Doing the exact opposite (practice idea)

Practice
#1

I wanted to throw out a practice idea that has helped me in the past, and I know it can provide some value in your sessions.

The idea is what I call “fighting fire with fire.”

Most of us have tendencies with our ball flights. For me, I draw the ball (in-to-out swing path) and typically deloft a little at impact (lower ball flight).

Over time, these tendencies can get a little extreme. When I struggle with my swing, I tend to hook the ball too much. So I’ve found that working on the exact opposite can help “neutralize” the problem. For example, I’ll try to hit the biggest slice possible during my practice sessions, which can help get my swing path back in a more functional state.

Devoting a little time during your practice sessions to this kind of experimentation can be fun and beneficial. So if you struggle with a slice, try hitting a huge hook. If you hit it too high, see what you can do to keep the ball flight down. You’ll likely figure out something along the way that can make you a better ball striker!

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#2

I’ll take it a step further and do it on the course (assuming conditions allow). If I’ve just hit a couple huge slices off the tee or with irons, I’ll mix it up and try to hit the biggest draw I possibly can to get those bad swing out of my head.

#3

Yup, on course is even better. I got invited to a tournament in Bermuda two years ago after not having played for about a month. We had a pro-am day to start the tourney with a fun match. HUGE hook problem. Played a practice round with Mark Rypien and Eric Gagne (sports fans might know them), and the first six holes were a bit embarrassing for me. I know they were thinking to themselves “this guy is supposed to be scratch?” Luckily Gagne was my partner and bombing it 350 and making birdies early on.

So I started taking practice swings with my feet pointing at the target and exaggerating a huge slice. This was what I would call “extreme triage” but it worked. My former self showed up for the rest of the match, but I think this is a really beneficial idea for a lot of players.

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#4

oh look at you playing with some all stars in bermuda!

#5

Having a golf website that a few people read has its perks sometimes!

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#6

Listened to you, Cordie and Adam talk about this and it is something that absolutely works. I hit my irons left all day long if it gets too far left I will try to hit it 40 yards right. It goes about 1 yard left when trying this but it is a huge help to get back to center.

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#7

It seems to get anything accomplished with a swing change I have to do exactly what you are saying. I will be with my coach and trying to work on swing path for instance. The launch monitor is showing the smallest change in degrees from in to out and I feel like I am trying to pull the ball 50 yards right. I guess it goes to show how ‘weird’ things feel outside of your comfort zone or what you are used to doing. The drill has helped me many times.

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#8

I think you bring up an important point. Our swings are always changing on us without realizing it. I know my path can vary between 12 to 6 degrees, which is obviously on the extreme end. So getting it back into functional territory might feel like a big change, but it might only be 2-3 degrees. Either way, golf is a constant “calibration process” and these drills can help get things back in order.

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#9

that’s awesome, I was hoping that conversation would help some people!

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#10

Related to this is @Adamyounggolf’s response to the guy who says, “I just can’t…” to whatever fix he’s trying to incorporate: could you do that movement if I were to 1) give you a million bucks if you did it or 2) shoot you if you don’t?

Obviously, it’s an extreme idea, but it unlocks the reality that there are moves in the golf swing that are deeply uncomfortable (and might not immediately produce good results), but we can do them if absolutely necessary.

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#11

Just like golf, everything is counterintuitive. I really like this approach and methodology.

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#12

Ok, Jon. My tendency is to not hit it close to the hole. I’m going to start doing the opposite. I’ll let you know how it goes. :grin:

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#13

“Might not immediately produce good results” is the one I struggle with.

#14

this was one of the 180’s I had to make as an instructor. All my life believing in the “perfect practice makes perfect” mantra, and then having all the evidence in front of me that trying “active variability” improved players quicker.

I studies this a long time ago for face contact in this article

People are very resistant to this form of practice, but it works. And there are ways of taking many steps further than simply “doing the opposite”. For example, I train players to hit different parts of the face in varying increments, or present the face more open/closed in varying degrees.

an example of a task I gave a really good player recently; present the face at every degree (from 10 left to 10 right), and successfully completed when you get within 1 deg either side. For example, if you are aiming for a +5 face, you would have to get it between +4 and +6.

We then see how many swings it takes to hit all 21 windows. This builds incredible feel

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#15

It is a good idea to learn to feel your swing doing different things…makes it easier to adjust during a round.

#16

Ben Hogan said something along the lines of…
“Reverse every natural instinct and you may come closer to having the perfect golf swing.”

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