Originally Posted by Yoda

Tongzilla,

I can honestly say that I have no 'preferred' Pattern. I love to Swing, and I love to Hit. And I love to 'tinker'...to see if I can Hit a little Pitch Shot from Special Address (10-9-D / Hands in classic Address Positon and Body Open and in Impact Position). Or even from the Standard Address (10-9-A / Left Wrist Bent and Right Wrist Flat). Or if I can Swing from Impact Address (10-9-B / Hands and Body in Standard Impact Fix). Or if I can can execute Flop Shots Hitting. Or hit low-flying, burning Wedge Shots Swinging. I love to feel that dull ache in my Right Hand forefinger at the end of a good Hitting session. And I love to feel the 'Free-Wheeling' of the Clubhead through Impact in a 'Crank the Gyroscope and let'er fly' Swing.

Learning to Hit has made me a much better Swinger. I never truly experienced Lag Pressure Point Pressure until I learned to create it in the Hitting Stroke. Once I got 'access' to that Pressure, I was able to recreate it in the Swinging Stroke, despite its Passive Participation. Just this last Sunday afternoon, I found myself sensing strongly the #3 Pressure Point at the Finish of my Swinging Stroke. I had just Traced the Straight Plane Line through Impact, and the Ball had exploded off the face of my Club.

"The Right Forearm and #3 Pressure Point..." said Homer Kelley to me in 1982, "...you're gonna want to insure'm for a million bucks."

Hitting or Swinging, that statement is as true today as it was then, although the application is different for each. And it is a true joy to experience that differentiation in a given Stroke.

Bottom line:

Both Patterns are so much a part of me now that it would be very difficult for me to envision a G.O.L.F. World in which I could not do both.

:)

Originally Posted by tongzilla

Nice answer Yoda :)

Just so I fully comprehend what you're saying...

Lets say you were in the final round of your club champs, and you had a simple bread and butter drive you need to hit long and straight. Are you saying you might Swing or Hit that shot depending purely on how you feel that day -- as opposed to any mechanical reasons such as "I usually hit it further with Swinging" or "I usually hit it straighter with Hitting"?

Originally Posted by Bigwill

I've heard it said before on this site that learning to hit can improve swinging. Besides familiarizing the player with the feel of PP3, in what other ways can hitting help to improve swinging? While we're at it, in what ways can learning to swing help a hitter?

Originally Posted by Yoda

Bigwill,


.....Hitting is much harder to learn than Swinging.

But once you know it...

It is easier.

Two reasons to learn Hitting:

1. When you Hit, you are never out of your Impact alignments.

2. When you can Hit, you know the mission-critical Swinging Alignments.

At this point, Swinging becomes...

"...like shooting ducks in a pond."

-- Homer Kelley

Originally Posted by Yoda

Bigwill,

With Swinging, Centrifugal Force does so many things to help.

-- It aligns the Clubshaft.

-- It aligns the Clubface.

-- It thrusts the Clubhead.

Pity the poor Hitter.

He must do all three...with absolutely no help from 'Mother Nature.' Since only his Thrust is different, he must know -- and be able to supply -- all the other alignments.

Bottom Line:

Hitting is much harder to learn than Swinging.

But once you know it...

It is easier.

Two reasons to learn Hitting:

1. When you Hit, you are never out of your Impact alignments.

2. When you can Hit, you know the mission-critical Swinging Alignments.

At this point, Swinging becomes...

"...like shooting ducks in a pond."

-- Homer Kelley

Originally Posted by Yoda

Bigwill,

With Swinging, Centrifugal Force does so many things to help.

-- It aligns the Clubshaft.

-- It aligns the Clubface.

-- It thrusts the Clubhead.

Pity the poor Hitter.

He must do all three...with absolutely no help from 'Mother Nature.' Since only his Thrust is different, he must know -- and be able to supply -- all the other alignments.

Bottom Line:

Hitting is much harder to learn than Swinging.

But once you know it...

It is easier.

Two reasons to learn Hitting:

1. When you Hit, you are never out of your Impact alignments.

2. When you can Hit, you know the mission-critical Swinging Alignments.

At this point, Swinging becomes...

"...like shooting ducks in a pond."

-- Homer Kelley

Originally Posted by kebeal

Not to threadjack my own thread, but would that be an example of a double shift in the stroke sequence. Elbow plane to turned shoulder plane(?) back to elbow plane. Is that right?

Thanks,

Kevin