The Search for My Perfect Swing — Contents

Table of Contents

Welcome to my horseshoe blog. This blog is directed to the new horseshoe pitcher, like me, who is interested in joining the large population of pitchers wanting to improve their technique. Even though it is primarily directed at the Elder pitcher, those 70 and older, women, and youth who primarily flip the horseshoe, there should be some tidbits of information that might help any pitcher improve their ringer average. Golfers have a huge inventory of teaching aids available to help with their game. The horseshoe pitcher has very little. This blog covers my search to improve my game. Along the way I have tried to create aids that will help my technique. As I search and refine, I’ll be modifying this blog, so, I’ve decided to also include a Change Log that may cause a change in some particular area. I will place a link in the changed area, linked back to the Change Log for clarification.

If you want to bypass Parts 1 through 16 simply jump directly to Part 17 to find the end of my search. It has been a fascinating struggle, but, in the end I remained true to my original beliefs. It is possible to break down the pitching of a horseshoe to it’s individual parts and determine when you have deviated from established standards. On 26 July the NHPA has approved one of my new designs for competition. Check it out. Skip to Part 18 OR
Check out the Hilfling Viking on YouTube
Check out the Hilfling Viking at 420fps on YouTube

Part 21 completed on 13 October 2009.

Part 1
 Introduction
 The Beginning 

Part 2
 The Pit
 The Approach
 The Pit Material

Part 3
 Horseshoes
 Horseshoe Web Pages
 My Horseshoes
 Additional Stuff

Part 4
 Constants
  Constant 1 — The Pendulum Swing
  Constant 2 — Center of Gravity
  Constant 3 — Line of Flight
  Constant 4 — Continuation of the Line of Flight
  Constant 5 — Addressing the Stake
  Constant 6 — The Stride
  Constant 7 — Arm Rotation
  Constant 8 — Release Point
  Constant 9 — High Point of Flight

Part 5
 Mechanical Teaching Aids
  Line of Flight
  The All Important Plumb
  The On-Plane Aid
  Correcting Your Stride
  The Electronic Glove
  Pendulum Man
  Release and Height Frame

Part 6
 My First Doubles Tournament
 It’s My Turn

Part 7
 My Grip(s)
 The Flip Grip
 The Turn Grip
 Warming Up for the Turn

Part 8
 I Found My Grip!

Part 9
 The Flight of My 1-1/2 Flip Horseshoe

Part 10
 The Maryland State Tournament of Champions

Part 11
 The Flight of My 1-1/2 Flip Horseshoe (Continued)
 Table of Plot Results for 30 Foot Approach
 The Plotted Rotation of My 1-1/2 Flip
 Your Personal Plot

Part 12
 Saturday’s Tournament and the Metronome
 Horseshoe Flight Evaluation Form
 Using a Metronome

Part 13
 It’s Debug Time
 Grip Changed
 Stance Changed
 Tightened Line of Flight
 Pre-Release Rehearsal
 It Looks Like My Search May Be Over
 Future Plans

Part 14
 A Few Random Comments
 A Slight Stance Change
 Making the Most of My Practice
 Staying in Shape

Part 15
 My Final Sanctioned Tournament for 2008
 A Newly Found Secret

Part 16
 Catching Up
 An Unexpected Award
 Testing New Shoes
 New Pit Material — Blue Clay
 A New Website to Swap/Sell/Trade Shoes
 Pro Horseshoe League
 Is This my Perfect Swing?

Part 17
 80% and A New Horseshoe is Born
 A Horseshoe is Born
 How I Reached 80%
 The Horseshoe
 The Setup
 The Address
 The Backswing

Part 18 — The NHPA approves the Viking
 The Parabola
 The Wings
 Gripping the Viking
 Turning the Viking

Part 19
 The 2009 Season — A Critique
 Three New Horseshoe Designs Ready for Production
 A Laser Based Pitching Aid

Part 20
 My Current Pitching Method
 The Setup
 Starting Position
 Left Foot at Release
 Distance from Foul Line
 Settling In
 The Swing Cadence
 Troubleshooting
 Swing Change (Old/New Method)

Part 21
 Singles Tournaments
 My First Tournament
 Subsequent Tournaments
 Tournament Preliminaries
 Score Keeping
 Maintaining Your Pits
 The Match Begins
 Your Day Is Done
 Doubles Tournaments

Change Record
 Stance
 On-Plane Aid

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