Never before has a golf coaching innovation divided opinion to the extent that the swing classification system known as ‘Stack and Tilt’ has. For this reason it needs no introduction apart to say that discourse on this subject is almost always dominated by arguments about its bio-mechanical principals.
Let me be clear about one thing, bio-mechanically and for the purpose of striking a golf ball, I believe the principals of S&T to be sound; however I also believe that this may well be its critical weakness!
The organisation of the system came about based on the research/advice of noted coach Mac O’Grady and by the principals laid out in the book “the golfing machine”. For this reason I will refer to S&T as being created in a laboratory setting characterised by predictability and control. The ultimate evaluation of a laboratory creation is the degree to which the system is able to interact with the environment that it was designed for.
It would seem that at this stage in time S&T for many interacts perfectly with the environment that created it, exemplified by impressive ball striking by its advocates in closed contexts, but not so well with its target environment. As such its functionality or fitness in a naturalistic setting has been drawn into question which has hindered its implementation on a far greater scale.
The situation is not surprising, nor is it exclusively an S&T issue; research into motor learning and skill acquisition provides an interesting explanation for this. In open systems movement orientates itself to information sources in the environment (ecological constraints), such constraints (weather, playing surfaces, pressure, perception etc.) shape a systems behaviour and as such the most adaptive coordination patterns are those that are ‘soft assembled’ and able to tune into the prevailing task conditions. In other words the environment creates the movement pattern and not the other way about.
S&T, and any other swing conception, created and learned in a static controlled environment will always orientate best to static and controlled conditions. Unfortunately few sports are played in more unpredictable and interchangeable environments than golf. That is why the research shows that the most transferable skills are those that are created and mastered when all information sources are present and flowing.
Nice post and a good subject to tackle.
ReplyDeleteI personally don't think it's quite like that though, for the real purpose of Stack & Tilt is to help the player understand what happens, why that happens and what pieces need adjustment .... and that makes it better than the 'trial & error' method of old ....
Any player looking to go further in his game will have to, at some stage, learn how the changing environment he plays in will effect the outcome.
I would think a Stack & Tilt trained player will soon discover his loft pointing left and the plane to be flatter and thus more out with the ball above his feet. But also know how and what to adjust ...
I also think that a curious person would play around with the variables during practice ...
'The system' is good enough to explain and help understand the influence of changing situations and in the end the player is always the weakest link.
It's up to us as coaches to improve the player, Stack & Tilt is just a tool, not the end product.
I can however see how your point comes in to play and it's an issue that needs tackling.
There is no problem with stack and tilt.
ReplyDeleteNot really much of an analysis here. I'm not S&T but it seems you're saying it's a swing that works well on the range but not on the course because a golf course has more variety of elements than a range or indoor hitting bay. If you're a 30 handicapper and learning the S&T swing gets you to quickly be able to compress the golf ball finally, you're going to play a hell of a lot better on the course. That improvement will apply no matter the wind, weather, lie, or hazard comes up. Learning to hit the ball first with the hands leading is something few golfers learn and S&T stresses this as the top priority. What do the elements do to lessen this advantage gained?
ReplyDeleteWhether a new player should first learn a more conventional swing with some movement is a topic for another debate, but the reality is most golfers are terrible on the course vs the range, using their version of a conventional swing.