Why Are You Using Your Weak Hand For Power?

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“It’s all in your left arm. I need to stop using my right hand. My right hand is ruining my golf swing!” That’s all we hear from right-handed Golfers coming to see us. Everything these right-handed Golfers have told us is that the power comes from their left side. And the sad part is that a right handed Golfer saying they’re using too much right hand is a statement that is way off-base and just underlines and boldfaces why Golfers continue to struggle.

If you’re right handed and everything you do in your everyday life is done with your right side of your body – using your fork to eat, throwing a ball, opening a door and all the little things you do with your right hand that you don’t even realize you’re doing. What makes you think your left side has the coordination to provide power in your golf swing?

Because I don’t want you to believe me just because I say to believe me – A “Theories & Assumptions Approach” and to stay true to our “Results Based Approach”- Do a test to see if your left side should provide the power. Pick-up a piece of paper, crumble it up into a ball and throw it with your left hand across the room towards a waste paper basket. Then crumble up another piece and throw it with your right hand. Which hand provided more accuracy and power?

Did your left hand feel coordinated and powerful? How much less coordinated and powerless did it feel versus your right hand?

Well that means that your left side is having trouble providing power. And the scary part is that you’re trying to use that same weak left side for power when you swing a golf club? And think how less coordinated it would be swinging a metal golf club at 80+ miles per hour than throwing a piece of crumbled up paper that weighs a couple of grams! It’s no wonder why you’re having trouble slicing and topping the golf ball – you’re trying to use your weaker, more uncoordinated hand to move your golf club – which doesn’t have the strength or coordination to control your club head not just on your backswing, but even less so moving into impact!

If you got mad at me and wanted to punch me and knock me out - if you were right handed, would you even consider using your left hand? Of course not! The thought wouldn’t even cross your mind. The only thing you’d use your left hand for was to maybe hold me up so that you could punch me again with your right hand.

So why are you listening to the Monkeys when they say to use your left side for power? Golfers are being brainwashed to think they’re using too much of their right side. So what happens is they stop trying to use their right side and depend on their left side. Big Mistake! This is where a lot of your swing compensations start. They start with the fact that you’re trying to use a weak, uncoordinated part of your body and not use your strong, coordinated side.

So of course you’re going to cast the club, swing outside to in swing, over the top, sway back and not move forward – when you swing. You’re trying to swing using the weak-side of your body and your brain knows you can’t do it. So it finds ways to compensate for your weak-side.

And Compensation equals Inconsistency!

Now the key – What side of your body should do most of the work? Neither! Everything should be working together. The more everything works together - the better your golf swing.

Why do many Golfers feel as though they’re using too much right side? Maybe because your left side isn’t doing anything and if you didn’t use your right side to swing the club – you wouldn’t even move.

Try this experiment – try to hit a golf ball with one hand. Put your golf club in your weak hand (for Righties this would be your left hand) and try to hit a golf ball. After you whiff on that swing – put the club in your right hand and try to hit a golf ball. The ball you hit with your right hand might not be a good shot – but at least you were able to control the club enough to make contact with the golf ball.

The uncoordinated feeling you felt with your left hand is what’s happening with every swing you make when you try to use your left side for power – the reason it might not feel as uncoordinated is that your right hand is rescuing you from disaster.

Yes, practice using your left hand and left side – but do it not to become left side dominate. Do it so that your left side can start to become as coordinated as your right side. And this will allow you to swing smoother and more consistent because both sides will be more equal.

The Monkey is practicing trying to stop their right side from doing too much in their golf swing

The Player is using drills to train both sides to work together

Go ahead, Be a Player!

Regards,

Marc Solomon – Your Instructor For Life

www.GolfMadeSimple.com