5 Drills to Improve your Golf Swing with Michael Kanev

·52 min·3 clips

Michael Kanev says, 'hit the ball as hard as you can, but keep your balance.'

1. On the Mark Golf Podcast centers on five drills to improve the golf swing with Michael Kanev, framed by Mark Illman’s winter-practice intro and golf-training-aid recommendations. 2. Mark Illman hosts the show, and Michael Kanev joins from Scotland as the coach explaining drills, sequencing, balance, and productive practice habits. 3. The episode asks what a useful practice session actually looks like, and Kanev answers with a simple thesis: warm up, use a goal, and train specific movements instead of random ball hitting. 4. Kanev says warming up matters before playing or practicing, and he uses the example of straining his neck in Bulgaria after starting cold on a range. 5. He recommends beginning with very short shots and half swings, then building up while keeping sequencing in mind. 6. One practice example he gives is hitting every ball while holding the finish and counting to three, which he says helped with balance and sequencing. 7. Mark Illman relates that to Tommy Fleetwood’s slow, disciplined practice style and to Vijay Singh’s very slow driver reps at The Open. 8. Kanev says adults often need balance and control, while juniors may need speed first and accuracy later, a distinction he attributes to coaching conversations around speed development. 9. He argues that many golfers are better served by hitting the ball squarely than by chasing distance, especially when wind, bad lies, or pressure make contact more important. 10. Kanev describes one club champion at his Scottish course who is not the longest hitter but is smooth, controlled, and capable of scoring in windy conditions. 11. The upside down drill uses an upside-down club to help golfers hear the swish after the ball and feel gradual speed instead of a lunge from the top. 12. Kanev says the drill can be done without a ball, with eyes closed, or even in a garden, and he likes drills that remove the excuse of not having time to practice. 13. Mark pushes the idea that the drill helps golfers become aware of where the club head is in space, not just where their body is moving. 14. Kanev says the two clubs drill educates both hands at once and quickly exposes whether the golfer is too flat, crossing the clubs, or failing to match the sequence. 15. He notes that right-handed golfers who play right-handed often discover their dominant side taking over early, which can create over-the-top patterns and other misses. 16. The club-across-the-shoulders drill is presented as an old classic that teaches rotation on a tilt and shows why the arms need to exit left for right-handers. 17. Mark and Kanev discuss how golfers often try to “turn more” without preserving shape, and Kanev says the drill can expose when the right shoulder comes up or the hips over-rotate. 18. The tone is instructional and conversational, with Mark prompting and challenging Kanev while Kanev answers with examples from lessons, social-media reels, and his own game. 19. Listeners who like golf drills, winter practice setups, and swing fundamentals will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting entertainment without technical golf instruction will probably skip it.

As heard by us

Six practical swing drills, each tied to a common fault and easy to work into practice.

This episode keeps things practical. Mark is back from Phoenix, and Michael Karniv runs through six drills: the Upside Down Drill, Step Drill, Club Across the Shoulders, Rotational Drill, Tee Drill, and Two Clubs Drill.

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Why you'd press play

Five drills that give your swing a clear job to do.

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