When should I practice with my club and a ball?

[Elinor]

I am a total novice golfer, and started the 60 day program a few days ago. I am assuming that I will make the most progress if I learn the correct movements BEFORE I attempt to actually hit a ball. As I look ahead in the program, I am wondering how far into the program I will be when the pieces will be in place to try hitting.

[Tathata Staff]

Great question Elinor! On Day 11, we start to incorporate the hands and arms into the training. You will need a 7-iron or “golf club” equivalent on this day. Although you don’t HAVE to go hit golf balls outside for this training program to help you improve, feel free to take your training to the golf course or practice tee anytime!

#BecomeYourGreatness

-Tathata Staff

[Elinor]

I was mostly concerned that I don’t want to ingrain my bad movements into my swing, so I want to wait until I am moving correctly. I will plan on hitting some balls next week after day 11.

Thanks for the info!

[Shonn Arndt]

What is the best way to transition from the “old” swing to the “new” swing? How do the Samurai’s do it?

I am on day 12 and continue to practice the movement illustrated in the videos until I think I got it. I have also taken the swing to the mat and practice the moves between swings. What I have noticed is the swing “feels” different than my previous swing, however, when I look at the video, I do not see a significant difference. For example, I start our with short pitches to work on the lower body and keep the back foot planted on the ground on impact with out a problem. When I move to my full 7i, however, the back foot starts to lift just prior to impact so obviously I have not engrained the “surf” movement.

[Tathata Staff]

Shonn,

It’s great to hear you are getting out to the course and trying out your “new” swing and your care for getting it right. Your strategy of working on your movements between your swings is a sound one. Students that have worked with Bryan in person simply let the movements become part of their swing. They train their movements in the morning at our indoor center or in their homes and simply go out to the range tee and see what has “stuck” in a sense. During the first couple of trips to the range, student’s previous habits have a tendency to die slowly while their “new” movements continue to develop.

As students continue to train their “new” movements, their instinctual movement pattern begins to change over time when they go to the range. 2-3 months into movement training most notice many of the movements starting to work their way into their swing. While at the range, it can be helpful to focus on 1-2 movements and notice if these have or have not worked their way into your swing. For example, you might start by focusing on a couple of backswing movements. Are you loading down into your legs? Are you pushing back into your glutes? Are you using your rib cage on the backswing? Asking 1-2 simple questions like this as you hit a few balls at the range will go a long way to helping build movement/body awareness and make sure these movements are working their way into your swing. “If nothing else, I want to be sure I feel myself thrusting through impact properly no matter where the ball goes” is another example of a thought that can help lead a bit of your practice sessions. “If nothing else I want to be sure I feel myself loading down into my legs on the backswing,” etc.

I wouldn’t get too caught up on exact details of the foot staying down or not staying down for example. As the program continues to build through the pressure (chapter 3) or speed and strength (chapter 4) sections, your understanding of the movements will continue to grow and evolve as well. Enjoy the experience and learning what is important and not important to you through the movements offered in the program. Don’t be afraid to take some time away from the course to make some real changes in your swing as well! Many students are surprised by the progress and improvement they can make without even hitting a golf ball.

I hope this helps, we are here to offer any more support if you need. Happy training.