First distance casting practice

[GoldenDorado]

This is a video of my best shot last saturday, first day of practice, 30,7 mt in no wind. Please tell me what is wrong and wht should I change, thanks a lot!
Cheers, Sebastian
https://photos.app.goo.gl/7nV1BKesWCvEutK89

[John Waters]

Hi Sebastian,

I would suggest you look at your back haul. You are separating your hands but do so by pulling your rod hand away from your haul hand. Hand separation needs to result from your haul hand pulling away from your rod hand. If you examine your video you will see that once your rod hand approaches your shoulder on the back cast your haul hand is relatively static. Hauls should be late, fast and as close to the plane of the rod as possible. The haul hand needs to reach its maximum speed in as short as distance as possible, both front and back. Now that is a bit different to the long hauls you see on Youtube but if you consider that in throwing an object up to 1/5th of the speed is generated in the final 1/12th of a second of the action, and that the objective of the haul is to add line speed, then haul length becomes a focus.

Happy to add some more suggestions but your back haul would be my focus at the moment.

John

[Paul Arden]

Just seen this Working through the discussions!

Agree completely with John. Your back haul is very short, needs to start closer to the body. Please can you film closer next time.

Filmed like this is easier to analyse -



(Especially for me as sometimes I only have my phone!)

Thanks, Paul

[GoldenDorado]

Thanks John and Paul, it is clear your corrrection, I´ll focus on bh haul next time, thinking in just practising the backcast starting with line in ground. Next video will be better. Also I will check my BH tracking by laying the line in BH and see how it lands.

[nicholasfmoore]

Hi Sebastian,

Great first attempt, keep working on it, it's addictive!

As Paul mentioned on the previous post, tracking is the most important (OK it's all important but this is the hardest to get right). I'm a strong believer in mirror casting with a rod butt and reel, go for maximum stroke length keeping the tip of the butt tracking in a straight line, if it's out then you need to spend 20 mins a day forcing your body to make corrections, then many MANY repetitions to ingrain it. It's well worth the journey. 20 mins in front of a mirror every day for a few weeks will see a massive improvement.

Once you've done mirror practice, i would suggest concentrating on 'only back casts' for now, but by doing the following. Before you do this, stretch out your tape and stand half way down, making sure the tip is over it. This will tell you where you are in terms of tracking. Make sure it's a calm day when you do this, otherwise the wind will blow it off the tape and give you a false reading;

Try starting off with a 50' carry straight in front of you down the tape, make a back cast with the late haul and allow the line to fall to the grass behind you. If this is too easy, try 55' or even 60'. When it's on the ground along the tape, point the rod directly at the line, so it's touching the grass. Spin around to your right, 180 degrees so that you are facing directly down the line, make sure there is no slack. If there is then just walk back a bit. Make a back cast, let it fall to the ground and repeat. Once you've done a good amount of repetitions correctly, it's time to speed up a bit.

Start to spin as the line is falling (not during the actual stroke) so it's; stop, spin, drop the tip. Do the same number of repetitions for this too.

You can then work on the forward cast and late haul by having the line straight behind you along the tape. Raise the rod to a false casting position and make a forward cast. This time spin 180 degrees to the left and repeat.

Once you have done this, you can start to false cast, and you'd be amazed at the improvements

All the best

[John Waters]

Hi Sebastian,

Good suggestions from Paul and Nick. We are all under virus related travel restrictions here in Melbourne and as I cannot cast, watching casting videos is my only option. Still in a bloody moon boot and on crutches but if staying indoors is my only gripe, life is damn good. Your video has the line of sight angled upward so relativities are a tad difficult, however, the second suggestion I have is to change the line path your hand travels through on your forward delivery cast This is not the normal tracking issue about but the line of trajectory of your casting hand. Considering your camera placement, I believe your delivery stroke rod hand travels on a line that is too flat or parallel to the ground. It needs to be angled upward on the delivery so that you can achieve two outcomes, the first being loop trajectory and the second being the angle of the counter flex movement of your rod tip so the counter flex impact on the back of the line is minimised.

For an arm-centric technique, both are critical to distance outcomes.

When you get into rod hand path travel angles, don't worry about your backcast being downward as a simple hand path following a triangle back and forward will still allow you to cast up at the back and up at the front.

The above is not as important as your back haul focus at the moment but one I would recommend you keep in mind for all sessions.

Well done,

John

Ps if you post another video, may I request you film the line on the ground after a delivery cast? The percentage of line turnover is a key indicator to your casting.

[GoldenDorado]

Thanks Nicholas, excellent practice suggestions, I`ll go that way. John, thanks for the hand path correction I´ll work on thas as soon as I correct my bh haul.
As watching casting videos is your only option, please watch my son santiego in his very first baskhand cast attempt, I teached him to cast exactly one year ago, I think he is becoming a good caster.
Next weekend I'll film my cast again abd post it,

[John Waters]

Apologies Sebastian, I cannot view your video. Your son is visible in your post but when I try and play the video, I am met with a black screen with a play button in the centre. When I hit the play button, the screen remains black.

John

[GoldenDorado]

Sorry John, hope this link works. Lots of room por improvement but I thonk he is in the right way.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KMZ1HUF4FTTW3Vmx5

[John Waters]

Thanks Sebastian, that linked worked well.

I think you are correct, he is becoming a good caster and with your ongoing support will no doubt become a great caster. As to your comment about improvement, may I be so bold as to suggest that statement applies to us all. I’ll not bore everyone with my suggestions in detail, happy to provide those via an email if you wish but some points to consider in your son’s training would be;

1. The backcast and forward casts use primarily forearm, they need to employ both forearm and wrist, in that sequence, prior to each block or stop.
2. Cast forward and back in a vertical rod plane, angled planes have a purpose depending on what line layout you want but don’t make an angled rod plane your normal plane. Make it an exception, not the standard. You will see the rod falling away (lower to the ground) on the backcast in the video and I suggest the rod tip is shocked prior to the block or stop.
3. The hauls can be later, and faster in each stroke.
4. When incorporated into his standard stroke, each of the above will become more powerful and controlled as his strength and confidence increases.

He is doing very well under your tutelage, and the most important thing is that he understands that everyone started with his movements, nobody has ever picked up a rod and started differently from your son. Encouragement and nurturing will see him improve and I trust he gets a lot of fun and enjoyment from his casting and fishing.

I would also recommend you segment his learning and development into two separate technique programs, namely

1. Short line (accuracy) technique for distances up to say, 15 metres, and
2. Distance technique for longer casts

Each technique needs to be based on delivering dual outputs, line speed and line control. Coach him in correct the technique for both with varying line lengths. The switch between the two techniques is triggered by line control and layout outcomes. When the accuracy technique results in a loss of control, have him switch to a distance technique.

Accuracy is arm-centric, distance is body-centric.

Base both techniques on using a vertical rod plane with a forward cast delivery. For distance remember to develop movement so that all linear rod movement (you will often see that described as translation) is sourced to body rotation.

Employ double hauls for both techniques (accuracy and distance) and focus on haul speed, duration and the hand movement plane.

Employ stroke length, haul speed and rotational power to maximise your line acceleration. Don’t worry about him applying too much of each, he can always reduce each as he desires, but get him to experience and control varying levels of each of these three casting drivers, including him casting at his maximum level of each.

I would recommend he learn all three drivers of technique with a shooting head line, rather than a WF or DT. They are easily made from a DT and a 40 foot, 50 foot and when he really wants to extend his technique, a 60 foot head covers each learning level.

Drop me a pm on Sexyloops and we can share our thoughts more expansively.

Well done to you both on your fly casting, hopefully we can catch up for a cast one day.

John