Korich Podcast

[VGB]

Shoulder pain using light gear with overhead casting in medium to large freshwater rivers. I believe that would result from internal rotation of the shoulder more than gear, interesting to mitigate that finding.

Partially, I would expect but I see many casters in a neutral stance, behaving like they are burying an axe on the delivery stroke and hyperextending on the back cast because they have an ineffective haul.

Dr Bergen’s nails it:

Any repeated activity if done to excess or with bad technique can lead to pain and injury.

Repeated activity done to excess is typical of the block practice undertaken by instructors and competitors, bad technique epitomises the casual self taught angler.

Regards
Vince

[Paul Arden]

While poor technique is undoubtedly a cause of injury, many injuries I’ve encountered have come by those who have been coached and who regularly train. I’m thinking particularly flycasters training for a CI exam and those involved in casting sport. One would assume that these two categories of flycasters have good technique. The question then is would resistance training and stretching have helped reduce the injury risk?

Has anyone here not had a flycasting injury? I’ve had tennis elbow once – through flats fishing for 6 weeks in Exmouth. And I’ve had wrist pain which I believe has come through torque twist on shots. Considering the amount of casting and fishing I do I think so far I’ve come out pretty light on injuries.

Tennis elbow I encounter with people who cast and train their casting often.

I think we would be much better off looking at the act of flycasting to be a type of sporting activity. Particularly when it comes to injury prevention which I suspect is much more prevalent than we think.

Cheers, Paul

[Graeme H]

I had bad tendinitis in the first few months of taking up the sport. In retrospect, I was a prime candidate for it:

• * I only had a 9wt rod at the time.
  * I was casting for an hour or more each day in the park.
  * I had no instruction in the correct way to cast (so poor technique and way too much power used.)

I came close to getting it again later when preparing for my CCI exam, again without much one-on-one help in person. (This time I recognised the symptoms before it got too bad and wound my efforts back considerably.)

It’s why I always tell my students to practice with light gear for no more than 30 minutes at a time and only 3 - 4 times a week.

Cheers, Graeme

[Paul Arden]

I think that depends on the students, and possibly tackle. But I understand your thoughts here Graene. When I’m training I train 2hrs/day and often 2x2hrs/day, 7 days/week. It’s not uncommon for my students to train 1hr/day and have been doing so before I teach them. But I think it depends to an extent on what they are training and what else they do, as well as why they are training of course.

Overtraining can be an issue. I can think of casters who have gone to the WCs injured. I’d prefer little and often over a lot in one session. I think we learn better that way too. I push people to lighter gear but pre-trip I think they need to train with the gear they will use (and limit training time accordingly).

One thing I don’t want to happen is for them to feel a niggle and continue training. I think we need to resolve that before it becomes an issue.

I don’t think 30mins 3-4 times a week is going to be enough in casting sport for example. I’m not sure it’s enough for CCI. One thing we need to do is work with students during their training to find what works best for them and what their body can cope with. Quite frankly I think everyone in casting sport should be resistance training. This would help avoid injuries. That this doesn’t happen I think reflects where we are with the sport level more than the necessity to train. But I also think that filters down through the ladder to all levels; the more you train/fish/cast the more important it is to exercise outside of flycasting. If you fish 20 times/year and are 25 years old then it’s not so important, but if you fish 200 times/year and are 60 years old then I think it really starts to matter. And if you are retired and fishing every day in your 90s then this is the thing that’s going to allow you to operate.

It might be wrong. Ask me again in 40 years

Cheers, Paul

[Graeme H]

I don’t think 30mins 3-4 times a week is going to be enough in casting sport for example. I’m not sure it’s enough for CCI.

I’d probably agree on both counts. My students are generally neither casting sports athletes nor candidates for exams.

I do have one possible candidate now and have taught one other successful candidate. That type of student is atypical though and I’d expect both categories to be using correct technique during extended sessions, and perhaps mixing up the exercises as they go.

But for the others who are just needing to improve their technique, focussed sessions a few times a week seems to work okay for them.

Cheers, Graeme

[dr d]

Hi,

Perhaps you may give it a try:

1.balance
2.posture
3.majesty
4.elasticity
5.rhythm
6.technique

Start slow to good warm up.don't hurry.

These are btw ballet / ballroom dance principles and they have prooved to work on highest levels.

Some years ago an Austrian mci told me that he had a student which accomplished the whole learning content
within 15 month from start.he was the former primus from vienna ballet and practised 6 days the week 6 hours.
That's normal to them...

Have fun

Thomas

[Paul Arden]

Hi Thomas,

Thanks! I think it would be great to build a training and flexibility structure for flycasters, perhaps based around age and purpose. I get a lot of questions that I really can’t answer with confidence and such information doesn’t currently exist in our flycasting world to my knowledge.

How much stretching? What muscles and exercises?
How much strength work? And what exercises? (Rickard’s page was enlightening for me)
How to train balance? (And for that matter posture, elasticity, majesty and rhythm?)

I know specifically how to prepare for the other sports I do, and it’s taught as part of the package, but not the one I take most seriously and actually coach.

I’ll give an example: when I had my bike fit I was analysed in flexibility, range of movement, strength holding certain positions and balance. As a result of this examination I was given stretches to perform to get better. We don’t even remotely do this in flycasting. The only place it exists and in a very small capacity is in flycasting sport.

Our life expectancy has increased over the past 50 years quite significantly. This is information that we need to have and be able to advise our students upon. Students want this information.

Cheers, Paul

[John Waters]

Hi Thomas,

Thanks! I think it would be great to build a training and flexibility structure for flycasters, perhaps based around age and purpose. I get a lot of questions that I really can’t answer with confidence and such information doesn’t currently exist in our flycasting world to my knowledge.

How much stretching? What muscles and exercises?
How much strength work? And what exercises? (Rickard’s page was enlightening for me)
How to train balance? (And for that matter posture, elasticity, majesty and rhythm?)

I know specifically how to prepare for the other sports I do, and it’s taught as part of the package, but not the one I take most seriously and actually coach.

I’ll give an example: when I had my bike fit I was analysed in flexibility, range of movement, strength holding certain positions and balance. As a result of this examination I was given stretches to perform to get better. We don’t even remotely do this in flycasting. The only place it exists and in a very small capacity is in flycasting sport.

Our life expectancy has increased over the past 50 years quite significantly. This is information that we need to have and be able to advise our students upon. Students want this information.

Cheers, Paul

Hi Paul,

I think any overview of other sport's training/drills programs over a 12 month period supports your view. Injury mitigation is a major focus in both the preparation phase and competition phase of each year. The hours spent on flexibility and strength training reflect that focus, and very specifically tailored to age. Kuhn et al. would indicate fly fishing may benefit from a proportionate and targeted focus on similar strategies.

John