How Skipping Rocks and the Magic Move…

All young children should be taught how to skip rocks by their parents.  It is a rite of passage… winding up, uncoiling your hips, slinging your arm and watching a rock bounce across a pond… a magical moment and one that will immediately be put in their parent/child memory bank. 

Everyone agrees skipping rocks is a classic parent/child moment, but what does this have to do sharing golf with your child?

The easy answer… if you’re not skipping rocks on your golf course visits… you’re not maximizing the “fun factor” of your golf adventures.  To the golf answer…

The motion of skipping the rocks is identical to the core principles of learning of what Hogan refers to as the “Magic Move” – an important skill in teaching lag, getting unloaded and separating the lower body from the upper body to create power.

My personal experience – a couple of months ago, I took my child to the pond on #1 to skip some rocks.  This time we were going to the rocks to “play a game” to reinforce a golf skill that were working on (creating more lag and body separation). (Insert Video).   As Ally started to master skipping the rock across the pond, I recognized how this “athletic move” is a great training aid for all kids – that will benefit their golf swing.

Steps –

1. Back Swing – turning of the shoulders and loading the hips with the arms high and loose
2. Transition – the pivot of your hip that starts the weight transition without the upper body moving (this is the magic move) – where your lower body starts the separation process
3. Down Swing – the shoulders and hips are leading the way, hips transitioning first and the leading shoulder is moving lower to the ground, while the arm lags.
4. Release – The lead shoulder is pointed at the target and the arm is firing through, with the weight be shifted to the other side.
5. Follow Through – You’re posting up on your other side with your arms swinging around your spine angle.  The weight is on the other side and you’re holding your finish.

Something creative to get the body to “feel” the right position… hope it adds some value.

Take Dead Aim!