The Fundamental That Never Changes
When it comes to heeling, there are plenty of styles. Everyone has their own approach, their own feel, their own way of shaping a shot. But no matter what type of heeler you are, some fundamentals do not change. One of the biggest is simple: you have to get the bottom strand of your rope to the ground.
It is literally like we are playing jump rope with the steer. If the rope never gets down, the steer will never get over the bottom strand and into your loop. And one of the most common mistakes we make as heelers is rushing the delivery. We turn our hand over too fast, grab slack too soon, and in doing so, we lift the bottom strand. Once that strand comes up off the ground, the loop never fully develops.
Why the Bottom Strand Matters
This is something I have worked on for years and still work on every day. In every clinic I teach, I tell people the same thing: overexaggerate it in the practice pen. Make sure you are leaving your rope on the ground. Train yourself to put as much rope on the ground as possible so that it becomes automatic when it counts.
A Simple Golf Lesson
It is kind of like golf when you are putting. If you hit a putt short, you have a 100 percent chance that the ball will not go in. But if you hit it with enough pace, at least you have given yourself a chance. The same idea applies to your delivery. If you do not get that rope down, you do not give yourself a chance to catch.
Slow Down. Stay Deliberate. Put It on the Ground.
So the next time you practice, stay focused on your delivery. Slow it down. Be deliberate. Put as much rope on the ground as you can. When you do that, you give your loop room to open, you cover more ground and you increase your odds of catching two feet every single run.
—TRJ—
