40 minute practise schedule

[Neil Owens]

So, having just about convinced my brain that a back cast is just, in fact, a forward cast in the other direction, I'm kinda in need of something like I do in the gym - a few different things to do to stave off staleness and boredom.

So what you anyone recommend for someone who can throw reasonably tight loops to 30', hold 60' in the air and shoot, untidily to 70'

I thought perhaps four 10 minute exercises?

[Paul Arden]

Hi Neil,

Great question.

How about 1) accuracy. Set yourself up as in the world championships. This is great for your backcast. Actually score yourself honestly each time. Do cold at the beginning and then again at the end. You can also have fun with this too.

2) anchors. Just play with forming anchors off both shoulders. Better over water of course.

3) practise one of the many presentation casts around targets.

5) carry and distance. There are many steps to distance casting but working on long carry is a must! I'm sure we could come up on a 40min plan just for distance of you want?

Cheers, Paul

[Neil Owens]

Well I've kinda got an accuracy thing going. I stand on the edge of a football pitch, the intersection of the goal line and penalty area. It's a short hop to the corner flag, then switch to the top of the penalty area. Then hit the penalty spot, then hit the muddy bit where the goalkeeper stands. The last one's tricky as if the cast isn't straight I get hooked up on the goalpost. I'll look up competition target layout though. And it'll be good to see the professionals in action next year in the Lake District.

And yes - other than 10 casts with 60' out, rest, repeat, I'm lacking on any actual structure for distance.

[Paul Arden]

Ha! Sounds good What I like about targets is you can really zone in. I hope you're targeting blades of grass in these areas, Neil, (apart from where the goalie stands!).

For distance I'd suggest concentrating on

1) weight shift
2) tracking (targets behind and in front)
3) delayed rotation
5) hauling (timing/ explosion/ start and finishing position)
6) carry - I love carry because you get to shape loops when you get into it
7) trajectories
8) the launch

Something I recommend is if one particular aspect of your casting is having a bad day - for example distance - then drop it and work on something else. With a routine like above you could work on distance one day and presentation casts on another for example. For me I've tended to get fixed on one branch of casting for months and then get into another.

Another option is to look at the CCI test and practise those casts. These are some good drills in there but you need to practise a variety of line lengths and casting planes for all casts.

Finally learning the different styles of casting can be a very enlightening exercise. A few ideas there - could have been an FP but I was driving. I d love to hear how others do it.

Cheers, Paul

[James9118]

Neil, perhaps see if you can make it to a BFCC competition event, the casters there will give you plenty of distance tips. It might also give another impetus for your practice if you need one.

Cheers James.

P.s. Paul - I made a video of a 95ft carry this weekend (new camera is pretty good by the way) - I'm not posting it though because I don't like my hauls

[Neil Owens]

Woaahhh Paul - you lost me at 1) I'm nowhere near that level of understanding yet. But can cook a mean green Thai curry!

James: - will try and make it to Collumpton or Reading.

[Geenomad]

I'm kinda in need of something like I do in the gym - a few different things to do to stave off staleness and boredom.

So what you anyone recommend for someone who can throw reasonably tight loops to 30', hold 60' in the air and shoot, untidily to 70'

I thought perhaps four 10 minute exercises?

G'day Neil
Here's another way of coming at your question. I never practice for the sake of it although there are times I think I should, just to stay in touch with what feels just right. Instead I only practice with a purpose or mix of purposes so instead of an answer about what a casting circuit regime might be/ should be, my question is what do you want to achieve?

Cheers
Mark

[Neil Owens]

Mark

Simple answer is to catch more fish.

Last summer, on pocket water, I really wanted to be able to do a tuck cast to pile a nymph just behind a rock. I really wanted to accurately cast 60' to the rising fish on the big open river. I really wanted to be able to cast around that bush. Etc etc. It's not that I don't catch fish or even a fair few fish. But next season I want to be able to catch *that* fish and to do that I need to improve my casting.

[Paul Arden]

Hi James, I'll shoot something this week.

Neil, happy to swap a green curry for a lesson next year! 1) a good distance cast starts from a weight shift from back to front foot, ie ground up. Be light on your feet!

Cheers, Paul

[Geenomad]

Mark

Simple answer is to catch more fish.

I really wanted to accurately cast 60' to the rising fish on the big open river.

G'day Neil
Pardon my snippage but for my $AUD 0.02 if you can cast accurately to 60' you will a) catch more fish, including "that fish" b) find it much easier to learn and perform specialty casts like tucks and piles (on demand).

Now, I could suggest that you buy or make a bunch of targets and cast to them but that won't necessarily get you to a) or b).

Just casting at targets will be good in itself but will not automatically refine your stroke, power application, haul and rotation timing etc etc. However, it will give you a clear purpose and context for making those refinements. I'm a great believer in purpose and context with and within which to pursue accuracy and distance as a dimension of accuracy. IME everything works better when just the right amount of power and, no more, is used - something I still work on every time I practice casting.

Like many things in the universe, accuracy is a relative concept. FWIW my homemade targets for casting on grass (19mm poly pipe circles joined by wooden dowels) come in two sizes - 30cm and 60cm. When I do some serious accuracy practice before my next CXI trip I will put golf balls into the centre of each target. I expect to hit the targets more often than not and the golf balls occasionally. Range? Twenty to sixty feet.

Using such targets practice can be varied often and widely enough to stave off boredom. Eg. 5 targets at different ranges or all at the same range but at different angles to you and the wind. Cast repeatedly to each in turn or to a different one for each cast. PUALD to each, shooting line to targets further away than the last cast or "duffing" the cast enough to a nearer target without retrieving line. And so on. Keep making it harder and more dynamically variable.

Cheers
Mark