Archives for April 28, 2017

Student Testimonial

April 28, 2017 by admin

HI,

I have been using Moe’s single plane swing technique to allow me to play golf again.

I had my first spinal fusion in 1980. Before that I played using the rotary swing technique. My surgeon asked me after the surgery if I played golf? I replied, ‘yes’. He replied ‘No yo don’t, now that you have the lumbar fusion’. I had to wait a year before trying to swing a club. My use of the rotary swing style was impossible with my spinal fusion. No lower rotation since my lumbar was now fused. Sprayed the ball every where. So in 1981, I gave golf up.

I had some success from the surgery but in later years started having more issues with pain. In mid 2005, I started getting epidurals to stop or relief of the pain. I asked my new surgeon if the removal of the surgical knot rods could be removed? His reply was that we do not do the surgery. After that I had to have a cage put in at the thoracic L3-L4 along with a plate and screws. THat relieved some of the pain. My step-daughter who is a charge nurse gave me a reference to a surgeon in LIbertyville, Il, Dr Jonathan Citow. I made an appointment and took all my images along with records. My pain was intensifying. Dr. Citow reviewed my records and images along with a physical, he then stated; ‘You need the hardware to be taken out to lessen the pain. Scheduled the surgery and he removed the knot rods at lumbar, screws & plate at thoracic. The cage had to remain because it was fused already.

After all this, I came across a article about Moe Norman and the single plane swing. I started to review all the videos I could find. I found your videos & DVD. Purchased; ‘Single Plane Solution’, ‘Flexibility & exercises’, ‘The Moe Norman Notebook’. After viewing the DVD’s I tried a swing that I modified for my restricted spine.

I took a few of my wife’s clubs (too short) but was able to hit balls. So I purchased a set of irons and continued my training. I purchased a Cobra driver that I felt comfortable to swing. Added a few Hybrids to help me along the course. Repeating my exorcise and swing techniques with a modified single plane swing using my big muscles the best I can. I now play a fair game and surprise my fellow golfers with my repeatability. Sure my distance is not as far as when using a rotary but I am now 39 years older at 69.

I am having fun again swinging a club on the course. People still asked me why I do not follow through to the end top of my swing. This is limited by the fusion lower and thoracic. My swing allows me to comfortably swing. MY grip technique helps me. I do not overlap but I have found my grip. I just need to keep my body steady with a good stance during my swing using the upper big muscle without allowing the fusions to interfere. I know the length of my swing and restrict myself to those limits, if I do not then my swing is not complete but erratic. And I do feel the pain from a poor swing.

Sorry about the long story, left out some details that would have elongated the story.

Just a thank you to all members of the Graves academy for your videos & notebooks that have opened my experiences with a little modification to the technique to suit my physical limitations.

I have decided to try the new King Cobra One Length irons. I feel the set will improve my repeatability and hopefully my distance will equalize for each club as compared to my varied length ‘Ideas’. MY swing speed is rhythmic with slow back and pause at the top with the top of my end swing at 3/4 because of the fusion (mostly due to the thoracic).

Again, Thank you very much for continuing Moe’s proven technique for a single plane swing.

Regards,

Gary S.

Gary,

Thank you so much for your email about your success with the SPS. You are the reason that we (GGA) continue to innovate and spread our message to golfers around the world. It is great to hear that even though you have had some pretty serious back surgeries, you continue to play and love the game. That, in itself, makes my day.

Keep having fun and swinging like Moe!

Todd

Achieving a Great Golf Swing

April 28, 2017 by admin

A great golf swing is a fine achievement” – Moe Norman

If you and I met in person, there is one thing that I am sure you would immediately recognize – I am passionate about the golf swing. Nothing gets me more excited than what Moe called “the purity of technique”.

Moe did his best to describe the swing: “In and Up”, “Its like a pendulum” and “My arms move underneath me”.

As difficult as it may seem to many, I continue to believe that the golf swing is simple. The body is connected as you rotate in the backswing as your arms move back and up. Then, you stabilize into your lead leg and rotate through as your arms follow though impact. The golf swing is a rotational movement as the arms move around the body. The club follows this movement and gains speed as you continue to rotate.

Moe would often hit 800 balls per day

The golf swing is only Simple if you build it properly.

I don’t believe that learning body movement is easy however. This is because a golf swing is like a house. Its a skill that you construct. It’s an art form that you practice and refine. Moe considered a great golf swing a “fine achievement”. I agree. A golf swing is an achievement because you have to earn it by moving your body.

Most students ignore this very important fact and make a mistake in the first moment they touch the grip of a golf club. They start learning to swing (move their bodies) by swinging at a ball. They want to live in the house before its built.

Teaching the body to move is an important part of building your swing.

One thing I teach my students to help build their great swings to find ways to teach themselves the movements that they are practicing. I often recommend rehearsing the movement to get the feel of the motion.

If you were a good carpenter you would most likely learn from the mistake that most aspiring carpenters make. They measure and make a cut just fraction to short – a costly mistake especially if they are using expensive lumber. They soon learn to measure twice and only cut once.

Rehearsing the golf swing is the golf students way of measuring. However, rehearsal goes beyond just measuring. It involves the bodies nervous system triggering new neuro-pathways in the same way that a child learns to walk. The key to rehearsal is to ensure that you are rehearsing the correct movement so that you can learn to feel what to do. In this way you are using movement to program the body connection to the brain.

But what exactly is feel?

I have yet to find anyone who can define feel or locate it in the body – yet everyone feels their body move. Feel is actually based on a point of reference. For example if something “feels different” you are actually making a comparison to what “feels normal”. Normal is the neuro-program in your brain that already exists. When you change your movement – it feels different because you are engaging “new” parts of your body sending signals to your brain that are outside of your familiar programed network.

Feel is when you move beyond your normal.

Making new movements is the key to change. This is why changing your golf swing is uncomfortable and usually leads to regression in your ball-striking. Keep in mind that I use the term regression only to describe ball-striking results. When you change you are improving your movement. This alters the sequencing of your body too. When you change the sequencing of your body it affects your timing into impact – thus making it difficult to hit the ball well. You will overcome this short-term regression through practice and repetition where you create a newly learned sequence that produces better results.

This takes time.

If I ever experience any frustration with students it shows in the form of impatience. Students want results but they haven’t completed the building process. They expect results when they haven’t finished the construction. When students get too frustrated my brother Tim always says:

“You haven’t earned the right to get frustrated” – Tim Graves

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