One of the things we took into consideration when designing the Swing Path Trainer was correcting faults in the swing that might not be just swing path. We wanted to create a tool that can correct what you are doing with your body as well. One of the issues we wanted to fix was the front shoulder flying open. This is such a common problem that we had to address it and give multiple ways to fix it.
Why is it bad for the front shoulder to open early?
When the front shoulder flies open in the swing, a couple of things happen. One, you don’t make solid contact with the ball. Two, you keep rolling over and hitting ground balls to the pull side. We want to keep that front shoulder from opening too early so we can make solid contact and be able to hit to all parts of the field.
Closing the shoulder with the Tee Topper
The Tee Topper is the first way you can keep your shoulder from flying open. Slide the Tee away from you and this will place the ball further away. If you continue to fly open, you will either cap the ball or miss it completely. You may even hit the front inside corner of the board. When you make the adjustment, you will stay closed longer and drive through the ball. Once you are consistent with driving the ball, you can incrementally move the ball back to the original position.
Closing the shoulder with the direction of the Swing Path Trainer
This method of keeping your shoulder closed will be better for the visual learners. The second way of using the Swing Path Trainer to keep your shoulder closed is bringing the back edge of the board closer to you so the whole board is pointing slightly toward the opposite field. Doing this will provide a visual cue of keeping your hands inside the ball and will help drive the ball to the opposite field. Once you get consistent with making solid contact and hitting the ball to the opposite field, you can incrementally turn the board back to straight up the middle.
If your shoulder is flying open, or you’re swinging across your body, these two drills are great ways to fix the problem and get your swing back on track!
