Pros and Cons of Video to improve golf swing.

The introduction of video analysis for golf swings brought about a whole new dimension to swing improvement. Coaches and pupils are able to examine every aspect of their game and break everything down to the smallest degree. The question is: Is video analysis making people better?

Video gives coaches the opportunity to firstly look more closely at areas of the swing they can't see fully with the naked eye. This helps to take any guesswork out of coaching. 

I find the most useful part of using video is not for my own analysis of the pupils swing but to be able to use the video to let the pupil see what they are doing. They soon discover that 'feel and real are rarely the same' 

Pupils will often believe they are over exaggerating whatever change you are implementing into their game, but once they look on camera they realise that what to them feels like an enormous change of movement is actually not as much as they need. 

It also helps to get the pupil to be able to see how the work he is putting in is paying off by not only seeing improvements in striking and ball flight but also in the changes to the shape of his swing. Golf lessons become more enjoyable for the player.

These are the positive aspects, however there are also some negatives to the introduction of video.

Golfers can become obsessed with the mechanics of their own game and spend time trying to replicate their favourite player or the latest book they've been reading. There are some benefits to imitation but you also need to build your own swing which suits your bio-mechanics and build. 

You also need to develop your own feel and learn to create shots and be able to manipulate the club-face and path to hit a variety of shots. The obsession with mechanics is made even worse when the player has only a limited knowledge of the golf swing. Often a player who videos himself will pick something to work on and this might have an adverse effects of his results, he will then move from change to change getting worse like a driver losing his way.

In conclusion video has some real benefits to improving your game but only if used in conjuction with quality coaching to let you focus on what needs actually needs changing and how. For more info and to book a golf lesson visit www.jrgolfacademy.co.uk