WHAT STARTS THE GOLF SWING?: Just say NO to a “takeaway”!

[@willdoc67]

In all my years of learning golf using books,tapes,dvds,youtube I can honestly say that you are an absolute breath of fresh air, there is no other coach thinking and explaining the golf swing as wonderfully as you ,a modern day Hogan

[@janvandermolen1197]

Very nice way of explaining the backswing! Thanks.

[@chookcs2769]

You light up my golf life! TQVM

[@qbyrd0015]

I’m just now finding your page. Great stuff.

[@stevesheridan3575]

Erika, you are the best communicator of golf that i have ever heard. I have gone back and watched some of your older videos. Consistently good and as you've done more you get better and show more of your personality. Thank you.

[@lostcreek58]

You understand golf and the golf swing.But and but again you really know how to explain your instructions in a way that’s understandable.There are a lot of instructors here the contradict each other,this game is hard enough when your looking for help and the instructor is saying the opposite of the one you we’re looking at.Thank you

[@ashleyjohnstone9098]

One of the best tips I have ever had. I am swinging so freely, why did no one tell me this 20 years ago.

[@paulpaonil1693]

Me too

[@waltreyer79]

@@paulpaonil1693 Hi Erika, Your lessons are great for lack of better words! After a short time, IM striking the ball as good as I can expect to! I have one question: In your book why do you say the HEAVE is a takeaway?

[@paulpaonil1693]

@@waltreyer79 i thought this is tail wagging.

[@thomasfraser9072]

Great video " The cow tail drag and lag on the golf backswing" says it all! Thank you very much.

[@pamkauffman6017]

I found flowmotion a couple of years ago and it changed everything for me!!! During covid I took his course online and had a few questions for Stephane Bachoz personally called me on the phone because his internet was down. I was speechless! I owe my 3 club championships to him and increased distance with no back pain. Thank you for showing this swing here in the United States!

[@renerjose4753]

excellent presentation on a much obscure subject but it is THE most vital part of the golfswing! a must learn for newbies who have the most awkward looking movements away from the ball which do look like “takeaways”! funny i had just recently got acquainted with this dragging action after many years of an evolved mechanical takeaway from conventional golf instruction. got fed up with the choreographed motion which did not bode well for my game when things go awry. as a kid who learned the game with adult size clubs this cow tail movement is a no brainer! it just happens naturally and sets the tone for a fluid golfswing sequence! cheers!

[@mrpeterseow]

Such a simple but wise lesson on communication.

[@golfdoc1950]

Loved the Christmas Story motif! Bought your book. Awesome.

[@gregoryedwards8781]

Started reading Ernest Jones and have been flushing it. The drag feeling has helped a ton with the longer clubs, Cool kicks too

[@charliekim577]

Wow, I was struggling for the past couple days with my backswing and kept hitting the toe of the club! I was cursing and about to quit until I revisited this video. Now, starting off with 1/2 to 3/4 backswing and naturally dragging the backswing away, keeping my grip loose and hitting the ball, hitting crisp shots!!!! Thank you, Erika!

[@gregrollins4584]

Great teacher! So glad I first saw your tip in Golf Digest.

[@richrosing]

This simple concept has helped be generate more power and consistency. It makes so much sense. When I was using my hands to produce the “take away,” it automatically made my wrists much more rigid. Swinging allows be to much more fluid. I have watched other videos that have this message, but they have not clicked with me the same way as with Erika. Love the simplicity of her videos.

[@ahmadghanem2414]

Great tips . Truly best coaching

[@vansonguitars8981]

Brilliant teaching for a natural swing/tempo, very ‘Bobby Jones’. Thanks!

[@patrickcarey6887]

Erika I have just this video and it his just changed my life. I play off 13 and haven't been playing well for a while. Today I played 9 holes as that's all that's allowed due to Covid, I finished 1 under for 9 and I will put down the tip. Thank you 😊

[@quarksmork]

I’ve followed your videos for a few years. I would try your method and then go back to my same old swing which is contrived and not natural. I’m going to really make a conscious effort to swing your way. 😅

[@adrianleman5158]

Very concise in explaining the swing,thankyou.

[@cathyporter3846]

Great video! Thanks for posting! My daughter gave me your book for Christmas (yay!) and I have been working my way through it. This video did a fantastic job of filling in the blanks for me and answering some questions I had. Your teaching style is so clear and easy for me to understand. Thanks again for all the videos you post! They are super helpful and hopefully 2020 will see me break 100!

[@larkingolf]

Awesome ! You can do it !!!!

[@georgenguyen525]

I have been struggling with the takeaway. I feel unnaturally swing back to the top. Could not wait to practice this back swing drill in the range. Thank you.

[@redmouse6346]

Somehow our paths might cross, don’t be surprised if I hug you. You saved me from getting more cortisone shots for my elbows. Thank you 😊🫵🏻

[@rodgalilee7946]

great video, what a good thought, as per Ernest Jones "swing the clubhead". Many thanks

[@jackhunt9364]

Good solid information on starting the backswing. Enjoy your channel and bought your book many months ago. Thanks for your advice.

[@Triangulaid07]

Fantabulous video Erika !🤩⛳️👍 Thanks 🙏 for sharing and for the introduction 🤗. Keep it up 👍 !

[@Rraygino]

Thanks Stephane. The cow tail help my game alot. Merci!

[@Triangulaid07]

@@Rraygino You are very welcome ! Enjoy playing and keep it flow 😉.

[@golfessor2678]

Great video Erika! If you add, one- piece to takeaway, it really scares me. It implies rigid , fear, and tension. Thanks again.

[@lendzubow]

This is so important for beginner golfers like me. Too much emphasis on positions using the body and arms and very little on getting a swinging motion. Please continue to provide swinging tips and maybe a bit of tips for seniors. Thanks.

[@VasuBalakrishnan]

Words have sooo much power!!!👍

[@thomasfraser9072]

Hi Erika Don’t know if you teach this to your students this or not. Personally I now love to start my backswing with the tilting of my lead side obliques which automatically turns my entire body on my trail side. Every thing else then must follow. My downswing is simply kicking my trail knee down the line to my intended target line. Tick Tock 😃❤️⛳️

[@bryang949]

What can I say Erika!! You are exhilarating and a real breath of fresh air!!!! Through the sublime beauty of your natural and engaging teaching style, you appear to be breathing life into a proper understanding of the golf swing, which an entire world of golf instructional world seems to have turned into a complex nightmare of forced biomechanics (which is admittedly lucrative for the industry as a whole!!). Your teaching seems to fully resonate with that of the amazing swing coach Manuel de la Torre (deceased). I have been playing around with your ideas the last couple of days at my home practice nets as a result of which I can say I am "quietly excited" (I have become far too excited far too many times over the years to commit to any more excitement at this stage until I know it is real...lol). It does make me wonder if a completely unnecessary aura and "mystique" of complexity has been intentionally built around swing coaching over many years that masks a completely different reality - which is, that swinging a golf club should be no different to a dog naturally swinging its tail - as opposed to the tail swinging the dog (I am sure most dogs would agree!!). For me everything you say and show has the ring of truth about it - and let's face it, the best things in life are simple and lack complexity but for some reason we humans tend to think that unless something is complicated and sophisticated and "improved", it can't be any good. To my newly emerging way of thinking which has been inspired by your videos, such thinking obfuscates a true understanding of the REAL wonder of human biomechanics, namely that we have been designed in such an amazing way that we have the full capacity to effortlessly execute the perfect golf swing UNconsciously if we simply ALLOW ourselves to - as opposed to doing everything we can to PREVENT execution!! I hope I am expressing that correctly!!! My priority will be on continuing to study and apply your teaching methodology and watch ALL your videos!! In summary, thank you so much for your incredibly insightful analysis of the "true golf swing" and I will certainly be purchasing your book (or video course) this weekend!! I do have one question though - which is: do some pro golfers adhere to this ideology or approach - or do the demands of distance and accuracy put the needs of the swing into a category of its own that takes their swing OUTSIDE of what your "true swing" approach can provide?? Hopefully, your answer will be that if they did, they would be even better!!! 😁 😍

[@bryang949]

Hi Erika, thank you for the hearted response. 😍I have also given you a bit of promo in Amazon as part of a book review I did on the book "The Golf Swing (Illustrated) - the Ernest Jones Method" by Daryn Hammond. My review of the book was not overly favorable, rightly or wrongly. Whilst I acknowledged Jones as being a genius I felt that the book per se lacked real teaching value in a practical sense. It doubtless teaches wonderful and true concepts but lacks depth in teaching the student HOW to implement the Jones swing philosophy. Which is why I strongly recommended that they study the Jones method in conjunction with your teaching content. This was my review: I feel I have to agree with EA Jacques' review My mind was fully open to consume and devour this book and I was excited when it arrived I was led to the philosophy of the "True Swing" as described by Erika Larkin, who has based her teaching philosophy on Ernest Jones Let me be clear - I FULLY endorse Erika Larkin (in that regard I also agree with Swittie's review in which he says it is imperative to study her) and so by default I fully endorse both Ernest Jones and Manuel de la Torre and making the "True swing" a part of your golf I am certain WILL improve the swing of most players The issue I have is not with this teaching philosophy - it is purely with this book and its value as a teaching manual which I feel is limited at best. The concepts, while sounding great are ethereal and broad the way they have been described. It is perhaps better suited to a top flight player at the top of his game as a nuanced "good read". However, for someone keen to LEARN the proper swing I feel you may be far better off buying Manuel de La Torre's book "Understanding the Golf Swing" which I am about to order (I have watched some of his videos and semi instructional interviews with him) as well as looking up Erika Larkin on You Tube For example, it is well and good to talk about controlling the clubhead through through the hands and fingers and the body will do everything else right - and that is a lovely sounding almost liberating statement. However a) there is a lot more to it than that such as initiating the downswing and b) the book goes practically nowhere towards explaining HOW to achieve the necessary mechanics of properly controlling the clubhead through the hands and fingers Furthermore, there are missing illustrations referred to in the text and I also feel the illustrations are of limited teaching value anyway and do not go far in supporting what the text states Much attention is given to debunking other golf teachers and do partly understand why much of this is justified. However I feel that if is going to be done then the author needs to make sure his OWN teaching is solid and on point and comprehensive. And yes sadly I feel all this book has achieved is to be more of a philosophical exercise rather than a solid "how to do" I have little doubt that Ernest Jones was a teaching genius and that his understanding of the "true swing" was ground breaking and had the power to (rightly) disrupt the traditional golf instructional industry. All I am saying is that this is NOT the book that will TEACH you his genius and transform your game (assuming you are new to the teachings of Ernest Jones). Rather, this book is really only useful for putting you on notice that you may have been missing a far superior swing philosophy and methodology and that you need to use this book as a BASE for studying further teachings on the subject and I would suggest going to Manuel de la Torre and Erika Larkin for that ......and this all reminds me - I still have not proceeded to purchase your video course and I really need to do that but it is on my to do list!!! Thank you Erika!! 😍

[@n2golf989]

Great Tip!!!

[@emiliohuerta3654]

Thanks

[@jeffmiller1387]

Erika, Great instructional videos! I get allot of feels from what you’re explaining. In this video, how do you stop from swaying using these “relaxed” motions? Thanks 🙏

[@larkingolf]

Because the lateral motion / momentum should turn turn rotational to stay balance against the back foot leg ankle .

[@nicepelt]

What kind of indoor net is that?

[@tallguy5656]

Anyone who has a driving range set up in their Living Room is pretty cool!

[@leepetersen4082]

BRILLIANT!!!!

[@johnlee-lg4hb]

thank you

[@mattgordon3437]

Great guidance on the tckqyfthhy! Seriously, that makes a lot of sense. I’m going to focus on the back “swing.“

[@jardinesydney9447]

like your drills keep them coming,one question your trail foot doesn,t come up till well through the swing, they tell you power comes from right side,what is the problem that causes.S/J.

[@dry509]

Is this concept compatible with your YLYL video or is that a different swing concept?

[@TuubiMun]

Heureka !

[@robertriess4014]

How do you keep your arms and wrists relaxed all the way through the downswing?

[@kosherco-operative6758]

Fantastic video so much disinformation out there. Do you believe in a swing trigger to start your swing away? If so which one generally works best?

[@6699230]

Wasn't it called the 'address?' IIRC Ralph & Norton did a skit with it on the 'Honeymooners.' 'First you address the ball!' 'Hello ball!'

[@Rd-bi7vr]

My takeaway now is dropping my left shoulder and increasing angle of my lead knee same time .

[@romnaviche]

I have a tendency to get the club path too outside in the backswing. On video "dragging the club inside" looks like the face is facing the ground for too long. Am I doing something wrong?

[@LeeMan-q4b]

Ms. Larkin, almost every pro tour golfer i see does a "one piece takeaway", and frankly not very swiftly. No, I'm not a pro by any stretch but seems to me I want to emulate them as much as possible. Can you help explain why not use "the one piece....

[@davidmead6337]

Excellent. Does a baseball player focus on the "takeaway". NO. They meet the ball from the outside force as well as their own force.

[@MegaTubescreamer]

`innate` is a great precept for a backswing, if we were using a hammer or an axe, (not a club,) we wouldn`t have to `think` how? 👍

[@rhettruggerio148]

Are you keeping a “V” with your arms?

[@richardfawcett4647]

Erika in base ball their is no back swing why just start like a baseball position at the top to me it would be a lot easier

[@lawrencesargent1392]

Erica where did you get your information? It's obvious you are not an expert on the golfing machine by Homer Kelley.

[@derry3344ii]

Women should rule the world! This is so right from Erika

[@rgsempio]

Video better with a mic

[@user-xg2vy3ri6r]

Excellent