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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 the Chicken Wing: Improve Your Follow-Through with L to L

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify the cause of the chicken wing in your follow-through
  • Practice the L to L drill to promote a correct wrist motion
  • Develop a smoother transition from wrists to elbows for improved swing mechanics

In this drill, you'll learn the L to L technique to help eliminate the chicken wing effect in your swing. This method emphasizes the proper sequence of wrist rehinging for better impact and follow-through.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.150
This drill is L to L. Now I'm a big fan of doing some sort of hold off finish

2
00:00:10.150 --> 00:00:10.520
for the

3
00:00:10.520 --> 00:00:14.010
majority of golfers. It helps work on the quality of the movements down at

4
00:00:14.010 --> 00:00:15.040
impact. And

5
00:00:15.040 --> 00:00:21.160
for many golfers, I prioritize doing the L to I where I'm basically finishing

6
00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:21.560
in this

7
00:00:21.560 --> 00:00:27.620
pattern. That really works on more of the stall flip. But there's a subset of

8
00:00:27.620 --> 00:00:28.040
golfers

9
00:00:28.040 --> 00:00:32.470
who really benefit from taking it all the way up to vertical and letting the

10
00:00:32.470 --> 00:00:33.840
wrist rehinge.

11
00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:37.490
And that's if you struggle with the chicken wing. Typically what happens is

12
00:00:37.490 --> 00:00:37.920
golfers who

13
00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:42.840
struggle with bending their arm on the way through doesn't necessarily mean

14
00:00:42.840 --> 00:00:43.440
that the

15
00:00:43.440 --> 00:00:48.960
arm has to be bent at impact. But it means that the arm is bending. That's one

16
00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:49.080
of my

17
00:00:49.080 --> 00:00:54.240
distinctions for a chicken wing. So if the arm is bending on the way through,

18
00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:54.360
one way

19
00:00:54.360 --> 00:00:59.710
to think about it is the wrists are doing very little and the elbows are doing

20
00:00:59.710 --> 00:01:00.160
a lot

21
00:01:00.160 --> 00:01:04.950
to get into this pattern. What I want to do is I want to reverse that. I want

22
00:01:04.950 --> 00:01:05.680
the elbows

23
00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:10.690
to stay straight and then the wrist to rehinge. And it's not until the wrists

24
00:01:10.690 --> 00:01:12.120
are done rehinging

25
00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:17.480
that the elbows then soften and absorb some of the speed. So it's kind of the

26
00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:17.920
reverse

27
00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:23.080
sequence or the reverse pattern on the way down. On the way down, I'm going to

28
00:01:23.080 --> 00:01:23.600
use my

29
00:01:23.600 --> 00:01:28.030
shoulders and then my elbows and then my wrists and forearms. So on the way

30
00:01:28.030 --> 00:01:29.080
through, I'm going

31
00:01:29.080 --> 00:01:36.410
to use my wrists first and then my elbows and then my shoulders. So one check

32
00:01:36.410 --> 00:01:36.960
for this

33
00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:42.330
is you can do the classic L to L drill where basically I'm going to make a 3/4

34
00:01:42.330 --> 00:01:43.200
backswing

35
00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:48.240
or about a 10 o'clock backswing. And on the way through, I'm going to focus on

36
00:01:48.240 --> 00:01:48.720
the arm

37
00:01:48.720 --> 00:01:53.760
staying straight and then making this classic L look because my wrists will

38
00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:56.720
have rehinged.

39
00:01:56.720 --> 00:02:04.090
So the actual drill, you can do varying speeds and tempos but I want to

40
00:02:04.090 --> 00:02:06.080
minimize that lead

41
00:02:06.080 --> 00:02:12.010
arm bend while maximizing letting the wrist rehinge. Now what usually happens

42
00:02:12.010 --> 00:02:12.760
is the first

43
00:02:12.760 --> 00:02:16.140
few times that you're doing this, if you're used to doing a chicken wing, you

44
00:02:16.140 --> 00:02:16.840
'll overdo

45
00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:21.700
the wrist trying to rehinge because you'll actively try to do it at the normal

46
00:02:21.700 --> 00:02:22.280
time when

47
00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:26.600
your elbows would want to straighten or sorry, would want to bend. So what I

48
00:02:26.600 --> 00:02:26.960
want you to

49
00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:31.650
do instead is just let the momentum of the club kind of help it rehinge. You

50
00:02:31.650 --> 00:02:32.200
don't have

51
00:02:32.200 --> 00:02:38.920
to forcefully rehinge it. So we'll do one more. We're going to go into this 3/4

52
00:02:38.920 --> 00:02:41.320
backswing

53
00:02:41.320 --> 00:02:48.370
and then focusing on those arms staying straight as the club rehinges. This

54
00:02:48.370 --> 00:02:49.400
will help for many

55
00:02:49.400 --> 00:02:53.830
golfers the first few times that they do it. If they have a really pronounced

56
00:02:53.830 --> 00:02:54.400
chicken

57
00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:58.720
wing, first few times that you do this, you'll feel like your arms are really

58
00:02:58.720 --> 00:02:59.320
stiff and

59
00:02:59.320 --> 00:03:02.750
like you're pushing your arms out towards the target when normally they would

60
00:03:02.750 --> 00:03:03.280
be bending

61
00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:09.110
and coming back like this. So normally they would, golfer who chicken wings

62
00:03:09.110 --> 00:03:09.480
would have

63
00:03:09.480 --> 00:03:14.520
a feeling of their chest getting past their elbows and I want you to feel like

64
00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:15.280
your hands

65
00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:20.680
are pushing out towards the target while staying straight. Do a couple more of

66
00:03:20.680 --> 00:03:22.760
these.

67
00:03:22.760 --> 00:03:29.350
That was a pretty good one. Then you've got the classic choice. I'm doing this

68
00:03:29.350 --> 00:03:29.800
really

69
00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:33.970
well in a drill. Do I want to add speed or try to lengthen this wing? In this

70
00:03:33.970 --> 00:03:34.280
next one

71
00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:42.190
I'll try to add a little bit more speed. So just feeling a little bit more

72
00:03:42.190 --> 00:03:43.520
aggressive

73
00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:50.090
body movement and now I'm going to try to lengthen the swing on both sides. So

74
00:03:50.090 --> 00:03:50.840
now I'm

75
00:03:50.840 --> 00:03:54.160
going to get to this L position and have it as a reference but I'm going to

76
00:03:54.160 --> 00:03:54.880
feel my arms

77
00:03:54.880 --> 00:04:03.490
bend a little bit as it goes past it. So I want to make sure, yeah that felt

78
00:04:03.490 --> 00:04:04.280
like that

79
00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:07.850
was pretty good in terms of the L position and then it bent way late. This will

80
00:04:07.850 --> 00:04:08.160
help

81
00:04:08.160 --> 00:04:11.480
you start to become more aware of when your arm bends which will help you

82
00:04:11.480 --> 00:04:12.280
recognize when

83
00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:15.400
the pattern starts to show up when you're playing on the course.

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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 the Chicken Wing: Improve Your Follow-Through with L to L

After this video, you'll be able to:

  • Identify the cause of the chicken wing in your follow-through
  • Practice the L to L drill to promote a correct wrist motion
  • Develop a smoother transition from wrists to elbows for improved swing mechanics

In this drill, you'll learn the L to L technique to help eliminate the chicken wing effect in your swing. This method emphasizes the proper sequence of wrist rehinging for better impact and follow-through.

Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.150
This drill is L to L. Now I'm a big fan of doing some sort of hold off finish

2
00:00:10.150 --> 00:00:10.520
for the

3
00:00:10.520 --> 00:00:14.010
majority of golfers. It helps work on the quality of the movements down at

4
00:00:14.010 --> 00:00:15.040
impact. And

5
00:00:15.040 --> 00:00:21.160
for many golfers, I prioritize doing the L to I where I'm basically finishing

6
00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:21.560
in this

7
00:00:21.560 --> 00:00:27.620
pattern. That really works on more of the stall flip. But there's a subset of

8
00:00:27.620 --> 00:00:28.040
golfers

9
00:00:28.040 --> 00:00:32.470
who really benefit from taking it all the way up to vertical and letting the

10
00:00:32.470 --> 00:00:33.840
wrist rehinge.

11
00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:37.490
And that's if you struggle with the chicken wing. Typically what happens is

12
00:00:37.490 --> 00:00:37.920
golfers who

13
00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:42.840
struggle with bending their arm on the way through doesn't necessarily mean

14
00:00:42.840 --> 00:00:43.440
that the

15
00:00:43.440 --> 00:00:48.960
arm has to be bent at impact. But it means that the arm is bending. That's one

16
00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:49.080
of my

17
00:00:49.080 --> 00:00:54.240
distinctions for a chicken wing. So if the arm is bending on the way through,

18
00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:54.360
one way

19
00:00:54.360 --> 00:00:59.710
to think about it is the wrists are doing very little and the elbows are doing

20
00:00:59.710 --> 00:01:00.160
a lot

21
00:01:00.160 --> 00:01:04.950
to get into this pattern. What I want to do is I want to reverse that. I want

22
00:01:04.950 --> 00:01:05.680
the elbows

23
00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:10.690
to stay straight and then the wrist to rehinge. And it's not until the wrists

24
00:01:10.690 --> 00:01:12.120
are done rehinging

25
00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:17.480
that the elbows then soften and absorb some of the speed. So it's kind of the

26
00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:17.920
reverse

27
00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:23.080
sequence or the reverse pattern on the way down. On the way down, I'm going to

28
00:01:23.080 --> 00:01:23.600
use my

29
00:01:23.600 --> 00:01:28.030
shoulders and then my elbows and then my wrists and forearms. So on the way

30
00:01:28.030 --> 00:01:29.080
through, I'm going

31
00:01:29.080 --> 00:01:36.410
to use my wrists first and then my elbows and then my shoulders. So one check

32
00:01:36.410 --> 00:01:36.960
for this

33
00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:42.330
is you can do the classic L to L drill where basically I'm going to make a 3/4

34
00:01:42.330 --> 00:01:43.200
backswing

35
00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:48.240
or about a 10 o'clock backswing. And on the way through, I'm going to focus on

36
00:01:48.240 --> 00:01:48.720
the arm

37
00:01:48.720 --> 00:01:53.760
staying straight and then making this classic L look because my wrists will

38
00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:56.720
have rehinged.

39
00:01:56.720 --> 00:02:04.090
So the actual drill, you can do varying speeds and tempos but I want to

40
00:02:04.090 --> 00:02:06.080
minimize that lead

41
00:02:06.080 --> 00:02:12.010
arm bend while maximizing letting the wrist rehinge. Now what usually happens

42
00:02:12.010 --> 00:02:12.760
is the first

43
00:02:12.760 --> 00:02:16.140
few times that you're doing this, if you're used to doing a chicken wing, you

44
00:02:16.140 --> 00:02:16.840
'll overdo

45
00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:21.700
the wrist trying to rehinge because you'll actively try to do it at the normal

46
00:02:21.700 --> 00:02:22.280
time when

47
00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:26.600
your elbows would want to straighten or sorry, would want to bend. So what I

48
00:02:26.600 --> 00:02:26.960
want you to

49
00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:31.650
do instead is just let the momentum of the club kind of help it rehinge. You

50
00:02:31.650 --> 00:02:32.200
don't have

51
00:02:32.200 --> 00:02:38.920
to forcefully rehinge it. So we'll do one more. We're going to go into this 3/4

52
00:02:38.920 --> 00:02:41.320
backswing

53
00:02:41.320 --> 00:02:48.370
and then focusing on those arms staying straight as the club rehinges. This

54
00:02:48.370 --> 00:02:49.400
will help for many

55
00:02:49.400 --> 00:02:53.830
golfers the first few times that they do it. If they have a really pronounced

56
00:02:53.830 --> 00:02:54.400
chicken

57
00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:58.720
wing, first few times that you do this, you'll feel like your arms are really

58
00:02:58.720 --> 00:02:59.320
stiff and

59
00:02:59.320 --> 00:03:02.750
like you're pushing your arms out towards the target when normally they would

60
00:03:02.750 --> 00:03:03.280
be bending

61
00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:09.110
and coming back like this. So normally they would, golfer who chicken wings

62
00:03:09.110 --> 00:03:09.480
would have

63
00:03:09.480 --> 00:03:14.520
a feeling of their chest getting past their elbows and I want you to feel like

64
00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:15.280
your hands

65
00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:20.680
are pushing out towards the target while staying straight. Do a couple more of

66
00:03:20.680 --> 00:03:22.760
these.

67
00:03:22.760 --> 00:03:29.350
That was a pretty good one. Then you've got the classic choice. I'm doing this

68
00:03:29.350 --> 00:03:29.800
really

69
00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:33.970
well in a drill. Do I want to add speed or try to lengthen this wing? In this

70
00:03:33.970 --> 00:03:34.280
next one

71
00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:42.190
I'll try to add a little bit more speed. So just feeling a little bit more

72
00:03:42.190 --> 00:03:43.520
aggressive

73
00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:50.090
body movement and now I'm going to try to lengthen the swing on both sides. So

74
00:03:50.090 --> 00:03:50.840
now I'm

75
00:03:50.840 --> 00:03:54.160
going to get to this L position and have it as a reference but I'm going to

76
00:03:54.160 --> 00:03:54.880
feel my arms

77
00:03:54.880 --> 00:04:03.490
bend a little bit as it goes past it. So I want to make sure, yeah that felt

78
00:04:03.490 --> 00:04:04.280
like that

79
00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:07.850
was pretty good in terms of the L position and then it bent way late. This will

80
00:04:07.850 --> 00:04:08.160
help

81
00:04:08.160 --> 00:04:11.480
you start to become more aware of when your arm bends which will help you

82
00:04:11.480 --> 00:04:12.280
recognize when

83
00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:15.400
the pattern starts to show up when you're playing on the course.

Have questions about this video?

Ask Mulligan for personalized guidance on technique, drills, or how to apply what you've learned.

Ask Mulligan
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