David Leadbetter's "A" Swing

No doubt you've been hearing about David Leadbetter's new book The A Swing, which he says is a simplified swing method that doesn't need as much practice. I've just received a pre-release copy of the book that I'm reading now and I plan to talk more about it after I've finished it.

In the meantime Golf Digest has put up an introductory article about the swing, complete with several short videos to help you understand what all the fuss is about. Here's the "most introductory" of those videos:



There are a number of small changes that the A Swing makes to your setup and motion. Primarily it's an attempt to simplify the backswing and get the club into "the slot" more easily in the downswing. Leadbetter says he's been using a number of these ideas in one form or another over the last few years with various players of different skill levels, and that he has written the book in hopes that it will shake up the teaching industry and simplify teaching.

The book begins with an intro by Michelle Wie and the first chapter -- which is what I'm currently reading -- is a biomechanical analysis by expert J.J. Rivet. And Leadbetter says that the swing can be maintained using a 7-minute practice routine performed several times a week. (That's near the end of the book, of course.) As I said, I'll be talking more about this after I finish the book.

In the meantime you might want to take a look at the "A Swing Starter Kit" article at golfdigest.com and get familiar with the basics of it. I don't know if the book will actually stimulate any change in teaching methods, but my initial impression is that there are some useful ideas there.