What's Your Swing Thought?

A few years ago, a friend and I signed up for a Ladies Only Golf Clinic at Ocean Pines Golf Club.  It was our first introduction to the game and we had no idea what to expect or the first thing about the sport.  But lucky for us, the class was led by the one and only Matt Ruggiere, whose patience, humor, and ability to give feedback without overwhelming you is what makes him one of the best coaches I have ever had.  

At our first lesson, I quickly realized the similarities between swinging a golf club and executing a technical lift (the snatch comes to mind).  In both golf and weightlifting, power without technique won’t get you very far.  And there is a LOT of technique required for both to ensure a sound swing or lift. Just to name a few…

• Stance and weight distribution
• Grip
• Posture
• Gaze
• Tempo 
• Club/bar path
• Hip rotation/extension
• Weight transfer
• Follow through/catch position

‍“Mental overload” is an understatement. If you try to remember everything at once, you end up whiffing or become utterly paralyzed. 

But Coach Matt, being the pro that he is,  knows that it is impossible to concentrate on everything at once and successfully hit the ball. And that swinging without an intention isn't helpful either.

“What’s your swing thought?” he asked. In other words, what is the ONE THING you are focusing on each swing?  

The truth was, I didn’t have one. Because I was trying to remember the 193,902 little things that make up a perfect swing.  

I took a moment and thought about one cue he had given me earlier. 

“Slow down my back swing” I said. And wouldn’t you know it, on the next swing I hit the dang ball!

I focused on that cue for the next few minutes. And once I felt that I had my backswing tempo down consistently,  I changed my swing thought to something else that needed improvement.  

I use this exact process when doing any technical movement in CrossFit.  Whether it be an oly lift or a ring muscle up, I try to have a “swing thought.”  

I ask myself:  “what is one point of performance that I want to focus on executing well?” For the snatch, maybe it's keeping a close bar path, or driving hard through my legs, or having patience in the first phase of the lift, or locking my arms out hard in the catch.

Whatever it is, I drill that focus until it becomes muscle memory and doesn’t require much mental attention anymore.  Then, I layer in a new “swing thought.” 

And so the process goes… 

So next time you are at the driving range or throwing some weight around, take a deep breath and dial in.  Don’t get carried away with the big picture. And don’t just swing to swing.  Be intentional.

Have a swing thought and execute!

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