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Using Video while teaching

Moderators: Paul Arden, Bernd Ziesche, Lasse Karlsson

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Paul Arden
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Re: Using Video while teaching

#41

Post by Paul Arden »

And really I think that’s what we teach. We look at someone’s overall form and we modify it. Well that’s what I do anyway and I’m pretty sure that’s what John does expertly.

In other words we give them style.

Fundamentally I think we are teaching people how to throw. There are different throwing techniques - javelin is different to darts just as distance is different to accuracy.

Of course there is the mental game, there is sighting, there is the added complication that we have to throw backwards as well as have a range of casts, but the bit that I think I get paid for, is movement efficiently.

Beginners are different of course and arguably one can go to any qualified instructor to learn the basics. And if budget is a concern then that’s the way to do it. My minimum lesson time out here is normally 4 days :D But even with beginners I do try to instil good form from the outset. I have no data to back it up, but I would expect development to be quicker.

Cheers, Paul
It's an exploration; bring a flyrod.

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John Waters
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Re: Using Video while teaching

#42

Post by John Waters »

Agree Paul, my style is my own but correct technique is everybody's.

John
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Lasse Karlsson
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Re: Using Video while teaching

#43

Post by Lasse Karlsson »

Agree with John, style is why I can recognise a friend casting across the lake, correct technique is what tells me if they practiced or not since last I saw them 🤣

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Lasse
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Flycasting, so simple that instructors need to make it complicated since 1685

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Paul Arden
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Re: Using Video while teaching

#44

Post by Paul Arden »

“Style” is an interesting word that has several meanings :D It can even mean “technique”.

Anyway by style in this case I mean “good form”. Which is basically flair, and efficiency of movement.

One very good example that can make a huge difference particularly while taking shots, is to bend the knees. A bit like standing on a snowboard. It helps stop people from being top heavy and leading with the hand. But what it also achieves is that it alters the whole form and gives stability.

For example when we were in West Yellowstone and I was teaching you the 170, Lasse, we didn’t talk about tip path, or rod arc, instead we worked on weight shift, sighting, power application, hauling - a complete transformation over how the body moved.

In other words, as coaches we have a motion filter that we place over the student and then we transform his body movements to match the filter. At least that’s how I see and do it :D

Cheers, Paul
It's an exploration; bring a flyrod.

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jarmo
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Re: Using Video while teaching

#45

Post by jarmo »

Video processing has become an integral part of my training. What I do is:
  1. Set up a camera when starting to train. From the side, GoPro captures easily both the caster and the entire line in high resolution.
  2. Transfer video files (gigabytes) onto computer.
  3. Preview video, enhancing line visibility as shown above. This is critical, because where I train, I can not see line movement at all from the raw video.
  4. Cut clips if I want to save / show some parts, still enhancing line visibility.
The downside is that I can see all the open pickup loops, tailing tendencies, low backcasts etc. :D

Since we have physics on this site, here is a bit of IT. If you have any computer system with bash, and you have installed ffmpeg, you can use the following bash script to enhance line visibility both when previewing and cutting clips. It has options to cut (in time) and crop (from screen area). If you use the "-o" option with input file video.mp4, the output file name will be video-enhanced.mp4. If someone wants to use this, you can ask me for details.

Code: Select all

#!/bin/bash

PROGRAM_NAME=`basename $0`
function usage ()
{
    echo "${PROGRAM_NAME} usage: ${PROGRAM_NAME} [-s <starttime>] [-d <duration>] [-c <crop-window>] [-o] <video-file>"
    echo "<crop-window> is of form x=a:y=b:w=c:h=d"
    exit 1
}

# default is to view
EXECUTABLE=ffplay
INOPT=""
OUTOPT=""
FILTER="amplify=factor=10,eq=saturation=3"

while getopts ":s:d:c:o" ARG; do
    case ${ARG} in
        s)
            STARTTIME=${OPTARG}
            INOPT="-ss ${STARTTIME} ${INOPT}" # prepend possible time cut
            ;;
        d)
            DURATION=${OPTARG}
            INOPT="-t ${DURATION} ${INOPT}" # prepend possible time cut
            ;;
        c)
            CROPWINDOW=${OPTARG}
            FILTER="crop=${CROPWINDOW},${FILTER}"
            ;;
        o)
            EXECUTABLE=ffmpeg
            INOPT+=" -i" # append after possible time cuts
            VIDEO_BASENAME=$(echo ${INFILE} | cut -f 1 -d '.')
            OUTOPT="${VIDEO_BASENAME}-enhanced.mp4"
            ;;
        :)
            usage
            ;;
        \?)
            usage
            ;;
        *)
            usage
            ;;
    esac
done

shift $(($OPTIND-1))

if [ ! $# -eq 1 ]; then
    usage
fi

INFILE=$1

${EXECUTABLE} ${INOPT} ${INFILE} -vf ${FILTER} ${OUTOPT}
And, to be on the safe side, here is the disclaimer:

Code: Select all

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR
OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE,
ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR
OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
Mangrove Cuckoo
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Re: Using Video while teaching

#46

Post by Mangrove Cuckoo »

Paul Arden wrote: Thu Sep 03, 2020 7:50 am
One very good example that can make a huge difference particularly while taking shots, is to bend the knees. A bit like standing on a snowboard. It helps stop people from being top heavy and leading with the hand. But what it also achieves is that it alters the whole form and gives stability.

Cheers, Paul
Amen!

I was entertaining myself a few days back and going through a little set that I have very recently started: cast with an open stance, then cast feet together (canoe stance), then rod foot forward (thanks to Stephan for that). Then switch hands and you are in open stance... feet together, rod foot, etc... switch hands...

As luck would have it, we are inundated with migrating butterfly species currently, and they make for fantastic moving targets! (Disclaimer, none were injured in the making of this post) ;)

You know what stood out as being the most important common aspect? Bending my knees so that I was always casting from a relaxed lower body!

Funny story... Yesterday I was doing the same and some dude wanders over from across the park and asked me, "What the hell are you doing?" I told him I was trying to learn how to cast a flyrod. He wished me luck. :D
With appreciation and apologies to Ray Charles…

“If it wasn’t for AI, we wouldn’t have no I at all.”
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Paul Arden
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Re: Using Video while teaching

#47

Post by Paul Arden »

:D :D

Gary my teaching is very much focussed on closed stance comp accuracy, open stance distance (a la Rajeff) and 170 (advanced). I’ve done this for a long time. It’s not just the styles/techniques that matter but the crossovers and separation between them. This I’ve always felt is solid teaching.

I’ve long taught that a cast starts from the ground up. It’s the complete opposite of being hand-centric as John describes it!

You’ve kind of lost me there at the beginning, Jarmo. But I would be very interested to learn more. I wonder if your application could pick out a lumiline? Perhaps I could shoot some video and we have a go?

Right have to be up early tomorrow for a last minute entry to the PUALD challenge!

Cheers, Paul
It's an exploration; bring a flyrod.

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Paul Arden
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Re: Using Video while teaching

#48

Post by Paul Arden »

Incidentally Jarmo. What about colours? The trend is bright orange. Do you think this is best? Is there something we could use that could be isolated on video?

Cheers, Paul
It's an exploration; bring a flyrod.

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easterncaster
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Location: New York, USA

Re: Using Video while teaching

#49

Post by easterncaster »

Bernd Ziesche wrote: Fri Aug 28, 2020 12:36 pm ...
Teaching wise I dont videolize the line, but the students movements. He then can watch the achievements for the line going after improving his movements, if he wants to.
Much easier to film the caster....
If I want the rod to be seen sometimes, I go on my knees and film against the sky. That always works fine.
Regards
Bernd
\(^\) that !

Prior to a lesson, I will ask that the student bring their smartphone or tablet so they will have the video to watch later and there is no privacy issues.

During the session I take a quick shot or two (8-10 secs.) and then we watch together, without taking much time out, though as we know breaks are an important part of the learning process and effective teaching. Most often it is used to prove (send home... ) to the student just where their hand(s) and arm(s) are within their casting movements. Yes, yes, yes we can tell them all day, even mime alongside them in slo-mo, 'the phone this, the phone that', how the arm articulates, the raising and lowering of the elbow, but the video 'evidence' for whatever reason is the most effective method, in my experience.
Mangrove Cuckoo
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Re: Using Video while teaching

#50

Post by Mangrove Cuckoo »

Paul,

As to colors... the lumiline is probably fantastic out where you are and far from city light pollution, but its not all that great around a metropolis.

My idea was to incorporate the microscopic reflective particles used in things like street sign paint. I asked a line producer if it was possible and they thought it would probably be easy... but there would not be a large enough market to make it.

"Few people practice, and even fewer do so at night".

Probably true, but it might show up on film better too?
With appreciation and apologies to Ray Charles…

“If it wasn’t for AI, we wouldn’t have no I at all.”
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