Concepts: A Quick Look

Let's kick off this post with the caption from this Instagram post: Thinking we know versus knowing we know is a huge part of our performance. Do you have a solid enough foundation to pursue your skills?

Things like stand tall, let the arms hang, and rock the shoulders are thoughts that may work for an individual based on their feels relative to their needs. Catch phrases like that are perfectly okay when communicating with players to create transferable thoughts and understanding.

That DOES NOT mean everyone should run with those ideas. If you do, you might be making the job harder.

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At this point, you need to click the image and watch the reel (link HERE too) and observe some of the changes. Let's start by talking about some of the player's possible concepts:

Setup

As mentioned in the caption above, staying tall was a big part of the player's goals. But that concept was built on the assumption that the arms need to be straight or "make a triangle" at address. This can severely inhibit the ability to manage speed and manage loft during the stroke. Did you notice the little "wrist flip" through the impact interval?

The correct amount of arm bend is different for everyone based on their movement pattern and how they generate speed. Just make sure that you haven't arrived at a solution based on a poor concept or the putter length being too long or too short.

Stroke Shape

What did you notice about the stroke shape before we moved to the Template? Don't try and recall, go back and look real quick. Notice how the sweet spot is traveling on an arc in the after videos? Ok, having the Template definitely helps the player do that. But, we talked about the concepts and why the putter moves in an arc instead of "trying to move it straight" or another one of my favorites like "keep the face square." The Template is used as a tool to establish visual references rather than just saying "here, trace this line." That's probably the biggest gap for players that have acquired a Putting Template of any brand. And there's a reason why I designed my Template a certain way...

The Wrap Up

Just keep in mind that the concept or your perception of what is supposed to happen might be helping you. And for those that know, there is no spoon... Comment if you get it.