It is often said that there are many different ‘shots‘ around the horse. However it would perhaps be more technically correct to say that there is only one shot – a pure pendulum, which exists within every swing of the mallet.
All pendulums contain a beginning, a middle and an end. Once you are able to identify where all of these places are, it will make complete sense that the aim is no longer to get the mallet head to make contact with the ‘object’ but instead , the focus will be on the journey of the mallet head to complete a true pendulum and the ball will just be in the way!
Pendulums always have the following characteristics: a moment of suspension, an area of acceleration , post contact, an area of deceleration and another moment of suspension.
Pendulums exist in every true shot, you just need to choose a ‘plane‘ in the direction you want the ball to travel! There is a big difference between swinging AT a ball and swinging THROUGH a ball using a pendulum. Correcting the integrity of a shot will give instant results and now with the use of smartphones it will be very easy to film the exact sequence as shown below and measure your own success. Take a look below at the sequence of events of a pure pendulum for each shot. And then identify them again in the example videos.
For those wanting a technical approach that they can read and absorb at their own rate.