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Feeling One Piece Takeaway

A Golf Takeaway Feeling for a Tension-Free Swing

This golf takeaway feeling uses pressure from your lead foot to start the club back smoothly. Try this simple drill to create a connected, one-piece motion with less tension.

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Feel how initiating the takeaway with your lead foot improves fluidity
  • Understand how to keep your arms passive to enhance takeaway mechanics
  • Identify how to achieve a centered pressure shift for a solid backswing
Tyler Ferrell. Golf Digest Best Teachers in California, 2026-27. The only person named to both Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers in America and Best Golf Fitness Professionals lists. Author of The Stock Tour Swing.
Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.880
Cyril is feeling the one-piece takeaway, so I've had a number of students who

2
00:00:04.880 --> 00:00:09.800
almost get kind of paralyzed over the ball trying to think about either

3
00:00:09.800 --> 00:00:15.160
moving the hands or trying to make it move with the core or the shoulders going

4
00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:19.560
down. What I'm gonna help you do is I'm gonna help you feel what I normally do

5
00:00:19.560 --> 00:00:22.840
in a lesson, so I'm gonna help you feel a one-piece takeaway and I'm gonna help

6
00:00:22.840 --> 00:00:28.760
you initiate your takeaway with a push of the lead foot as opposed to just

7
00:00:28.760 --> 00:00:32.160
thinking about the one-piece takeaway. For many golfers all they have to think

8
00:00:32.160 --> 00:00:36.520
about is the hands staying in front and kind of turning the body and the arms

9
00:00:36.520 --> 00:00:40.680
being a little bit more passive during the takeaway and then using that

10
00:00:40.680 --> 00:00:41.360
momentum

11
00:00:41.360 --> 00:00:45.840
for those arms to start setting the club. That helps them achieve enough of a

12
00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:49.320
pressure shift while staying centered to get in a good top of backswing

13
00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:53.800
position, which is really all we're trying to do in the takeaway. What I

14
00:00:53.800 --> 00:00:57.400
do frequently when I'm working with golfers who are struggling with feeling

15
00:00:57.400 --> 00:01:01.060
that takeaway is I'll have them getting their set up and then I'll come and

16
00:01:01.060 --> 00:01:01.320
stand

17
00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:06.360
over here and grab the club and I'll have them try and take the club back but

18
00:01:06.360 --> 00:01:10.960
I'm gonna block it. Well I can't do that for you so what you can use is either

19
00:01:10.960 --> 00:01:11.400
a

20
00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:16.320
I've got a golf bag here but you could use a golf cart you can use the edge of

21
00:01:16.320 --> 00:01:21.880
your sofa pretty much a wall anything that's going to block the club but I

22
00:01:21.880 --> 00:01:25.560
would block it higher up than just the club head. If you start blocking it all

23
00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:29.240
the way down to the club head there's gonna be a strong enough kind of torque

24
00:01:29.240 --> 00:01:32.200
at the hands that you're probably still gonna feel the forearms. That's why

25
00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:32.480
when

26
00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:37.960
I'm doing it I'm blocking up here so I'm gonna block it as close to the grip as

27
00:01:37.960 --> 00:01:44.320
I can and now what I'm gonna do is I'm going to initiate the takeaway and I'm

28
00:01:44.320 --> 00:01:49.560
just gonna feel where in my body was that triggered and what most people who

29
00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:53.280
struggle with their takeaway is gonna feel is they're gonna feel it either in

30
00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:58.600
the forearms elbows or up in the shoulders and neck. Now what I want to

31
00:01:58.600 --> 00:02:03.800
feel is I want to feel it in the core so my forearms are somewhat relaxed and

32
00:02:03.800 --> 00:02:09.560
I'm feeling it more from a rotation of my ab muscles. Now if I'm really astute

33
00:02:09.560 --> 00:02:15.840
what I'll feel is that the left foot is going to push on an angle kind of that

34
00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:21.240
way and have a little bit of a rotation that way so I'm basically taking this

35
00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:25.960
front foot and I'm pushing it out and having a little rotation like that. It's

36
00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:31.000
almost like I'm sliding a piece of carpet away from me that way. By pushing

37
00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:36.480
that way and having a little bit of a rotation that's going to cause my body to

38
00:02:36.480 --> 00:02:41.120
rotate the opposite direction. So when I grab on the club for my students I'll

39
00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:45.540
frequently ask okay can you feel that in your core can you feel that all the

40
00:02:45.540 --> 00:02:45.600
way

41
00:02:45.600 --> 00:02:49.680
in your foot and then they'll start to connect and you can see it doesn't take

42
00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:54.720
much it's not an exaggerated movement unless you've never done it before then

43
00:02:54.720 --> 00:02:58.080
you might have to exaggerate. But in general it's just a subtle movement of

44
00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:02.440
kind of anchoring that foot creating a really good fixed point for me to then

45
00:03:02.440 --> 00:03:08.250
rotate away from it. Now in the lessons what I'll usually do is I'll grab it

46
00:03:08.250 --> 00:03:08.400
and

47
00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:12.960
then after they've done it a few times I'll let go and they'll feel like the

48
00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:17.400
club just kind of floated and their arms did nothing. That's the hard part to

49
00:03:17.400 --> 00:03:24.120
replicate on your own. But if you get far enough back you can kind of pump it

50
00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:28.560
one, pump it two, pump it three, get it out of the way and try to make that

51
00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:28.840
same

52
00:03:28.840 --> 00:03:33.260
movement. It's the closest I've come to figuring out how to replicate it on

53
00:03:33.260 --> 00:03:33.320
your

54
00:03:33.320 --> 00:03:39.720
own. But once you have that feeling of that one piece takeaway then you can try

55
00:03:39.720 --> 00:03:44.800
and take you know nine to three's or even full shots initiating it there and

56
00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:49.880
then just you know kind of letting happen whatever is going to happen. One of

57
00:03:49.880 --> 00:03:49.880
the

58
00:03:49.880 --> 00:03:54.400
hard things is anytime you're working on backswing thoughts, whether it's

59
00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:58.240
takeaway or setting the club, you can't totally use contact and ball flight as

60
00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:02.160
an indicator of if you're doing it well, but you can use the feeling of rhythm.

61
00:04:02.160 --> 00:04:02.560
So

62
00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:07.440
if you feel this kind of smooth out your initiation and kind of improve the

63
00:04:07.440 --> 00:04:11.480
sequencing in your backswing then it's a good thing for you to work on and

64
00:04:11.480 --> 00:04:14.960
sometimes takeaway thoughts make excellent playing thoughts. So if you're

65
00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:20.560
struggling with what to start with your takeaway, add a little resistance, feel

66
00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:23.920
the foot connecting all the way through the core so the movement is happening

67
00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:29.840
from the ground pushing all the way up through until my ribcage rotate my arms.

68
00:04:29.840 --> 00:04:33.640
When you do that you'll be sure you've got a one-piece takeaway. So in

69
00:04:33.640 --> 00:04:38.840
demonstrating it's very similar to the turn and grab with the medicine ball. In

70
00:04:38.840 --> 00:04:42.880
fact the medicine ball makes it hard to just lift with your arms. Many golfers

71
00:04:42.880 --> 00:04:48.040
who benefit from this tend to be more though either lift more with their arms

72
00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:56.240
kind of trigger it more like that or they'll tend to shift more laterally kind

73
00:04:56.240 --> 00:05:01.240
of like that either way they'll tend to feel it more in their arms. So get kind

74
00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:04.790
of that feeling through the leg and then you can go ahead and take some easy

75
00:05:04.790 --> 00:05:05.240
golf

76
00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:13.660
swings. Do that to work on your one-piece takeaway.
Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
Tyler Ferrell. Golf Digest Best Teachers in California, 2026-27. The only person named to both Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers in America and Best Golf Fitness Professionals lists. Author of The Stock Tour Swing.

Feeling One Piece Takeaway

A Golf Takeaway Feeling for a Tension-Free Swing

This golf takeaway feeling uses pressure from your lead foot to start the club back smoothly. Try this simple drill to create a connected, one-piece motion with less tension.

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Feel how initiating the takeaway with your lead foot improves fluidity
  • Understand how to keep your arms passive to enhance takeaway mechanics
  • Identify how to achieve a centered pressure shift for a solid backswing
Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.880
Cyril is feeling the one-piece takeaway, so I've had a number of students who

2
00:00:04.880 --> 00:00:09.800
almost get kind of paralyzed over the ball trying to think about either

3
00:00:09.800 --> 00:00:15.160
moving the hands or trying to make it move with the core or the shoulders going

4
00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:19.560
down. What I'm gonna help you do is I'm gonna help you feel what I normally do

5
00:00:19.560 --> 00:00:22.840
in a lesson, so I'm gonna help you feel a one-piece takeaway and I'm gonna help

6
00:00:22.840 --> 00:00:28.760
you initiate your takeaway with a push of the lead foot as opposed to just

7
00:00:28.760 --> 00:00:32.160
thinking about the one-piece takeaway. For many golfers all they have to think

8
00:00:32.160 --> 00:00:36.520
about is the hands staying in front and kind of turning the body and the arms

9
00:00:36.520 --> 00:00:40.680
being a little bit more passive during the takeaway and then using that

10
00:00:40.680 --> 00:00:41.360
momentum

11
00:00:41.360 --> 00:00:45.840
for those arms to start setting the club. That helps them achieve enough of a

12
00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:49.320
pressure shift while staying centered to get in a good top of backswing

13
00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:53.800
position, which is really all we're trying to do in the takeaway. What I

14
00:00:53.800 --> 00:00:57.400
do frequently when I'm working with golfers who are struggling with feeling

15
00:00:57.400 --> 00:01:01.060
that takeaway is I'll have them getting their set up and then I'll come and

16
00:01:01.060 --> 00:01:01.320
stand

17
00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:06.360
over here and grab the club and I'll have them try and take the club back but

18
00:01:06.360 --> 00:01:10.960
I'm gonna block it. Well I can't do that for you so what you can use is either

19
00:01:10.960 --> 00:01:11.400
a

20
00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:16.320
I've got a golf bag here but you could use a golf cart you can use the edge of

21
00:01:16.320 --> 00:01:21.880
your sofa pretty much a wall anything that's going to block the club but I

22
00:01:21.880 --> 00:01:25.560
would block it higher up than just the club head. If you start blocking it all

23
00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:29.240
the way down to the club head there's gonna be a strong enough kind of torque

24
00:01:29.240 --> 00:01:32.200
at the hands that you're probably still gonna feel the forearms. That's why

25
00:01:32.200 --> 00:01:32.480
when

26
00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:37.960
I'm doing it I'm blocking up here so I'm gonna block it as close to the grip as

27
00:01:37.960 --> 00:01:44.320
I can and now what I'm gonna do is I'm going to initiate the takeaway and I'm

28
00:01:44.320 --> 00:01:49.560
just gonna feel where in my body was that triggered and what most people who

29
00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:53.280
struggle with their takeaway is gonna feel is they're gonna feel it either in

30
00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:58.600
the forearms elbows or up in the shoulders and neck. Now what I want to

31
00:01:58.600 --> 00:02:03.800
feel is I want to feel it in the core so my forearms are somewhat relaxed and

32
00:02:03.800 --> 00:02:09.560
I'm feeling it more from a rotation of my ab muscles. Now if I'm really astute

33
00:02:09.560 --> 00:02:15.840
what I'll feel is that the left foot is going to push on an angle kind of that

34
00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:21.240
way and have a little bit of a rotation that way so I'm basically taking this

35
00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:25.960
front foot and I'm pushing it out and having a little rotation like that. It's

36
00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:31.000
almost like I'm sliding a piece of carpet away from me that way. By pushing

37
00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:36.480
that way and having a little bit of a rotation that's going to cause my body to

38
00:02:36.480 --> 00:02:41.120
rotate the opposite direction. So when I grab on the club for my students I'll

39
00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:45.540
frequently ask okay can you feel that in your core can you feel that all the

40
00:02:45.540 --> 00:02:45.600
way

41
00:02:45.600 --> 00:02:49.680
in your foot and then they'll start to connect and you can see it doesn't take

42
00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:54.720
much it's not an exaggerated movement unless you've never done it before then

43
00:02:54.720 --> 00:02:58.080
you might have to exaggerate. But in general it's just a subtle movement of

44
00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:02.440
kind of anchoring that foot creating a really good fixed point for me to then

45
00:03:02.440 --> 00:03:08.250
rotate away from it. Now in the lessons what I'll usually do is I'll grab it

46
00:03:08.250 --> 00:03:08.400
and

47
00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:12.960
then after they've done it a few times I'll let go and they'll feel like the

48
00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:17.400
club just kind of floated and their arms did nothing. That's the hard part to

49
00:03:17.400 --> 00:03:24.120
replicate on your own. But if you get far enough back you can kind of pump it

50
00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:28.560
one, pump it two, pump it three, get it out of the way and try to make that

51
00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:28.840
same

52
00:03:28.840 --> 00:03:33.260
movement. It's the closest I've come to figuring out how to replicate it on

53
00:03:33.260 --> 00:03:33.320
your

54
00:03:33.320 --> 00:03:39.720
own. But once you have that feeling of that one piece takeaway then you can try

55
00:03:39.720 --> 00:03:44.800
and take you know nine to three's or even full shots initiating it there and

56
00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:49.880
then just you know kind of letting happen whatever is going to happen. One of

57
00:03:49.880 --> 00:03:49.880
the

58
00:03:49.880 --> 00:03:54.400
hard things is anytime you're working on backswing thoughts, whether it's

59
00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:58.240
takeaway or setting the club, you can't totally use contact and ball flight as

60
00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:02.160
an indicator of if you're doing it well, but you can use the feeling of rhythm.

61
00:04:02.160 --> 00:04:02.560
So

62
00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:07.440
if you feel this kind of smooth out your initiation and kind of improve the

63
00:04:07.440 --> 00:04:11.480
sequencing in your backswing then it's a good thing for you to work on and

64
00:04:11.480 --> 00:04:14.960
sometimes takeaway thoughts make excellent playing thoughts. So if you're

65
00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:20.560
struggling with what to start with your takeaway, add a little resistance, feel

66
00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:23.920
the foot connecting all the way through the core so the movement is happening

67
00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:29.840
from the ground pushing all the way up through until my ribcage rotate my arms.

68
00:04:29.840 --> 00:04:33.640
When you do that you'll be sure you've got a one-piece takeaway. So in

69
00:04:33.640 --> 00:04:38.840
demonstrating it's very similar to the turn and grab with the medicine ball. In

70
00:04:38.840 --> 00:04:42.880
fact the medicine ball makes it hard to just lift with your arms. Many golfers

71
00:04:42.880 --> 00:04:48.040
who benefit from this tend to be more though either lift more with their arms

72
00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:56.240
kind of trigger it more like that or they'll tend to shift more laterally kind

73
00:04:56.240 --> 00:05:01.240
of like that either way they'll tend to feel it more in their arms. So get kind

74
00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:04.790
of that feeling through the leg and then you can go ahead and take some easy

75
00:05:04.790 --> 00:05:05.240
golf

76
00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:13.660
swings. Do that to work on your one-piece takeaway.
Related topics
This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.