On day 28 but have day 13 question (wrist position)

[David]

Once I watched day 13’s deeper discussion on swing plane, I felt as though all questions had been answered for me on this topic. My daughter, who is now on day 28 of the program, continues to have her club rather “steep” when she is in the punch-back position. By this I mean the butt of the club is often pointed at her feet instead of something closer to (but not on) the ball. I’ve gone back through the assessments and re-watched day 13’s deeper discussion but I now have more questions than ever.

At least to me, there appears to be some rotation of the hands/wrists during the backswing. Here is why I perceive this. If one starts from setup and moves as if tape is wrapped around the arms and upper body so that the arms/hands only move away from the target but do not rotate at all, the back or knuckles of the front hand are generally facing downward, which would put the butt of the club facing behind the feet. However, when I watch Bryan on video he generally has his knuckles in the 45-50 degree range, which makes perfect sense.

While trying to diagnose what might be causing my daughter’s steep swing plane, I first worked through posture as Bryan discusses in the chapter 13 deeper discussion. However, due to the pressure that she has added in her hands and arms, and specifically her focus on adding pressure to the triceps, which lengths the arms and keeps them close to the body, her body naturally does not seem to place the (generally) flat front wrist into the 45-50 degree position where the butt of the club is pointing in between her feet and the ball line. Is it okay to teach this movement (proper angle of the wrist and club), just as we’ve learned to arch the feet and surf, as long as the rest of the body is in proper position?

[Tathata Staff]

Hi David,

Without seeing exactly what you are talking about, I sense you are on a good track and enjoy the detail you are looking into this with. I also get the sense that your understanding of proper plan and where the shaft should be pointed is spot on. Feel free to use Hand & Arm Movement 8: Halfway Back Loading to dial in the plane of the swing when the front arm is parallel with the ground. From here during Movement 9: Moving Energy, be sure the club moves to a position at the top of the swing where the shaft is parallel with the ground and the target line and the leading edge of the club face is parallel her front forearm. Simply move from where the front arm is parallel with the ground to the top of the backswing to work on this loading. You may notice that she has a tendency to cross the line before the club reaches parallel to the ground to the top of the backswing which would set the hands and arms up to be steep coming down.

Be sure as she performs Body Movement 7: Snap to Level that her knees, hips, shoulders and arms are all parallel to the target line and not too closed to it. There could be a lack of rotation in the body at the start of her downswing that could cause the club shaft to be too steep on the downswing. This would help if the front arm is too far “in” and behind her on the downswing while the club shaft is too steep. If the front arm is almost too far “out” and the club shaft is too steep, consider performing “Snap to Level” with her knees, hips, shoulders and arms 5-10 degrees closed to the target line to help get the hands and arms more “in” on the downswing. I sense the first remedy may be more helpful.

Let us know how these work and if we can provide any other assistance. We do offer online and live training opportunities for personalized 1on1 training to tackle some of these issues and offer further support and improvement as well.

Thank you David.