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Mike Malaska clarifies for a Malaska Golf member about Joe Nichols and the pivot point of the right elbow and pivoting of the club. He thought they looked different. When Joe Nichols talked about the right elbow, he wanted you to feel that you pivoted the club immediately on the backswing. Your right elbow pivots on the backswing, the handle of the club pivots on the downswing, and then the elbow pivots again. Your elbow is pivoting your arm externally and internally rotating your arm. The two pivot points must happen parallel to each other. You don’t want your club to dip and find yourself trying to catch the club up. Joe was big on having the right elbow and club coming down to its pivot points and then pivoting together into the ball. Ensure the elbow rotates in the shoulder socket and doesn’t move back or slide away from your body.

PIVOTING OF THE CLUB

Directing momentum of the club correctly.

DIRECTING THE MOMENTUM OF THE CLUB

Your mind is a muscle just like your body. It needs to and can be trained. The proper mindset is critical to maximizing performance. Your mind controls your body so how do we train it to make the correct decisions. React in a manner that gives us the best chance for success. And how do we train it to process what happens properly so it becomes a constant learning process and roadway to success.

SKILL PATHWAYS: MENTAL GAME

A neutral grip stops over rotation in the downswing.

USING A NEUTRAL GRIP

Putting first establish line of compression. Then develop posture. Now your trail forearm pushes the shaft through the ball. Then you allow your wrist to flex and extend not twist. Now make the ball roll and finally find your tempo and maintain it.

PUTTING SUMMARY

Billy Fitzgerald, a Malaska Certified Coach, is subbing for Mike this week. A member has a question about how the hips move and how they time up with the club.

First, your hips move because of what your feet and legs do on the ground. When you swing back, your right hip moves back because your right foot, knee, and thigh push back. You are not twisting your hip back. As you push off the ground, that movement pushes your right hip back up and out of the way.

On the downswing, the same thing happens to your left leg. The left leg pushes the left hip back and out of the way. Your hips are moving, but you aren’t setting up to the ball and twisting your hips back and then forward. Doing this moves you off the ground. You want to stay on the ground.

It also helps you move your center away from the ball, giving you room for your arms to swing back and on the follow-through. This is how your hips work, and this is because of your feet and how they work into the ground. It is a reaction.

When you talk about speed, it’s all about lining the clubface up and timing it as you push off the ground. As you do this, your right hip pushes back, creating speed as you come through the ball.

Again, your feet are what moves your hips, and the timing of the club and how your feet push off the ground is what accelerates the clubface through the golf ball.

HOW THE HIPS MOVE

A Malaska Golf Member has a question about Joe Nichols and the Corner Drill and wants to know what it means.Joe would say when you set up to the ball and swing the club back, you could draw a line from the bottom of the handle to the outside of your right foot. Mike places a tee in the ground at that point. This is what Joe called a corner. He had another corner, which was on the opposite side of his left foot. Mike places another tee there.What Joe wanted you to do on the backswing was to make sure that the handle was pointing down and in line with the corner of the first tee. You took the club to the top and hit the first tee again on the downswing.This is a great drill because you have to hit the corner twice, and this prevents you from moving up and into the ball. This is a great visual concept.The Member can hit the first corner but has difficulty hitting the second one. Mike explains that this plays right into the M-System. As you swing down, your left leg pushes your left hip out of the way, which allows you to get plenty of space to hit the handle over the second tee.If you slide your body forward or don’t push your hip back, it is hard to get the handle over the tee. It’s about moving away from the ball to create space to hit both corners. Mike demonstrates how to hit both corners. It’s about how your body moves.

JOE NICHOLS CORNER DRILL

How forces and circles work in a golf swing.

THREE CIRCLES MAKE UP A GOLF SWING

INSIGHTS-CLUB GAPPING

Feeling pull in the left arm, if it's in a circle, can be very valuable in the golf swing.

LEFT ARM DOMINANCE

There are arguably four positions. I say arguably because I am not a fan of positions because they can be misleading. If these positions come from momentum, you are doing fine.

FOUR PLACES TO STRENGTHEN IMPACT

Once you can swing with your feet flat on the ground, start to let your feel roll in one after the other.  This will give you a feel of sequencing as we build into your full swing.

THE SECOND STEP

Malaska Golf Certified Coach Billy Fitzgerald is subbing in to answer “Ask Mike’s” from Beverley County Club in Chicago. A Malaska Golf Member wants to know if the up-to-under works for all your clubs. Yes, it does. What is up-to-under? The member has been having some success with pitching and shorter irons. He is, however, still having a bit of trouble with his driver and is asking if it works with all his clubs in his bag.Billy explains that the up-to-under refers to how the club works a little outside his hand. The club will work up before it breaks away from the ball, and then it will work under and back into it.The term for it is shallowing. This is the term used in the industry, and it's kind of a hot topic. It just refers to how the club stays behind your hands long enough before it comes into the ball, and the face goes back out towards the golf ball.This is great for people who go over the top. The over-the-top golf swing is the exact opposite of up-to-under. They typically go under to over so the club face can't keep going back, and to return to the ball, they've got to go over the top.This is a great drill if you go over the top, where you work the clubface in a manner that you start to feel it's a little bit shallower and can hit it from the inside.Again, yes, this works with all your clubs. It is important to work the clubface just outside your hands and make sure it gets in line and works back. Then, it works under behind your hands, long enough so it's shallow enough to come from the inside before it works back out to the golf ball.Billy says that you start to feel what some call the Loop Drill. You begin to feel a little loopy-ness, especially if you're used to going inside over the top.&nbsp;Try this drill with all your clubs. That's the golf club motion you want to make to shallow it out and come from the inside.

UP TO UNDER WITH ALL YOUR CLUBS

Every day when you go to the range you should have a stretching routine that you do before you hit balls. You should already be loose before you start hitting balls. You should be ready to make a full swing on the first ball. Have some stretch cords in your bag. Get the blood flowing. Then do some bending and rotation exercises. Do not use hitting balls as your loosing up program. That will make it very difficult for your swing to feel the same or close to the same every day.

HOW TO PRACTICE - FITNESS

Brain Gott moves to the next phase of the putting challenge, which is speed, and he takes us through one of his favorite drills. Speed is critical, and you need to be able to judge it correctly. 

Brian places golf balls a couple of feet apart in a line at different intervals toward a flagstick lying on the ground. The flagstick is used as a target. You can also use the fringe of the green. Hitting one ball at a time as close as you can to the flagstick will allow you to gauge the speed and rhythm of your putting stroke. Work your way down the line adding more distance to the put. Work on different putting scenarios and pick various spots on the green from which to aim. Shoot for up, down, and side hills, and work on speed. You will get the ball closer to the hole if you get the speed right.

DAY 4 SPEED

In a bunker doing a squat or a lunge helps strengthen your legs and gives you a feel for how stable your lower body is in a bunker. This strength and stability helps in many other shots but very important for being consistent in the bunker.

BUNKER FITNESS

Mike Malaska shows us how there are three ways to hit a draw.

First, you can set the clubface closed and make your normal swing. That will make the ball draw.

Second, set up, and move the ball back in your stance, making your swing path come more from the inside, which will also make it draw.

Third, you can also swing and turn the face over with your hands to make the ball draw. Your hands can adjust the clubface and make the ball draw.

When you hit a tennis ball with a racket, you can hit it straight or add topspin. Your hands determine what the face does.

Mike learned how to make a draw through his experience pitching in baseball. Mike uses the pressure of his fingers to manipulate the clubface's direction on the ball, just like a baseball pitcher makes when throwing a fastball or a slider.

The critical thing is that you need what works best for you on the range, then take it to the course. 

There is no right or wrong way to make the ball draw, fade, or go high or low. Try experimenting on the course and determine which method suits you the best.

HOW TO MAKE THE BALL DRAW

A Malaska Golf member says that the concept of tossing the club has really helped him in his golf swing.

Mike takes a golf ball in his hand, and when he sets up, tossing the club is similar to tossing a golf ball back behind you.
Mike demonstrates this. Notice how your hand goes back. It doesn’t twist back behind you. The key is to throw the momentum back behind you and then back to the golf ball.

This is your golf swing. Toss the club back and then toss the club with momentum forward to the ball.

To summarize, it’s a toss both ways, and your body moves to accommodate it. If you make the concept of the swing simple, you will become a better player.

TOSSING THE CLUB (BALL)

Jim Flick Invitational Part 1 -- The Golf Digest Golf Schools

JIM FLICK INVITATIONAL 2016

RACKETBALL & GOLF

Fairways bunkers are often easier than the rough.

EASIER THAN THE ROUGH

A Malaska Golf member commented on how much The M-System Driver Series and especially the Driver Summary helped him.

Mike discusses how the industry promotes the driver, and it is all about distance. Mike isn't going to disagree with that statement; however, there is a skill development process to achieve that. The first part of the process starts with your grip and the Lever System. 

Mike is adamant and disagrees that you start with people focusing on moving their bodies to control the driver! Yes, the body comes into play at some point in time, but there are specific skills you need to develop before you get to that point.

Mike demonstrates the Lever System, swinging effortlessly back and forth, holding the driver with his left hand. Notice how the wrist hinges and unhinges in the swing and how his arm is relaxed. Mike's body nudges him to start the swing, but the arms take off, and the body follows. It is the same when Mike switches to his right hand. Mike places his hands on his chest to show how soft the upper body is when he swings.

If the relationships with the swing hold and your body starts to pick up speed, then you have something. If your grip isn't correct, the Lever System isn't working. If your wrists are tight and you overuse your body, you aren't going to create the speed you need.

A great drill is sitting on a chair or on your knees and making easy swings to try to hit the ball. This drill is excellent for understanding the lever system and realizing that even by taking your lower body out of the equation, you can easily hit the ball and far.

It's all about skill development to create speed with your driver. It's not about clearing your hips and swinging as hard as you can! Mike hits the ball 195 yards in the air to prove that point.

Work on your grip and the Lever system, and then allow your body to move faster.

HOW TO MAX OUT YOUR DRIVER

IFYP: ATHLETIC PERSONALITY

Preparing for a tournament can be tricky. Make sure to utilize the time you have with practice that matters.

PLAYING YOUR WORST SHOT

IFYP: ADJACENCY

The ball goes to the right because the club is coming from the inside, or you are not finishing the swing around to the left.

LOSING THE BALL TO THE RIGHT

A Malaska Golf member wants to know about using your putting grip for chipping and pitching. He mentions Phil Mickelson’s hinge and hold. When he did that, he was hitting pitch shots. Many players, including Mike, will use their putting grip to hit up to 30 yards.

Mike demonstrates using his putting grip, stance, and stroke. He makes a putting stroke, and the ball rolls along the ground. When Mike does the same thing but adds his pitching wedge, the ball gets in the air because he has a lofted face. 

Take the putter away, make your putting stroke, put the ball farther back in your stance, and put your head forward. You don’t want to be catching the ball on the upswing like a putter. Use his method for up to 10 yards. 

For more distance, you need to have more hand action. Add extension and flexion in your wrist and rotation in your body. You are not moving up and down. 

PUTTING GRIP FOR CHIPPING AND PITCHING

The developers of the E6 Technology that is used in many of their Hardware partners. There is no technology better in this industry. Every time I go to the company. They show me new innovations. These keep making the game more enjoyable at home. It has made practice so much easier for me and my family. The graphics packages and the gaming that they offer is incredible. Never thought I would actually play a course that I had played in a US Open and hit the same clubs and feel like I was there. Well, it now exists. And if you are thinking about a home simulator or practice learning center. This is the one to go to first.

TRUGOLF

SET-UP USING THE TOE

On the course, changing lies change your set-up.

CHALLENGING LIES

As you are hitting balls take some time to swing the opposite direction. As you swing you are constantly contracting one side of your body and elongating the other. You need to offset that by swinging and or hitting balls the opposite direction. It also heightens your awareness of how your body is moving. It makes your normal swing much easier to do. And you have more feel for what you are doing. 

REVERSE SWING

The relationship between ball position and when you pivot is pretty much the same from baseball to golf. The difference is when you have to begin to pivot in order to be on time with the club face and the ball.

KEVIN PILLAR - RELEASE POINTS

Mike Malaska helps John understand the importance of having the correct grip.

The correct grip will help create the best speed producers with your wrists. Your left wrist serves as a chopping action, while your right wrist is more like a throwing or slapping motion. If you don't have the correct grip, it will be hard to achieve this.

Mike stresses to John that the club has to be in his fingers. For John to completely understand this concept, Mike brings out his famous sharpie. John gets a quick anatomy lesson on the difference between your fingers and your palms. Mike draws lines on John's hands to illustrate the separation. This fun example hammers home the message.

Mike then places the club along the black line with the club in his fingers. The more the club is in your fingertips, the more you will be able to use your wrists and apply the lever system.

Mike works with John to get the correct grip and shows him that because he has the club in his fingers, it is easier for John's wrist to lever on the backswing.

Mike emphasizes that if you don't have the lever system working with your wrists, it doesn't matter what you are doing with your body; it will not create more speed.

Mike shows John the best way to grip a golf club is to hold the clubhead above his hands which is the best way to align his fingers into the club. Gripping the club already in the setup position tends to move the club up into your palm. Once you have the grip in your fingers, you can drop the club down to set up for the swing.

John then takes some practice swings with his new grip and focuses on levering his wrists on the backswing.

THE RIGHT GRIP FOR SPEED PRODUCERS

Mike illustrates the momentum of the club and the up to under in the golf swing. Mike then finishes by getting Josh to curve the ball left.

PATH CONTROL CURVE LEFT


When good players hit the ball, their swing looks effortless, and the ball goes a long way. How do they do that? The Lever System is the secret and magic to generating a lot of speed and force with your driver. It is important to create 90-degree angles on the backswing, holding the angle on the downswing and letting the arms unhinge into the ball.

On the follow-through, your arms have straightened out, and then the club rehinges because your body stops rotating. You need to learn how to swing the driver back and forth fluidly because your hands have to react to the momentum of the club.

Learning to use the Lever System correctly is the first and most crucial aspect of driver consistency and getting maximum speed.


LEVER SYSTEM - PART 1

A Malaska Golf Member wants to know some drills so they don’t pull their hands in on the swing instead of extending them.Most teachers who see students come into the ball and pull their arms in call this the ‘dreaded chicken wing.’Mike demonstrates how the chicken wing happens. People think that the answer is to straighten your arms on the follow-through. Mike explains this is not the case; your arms are pulling in because they must. People have more hand-eye coordination than they give themselves credit.What happens is that when people swing back, they don’t push their hips back. On the downswing, their body ends up moving closer to the ball. To hit the ball, they resort to pulling in their arms to get the clubface on the ball. Hence, the ‘chicken wing.’&nbsp;Mike explains the fix! When you swing a golf club, the thing that makes your arms straighten out is when your left hip pushes back and away. By doing this, it throws and accelerates your arms forward.When Mike has students who do the ‘chicken wing,’ he gets them to step back from address and try to hit the ball. They usually miss the first one because their arms pull in. When they hit the ball, their arms must straighten out, and the ‘dreaded chicken wing is gone.’The ‘dreaded chicken wing is an effect of people moving closer to the ball. Once you figure out that if you push your left hip back, your arms will straighten out, and the ‘chicken wing is gone.’

THE DREADED CHICKEN WING

Get in your set up position. Put a club across your chest. Rotate your upper body as far as you can with out moving your lower body. Do this on the backswing and on the follow through side. This is a great way to loosen up and it tells you how much you can separate upper from lower body. Then with the same club on your chest. Keep your upper body stable and rotate your lower body with out moving your upper body. Do this on the backswing and on the follow through side. Most players can not separate this action. So when you swing you should not be trying to restrict your lower body. It will cause to much tension and pressure in your lower back.

COMBINING SKILLS - FITNESS

The club creates angles with your body. Learn how to create them and how they improve your swing.

ANGLES CREATED BY YOUR BODY AND THE CLUB - 20181113

Most all sports cross over. Your body is a pattern machine. It does not know if you are playing golf or tennis or baseball. It is just duplicating or learning patterns. Once you learn a pattern it is transferable to other sports. So any sport that you play has application to golf. And if you play golf it has applications and direct crossovers to other sports. So rather than learn something new why not use what you already know. Most of the motions you make in a swing you already know how to do them. You are doing them every day just moving around and being involved in the universe.

ASK MIKE: SPORTS CONNECT

MLM: HOW TO PRACTICE

This Quick Fix Friday looks at the reasons to tee your ball at different heights.

If you aren’t hitting the driver tremendously and want to keep the ball in play, tee the ball lower. Mike hits the ball, fades, and keeps the ball in play. The second shot is higher. You can do a little more with the ball, and it will go farther.

For the last shot with the ball on the highest tee, Mike can hit the ball on the upswing and go for distance. Mike crushes the ball; however, many other things come into play if you lose control of the ball that high.

Choose the tee height that works for you based on your swing. Figure out what you are trying to accomplish on your swing.

THREE DIFFERENT TEE HEIGHTS

Training videos on how to use the Lagshot Wedges.

LAGSHOT: WEDGES

Proper arm rotation maximizes momentum into the ball, while maintaining path. Here is the first step towards getting your arms to rotate properly.

ARM ROTATION

A Malaska Golf Member who plays a lot of executive par 3 courses wants to know if he should still hit down on the ball with his irons.Mike’s response is a definite yes. To demonstrate this, he has a ball teed up high, and when he hits the ball, he is still going to catch the ball slightly on the downswing. Because the ball is on a tee, when he swings down on the ball, the low point of the swing will be slightly forward of the ball. It’s the swing arc. You will have more control of your irons when you come slightly down on the ball because you are compressing the ball on the clubface.When the ball is on a tee, Mike hits it at different points of the clubface to affect the trajectory and the amount of spin on the ball.Unless Mike is trying to hit some special or crazy shot, he will approach hitting off the tee or the ground the same way.Except for a driver, on all his iron shots, he is still hitting slightly down on the ball because the swing arc is bottoming out in front of the ball.

IRONS ON A PAR 3

Use more arm movement and less body movement.

SIDEHILL AND BELOW YOUR FEET

Before adding speed to your driver, you must first have control.

DRIVER EFFICIENCY

Why do most golfers plateau in their socring. Mike and Brendon discuss this common concern.

THE GREAT GOLF PLATEAU

The momentum of the club will create the alignments you want at impact.

FACE CONTROL AND STABILIZATION

Mike works with MLB Hall of Fame Pitcher Goose Gossage.

WHO ARE YOU GOING TO TRICK

If you don't use your imagination, you have no chance when playing at Augusta because the speed of the slopes and angles of the breaks are unreal.  Keep that in mind for the Masters.