Does using muscle cause my arm to veer off center in the backswing?

[Ball99999]

Today I tried helping my arm in the back swing as it reached the top. I helped it by kind of giving it a little extra lift. I kept getting random gutter balls though as if I must have been crossing from left in the back swing to too far right in the downswing. I looked at the video and my arm went behind my back instead of straight. I guess this is the result of not having a free arm swing?

I'm so frustrated, it feels like everything happens so quickly for me to coordinate a good slide and somehow release my wrist and turn my hand to put revs on the ball.. grr

[billf]

Yes it does. Everybody has different levels of flexibility with different lengths in muscle, ligament and tendons. They all play a role in how far back your arm can swing without the muscles contracting or reaching their extension limit. Muscling the back swing and keeping the swing plane correct can be done but takes a lot of specific practice.

[Tampabaybob]

Today I tried helping my arm in the back swing as it reached the top. I helped it by kind of giving it a little extra lift. I kept getting random gutter balls though as if I must have been crossing from left in the back swing to too far right in the downswing. I looked at the video and my arm went behind my back instead of straight. I guess this is the result of not having a free arm swing?

I'm so frustrated, it feels like everything happens so quickly for me to coordinate a good slide and somehow release my wrist and turn my hand to put revs on the ball.. grr

If you have a video camera, or know someone that does, take a video of several frames and post it so we can see what you're actually doing or not doing. Look at it yourself and you may see something right away that you can immediately correct. That's why every sport has coaches, so they can see things you can't and help you correct them.

If you start your delivery with the ball in front of you, rather than off to the right and under your chin, that is one thing that will make you wrap the ball around behind your back. Also, muscling the ball will impact that. Start by leaning a bit to your right in your stance, and keep your right elbow in to your side. Keep your ball roughly under your chin all the way though your delivery. NO MUSCLE, just let gravity un-hinge your arm and let the weight of the ball carry it through your entire delivery. At the point of release, thats where you use a "bit" of force to rotate and lift the ball. No muscle tension all the way through. As you get set, think to yourself about being nice and smoooooth. Try it and let us know how it feels.

Bob

[Ball99999]

Yup the arm crossing the back was pretty much a bingo for me as soon as I saw it in the video; it's what I used to do when I started with houseballs and flung them with all the muscle I had. I never have this problem with a free arm swing.