If you have ever viewed PGA Tour Golf, you know the names Cameron Young and Hideki Matsuyama. What do these two players have in common (except that they are tour winners)? They both use a clear “break” at the top of their backspwings.
Young and Matsuyama are very different golfers, but the break at the top of the swing is something that connects them. And although their reasons may vary before the break, this does not mean that you cannot learn from both.
In the text below, Golf Top 100 teacher Tim Cooke explains how he uses a “break exercise” to help his students with their swings. Try it yourself and you can be well on your way to touch the ball such as Young and Matsuyama.
How to perform the break exercise
Breaking through Cameron Young in August for his first PGA Tour victory – and Hideki Matsuyama known for its characteristic break at the top of the swing – you might ask yourself: could you add a break to your own swing help? If you have trouble mastering the position of the club at the top or find your Downswing -sequencing inconsistent, the break drill may be exactly what you need.
I regularly use this exercise with both professionals and recreational players. It is a simple but powerful way to feel a new club or wrist orientation at the top of the swing. Delaying the backswing and adding a deliberate break helps the club – and your body – to position more optimally. This often leads to a better alignment of the face with impact.
Of course, a faster backswing can help generate more club head speed, but if that speed throws away your positioning or timing, you probably miss the center of the face. Every speed gains are lost when the ball flies offline or worse, out of the game.
The key to the pause drill is to synchronize your chest and club to stop at the same time, using a smooth, even backswing. There should be no bouncing or recoil – imagine that the club head is so stable that a bird can land on it. While you start with the Downswing, you don’t jerk with your arms. Let them follow the natural shift of your body to the goal.
In a recent session with Ben Kruper – also known as “The Paue King” – I asked what the break does for his game. He said:
“The break helps me to collect at the top, so that I can make a coordinated transition. My tendency used to be to turn my hips to the target before my hands reached the top. That let me go on the Downswing, and my mistakes could go to the left or right. When I had added the break, it became much easier to get the sweet place on the ball on the ball.”
Do you want to see the break in action? View a recent message from Ben’s last session with me below.
#add #break #backswing #ball #stands