How to prevent body from shifting up during backswing

Hi everyone

For some reason, my body always tends to move up during my backswing. This always cause me to miss the ball. Anyone know any drill to correct this bad habit?

Usually not a problem itself, but a symptom of another issue. Can't say much without seeing u, but primary candidate is head unstable.

Pls see a coach. Forum advice can be a double edged sword

htngwilliam wrote:

Hi everyone

For some reason, my body always tends to move up during my backswing. This always cause me to miss the ball. Anyone know any drill to correct this bad habit?

Hi can you explain how you miss the ball? Air ball or top or?

Yea.  You symptom could be a result of a root problem that is something else. Best you consult a coach.

Nam Flog wrote:

htngwilliam wrote:

Hi everyone

For some reason, my body always tends to move up during my backswing. This always cause me to miss the ball. Anyone know any drill to correct this bad habit?

Hi can you explain how you miss the ball? Air ball or top or?

A lot of top ball

Most probably you are trying to create too much backswing by:

1) swinging too fast going back
2) using hands rather than shoulders to go back.

When any of the above is the issue, you generate too much momentum which causes the spine to lose its angle.

Possible solution:

Remember that it is the throughswing that generates the speed, not the backswing.  Take your own sweet time going back.  An extreme will be the swing of Ryan Moore.

He is very deliberate and slow going back but still hits it furather than us.  If u can execute his backswing, I am sure it will solve your issue.

A quick fix will be to keep your head still. At home, stand in front of a mirror and do your normal take away. You will noticed that your head tend to bob up or down. So to prevent that, look at the mirror, and do your take away but keeping your eye on the mirror and make sure to keep your head still in the same position as set up and proceed withcyour normal take away and consciously keep your head in the same position at set up. Sorry kept repeating but that is what you have to do. Keep the tempo slow so as to maintain head position all the way back and swing forward, still keeping head in the same position. Once inculcated into muscle memory, slowly practice to get more speed. 
My 0.000002 cts worth. But it worked for me. I used to top when my head bobbed up from the set up position and hit fat shots when it bobbed down. I still do that when I tried to hit a hard and fast and looked up too early after hitting a shot. 

Titu

Here's a simple drill that I use. 

Stand at address with a golf ball. Now, without swinging, move your head up and down .Try to notice, in your vision, how the ball seems to look a bit smaller if you move your head up. So, this is the vision of the ball you DON'T want to see in your back swing. If you do, it means you have shifted your head/body up. Now try your back swing, with yourself being conscious to avoid that same vision of the ball being smaller with your head up. Now practice a bit. If you can swing with the vision of the ball remains relatively the same, you would have achieved in keeping your head still. This drill also helps in minimizing unwanted lateral movement in your backswing. The theory is the same idea of using a mirror to keep your head still. However, I find it better because I usually don't have the luxury of a mirror at the range. Hope it may help you out.

Hi I'd like to share how I minimise my topping of balls.

Most of the time people will say head move up or look up. But the key is not in the head, but your shoulders. Your arms are connected to your shoulder and not your head. Hence theoretically, you can afford to move your head (keeping your shoulders still) and yet not top the ball. Of course most of us will change the spine angle and lift the shoulders whenever our head moves.

My drill is to focus on looking down on the ball, during downswing, after impact, even after release and my club is already pointing to the target, my head will still be looking down on the ball. And the only reason why my head will come up (much later) is because the momentum of the club pull my arms, and the arms pull my shoulders, and my shoulders rotate around the axis of my spine, causing my head to turn following the shoulders. In a nutshell, inertia.

Just another high handicapper sharing and hope it helps.

Thanks everyone. I will try

try this stability drill.

kyleyann wrote:

Here's a simple drill that I use. 

Stand at address with a golf ball. Now, without swinging, move your head up and down .Try to notice, in your vision, how the ball seems to look a bit smaller if you move your head up. So, this is the vision of the ball you DON'T want to see in your back swing. If you do, it means you have shifted your head/body up. Now try your back swing, with yourself being conscious to avoid that same vision of the ball being smaller with your head up. Now practice a bit. If you can swing with the vision of the ball remains relatively the same, you would have achieved in keeping your head still. This drill also helps in minimizing unwanted lateral movement in your backswing. The theory is the same idea of using a mirror to keep your head still. However, I find it better because I usually don't have the luxury of a mirror at the range. Hope it may help you out.

Of course practicing the mirror drill should be done at home, office or any place where there is a mirror. Definitely not at the range or course. As for when the head bobbed up or down 1-2 inches, I don't think its quite discernible to be able to tell whether the ball gets smaller or bigger. Just tried it after reading your post and I definitely can't tell the ball gets smaller or bigger. But then if it works for you sure as it is the same theory.

lol

Thanks guys, very useful info.