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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Stop Early Releases: Extend Your Arms for Better Impact

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Recognize the difference between an early release and proper extension
  • Feel how extending your arms affects the club's position through impact
  • Practice maintaining a low club path for more consistent strikes

In this drill, you'll learn how to prevent early releases and chicken winging by focusing on extending your arms down and away during your swing. This technique will help improve your impact position and enhance your overall ball striking.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.320
This drill is nine to three down, not up.

2
00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:09.820
So this drill is more for golfers who have a tendency to have an early release

3
00:00:09.820 --> 00:00:10.280
pattern

4
00:00:10.280 --> 00:00:15.670
and get the club kind of bending or getting the arms bending, more chicken wing

5
00:00:15.670 --> 00:00:16.240
scooping,

6
00:00:16.240 --> 00:00:17.760
kind of flipping on the way through.

7
00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:21.540
So golfers who tend to do more of their nine to threes kind of more like this,

8
00:00:21.540 --> 00:00:22.080
where the

9
00:00:22.080 --> 00:00:27.080
arms are pulling in through impact rather than going away from the body.

10
00:00:27.080 --> 00:00:32.150
So the idea in this version of the nine to three is that you're focusing on

11
00:00:32.150 --> 00:00:32.800
trying to

12
00:00:32.800 --> 00:00:36.480
get your arms to extend down away from your body.

13
00:00:36.480 --> 00:00:41.540
Now in reality, down and away from your body is not going to go straight into

14
00:00:41.540 --> 00:00:42.560
the ground.

15
00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:47.520
If my body has had some rotation to it, the hands will come up, but for many

16
00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:48.240
golfers who

17
00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:51.200
are used to bending, it'll feel like it's going down.

18
00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:55.560
If you wanted to exaggerate the feeling of the club going down, then you would

19
00:00:55.560 --> 00:00:56.040
just have

20
00:00:56.040 --> 00:01:01.760
to prevent your arms or your body from getting open and having any turn.

21
00:01:01.760 --> 00:01:08.730
So then the arms would have a down and extended feel or the feel would match

22
00:01:08.730 --> 00:01:09.840
reality.

23
00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:14.810
But for this nine to three, so basically working belly button to belly button

24
00:01:14.810 --> 00:01:15.920
height, your focus

25
00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:21.320
is that the arms are getting into full extension in the finish position and

26
00:01:21.320 --> 00:01:22.440
that your arms

27
00:01:22.440 --> 00:01:26.600
are staying or the club is staying low to the ground through there.

28
00:01:26.600 --> 00:01:29.560
The only way you're going to get that club to be low to the ground through

29
00:01:29.560 --> 00:01:30.120
there is by

30
00:01:30.120 --> 00:01:34.800
having a feeling of the arms extending the club down.

31
00:01:34.800 --> 00:01:39.750
One common problem with golfers who early release or chicken wing is that the

32
00:01:39.750 --> 00:01:40.240
lowest

33
00:01:40.240 --> 00:01:44.430
point will be right about here and then just after impact, the club will be a

34
00:01:44.430 --> 00:01:45.320
couple inches

35
00:01:45.320 --> 00:01:48.080
or an inch or two off the ground.

36
00:01:48.080 --> 00:01:52.530
So when you're doing this version of the nine to three, you're basically going

37
00:01:52.530 --> 00:01:53.360
to feel like

38
00:01:53.360 --> 00:01:57.400
that club stays low to the ground through the hitting area.

39
00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:01.170
Once you can comfortably do that with your nine to three, work your way up to

40
00:02:01.170 --> 00:02:01.520
ten to

41
00:02:01.520 --> 00:02:06.830
two and full swings, making sure that you get the same ground contact as well

42
00:02:06.830 --> 00:02:07.680
as release

43
00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:08.680
feel.

44
00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:12.870
So when you take the bigger swings, the club won't necessarily stop through

45
00:02:12.870 --> 00:02:13.360
there, but

46
00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:17.840
it will go through that position on its way up.

47
00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:30.740
So a ten to two focusing on the club working more down through there may hit

48
00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:31.560
them a tiny

49
00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:36.920
bit lower than normal, which is a good little, at least, variation and shot to

50
00:02:36.920 --> 00:02:37.560
have.

51
00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:46.840
And now we'll try and take it up more towards a full swing.

52
00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:50.380
Like so, working on the club, going down through the hitting area instead of

53
00:02:50.380 --> 00:02:51.920
coming up, focusing

54
00:02:51.920 --> 00:02:55.000
first with the quality of your nine to three release.
Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Stop Early Releases: Extend Your Arms for Better Impact

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Recognize the difference between an early release and proper extension
  • Feel how extending your arms affects the club's position through impact
  • Practice maintaining a low club path for more consistent strikes

In this drill, you'll learn how to prevent early releases and chicken winging by focusing on extending your arms down and away during your swing. This technique will help improve your impact position and enhance your overall ball striking.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.320
This drill is nine to three down, not up.

2
00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:09.820
So this drill is more for golfers who have a tendency to have an early release

3
00:00:09.820 --> 00:00:10.280
pattern

4
00:00:10.280 --> 00:00:15.670
and get the club kind of bending or getting the arms bending, more chicken wing

5
00:00:15.670 --> 00:00:16.240
scooping,

6
00:00:16.240 --> 00:00:17.760
kind of flipping on the way through.

7
00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:21.540
So golfers who tend to do more of their nine to threes kind of more like this,

8
00:00:21.540 --> 00:00:22.080
where the

9
00:00:22.080 --> 00:00:27.080
arms are pulling in through impact rather than going away from the body.

10
00:00:27.080 --> 00:00:32.150
So the idea in this version of the nine to three is that you're focusing on

11
00:00:32.150 --> 00:00:32.800
trying to

12
00:00:32.800 --> 00:00:36.480
get your arms to extend down away from your body.

13
00:00:36.480 --> 00:00:41.540
Now in reality, down and away from your body is not going to go straight into

14
00:00:41.540 --> 00:00:42.560
the ground.

15
00:00:42.560 --> 00:00:47.520
If my body has had some rotation to it, the hands will come up, but for many

16
00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:48.240
golfers who

17
00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:51.200
are used to bending, it'll feel like it's going down.

18
00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:55.560
If you wanted to exaggerate the feeling of the club going down, then you would

19
00:00:55.560 --> 00:00:56.040
just have

20
00:00:56.040 --> 00:01:01.760
to prevent your arms or your body from getting open and having any turn.

21
00:01:01.760 --> 00:01:08.730
So then the arms would have a down and extended feel or the feel would match

22
00:01:08.730 --> 00:01:09.840
reality.

23
00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:14.810
But for this nine to three, so basically working belly button to belly button

24
00:01:14.810 --> 00:01:15.920
height, your focus

25
00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:21.320
is that the arms are getting into full extension in the finish position and

26
00:01:21.320 --> 00:01:22.440
that your arms

27
00:01:22.440 --> 00:01:26.600
are staying or the club is staying low to the ground through there.

28
00:01:26.600 --> 00:01:29.560
The only way you're going to get that club to be low to the ground through

29
00:01:29.560 --> 00:01:30.120
there is by

30
00:01:30.120 --> 00:01:34.800
having a feeling of the arms extending the club down.

31
00:01:34.800 --> 00:01:39.750
One common problem with golfers who early release or chicken wing is that the

32
00:01:39.750 --> 00:01:40.240
lowest

33
00:01:40.240 --> 00:01:44.430
point will be right about here and then just after impact, the club will be a

34
00:01:44.430 --> 00:01:45.320
couple inches

35
00:01:45.320 --> 00:01:48.080
or an inch or two off the ground.

36
00:01:48.080 --> 00:01:52.530
So when you're doing this version of the nine to three, you're basically going

37
00:01:52.530 --> 00:01:53.360
to feel like

38
00:01:53.360 --> 00:01:57.400
that club stays low to the ground through the hitting area.

39
00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:01.170
Once you can comfortably do that with your nine to three, work your way up to

40
00:02:01.170 --> 00:02:01.520
ten to

41
00:02:01.520 --> 00:02:06.830
two and full swings, making sure that you get the same ground contact as well

42
00:02:06.830 --> 00:02:07.680
as release

43
00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:08.680
feel.

44
00:02:08.680 --> 00:02:12.870
So when you take the bigger swings, the club won't necessarily stop through

45
00:02:12.870 --> 00:02:13.360
there, but

46
00:02:13.360 --> 00:02:17.840
it will go through that position on its way up.

47
00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:30.740
So a ten to two focusing on the club working more down through there may hit

48
00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:31.560
them a tiny

49
00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:36.920
bit lower than normal, which is a good little, at least, variation and shot to

50
00:02:36.920 --> 00:02:37.560
have.

51
00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:46.840
And now we'll try and take it up more towards a full swing.

52
00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:50.380
Like so, working on the club, going down through the hitting area instead of

53
00:02:50.380 --> 00:02:51.920
coming up, focusing

54
00:02:51.920 --> 00:02:55.000
first with the quality of your nine to three release.
Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.