energy through the target. So, finishing the swing is imperative. To the beginner it's the most important full swing fundamental, and to the advanced player it's the foundation of his long game. Therefore, you would be wise to practice your finish on a regular basis, no matter what level of achievement you have reached. |
varying positions of the full follow-thru and finish. The top picture shows the full follow-thru. This position is often described as being the full finish. However, we do not actually finish in this position. From the full follow-thru the swing recoils in such a way the the arms and club begin to return to a relaxed and balanced position in front of the body. The picture that is second from the top was taken as my arms and body began the recoil action toward my final finish position. The third picture from the top shows my arms and body as they complete the recoil action. At this point my body is facing directly at my target. The bottom picture was taken at a golf tournament as I finished off my drive. It once again shows a fully recoiled finish position. Notice the straight alignment through my body and the relaxed balance. |
The four pictures above demonstrate what I call the pivot-n-finish drill. (Step One) Stand up and hold the club centered in front of you at waist-high. (Step Two) Pivot everything together around your left leg (right leg for left handers) until you are facing 90 degrees from where you started. Notice how my arms and club are still centered in front of my body. (Step Three) Follow-thru up over your left shoulder (right shoulder for left handers). Then add a little extra rotation to stretch your pivot action. (Step Four) Return the club in front of your body in a centered manner. This is your final finish position. I last note, as I finish off the follow-thru and return to the finish I want to feel my knees or thighs squeeze together. |
The four pictures above demonstrate what I call the swing-back swing-finish drill. (Step One) Steat in your finish position. I recommend you perform the pivot-n-finish drill to find your finish. (Step Two) From your finish position swing directly back into the top of your backswing position. Pause there for a second or two. (Step Three) Swing thru to a full follow-thru and pause there for a second. (Step Four) Recoil into your final finish position. Repeat theswing-back swing-thru action three times, then start over. |