Hey Walter,
that’s a great way of doing it. I often break down forward/backcasts, it’s especially useful for identifying if a problem is a result of the stroke or the transition, but best of all it seems to get the message across that the caster has more time than they think. I always teach the 170 this way incidentally.
I’ve never tried it in this way with beginners however. That’s a great idea. Especially here where they are all spin fishermen. I’ll give that a go - thanks! What I usually do nowadays is start them off (a) with a very short line length and (b) with the “triangle method” — the disadvantage of that method however is there are several changes to go to get to a vertical forward cast, one is going from a horizontal to a vertical casting plane with a complete turn of the body through 90 degrees (which is a problem) and then there is a trajectory adjustment. The big advantage however, is because that’s where we started it then becomes relative easy to teach the Double Haul later on, and often in the first lesson. It’s for that reason that I began starting them this way in the first place.
I’ll definitely try it your way.
I was impressed with a technique Graeme Hird is using where he shakes the rod from side to side to send waves down the line and gradually makes the waves longer and longer until they become loops. This really creates a narrow loop. It’s particularly good if you are elevated for example standing on a boat roof
I’ve seen Lee do something similar working his way towards the triangle, but the triangle can become obsolete if you just stick it out with the “waves”.
For me I don’t think it really matters which route exactly you take. But giving a variety of exercises seems to help develop the core technique. What I like about what you’re doing is that you can focus on the body movement and it would certainly be nice to start with that and then add control drills, instead of starting with control drills and then trying to mould them into body movement.
Jungle life is great. I’ve missed having guests but soon that will change I think. Still if you’re going to be locked down I can think of worse places
The drive used to be so much more pleasant when there was no one else on the road… Now it’s bedlam again. If people could drive over the top of each other, here they would!
Cheers, Paul