How often do your students practise/train?
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2024 7:17 am
Hi folks,
As we know one of the best ways, and actually the only way, to improve flycasting is to train. I actually think my job is to structure this training and keep tabs on it. I ask them to video themselves while training regularly and to send me *some* of these videos (and not all of them!). This is an excellent way of keeping track of what is happening and I can help steer things along between lessons.
Undoubtedly the key to all of this is to train and the key to that I believe is that it is fun, interesting and that improvements can be seen and measured by the student caster.
I’m sure that every teacher here was inspired at some point to cast every day or virtually every day, and most of us probably still do. Being able to pick up a rod and cast for 10 minutes at some point during the day goes a very long way. That’s not possible for every one but very easy for many people, especially if they have a garden or field close by. In which case they can keep a rod fully assembled and ready to cast.
I ask for 8-10 hrs training between lessons. But as we progress that may be 20 hrs. There is no point in continuing where the lesson left off without training and making movements autonomic.
My average student casts around 5 days/week. Some I know are 3 but others are 7. Typical session will be about an hour. Some are casting two hours or more (that’s serious), but if it’s ten-twenty minutes I’m happy. And I suspect, like for me, it becomes quite therapeutic. Instead of a beer at the end of the day: have a cast, or have a beer and a cast! Go out, have a throw and relax.
Sometimes it’s not possible of course, life gets in the way. Or weather. But that regular picking up the rod to hit some targets or make some Speys, or loop control drills – whatever it is that we are working on - is what is required to go from an average caster to a smooth and excellent caster. Then it becomes about the structure that opens up ever new skill levels.
Without training I think there is little point in getting lessons in the first place. The more they train, with structure, the better they become. How is it with your students?
Cheers, Paul
As we know one of the best ways, and actually the only way, to improve flycasting is to train. I actually think my job is to structure this training and keep tabs on it. I ask them to video themselves while training regularly and to send me *some* of these videos (and not all of them!). This is an excellent way of keeping track of what is happening and I can help steer things along between lessons.
Undoubtedly the key to all of this is to train and the key to that I believe is that it is fun, interesting and that improvements can be seen and measured by the student caster.
I’m sure that every teacher here was inspired at some point to cast every day or virtually every day, and most of us probably still do. Being able to pick up a rod and cast for 10 minutes at some point during the day goes a very long way. That’s not possible for every one but very easy for many people, especially if they have a garden or field close by. In which case they can keep a rod fully assembled and ready to cast.
I ask for 8-10 hrs training between lessons. But as we progress that may be 20 hrs. There is no point in continuing where the lesson left off without training and making movements autonomic.
My average student casts around 5 days/week. Some I know are 3 but others are 7. Typical session will be about an hour. Some are casting two hours or more (that’s serious), but if it’s ten-twenty minutes I’m happy. And I suspect, like for me, it becomes quite therapeutic. Instead of a beer at the end of the day: have a cast, or have a beer and a cast! Go out, have a throw and relax.
Sometimes it’s not possible of course, life gets in the way. Or weather. But that regular picking up the rod to hit some targets or make some Speys, or loop control drills – whatever it is that we are working on - is what is required to go from an average caster to a smooth and excellent caster. Then it becomes about the structure that opens up ever new skill levels.
Without training I think there is little point in getting lessons in the first place. The more they train, with structure, the better they become. How is it with your students?
Cheers, Paul
