Martin Chuck on the Hand-Controlled Pivot (Video)

Martin Chuck did this video for Revolution Golf that teaches some classic swing technique, focusing on using your hands and arms more. It's about five-and-a-half minutes long but it's a good watch -- especially if you struggle to use your legs because of age or flexibility.



The key points from this video are very simple.

• Narrow your stance so it's easier to turn your shoulders.
• Bend your trailing elbow on the backswing and don't straighten it until after the ball is gone.

Super simple, right? When you first start doing it, I think you'll find that you need to swing a bit slower until you get the hang of the rhythm. Once you've got it, you can swing as fast as you can control it.

Don't make the mistake of thinking you don't use your legs. YOU DO. It's just that you don't drive your legs with the idea of dragging your hands through impact -- that's what he means when he talks about "pivot-driven hands." In that method, the lower body creates a hitting motion.

With the "hand-driven pivot" he's talking about, your lower body definitely does move and add momentum to your swing. But in this method of swinging your lower body doesn't start the downswing as violently. Rather, the lower body action supports the swinging motion while your hands and arms create the swing.

In both cases, the lower body initiates the swing. That's simple physics. But in the "hand-driven pivot" the hands are consciously used to create speed, while "pivot-driven hands" feel as if they are just responding to the leg action.

For many of you, this method will make it easier to square up the clubface at impact. In fact, this method feels much closer to a pitching motion, the way John Smoltz described it in my Sunday post.

Personally, I think this is the more natural way to swing and, once you get used to the rhythm of the swing, I think you'll find it much easier to repeat consistently. But even if you don't adopt it as your regular swing, doing some range work with it as a drill should help your swing become smoother and more rhythmic.