When throwing a paper aeroplane I use the kinetic chain. It’s not a case of simply maximum distance, it’s an easier way to cast. Most casters try to power the rod with the forearm, they then try to stop the rod with the forearm. Moving the forearm and braking or blocking the forearm to transfer ener...

It’s amazing how inaccurate your average caster actually is. I’ve seen anglers score zero in 4 rounds of accuracy. Which means that they have missed 16x1.8m targets. It seems that many length adjustments are made my moving their feet around over repeated delivery casts.

Cheers, Paul

I definitely use a mix, John. I’m not entirely convinced that I’m not processing both at the same time. I regularly play back my shots afterwards. It has always interested me that the playback is in slow motion and from the third person’s perspective. But I’ve simply not tried it for skills acquisit...

Hi Phil,

How about side arm but with the loop vertically over the rod as opposed to under?

Cheers, Paul

How many competitions are done with a side cast or cross body? You need a side backcast 170 with a strong wind pickup. I’ve had to cast crossbody in accuracy as well as deliver backcast in distance many times. Having said that I agree with you :D :p Obviously the constraints of a competition make t...

Hi Mark, That’s my approach too nowadays, certainly with beginners. It might not come across that way because many of my students come in at a more advanced level and with them I often go Blocked, Serial and Finally Random. The reason for this is because at that level I am prioritising development o...

Hi Vince, yep the drill starts leader only for that reason! How long is the leader Paul? That’s a good question, Vince, and obviously the longer the better for this. I haven’t changed the leader for this specific drill however because the same thing still applies when using short lengths of fly lin...

Hi Mark, Agree with all. Great post. It’s definitely a big spanner in the works to reintroduce the movement of a joint that has been frozen for considerable time. I had a guest here over Xmas who had cast that way for over 20 years. That’s not going to be a quick fix. Under pressure of a shot sudden...

Is the cue "hold a book tucked under the arm" still alive? One day when I was doing 170 distance on the field someone walked by and told me that I was "too wide/bushy" and should be able to keep a book tucked between my upper body and arm. That would be an interesting constraint...

The big variation is obviously wind, Vince. Somewhere like the BFCC the wind is from behind usually but I’ve cast competitions in strong crosswinds in both directions, as well as headwinds. Weather plays a part too, particularly rain and humidity. Hot/cold makes a difference and changing altitude ca...