Shifting from behind on putts

[azplaya25]

SlowPlastic had a thread a while back about shifting from behind, and he mentioned in the thread that it had really helped his putting. I glossed over that part of his post and focused on the "how does this help me throw backhand farther" part. Turns out it was a mistake to ignore the putting advice, because understanding this concept has transformed my putting consistency.

I've had major issues with push/pitch putting, specially with nose down putts and just coming up short over and over. I try to add more arm and it introduces accuracy issues. Turns out proper putting form is more similar to driving form than I ever realized before.

I found a tutorial from Jonathan Baldwin on YouTube, and it really solidified the shift from behind concept when putting.



Notice how similar this move is to the proper backhand/forehand drive. Weight shift starts from behind and he's already on his front leg before he finishes his backswing. I've seen other pros make this move from different stances, but this is just so simple and efficient. I've just been focusing on a smooth rocking motion and finishing on my front leg, and it feels like I can just effortlessly pitch the putter straight at the basket.

Hopefully this helps someone....I've struggled with putting for a long time and this feels like a major breakthrough.

 

[RowingBoats]

Haha, awesome post. I was playing a round last weekend and missed a putt and figured out exactly what you are describing here and in the gif. Particularly, the slightly closed lead foot facilitating a diagonal shift to power the arm straight toward the basket.

Similar to the mental shift from rotation to lateral, I mentally shifted from concentrating on lifting my arm straight. It seems much better to imagine the invisible power coming from your footwork, the arm will move easily with this.