Watch part 2 now to see how you're moving your body in the opposite direction of the pros!
If you're already familiar with the RotaryConnect, you've probably been using it on your legs as well as your arms in your full swing. Today we're going to show you how to use it with your chipping stroke as well.
If you don't have a RotaryConnect, we highly recommend getting one. It teaches you the correct fundamentals instead of trying to put a Band-Aid on problems and providing over-exaggerated solutions.
Exchanging One Problem For Another
A lot of training aids out there - probably 90% or more - are just designed to put a Band-Aid on a given problem.
A common problem: The right arm bends too much
Let's say you're really slicing the ball. You've been struggling with it for a long time and you want to learn how to hit a draw, so you go out and get a training aid that's designed to help you cure your slice.
For the first week or so it really works. It will over-exaggerate the solution to your specific problem and you'll start getting better impact or a better plane coming through the ball. You'll start hitting better shots.
The problem is, as you continue to work with this training aid you're going to start over exaggerating too.
Now maybe you're coming too far from the inside, you're rolling the hands too much, or whatever the training aid is designed to make you do, and now you start to hook the ball.
The more you practice, the worse you hook it so in the end you haven't fixed the problem. You've simply taken exchanged it for a different one.
That's not what the RotaryConnect does at all.
What Makes the RotaryConnect Different?
The RotaryConnect helps you learn the proper fundamentals. It shows you what it feels like to make the correct movements.
The more you practice with the RotaryConnect, the better you'll get. You really can't overuse it or end up creating new problems.
The RotaryConnect is mainly designed to help the arms work in unison with the torso.
What Problems Does it Solve?
One of the problems we see a lot is golfers who get too active with the arms in the chipping stroke.
They start to really use their arms to pull the club back and get a lot of wrist hinge on the backswing. The right arm starts to bend too much. It really gets active, pulling the club back.
Pushing and flipping the club are two common problems with the chip
That's a problem because now the right arm has to release and that requires a lot of timing. If you don't time that perfectly you'll hit it fat or thin across the green.
The same thing happens at impact and follow through. People push the club or flip it through impact and then the left arm chicken wings. That's a problem because you're going to be adding loft to the ball, and again consistency is going to be a big problem.
How Does it Help?
Backswing with the RotaryConnect
The RotaryConnect makes your arms and body work together so you learn what it feels like to do it correctly.
When you place the RotaryConnect on your arms and turn back and through, you'll notice that your arms stay nice and straight. You're not over-bending.
As long as you keep a little bit of pressure on the inside of the cuffs it will be very easy to make the correct movements.
The device gives you instant, automatic feedback. Swing back, keep a little bit of pressure on the inside of the cuffs, and your arms stay nice and straight.
Keep your arms very soft as you do this. Don't try to lock them together or move stiffly, like a robot.
The left arm stays straight
Just stay very loose and relaxed and keep a little bit of pressure on the inside of the cuffs.
The same thing happens as you swing down and through.
If your left arm tries to chicken wing or fold up, it will start to pull out of the RotaryConnect. You'll know immediately that something doesn't feel right because the device will start to slip.
Keeping a little pressure on the inside of the cuffs helps you to ingrain the correct motion. It really helps the arms work back and through together, in unison with the body.
No Excuse for Bad Posture
It is possible to use the RotaryConnect incorrectly.
A rounded back is incorrect posture
One of the issues we see is golfers who round their shoulders in an effort to press their arms together and put pressure on the inside of the cuffs.
If you try, of course, you can press your shoulders forward and get your arms very close together, almost touching.
The problem with this is that it rounds your back. Your shoulders pull down and forward and your back curves, and of course that's improper posture.
You need to set up in proper posture and let your arms hang down naturally, just as you've been taught to do at address.
Keep your arms very relaxed and just bring your hands together. Now fit the device onto your natural setup position.
Adjust the RotaryConnect to fit your body, not vice versa!
The RotaryConnect has several adjustment notches. The correct setting for your size will depend on the width of your shoulders, the length of your arms, and how big a person you are.
Get into proper address position and then adjust the RotaryConnect to fit.
Proper setup
When you are set up correctly your arms won't be extremely close together, and you won't be working to squeeze them together.
Just let them hang down naturally like you always do.
From down the line your shoulders should be down and back, not rounded forward. Using the RotaryConnect should never cause you to get into improper posture.
Now you can use the RotaryConnect with your short game as well as your full swing, where it helps you train both your arms and your legs. It is truly the most versatile training aid we've come across.
