YouTube Lessons...TMI?

[GolferXY]

There are certainly a lot of folks online that claim to have "The secret move!", the way to "Get the swing you always wanted", etc. etc.  We've all seen them, and I venture a guess that, like me, at some point we've all had a go at the methods, examples and assurances that these videos provide.  But have any of them worked for you?

Personally,  I think a lot of the information is so general that  those who are new to the game may really benefit, and some of the information is so regimented and directed at specific swing elements that established golfer swings can be messed up if you adopt them.  

I've come to the conclusion if I am interested in improving my golf game, the only way....I repeat, the only way, to improve is to find a golf pro that can understand your strengths and weaknesses and address them with you individually. Unfortunately for most, and I certainly count myself among that fine group, we just don't have the money to spend on ongoing lessons. So, is trying to improve using online teachers and videos a losing proposition, or have you found someone that you watch that consistently helps with your golf game?  If you have, who works for you?

-XY

[russtopherb]

In my experience, there are plenty of good online teachers that will give you good feedback based on videos that you send them. They will customize drills for you based on what you need to get done.
 

The issue I have with YouTube tips is that very often, the tips that they are giving don’t actually help you fix the problem you are having because you can’t self diagnose the root cause. I am a perfect example. I spent well over a year using YouTube tips to try and fix a slice, five minutes with a pro squared me away because my setup was wrong and I had no idea. All the YouTube tips were about strengthening grip, bowing wrists, trying to swing out to right field, etc.  Nothing about actually setting up properly and making sure shoulders are aligned properly. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

It definitely can be too much information as there are some many variables in a swing. 

Also often what you feel you may be doing and what you actually are doing can be two entirely different things. 

I know many can be helpful and at least provide insights for many searching, but hopefully those also video their own swing to see what is happening.

[rkj427]

5 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

It definitely can be too much information as there are some many variables in a swing. 

Also often what you feel you may be doing and what you actually are doing can be two entirely different things. 

I know many can be helpful and at least provide insights for many searching, but hopefully those also video their own swing to see what is happening.

Jamie, I use this YouTube channel, as I met Adam a longtime ago through an older, now retired PGA professional who not only taught but also was a master club builder back in the 60's through the early 2000's.

If I have a particular issue or need, I can send him a video or call him from my computer and show him, and he gets me sorted out fairly quickly.

Not all would have that benefit, but his lessons or videos are pretty simple and easy to understand, and he does show his swing and what you need to accomplish during his drills or lessons.

https://www.youtube.com/@Scratchgolfacademy

[RickyBobby_PR]

12 hours ago, GolferXY said:

Personally,  I think a lot of the information is so general that  those who are new to the game may really benefit, and some of the information is so regimented and directed at specific swing elements that established golfer swings can be messed up if you adopt them.  

They have to be general. They are trying to draw in a wide audience. There are some channels that dive into the specifics of each segment of the swing that I think most golfers can benefit from but the problem is that many especially the mid-high handicaps will only try them for a few swings or a single range session and when they don’t see immediate improvement they move on. 
 

12 hours ago, GolferXY said:

I've come to the conclusion if I am interested in improving my golf game, the only way....I repeat, the only way, to improve is to find a golf pro that can understand your strengths and weaknesses and address them with you individually

This may work for you and a maybe a large segment of golfers but there are plenty of good golfers who have never had a lesson in their life. Bubba made it to the tour without one, there are even some older pros who hardly practiced.

There are many good videos on YouTube that is one spends the time working on the specific drill that is covered they can improve.

Lessons only work if 1) the pro can effectively communicate with the student 2) assuming 1 works the student puts in the time working on the drill(a) given by the instructor and by put in time I’m talking months because for most people they have to change their movement patterns and it takes the mind and body weeks to train that movement pattern. Justin Rose spent 11 years working on a single move before it recently clicked.

Jason Day just spent a year rebuilding his swing. Improvement just doesn’t happen in a short period of time.

12 hours ago, GolferXY said:

Unfortunately for most, and I certainly count myself among that fine group, we just don't have the money to spend on ongoing lessons. So, is trying to improve using online teachers and videos a losing proposition, or have you found someone that you watch that consistently helps with your golf game?  If you have, who works for you?

Lesson don’t have to be ongoing. As mentioned above spend time working on the drill(s)given by an instructor for 4-8 weeks and then do another lesson. It may be the that it could be another 4 weeks of working on the same thing.

we have to define online teachers first.

if you are looking at YouTube and what many times are a fix to a ball flight issue like a slice then probably not because of what they are addressing isn’t what’s causing your slice you aren’t going to fix it.

if someone looked at a Chris Ryan or Athletic motion golf channel and used then videos for how to grip, how to do the takeaway, how to do the backswing, etc then yes it’s quite possible.

if by online you mean online lessons thru something like skillest or an instructors website then yes it’s even more possible than YouTube but again it depends on whether the instructor is a fit for the student, the student can learn without hands on and how much time the student invests in practice 

I have done in person and online lessons and both work for me. I’ve also followed the channels mentioned above and doing the fundamentals they work

[tony@CIC]

I use to watch numerous instructors to the point of overload. I finally gave up and found a great instructor (I think he's #5) and he takes a video of my swing for a specific club before & after with an audio commentary. That video makes more sense because I can see the before & after side by side. Not to mention I can refer to saved videos in the future when I need a refresher. 

[MacTourney]

Experienced players can harvest good material from YT but I do mean experienced players.   Perhaps it's like looking under the hood of a car- all those wires and gizmos look like they matter but a quality mechanic instantly knows where to look, while discarding all else, for those isolated parts or systems that unlocks that motor like a Rosetta Stone relative to the motor's quality.  A good pro showing what needs to happen in general are a dime a dozen, but quality pros can show the player from the player's point of view what needs to seen and experienced, because if you can't see it you can't do it.   Can you see what's in front of you, or not,  is the question.

[revkev]

Not much more to add but I'm home from work sick so I will pipe in.  There are such a wide array of videos that making a blanket statement is dangerous.  Additionally it is possible to take online lessons - I prefer live ones because the feedback is instantaneous but I did a couple of video ones during COVID and they were helpful.  I will look at the guy whom I did video lessons with on you tube because I understand what he is saying.  There are a number of basics to the swing - grip, set up, posture, etc that any reasonable instructor, live or recorded will be helpful.  

 

[RickyBobby_PR]

Based on what I’ve seen on a couple forums, there’s a good number of golfers who don’t do well with online lessons or feedback.

They struggle to apply the feel or drill(s) that are given to them and end up engraining more bad movement patterns or don’t make progress. Some misunderstand what’s being given to them or they end up searching YouTube for another drill.

What I’ve noticed from instructors in my personal experience and in reading others experiences, many instructors move on too something different for their student before the student has had a chance to work on and fix something from a previous lesson.

 

[cnosil]

I personally think there are lots of variations on how online video can be applied to lessons and each has its own pros and cons.  
 

1. Randomly seeking out a YouTube/instructor tip:  this is just like the old magazine tip on how to fix your slice.  People search for the quick fix and unless they find the right tip it may take you in the wrong direction.
2. following a specific instructors online content: many instructors provide free or subscription based self guided content.  This is a better option than number 1  since the player is at least trying to rework the swing to match up with the model that the instructor is presenting.  Potentially lots of work for the player to learn new movement patterns.  With the wide reach of the internet people potentially chase the top instructor or the one that gets mentioned with the PGA tour winner.   The benefit is you can specialize to full swing, short game, or putting focused instructors.
3. online instruction platforms where you send video to the instructor.  This is the new way of golf instruction.  Find an instructor that is in you price range that can be located all over the world.  communication becomes key here; how well does the instructor communicate the change and is the player able to correctly apply.  Most instructors give a short period for exchange of information to verify what the player is doing.  The nice thing is that the instructor has some time to analyze and prepare feedback for the player.  Better than 1 or 2 since the instruction is personalized to you and is similar to in person.   

[Charles Lechair]

For me it can be too much. It has kind of led me down a bad path with my swing for the last year or so. By that i mean, i do feel like i know a lot more about the golf swing which is good, but I don't know how to apply it to myself specifically. 

That leads me to trying all these different thoughts and feels, and we all know that's not the recipe for success. I think if you know exactly what you need to work on, there's some value in looking for a drill or an explanation on how to accomplish that.

But the videos like "Simple Slice Fix!!! Watch this Video!!!" are probably not helpful

If you're going to do it, I think it's probably best practice to find a couple coaches you like with similar philosophies, and only consume their stuff so you don't get too overflowed with info.

My two cents

[TR1PTIK]

IMO you have to know what is going on in YOUR swing and be able to identify what you can apply from YouTube; leaving out all the rest as @MacTourney mentioned previously. Not all golfers are knowledgeable enough (or let's face it, honest enough) to properly determine what actually needs to be worked on in their swing.

That said, I have found success at various points from the likes of Mark Crossfield, Rick Shiels, Me And My Golf, Chris Ryan, and a few others. It just depends on what I'm working on at the moment. As someone who used to have a lot of arm bend, got across "the line" at the top of my swing, and had an outside-in path, there is an old Mark Crossfield video (I believe on his AskGolfGuru channel) that completely changed my swing and got me moving from in-to-out.

That said, I've also done several lessons with a local pro which provided a significant amount of benefit and quick results. The struggle with in-person lessons is that you can't replay the lesson over and over to help you when you're on your own which is why I highly recommend recording your lessons on video.

[RickyBobby_PR]

8 minutes ago, TR1PTIK said:

Not all golfers are knowledgeable enough (or let's face it, honest enough) to properly determine what actually needs to be worked on in their swing.

This is very true. The comments I see on different forums or platforms about one’s own thoughts of their swing or progress compared to the videos they post don’t match up. 
 

11 minutes ago, TR1PTIK said:

Mark Crossfield, Rick Shiels, Me And My Golf, Chris Ryan, and a few others. It just depends on what I'm

Other thank Shiels these are very good channels to follow. Chris has some of the best content of the list when it comes down to breaking the swing down into segments and how to perform each one. Him and AMG are my two favorites for this type of content

[TR1PTIK]

5 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

This is very true. The comments I see on different forums or platforms about one’s own thoughts of their swing or progress compared to the videos they post don’t match up. 
 

Other thank Shiels these are very good channels to follow. Chris has some of the best content of the list when it comes down to breaking the swing down into segments and how to perform each one. Him and AMG are my two favorites for this type of content

I definitely don't follow Shiels like I used to because of the changes he made in the type of content he posts. There are SO many good coaches out there with lots of great information to help golfers improve. The hard part is figuring out #1 what you NEED, and #2 which instructor's communication methods best fit your learning style.

[RickyBobby_PR]

3 minutes ago, TR1PTIK said:

I definitely don't follow Shiels like I used to because of the changes he made in the type of content he posts. There are SO many good coaches out there with lots of great information to help golfers improve. The hard part is figuring out #1 what you NEED, and #2 which instructor's communication methods best fit your learning style.

Agree on all points. The hardest part after that I see for most is they don’t spend enough time working on what the pro gives them and they look for or want a new drill or feel after one practice session. This is where I think for most it’s beneficial to either do an in person lesson or some form of interactive online lesson with a pro so that they can find what works for the golfer and that can be the focus instead of do this drill then the student doesn’t get it or they don’t create the suggested feel and it becomes prolonged trial and error over multiple lessons.

The second biggest thing I see is not enough time doing the work in slow motion or over exaggerating and creating the feel and pattern but more time trying to do it at full speed

[MacTourney]

1 hour ago, TR1PTIK said:

The struggle with in-person lessons is that you can't replay the lesson over and over to help you when you're on your own which is why I highly recommend recording your lessons on video.

That just may be, in some instances, the dividing line between dime a dozen lessons or real quality lessons.    Quality content lessons never leaves, they're always there on instant recall loop and can't be avoided, because the task to imagery connection is vivid while explaining the what, why, then the how of the equation.     If you find an instructor that can show you the connections that will keep you sleepless for a week hire them.   But recordings are good too, just some thoughts.

Edited May 22, 2023 by MacTourney

[Mike T C]

I rather enjoy the Youtube videos from a variety of sources listed above. However, I am looking for videos reinforcing what my instructor tells me I need to work on (clearing my hips in the downswing for example) as opposed to not having any focus. I find that when I let myself get overwhelmed with swing thoughts (from watching videos on Youtube that I want to try) I tend to hit worse and get frustrated. 

[MikeCeb]

I've tried YT videos for 2 years with minimal success.  First, I tried random "fix" tips and then I tried drilling deep on most of the top YT guys and various swing methods.  Frustrated at the end of last season I sat down and did a lot of searching on the physics of golf swing - forces, momentum etc.  The science side of golf swing seemed to sit better in my brain where traditional teaching was not breaking through my decades of bad habits.  I completely re-worked my swing over the winter and I'm playing much better this year.  Focusing on momentum and movement, not swing positions and quick fixes. Dr. Kwon (biomechanics professor at TWU and golf enthusiast) and Dan Martin, PGA are my favorite YT guys.   

[hbetts]

Im a very high handicap but, I've had some luck with youtube tutorials. I use them as resources for what could be causing my problems and try them out to see what works. I've dropped 20 strokes off my game in the past 6 months purely from watching videos and thinking about what I see during practice sessions. Could a coach get me better faster? Probably. On the other hand my playing partner started off at about the same skill level as me two years ago. Five lessons and $500 later I'm beating him by a few strokes every time we play. Not all coaches are created equal, so making the blanket statement that all players should go drop hundreds on lessons without even trying to go for the free solution doesn't make any sense to me. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

9 minutes ago, hbetts said:

Im a very high handicap but, I've had some luck with youtube tutorials. I use them as resources for what could be causing my problems and try them out to see what works. I've dropped 20 strokes off my game in the past 6 months purely from watching videos and thinking about what I see during practice sessions. Could a coach get me better faster? Probably. On the other hand my playing partner started off at about the same skill level as me two years ago. Five lessons and $500 later I'm beating him by a few strokes every time we play. Not all coaches are created equal, so making the blanket statement that all players should go drop hundreds on lessons without even trying to go for the free solution doesn't make any sense to me. 

Most amateurs have no idea what they are doing wrong in the swing and the quick fixes from YouTube don’t help.

Agree that all instructors aren’t created equal and not all students are either.

Agree taking lessons doesn’t guarantee improvement, proper practice after the lesson and staying with the changes will help the stuff learned in the lesson stick.

Someone working on their swing the right way over a quick fix will have better long term success.

[cnosil]

13 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Most amateurs have no idea what they are doing wrong in the swing and the quick fixes from YouTube don’t help.

Agree that all instructors aren’t created equal and not all students are either.

Agree taking lessons doesn’t guarantee improvement, proper practice after the lesson and staying with the changes will help the stuff learned in the lesson stick.

Someone working on their swing the right way over a quick fix will have better long term success.

I watched a video on Coach Lockey’s YouTube page because he did a session with short game coach James Ridyard.  I think it illustrates this point about how a YouTube video could be correct instruction but maybe not the best for you really well.   He gives Lockey three options to try and fix some short game issues.  Lockey picked the hardest and struggled.  He then tried the other two and was more successful quickly.  All three would work, but one would require extensive practice.  Both also advocate for longer instruction sessions to get though the struggle potion of practice and being able to more reliably implement a change.    Looked at through the lens of how could/should instruction work it is eye opening.  
 

here’s the video if your interested: 

 

[hbetts]

1 minute ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Most amateurs have no idea what they are doing wrong in the swing...

That was my point. I had no idea what was wrong with my swing, just what the ball did. So I tried the things I saw in videos to see what worked. 

 

2 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

...the quick fixes from YouTube don’t help.

I went from shooting over 120 to under 100 in about 6 months of videos + practice. I went from hitting more tee shots OB than in play in that same time. I hit 10 out of 14 driver tee shots in the fairway my last round. Hard to argue that those "quick fixes" didn't help. 

6 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Someone working on their swing the right way over a quick fix will have better long term success.

What makes taking lessons and practicing what you learn the right way vs watching training videos and practicing what you learn? Of course everything you see on youtube isn't going to be the thing for you, but making it standard advice to go out and drop hundreds on lessons without even trying the free option doesn't make much sense to me. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

33 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I watched a video on Coach Lockey’s YouTube page because he did a session with short game coach James Ridyard.  I think it illustrates this point about how a YouTube video could be correct instruction but maybe not the best for you really well.   He gives Lockey three options to try and fix some short game issues.  Lockey picked the hardest and struggled.  He then tried the other two and was more successful quickly.  All three would work, but one would require extensive practice.  Both also advocate for longer instruction sessions to get though the struggle potion of practice and being able to more reliably implement a change.    Looked at through the lens of how could/should instruction work it is eye opening.  
 

here’s the video if your interested: 

 

Yup. There have been people across the interwebs that have spent years going down rabbit holes trying to fix a swing only to either not make any progress or go backwards. There’s two relatively recent posts on wrx about guys being so frustrated they are ready to quit the game

 

24 minutes ago, hbetts said:

I went from shooting over 120 to under 100 in about 6 months of videos + practice. I went from hitting more tee shots OB than in play in that same time. I hit 10 out of 14 driver tee shots in the fairway my last round. Hard to argue that those "quick fixes" didn't help. 

And it’s quite possible that with a good lesson and some practice you could have done it faster. I dropped from a 25 to a 15 with 3 lessons in about 2 months and practice for about 2-2.5 hours a week and playing once a week.

I dropped from the 15 to a 9 in less than 6 months with 2 lessons in a month and similar practice.

Those aren’t quick fixes, that’s 6 months of swing work. 

27 minutes ago, hbetts said:

What makes taking lessons and practicing what you learn the right way vs watching training videos and practicing what you learn? Of course everything you see on youtube isn't going to be the thing for you, but making it standard advice to go out and drop hundreds on lessons without even trying the free option doesn't make much sense to me. 

As mentioned above from cnosil is that a good instructor will identify the biggest issue/cause that needs to be fixed and focus on that whereas most golfers look at the symptom like early extension, slicing the ball, hooking the ball and try to find a video that fixes that right away aka quick fix. The instructor is then going to have the student try different drills and feels to find what works and then have them work on that, whereas using YouTube one could end up going with the hardest drill to try and fix the swing.

The instructor is also going to provide a proper practice routine for the student, which most people don’t know how to do

[cnosil]

21 minutes ago, hbetts said:

Of course everything you see on youtube isn't going to be the thing for you, but making it standard advice to go out and drop hundreds on lessons without even trying the free option doesn't make much sense to me. 

Everyone is free to do what they want and if people want to chase the quick tip video and commit to fixing their swing it is possible to do so without paying for lessons.   I think this is the exception and not the rule.  To often, even with paid lessons, is that people aren’t committed to the change they want the quick fix not something that takes 6,8 months or a year or two to ingrain.   You hear it all the time, “I scored worse in my round after the lesson, it isn’t working”.   In todays YouTube world, players search, find a tip, try it, if it doesn’t work in the next round see what else youtube suggests, and continue the process.   One thought with paying for instruction is that the player has some ski in the game and will be more committed, but that also isn’t always the case.    If you want free, I’d say post your swing on a golf forum; there is always someone that will give you advice on what to do; just like YouTube some may work or you may find an instructor that will give you free information.   I don’t know all the qualifications of everyone on the board, but my former instructor was on this forum and would provide help to players.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

55 minutes ago, cnosil said:

You hear it all the time, “I scored worse in my round after the lesson, it isn’t working”.   In todays YouTube world, players search, find a tip, try it, if it doesn’t work in the next round see what else youtube suggests, and continue the process.  

Monte talks about this every so often in threads on wrx and it’s based on handicap

High handicaps will try something new every swing when there’s a bad shot when making swing changes

Mid handicaps will go range sessions to range session

Low handicaps and pros months and sometimes years working on the samething 

[Kenny B]

1 hour ago, hbetts said:

That was my point. I had no idea what was wrong with my swing, just what the ball did. So I tried the things I saw in videos to see what worked. 

 

I went from shooting over 120 to under 100 in about 6 months of videos + practice. I went from hitting more tee shots OB than in play in that same time. I hit 10 out of 14 driver tee shots in the fairway my last round. Hard to argue that those "quick fixes" didn't help. 

What makes taking lessons and practicing what you learn the right way vs watching training videos and practicing what you learn? Of course everything you see on youtube isn't going to be the thing for you, but making it standard advice to go out and drop hundreds on lessons without even trying the free option doesn't make much sense to me. 

All golfers have swing flaws; some know what they are and can play well with them, but most will be limited in what they can achieve.  You say that you had no idea what's wrong with your swing, but you fixed ball flight with a fix.  If that fix didn't address your major swing flaw, all that happened is you introduced a compensation for your flaw in order to hit the ball better.  If that's all you really want, that's fine.  It's relatively easy to bring scoring down from 120+ to 100.  Getting lower scores will be much more difficult when you have the same swing flaw AND the compensation.  Now there are two things to unlearn.

Issues with ball flight come from improper setup, out-of-position during the backswing, and incorrect transition to the downswing.  Problems can be with any or all three.  When you don't know what flaws you have, every quick fix will compound the mistakes and reduce your chances of reaching low handicaps.  Sure, some people can get to low handicaps without lessons because they have skills, but eliminating the flaws will be the quickest way to drop scores into the 80's and 70's.

[GolferXY]

I think a trend in this conversation is "finding a good instructor".

I would agree. Easier said than done,  not cheap, and may require driving a ways but by far the most effective for the majority of people.

Quick-fix videos have their own gravity and definitely attract your attention, but I would say it's similar to fishing lures designed to attract fishermen and not fish. Another issue I have found is that many of the videos are contrary to one another and may actually create more problems down the line by informing bad habits and cementing them into your game.

XY

[Golf Fever]

My scores have dropped and I've been playing so much more consistent since I stopped tweaking my swing with every swing tip I find on youtube.  Having said that, I'm currently watching the shortgamechef, Derek Uyeda, and Eric Cogorno.  Got to get my fix somehow on the days I'm not golfing.

[elight]

Chiming in late here, but wanted to share my experiences. In my first two years of golf, I have now done 5-lesson in-person packages with two different local instructors, a few months of Eric Cogorno's online service (personalized video swing analysis), and I have a subscription to Me And My Golf. Here are my feelings:

1. In-person instruction. This is the best option IF you have an instructor suited to you. I have yet to find one in my area. The first guy was a broken record, telling me to align the ball off the inside of my front foot for all clubs and to just release the club earlier. Never gave me a single drill between lessons or provided any real analysis of my swing. The second guy was much better, incorporated video analysis and simulator use and understood the mechanics of a golf swing, but the instruction was too wide-ranging (one week driver, one week irons, one week chipping, one week putting, etc.) and lacked focus.

2. Online personalize instruction. I like this a lot for more advanced players who want to focus on one or two specific things. You have the flexibility to do it on your schedule and move on to the next lesson if and when you're ready. But I think the inability to receive feedback when trying out a drill is a problem. Yes, you could video yourself and self-analyze, but that's easier said than done, in my opinion.

3. Generic but detailed online instruction. Of all these options, for me as a beginner, Me and My Golf has been the most beneficial. I am on Week 3 of their Break 90 series, and the improvements have been dramatic. With each week, they offer a specific practice plan with specific drills, and each time I see the immediate impact. Yes, they cannot possibly cover every possible swing condition in these generic videos, but I do think that they have a formula that will work for most people, especially in the Break 100 or Break 90 groups.

I don't think there's one right answer. It depends on you, what you need, where you are, how much time you have, and what you can afford. The great thing is that there are so many options available right now thanks to technology.

 

[Badams69]

13 hours ago, cnosil said:

I watched a video on Coach Lockey’s YouTube page because he did a session with short game coach James Ridyard.  I think it illustrates this point about how a YouTube video could be correct instruction but maybe not the best for you really well.   He gives Lockey three options to try and fix some short game issues.  Lockey picked the hardest and struggled.  He then tried the other two and was more successful quickly.  All three would work, but one would require extensive practice.  Both also advocate for longer instruction sessions to get though the struggle potion of practice and being able to more reliably implement a change.    Looked at through the lens of how could/should instruction work it is eye opening.  
 

here’s the video if your interested: 

 

This, is the type of content someone can benefit from.  Some of the stuff on youtube is trash.  But, in fairness someone could go to a teaching pro and get nothing from it.  Having coached kids, of which many saw "instructors", the propensity of less than stellar info they absorbed from it was astonishing.  However, at the same time there were others that visited other instructors and they were more than highly effective.  It is like anything else, some good some bad.

Some youtube is good some bad.  Some comprehension levels of the same content will vary.  Then there  is the personal skill of sifting though this and knowing what might help you and what won't.  Also knowing when to stick with or bail on something you thought might help.