Gaze Behaviours in Fly Casting Accuracy

[Paul Arden]

It wasn’t comp rules I think because multiple casts were made at the same target. Also there was some discussion about two false casts but I don’t know if that applied. That’s why I was wondering if Walter was involved.

Cheers, Paul

[Stoatstail50]

What difference do you think this makes to the general conclusions on gaze behaviours Paul ?

[Paul Arden]

I don’t know Mark, because I don’t know what the results would be, but it would certainly be interesting. I think the conclusions are good.

Cheers, Paul

[VGB]

In comp accuracy there are different sighting methods. I know of four in common use, rear of the ring, centre of the ring, front of the ring and a space in the air above the ring.

That all sound like external focus to me I think about P80/81 he loses the discrimination between distance and accuracy though.

The quiet eye stuff is interesting. I bumped into it a few times when I put together the articles for Mark H’s site. I think that there’s a relationship with choking, I’d have to go back over it to be sure it’s not my memory playing tricks.

Regards

Vince

[VGB]

The fixation frequency findings around Pages 77-78 suggest to me that those with the most autonomous skills could attend to the task rather than divert attention to the line to check control.

[Paul Arden]

Read it forwards. some interesting stuff. If I understand it P7 did very well. Cool to do a dissertation on fly casting!!

Cheers, Paul

[Paul Arden]

The quiet eye is the final focus before delivery? That’s initiated prior to the final backcast I believe. Makes sense to me. It would be interesting to see all the numbers to compare how that varied between casters and not only the mean.

[James9118]

I scored nothing on the first round of a BFCC accuracy competition because I didn’t know that there was a set order.

Regards

Vince

...and you didn't listen to, or gaze at the markers who were telling you, and pointing out, which one was next

[Graeme H]

I find this type of study interesting. Thanks for sharing it Vince.

When I am teaching a student and I ask them to pay attention to certain things I'm doing with my hands or the rod, I will usually find them watching the loop on the first couple of demonstrations. It probably takes most of them three prompts to begin looking at whatever I had asked them to watch. (They seem to think I can't see their eyes when they disobey my instructions ... )

That also goes to when they are performing a task I've set, such as delaying the rotation.

My instructions are often something simple like "please watch the grip of my rod" or "please pay attention to the angle between my wrist and the rod butt". I start the demonstration and watch their gaze to see if they are paying attention, only to find them watching the loop again.

Same goes for when I ask them to watch their own hands during (say) the "1-2, 3-4 double haul" lesson. They're watching the loop ...

I get around it by asking them to watch their reel (an inanimate object external to their person) or by placing medical tape on their rod and ask them to watch that.

Those tactics seem to work and I believe it's because it's a specific point in space they can fixate on, not a vague generality or concept. Watching the student's gaze direction is a good way for me to read their mindset and get them focusing (literally) on the parts of the lesson I'm attempting to communicate to them.

Cheers,
Graeme

[VGB]

...and you didn't listen to, or gaze at the markers who were telling you, and pointing out, which one was next

That didn’t happen until after I completed the first round