Golf is purely a sport of techniques & positions. Even the slight change of positions can impact the performance of the game. It’s all about the speed, momentum & timing. But where do all these aspects come from?
You guessed it right! It’s all about how you are swinging the golf club. There are basically two types swinging as you either use your body or your arms. Today we are going to compare both of them & look at the science behind which can improve your game more.
Comparison Between Arm Swing & Body Swing
To understand what the result of both swings could be on the pitch, we need to get to know the difference between them on various terms.
Main Power Source
For both arm & body swing, there is the main difference in which parts of your body you are focusing on more. Although in golf, all your body muscles are in focus with the golf club & aimed at the ball. There is a difference you would see in swings.
For the arms type swing, the main focus is the arm & the club. The momentum is built at the end of the club. The gravity or the weight of the club to do the work. Your shoulders will be staying a little shut & your arm & hands are doing the job for you.
But for a body swing, we are working with our chest, core, hips & rib cage. The body would be swinging the club and the arms. Here, the club will just follow the body with the momentum. Here we are looking for the body to turn & the arms to release through the impact.
Hand Action
The hands are the most vital part of your shot. But the action for the hands is different for both the swings. When you are performing a body swing for the shot, the hands come into play in the downswing. That is when all the momentum shifts to the hand.
But when you are doing an arm swing it’s slightly different. Because from the moment your address, that’s when all your focus is on your hands. The backswing is when you take full power of your hands & take it up to the point of contact.
Shoulder Position
In a body swing, the shoulder plays a huge role. Note that, this is where the momentum builds up. At first, your shoulder starts to rotate, then the core & the hips. Then this momentum at the end shifts to the clubhead & the ball is hit with that momentum.
Arms swings act a lot differently from this perspective. The shoulders are a lot quieter when you use this type of swinging. Your focus is on your hand, where you tend to use that energy on the ball.
Effort
You might find golfing as an easy sport to just hit the ball, but it actually can become a lot more physical when you are hitting thousands of shots every day to practice. The effort in the swing really gives you the tiredness.
When you are taking a body swing, the entire shoulder, stomach & hip is getting into the action as you rotate those parts. But when you are taking arm swings, your body doesn’t take all the work. So your arm-like golf swings take a lot less effort than body swing.
Squaring Club Head
The body swing release of the clubface is going to stay more neutral through impact. It will be staying more constant through impact. The body will continue to rotate & this is what helps square the clubface.
In an arm swing, you will see the hand & clubs generating the speed to hit the ball. So, the release will be more aggressive. The body & the shoulders are going to stay back here for the shot. Your club head will also come in a little more toe-up too.
Follow Through
With the body swing, the follow-through is done by the club on your left shoulder with both the hands holding the golf club. But for the arm swing, the follow-through has a slight difference as the whole arm holding the golf club is stretched.
The Results on the Course
If you are a 100% body rotational player, then this might affect the power of your shot. In a body swing, your arms aren’t completely in control of the shot. Your body makes the call. When you move your body faster & faster, this results in a loss of power for your hands.
That means you are just losing quite some yard with every shot you make with body swings. If you go for an arm swing, you are concentrating more on your timing & hand positions. So, for longer shots, you should use the arm swing more often. But your body should come into play for getting the better results.
You shouldn’t be using a 100% body rotation for your shots. Rather why not keep your shoulders quiet, not use your hips too fast as it will reduce the power on your hands. So, keep your shoulders quiet, move your hips at medium & swing your hands faster to get the best results on the field.
Conclusion
Understanding the science behind the two releases is important because it has an effect on your entire gameplay. A good combination of body, arm, and club swinging will help you to achieve a tremendous winning, you can master the skill of shooting the golf ball 300 yards!
Reading from your phone about this is not going to help. If you are accustomed to a certain way of swinging the club, changing it can mean lots & lots of practice.
You have to apply the techniques to the course to see the results yourself. It should bring a nice smile when you see your shots getting the necessary distance & Tiger Woods’ level results.
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