Pro tip: working on my hammer swing in the shop fixed my clinch tightness

Seeing every nail sit perfect on the next shoe made me grin like a fool.

4 comments

4 Comments

Third shoe yesterday, I finally got that crisp pop on the clinch every time. It’s all in the wrist snap at the end, not just arm strength. When you hit the nail head just right, the point curls over into a perfect little dimple in the hoof wall. That smooth transfer of force from your swing totally changes how the shoe seats. Felt like the whole shoe just sucked down onto the foot.

bell.max1mo ago

Right, that wrist snap thing is real. My buddy Dave used to just whale on nails with his whole arm and always had clinches that looked chewed up. He watched an old timer do it with just a flick of the wrist and it clicked for him. Sounds exactly like what @christopher_foster89 is talking about. Dave said once he got it, the shoes stopped rocking and sat flush every time. Now he makes it look easy, which is annoying.

joelburns1mo ago

Dave's old timer trick.

sean8541mo ago

Honestly, seeing someone get that wrist snap right is a game changer. I struggled with clinches looking ragged until I focused on the flick at the end, just like @christopher_foster89 said. Try letting the hammer do the work by snapping your wrist right as the head hits the nail. It makes the point curl into the hoof wall instead of bending all over the place. Once you feel that solid pop, the shoe seats so much better. Took me a while to stop muscling through it with my arm.