Fix Inside Takeaway - Shake Hands Drill

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This is the best golf swing drill to teach you exactly how your hands should work during the takeaway and the release.


Hey Rotary Swing golfers, Chuck Quinton here, founder of Rotary Swing. I want to talk about one of my favorite simple tricks, especially when you're working on this 9 to 3 golf swing drill, which is the entire golf swing, if you can get the club right from here to here, we've got some good things that are gonna happen in your swing.
                    But I'm gonna give you a really simple clue and a tip that's gonna help you think through the takeaway, if you're struggling with the club being shut, the club going inside, your wrist doing too much, that's gonna make this takeaway move that you're working on just body movement and learning how to tame the wrist, it's gonna make this so simple, so I'm gonna give you really something easy to think about. 
                    And my favorite thing to think about, when I'm doing the takeaway, when I'm helping my students, is shaking hands. You're like, okay, what are you talking about, Chuck? What do you mean, shaking hands?
                    If you can shake hands on both sides of the ball with your right hand and not have some weird gang handshake, your takeaway is gonna be pretty close to being all right. What do I mean by that? Simple. When you go back, what I see all the time is people take the club back, and they do this kind of stuff. They tend to set up very right side dominant, right shoulder high, no axis tilt, right hand on top of the club, and as they take the club back, their right wrist gets on top of the left, because they're hinging the club, and see the club face is gonna be shut. From down the line, it looks like this, and this right hand is on top of my left.
                    Now if we were trying to shake hands, if I dropped the club and I said "Hey, shake my hand," well it's kind of a weird handshake, right? You want to shake my hand like this. So when you're taking the club back, think about, as you turn back, that we could shake hands. Now look, it's a normal handshake, here. As I rotate, you know all the takeaway stuff, it's the cover to the takeaway video. As I'm taking the club back, notice that my right wrist is still staying pretty flat. I haven't hinged it back. I'm letting a little bit of wrist cock happen. I'm still keeping my left wrist in that hinge position, like I talked about. And as I go back and shake hands, now we're in a normal position. The club face is towed up, instead of being in this hooded shut all kinds of weird stuff gonna happen there.
                    On the other side of the ball, you do the exact same thing. When you release the golf club, you want to be able to shake hands with me over here. So I'll go this way. Now as I go back, notice that now, that I can shake hands with you. What I see all the time for especially the higher handicap golfer, the more common this is, they go back with the right hand dominant on top of the left, and then under, pushing, as you can imagine, pushing with the right hand coming through, and so it looks like this going back, and this coming through. Shut club face, open club face. No power, no speed, 'cause we're not letting the toe of the club release, and that's what gives us our speed, is letting the club release.
                    So when you're letting the club release, you need to be able to take your hand from shaking my hand on this side, to shaking my hand on this side. So that's your goal with this nine to three drill, if you're struggling with getting this club face to work correctly, shake hands, shake hands. If we have a normal handshake at this point, guess what that club face is gonna look like? Nice and towed up. That's a proper release, a square golf shot. Big nasty snap hook, typical amateur high weak block, right? Shake hands on both sides of the target with your right hand, and make your takeaway really simple.

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Ron
Craig, I’ve been working the nine to three drill to dial in my takeaway and have focused on shaking hands on both sides of the ball. Much to my surprise, if I get to the shake hand height with my hand on the follow through side I can pretty much cure my existing early extension problem. I definitely have a little more side bend now but I don’t think it’s excessive. Any thoughts on this? No matter what, I am very happy
September 21, 2023
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ron. Sounds good to me. I think the main takeaway (no pun intended) is that when you are staying in front you don't feel the excessive need to save the arms/club by overworking the hips. If the club is rotating and the arms are balanced. The hips will have a much easier time working through the correct positions.
September 21, 2023
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Ron
Craig, I think you are right on the improved arm rotation. I focus on getting my right hand to the shake hands position in the follow through and have more extension with the right arm than I’ve ever had. Lead hip is back at the finish and I feel really stretched. I am really psyched by what is going on. Thanks for the reply
September 21, 2023
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ron. No worries on the reply. Keeping the width and extension very important for the swing.
September 22, 2023
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Robert
in a video, it might have been you tube, a finger pressure training aid was talked about but I can not find it, can you help.
December 18, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Robert. How to Fix Inside Takeaway Video.
December 19, 2019
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Phil
Hey Craig, Just saw review of my last video and you commented on my left hand and to watch the "shaking hands" video which I did. The video specifically refers only to the right hand. I'm assuming it's the left also.
October 19, 2019
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Phil. Yes. The goal was to show you there will be some rotation in the takeaway albeit not that much. I just want some slight rotation so it will help you reach the proper plane/arm at the top. If palm is facing up then you will be playing catch up. You can also look at Forearm Rotation in Golf Backswing Video for a visual.
October 19, 2019
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Ross
Hi Chuck, great video. I really struggle with my hands & wrists in my entire backswing.. Particularly wrist cock, angle and hinge. Where do you go from the hand shake position in back swing ? I know to turn but where do your arms hands go then ? Any videos that cover this or visualisations many thanks, Ross.
August 20, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Ross. Take a look at Using the Wrists in the Golf Swing and Wrist Cock vs Wrist Hinge. A supplemental video would be the 4 Square Drill.
August 20, 2018
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Rodney
At about 1:50 in the video Chuck mentions rotation of the wrist to move the club face from a shut position to toe up. This is an ah ha moment for me with issues I have been having with hitting hooks on several shots. Are there additional videos that talk more about this wrist rotation to place the club face in position that you can recommend.
July 9, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Rodney. Take a look at Using the Wrists in the Golf Swing, Bucket Drill, and Pencil Tee Drill.
July 9, 2018
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Dan
I'm having trouble releasing the toe consistently when swinging full shots. Should the hands release on their own? If so can you recommend a thought process?
June 12, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Dan. Take a look at Moving the Fulcrum Video and Vijay Release Drill. You need to be tension free enough to allow for the proper rotation/release. Practice small shots first to gain the awareness.
June 12, 2018
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Pradosh
Awesome visualisation and analogy on that minutiae yet a very critical one. Thanks
January 29, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Pradosh. Thank you.
January 30, 2018
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Carey
Good writers are able to bring their work alive by creating images in the readers mind which gives their stories an immediacy and enlightenment. Chuck has done something similar here with the image of a normal handshake on the way back and then on the way through in the golf swing. These everyday images create confidence in we amateurs and bind us more closely to the ethics of Rotary Swing. Wonderful stuff. Carey D'Arcy
January 29, 2018
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Tom
I totally agree! The description is great and allows for a positive visualization as well. Thankful is an understatement.
January 29, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Carey. Great post. Much appreciative of the kind words.
January 29, 2018
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Chuck
Hey guys I said "gang" handshake just for clarification!!!
January 28, 2018
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John
Dear Chuck: My name is John Sellers. I have a issue with my left wrist. It usually shows up in the in between shots. I think the wrist collapses or possibly hinges on the downswing and the ball goes sailing way right. This is a nightmare. Once it happens then I'm in no man;s land. I can play a decent game. mid to low 70's. But this shows up when the heat is on and I'm in trouble. Any thoughts or cures or drills. Thanks. jsellers@greensburg.k12.in.us.
May 6, 2019
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Andrew
That's hilarious! I, like others, thought you said something else, and was kinda proud of you for being willing to buck the politically correct world. In an age where the Left has mainstreamed such odious words as teabagger and p*ssy and sh*thole, calling a handshake "gay" because it wasn't quite straight isn't offensive at all. Alas, it was "gang."
January 28, 2018
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Andre
Chuck, great video, and thanks for the word clarification. I sounded like something different. Appreciate the way you simply the concepts for making the golf swing easy to understand.
January 28, 2018
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Chuck
You're so welcome Andre!
January 28, 2018
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Seth
Great video. I don’t know how you keep the audio so clear in that window but we’ll done.
January 28, 2018
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Craig (Certified RST Instructor)
Hello Seth. Thanks. I was trying to figure that one out as well.
January 29, 2018
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Nathan
Thanks for the video Chuck. I have a junior, 12 years old, and competes in world events often. He’s got a strong grip, as many kids do growing up for power. So when he would do this drill, in the takeaway hand shake position, his club face would be closed, and same on the thru swing. Is this a drill that really only applies if you have a neutral grip? Thanks!
January 28, 2018
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Chuck
Yes absolutely. As your son gets older you'll want to start making the transition to a proper grip that won't be so limited as he gets stronger
January 28, 2018
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Nathan
Great, thanks!
January 28, 2018
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