What do you do with your off-arm during a backhand drive?
If you’ve never thought about it before, it might freak you out a bit …
You have no idea.
YouTube videos focus on the X-step, reachback, pull-through and follow-through. The off-arm seemingly exists for the sake of taking up space. Plus, voluntary amputation hardly seems necessary. Believe it or not, though, there IS something you’re supposed to do with it …
Stop.
Before you keep reading, know the following:
- Point No. 1 – If you’re not yet able to drive 300-plus feet, save this for a later date.
- Point No. 2 – You can only focus on one thing at a time – other stuff matters more.
Anyway, have at it …
Keep your back arm tight to your body.
Mind-numbingly stupid, this might not seem like a big deal, but it’ll 100% add distance to your backhand drives. Think of the last time you spun around in an office chair. Having someone push you fast helps, but pulling your arms and legs in tight works best – figure skaters do this, too.
More speed leads to more power. More power leads to more distance.
It’s that simple.
When you reach back, your off-arm (or hand) can do whatever the heck it wants – it’s not part of the process. It’s at the precise moment you begin to pull-through, however, you need to make sure it’s moving both forward and in front of the off-shoulder to which it’s attached.
At the beginning of the pull-through, move your off-arm down along the inside of your off-leg. By so doing, without thinking, your off-arm will move forward and in front of your shoulder.
The best in the world do it:
* Note: Pause the video at 12 seconds to see the moment this tip begins to take effect.
As is the case with anything form-related, focus on one thing at a time …
This nugget’s no different.
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