May 25th, 2012
The right leg and knee in the minimalist swing
There were two inquiries within a couple of days regarding the right leg! One student who was hitting the most brilliant shots suddenly noticed that her right knee straightens out while making the MGS 'twist'. That happens with a lot of students and it's quite alright, it makes no difference to the quality of the downswing. If you prefer to foucs on keeping the flex in the knee, and add one more thing to the thoughts required during the set-up, that's OK too, but it does not matter. Another student asked: "in orthodox instruction much is made of the right leg and inside of the right foot as a pillar and starting block, to be swung around and pushed off with respectively. Is this concentration on the right leg extraneous to the MGS?" The answer is: yes, absolutely. Everything that requires thinking during the downswing is extraneous, if you make a good MGS set-up and backswing, you do not have to think or do anything intentional at all. The good moves simply happen in the correct sequence, and the bad ones - any that you ever made - are prevented. This is how I phrase it for my students in financial careers. Thins of the MGS set-up as planning the perfect portfolio. Then think of the MGS backswing as buying your shares at the right price. Your downswing is the time to sit back and watch the dividends roll in!