Tracking - IFFF's view

[Bernd Ziesche]

Hi everyone,
I am just about to mentor a candidate aiming to pass the IFFF single hand instructor exam. The exam will be renewed at the beginning of April (which is relevant to me though).

Task 22 (new): Identify and correct three of the casting faults below as selected and performed by
the examiner as they relate to a beginning caster.

1) Over use of the wrist
2) Poor stop
3) Inappropriate application of force
4) Failure to remove slack
5) Poor tracking
6) Creep.

Reading the term tracking made me think:

What is tracking in the view of the IFFF?

As far as I know the term tracking found its way into the teaching right here on Sexyloops long time ago. And it was defined as:
Rod tip path during acceleration seen from the bird's view, and the bird's view only.

a) Does that def still match the IFFF definition these days?
b) Will the candidate have a huge tree to climb up - watching from the bird's view?

Personally I prefer to understand a straight line to be straight indepent of the viewer's position. And then I don't focus on tip path only but on matching tip path and the unrolled line to match as good as possible. But this never was called to be tracking imo. I called it the angle of dangle some time ago.

Finally, what is tracking all about these days?

Thanks
Bernd

[easterncaster]

Hi Bernd,

No idea how the IFFF-CICP program sees tracking. At least the THCI program has some form of definitions.

Tracking is three dimensional... IMHO.

In overhead casting, in Distance and Accuracy, I want to take this three-dimensional activity and make it as two-dimensional as possible > I want height + length measurements only, no depth (width). I care about depth/width in tracking when I Spey cast, purposely in The Third Dimension as Al Buhr would say.

Tag,,,
Craig

[Paul Arden]

I think tracking came long before SL. I'll give you my viewpoint later. I don't agree by the way

Cheers, Paul

[easterncaster]

Re the new CI exam:

5) Poor tracking

Swinging loops, twisted legs etc... .
From uncontrolled wrist, elbow swing, funky body rotation.

[Stoatstail50]

Side to side deviation in the casting plane.

[Bernd Ziesche]

Hi Mark,
seen in 3D as Craig sais?

If the rod is moving in a vertical casting plane and I look from the bird's view in the same vertical plane I would not realize a clear dip in tip path during acceleration...

Now if Craig is correct about the third dimensional view for tracking, then what is the SLP all about?

As far as I remember SLP was mostly shown in 2 dimensional drawings in all books. Also many instructors taught to control tip path to be as straight as possible seen from a (kind of) side view. That was when the straight line from the bird's view was often fucked up. And I think it was therefore tracking came in!
I am pretty sure I can dig up several post from the old board defining tracking to be seen from the bird's view. I don't think anyone disagreed at that time. If I remmeber incorrect, let me know pls. .
Thanks
Bernd

[Bernd Ziesche]

I don't agree by the way

Of course you disagree:

Tracking for those of you off the rails, is the bird's eye path of the rod tip during the stroke.

from your own Sexyloops article section
http://www.sexyloops.com/articles/tracking.shtml

Looking forward to a new def though...

[VGB]

What is a poor stop? Is it when there is no stop :-)

[Bernd Ziesche]

Vince, I think Paul would claim this:

when there is no stop

to be an excellent stop.
Good question

[Stoatstail50]

I think that for examination purposes, that's what I would be looking for Bernd. You could track straight as a stair rod and balls up your oomph to get a up/down deviation of the tip from slp. This would not be a tracking issue for the purposes of an exam.