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Decoding Your Scapular Feel

Should you feel your chest opening up, or should you focus on the feel of your shoulders remaining closed or back toward the target? This drill guides you through a practical test to determine your optimal swing language, providing tailored advice to enhance your game. 

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This concept video is decoding your scapular feel.

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Um, so I've, I've got a bunch of videos on the site

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that talk about how the spine rotation, um,

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and the scapular position at impact being more in this kind

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of closed off position.

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I've got drills, uh, where I help you feel, um,

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don't spin the shoulders

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or presetting the spine rotation make you emphasize kind

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of feeling your back staying to the target longer.

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That's a thought that's worked for some.

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Um, and I've got others where I talk about kind

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of leave your arms behind and really turn your core or,

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or turn your hips through the ball.

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Um, but up to this point, I've had a hard time decoding

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or figuring out which language to use with each student.

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Um, but I, I came up with this little test, um,

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that I think helps, uh, helps you figure out which

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of those you're gonna feel.

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Do you need to feel more your chest getting open,

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or do you need to feel more,

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your shoulders staying closed or back to the target?

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Um, so I use this mostly as a concept for kind

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of working on my terminology when working with the students,

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but I think it'll be helpful for you.

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So what I do is I, uh,

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hold the club up against the bottom of their chest

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or their, the bottom of their sternum.

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So I hold the club right here

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and I say, all right, you're gonna keep this part

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of your chest pointing, um, at me

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'cause I'm holding it right there.

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And then I will have them put their hands together out in

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front of, uh, or above the chest

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or above the club like this.

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And then I'll say, I'll bring my hand over here

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and I'll say, I want you to bring your hands so

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that they're pointing at my, my hand over there.

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So basically without moving this part of the chest,

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I'm gonna try and turn like that.

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So you'll see belly button, belt buckle doesn't move.

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I turn the chest and then I have 'em close their eyes

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and I ask the simple question,

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where do you feel like your chest is pointing?

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And some people will say, well,

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my chest is still pointing at you.

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And others will say, my chest is pointing back here.

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And it'll help me feel if they're feeling more the upper

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part of their chest and

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where their shoulders are pointing when I say the word chest

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or if they're feeling low down, kind

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of close to nipple level.

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When we say chest,

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if this feels like your chest is pointing back here, then

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at impact you are going

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to feel like your chest is pointing well

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behind the golf ball, 20, 30 degrees.

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I'll usually kind of put an object kind

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of in line somewhere over here like this.

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Um, so that position there, if I keep my shoulders there

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and then I try to turn my hips to get open

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and I continue to turn my hips,

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this still feels like my chest is pointing there,

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but you'll clearly see from the down the line video, um,

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that my shoulders are square or even open.

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So what's happening is

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these people are feeling the chest staying closed,

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which is really just not firing the shoulders early.

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If I get down, if I keep my, my shoulders closed

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or my chest closed in this first example, um,

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and then I get to this, uh, impact position

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where I feel like my hips

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and my belly button are pointing out in front

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of the golf ball and I've got my hands to impact.

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It feels like the arms are in front.

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So that's allowed me to do some of the wipe.

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It feels like my chest is pointing back there,

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even though I can check and I can see, no, it's not.

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That's just more of a feeling rather than a reel.

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And that feel is connected to the shoulder blades

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because then I'll say, okay, now point your chest out there

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and they'll go like this and I'll even hold the bottom

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of their chest so their spine doesn't really move.

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And you'll see that their feeling of the chest

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as associated a hundred percent with

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where the shoulders are pointing.

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If on the other hand, when you turn like this, you're like,

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no, my chest is pointing forward.

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It's just my, my shoulders are, are back here.

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Well then I'll say, okay, you need to leave the arms behind.

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You need to feel like your arms stay back in that position.

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And I want you to get your chest pointing 20,

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30 degrees out in front of the golf ball.

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Um, it really gets to the same look

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and it gets to the same position,

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but it's totally different language

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depending on what your feel is.

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So again, the the little test is if you, uh,

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pin this up against the sofa

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or a couch so that it doesn't move,

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and then you simply bring your arms back, you'll see

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that my shoulders have turned,

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my spine has turned with it a little bit.

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But it's really just trying to associate where is your feel.

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Once you figure out where your feel is, then it'll be easier

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for you to figure out and sift

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through which videos will be most helpful for you.

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If that feels like your chest is backward,

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then you're gonna do well with don't spin the shoulders,

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presetting spine rotation.

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Um, keep your back to the target, those type of ideas.

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Um, if you feel like it's the shoulders that are back there,

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then you're gonna feel like your, your hips

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and your um, your chest are pointing out in front

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of the golf ball and it's gonna feel more like the arms

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are being left behind.

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Um, so when we work through it, whatever feel we have

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for me, it's gonna be more of that chest,

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uh, staying backward.

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I'm gonna feel like my chest stays backward,

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my hips get open and my arms get to impact.

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But this feels like my chest is pointing way back there.

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Um, for some of you it might be the shoulders

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that is pointing back there,

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but something typically has a feeling like it's being

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behind the golf ball while your hips

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and your hands are getting down to impact.

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So you'll see if we kind of exaggerate it.

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Usually when I get into the kind of drill

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or working through it stage, I'll do a few

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where I'll feel like I stay chest pointing back there

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all the way past impact.

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It'll shorten my finish.

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Um, but it'll give a feeling of a little bit more

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of the hips turn and the wipe.

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So again, oh, my chest went a little bit on that one.

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Um, forgot to get warmed up today.

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So feeling a tiny bit stiff, so we'll bring it back chest.

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So that one to me felt really good as far

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as the chest staying back.

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Um, and when I check it on video,

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it'll probably have a really good look at impact.

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So if you're struggling with getting your shoulders to, uh,

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lead too much during the downswing, if you're struggling

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with getting your hips open

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because your shoulders are leading too much,

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this little test will help you figure out

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what feels might likely work for you.

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