Learn how to stop hooking it with MLB legend John Smoltz | Instruction

John Smoltz retired from Major League Baseball in 2009, but the 55-year-old Hall of Famer pitcher still looks like he can dress up and get batters out. Today, however, Smoltz dominates on a very different playing field. Despite chronic hip and back problems from his 22 years in the bigs, he has a plus 1.6 index. We paired Fox MLB senior analyst with Golf Digest 50 Best Teacher Brian Manzella for a lesson at Hawks Ridge, Smoltz’s Atlanta-area home club.

“When I saw him hit a few balls, it was clear that John had tremendous control over the face,” says Manzella, who teaches at The Studio in the Sky in New Orleans. “But his swing travel was too far to the right – and he was obviously afraid that using his famous right hand too much would snag it.”

The goal? Show Smoltz how to let go of the racquet without fear of losing it on the left, and reduce the amount the racquet moves in and out on impact – two keys that would help almost any player. “I can tackle it now instead of going on the defensive,” says Smoltz. “I can take that to the course right away.”

“A lot of players think the back wrist should stay flexed to hold the angle, or they think the use of the wrists is kind of ‘flipped’ by impact,” says Manzella. “If you have a relatively neutral swing path and you’re rotating your chest from impact, you can really use that trailing hand to generate speed.”

The feeling? Grab a handful of balls in your back hand and make an imaginary swing and stop when your back arm is at chest height as you pull through. In this position, you should be able to look down and see your palm and the balls facing you (left). “John was actually trying not to bend his right hand at all,” says Manzella. “Now he can throw fastballs instead of switches.”

“Swing travel is important because when it gets extreme, it limits the type of shots you can hit,” says Manzella. “John’s trajectory was 6 degrees to the right, which made it difficult for him to hit the relatively straight shots he likes to see.”

To practice a more neutral path, Manzella tacked a driver-height tee 12″ ahead and slightly inside of Smoltz’s 7-iron ball position (Above). When Smoltz hit the ball and clipped the tee it meant his path was neutral. “If your path is too far to the left, which slicers tend to be, flip the drill and place the tee just off the finish line,” says Manzella. “Perfect shots.”