This is another great question as it's something that many people struggle with....
And it all starts again with the position you have in the saddle.
If you have any further questions about hitting at speed, leave a comment below.
How to NOT Hit the Ball Late, at Speed?
Transcription:
Okay, next question, 'How to not hit the ball too late, at speed?'.
Again, we go straight back to that riding position that I'm talking about. Because if you've got your feet further back and you're sitting up... If you sitting back in the saddle for anything, you're going to be late on the ball, especially at speed. But at speed, remember, that you've got real speed from the horse, so you do not need to hit the ball hard.
And the other thing, at speed, the ball will travel an appreciable distance, anyway. What you need to do, is to put it where it's easy to get the next shot. So, you need to work with a passive wrist. And when I say passive wrist, I'm not talking about pushing the ball. Okay? I'm not talking about a passive wrist right through the swing. What I'm talking about, is using the wrist to impact and don't pronate after that.
So, if you set forward, and you're up and you're really strong, and you get that mallet back in time, okay? When it's back like this, you can wait and hit the ball, but leave your hand... You've got the grip, but leave your palm and the mallet faced facing where you want the ball to go. You will find that it flies anyway, and it's much more accurate that way.
So, set up forward, get ready early. Take the mallet back early. And all you've got to do is to hit to the ball. You don't need to make that distribution shot with the wrist working through the bottom. Because that's where most people battle at speed. They try and use that wrist. And often at speed the balls bouncing a bit. If you use a passive wrist, you'll find that if the ball moves, you can move your mallet to where the ball's gone. Even in the swing. Once you unload that wrist at the bottom, you can't deviate your mallet.
So, at speed, those are the important things for me. That you will get if you are at speed, you need to hit a long distribution shot. You need to check down a little bit, let the ball settle, and then use an ordinary shot. But if you want to hit the ball well, going quickly, you need to set-up there, use a passive wrist, and get your mallet back in time and hit to the ball with that passive wrist.
