Left Arm Swing, Right Arm Swing, and Hitting

Golf Master Tips, Left Arm Swing, Right Arm Swing, and Hitting - This review paper compares the biomechanics/mechanics of left arm swinging versus right arm swinging versus hitting. 

The basic chapters on the modern, total body golf swing, which represent the core golf instructional material on my website, is primarily devoted to the pivot-driven left arm swinger's action. I have never previously discussed right arm swinging in any of my review papers.

And I am now correcting this problem-issue because I now believe that right arm swinging may be very suitable for a subset of golfers - elderly inflexible golfers or flexible golfers who swing better when using their dominant right hand as their major power source.

Left Arm Swing, Right Arm Swing, and Hitting

I previously discussed hitting in my How to Power the Golf Swing review paper, and I will be comparing hitting to right arm swinging in this review paper - they are both right arm-powered swing styles, but there are significant differences in their fundamental biomechanics/mechanics. 

This review paper is being written in September 2009 and it supplements the golf instructional information already available in my previously written review papers. I strongly advise website visitors to first read my How to Power the Golf Swing and my How to Move the Arms, Wrists and Hands in the Golf Swing review papers because I am going to presume that a reader understands all the TGM-concepts that I previously discussed in those review papers.

A reader may become confused if he doesn't fully grasp all the TGM concepts, especially the power accumulator loading/release concepts, that I discussed in great detail in those review papers. 

I am also repeating the pattern that I established in some of my previous review papers - by producing a multi-segment swing video lesson that goes over the same golf instructional material. The swing video lesson lasts approximately 1.75 hours and it is divided into 17 segments so that it can be hosted by U-tube, which limits any video segment length to <10 minutes. 

The swing video lesson can be viewed as a stand-alone swing video lesson, but a website visitor will obtain the maximum benefit if he views the swing video lesson and also reads this review paper, which contains much more detailed information. I divided the swing video lesson into 17 segments, and a viewer needs to view the 17 segments in sequence. I have listed the 17 segments here, but a viewer can simply start with segment 1 and then move on to segment 2 etc.

All the segments are listed under my U-tube nickname - Imperfect Golfer. In other words, a viewer can view all 17 segments in sequence without coming back to this webpage in order to click on further links.

1. Segment 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl-Uf4hQPUQ
2. Segment 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2CEiOKsQc0
3. Segment 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB1hZjrD_W8
4. Segment 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvvvdp61798
5. Segment 5 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7ZyyuyF24A
6. Segment 6 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvKGxr8wc64
7. Segment 7 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLt6d7ard_0
8. Segment 8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXcZxmfKJEo
9. Segment 9 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1_3bbIrE6A
10. Segment 10 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb9ZRDnZi60
11. Segment 11 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwr7mSXQ3zw
12. Segment 12 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLC8dkfVtFg
13. Segment 13 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koGNVkBDo4k
14. Segment 14 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCZ1avJJjY8
15. Segment 15 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E_qI3K92K0
16. Segment 16 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yb7AcdoLz0
17. Segment 17 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBScphW3kXw

A viewer should note that I am 61 years old and not very flexible. I therefore cannot perform all the required body/limb movements correctly in my swing video lesson. A viewer should therefore pay strict attention to what I am describing, and emulate my verbal descriptions, and not my visually-apparent motions.

I made a few verbal slip-of-the-tongue errors during the video lesson, which was produced in a single unedited session, and I occasionally stated "left" when I meant "right" etc. The total number of slip-of-the-tongue- errors was small, so I am not formally listing all of the minor statement-errors in this review paper. Here is a list of some of the more major slip-of-the-tongue errors.

1. Segment 2 at 4:50 minutes - I stated 30 degrees turn, when I meant to state 30 degrees spinal tilt.
2. Segment 5 at 7:40 minutes - I stated bending of the left elbow, when I meant to state bending of the right elbow.
3. Segment 8 at 7:24 minutes - I stated 90 degree rotation when I meant to state 90 degrees right elbow bending.
4. Segment 11 at 0:45 minutes - I stated that Ernie Els swings very fast when I meant to state that he swings very slow.

I am going to devote most of this review paper to left arm swinging because it is the swing style used by the majority of professional golfers and advanced amateur golfers. It is the swing style that I specifically recommend as being particularly suitable for young, flexible golfers who do not have any physical limitations.

I think that all golfers should first try left arm swinging when they first learn to play golf, and I think that they should only try to use a hitting or right arm swinging style if they can play golf better when using those alternative swing styles. (Source)