Gaze Behaviours in Fly Casting Accuracy

[VGB]

Hi John

Have you tried using the blinkered glasses that target shooters wear? I’d put money on the steppers using peripheral vision on the pontoon I definitely use it when fishing.

Regards

Vince

[Stoatstail50]

For me I think there is focus and awareness and that they happen simultaneously. But that’s just me. It could be completely different for others. I’ve certainly tried to develop both but maybe that’s just how we evolve naturally.

I think you’re right about peripheral vision, I don’t think you’re any different from others. I think everyone reacts to the world using sensory feedback and their prior behavioural history within it, this is how we are all wired. However, we can train both focus and awareness to become more acute and task specific. Key word here though is “awareness”.

Almost all the research in the books recommended on here rests on post ww2 psychologists trying to work out how we perceive and react to the world about us. What are we aware of ? How do we become aware of it? Why do we filter out so much environmental information on a task by task basis? How do we know what is “useful” and what is not ?

It is a massive subject and vision is only a part of it, however….there’s some cool stuff floating around if you want a bit of fun. Anyone who hasn’t come across the experiment on inattentional blindness should go here http://www.theinvisiblegorilla.com/gor ... ment.html now.

There’s an abstract here and a few more links https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10694957/

Al Pyke has a brilliant experiment on what the brain does to fill in colour gaps. I’ll see f I can find it.

[VGB]

The interpolation that goes on to fill the gaps is incredible, it shows how little of the world we really see and how much the brain is filling in the gaps. You can overwhelm the system with high rates of movement in the peripheral vision that gives you a sensation like tunnel vision

[Paul Arden]

Eyes are amazing. The ability to zoom in and ignore surroundings. The reason shots are far more intense than filmed shots is because we are right there with the fish. It’s like being zoomed in close with the camera, but still with the ability to register details around.

I remember a friend telling me that he once found himself in a rifle’s sights. His eyes zoomed in and could see every expression on the soldier’s face at 100 yards until he realised he wasn’t a threat.

There is a lot we don’t know or can’t understand. Why is it when I play a shot back in my mind I sometimes see it as slow motion from an elevated third person’s POV? Does this mean that we sometimes see the shot from this position in the heat of the moment?

I used to know when a boat partner was about to catch a fish on a sinking line before he did. That’s impossible of course but it happened many times.

Nothing to do with the topic

Cheers, Paul

[John Waters]

Hi John

Have you tried using the blinkered glasses that target shooters wear? I’d put money on the steppers using peripheral vision on the pontoon I definitely use it when fishing.

Regards

Vince

I have Vince but want to train focus without an aid. The pontoon and stepping is a challenge but one the best overcome. The more you focus on the platform and or other periphery, the poorer the performance. When fishing, that changes completely for me, there's always another cast, another fish etc. You don't get those options in competition. Competitors in any sport talking about being "in the zone" seems to support the principle of not letting the periphery limit your performance.

John

[Paul Arden]

I think it’s the same when taking shots, John, and we ignore distractions. However what I’m questioning is when focussed on the target centre with our eyes, is does the mind see the loop in the peripheral and make adjustments accordingly?

Cheers, Paul

[VGB]

I have Vince but want to train focus without an aid.

It’s entirely your choice John but when I see Olympic athletes and professionals using the kit p, why not?

I think it’s the same when taking shots, John, and we ignore distractions.

It depends as ever If you see a 6ft wall of water come down the river in your peripheral vision while you’re taking the shot, you might change your mind

[John Waters]

I have Vince but want to train focus without an aid.

It’s entirely your choice John but when I see Olympic athletes and professionals using the kit p, why not?

I think it’s the same when taking shots, John, and we ignore distractions.

It depends as ever If you see a 6ft wall of water come down the river in your peripheral vision while you’re taking the shot, you might change your mind

Hi Vince,

Yep, it has to be the athlete’s choice and as long as they have given them a fair workout, that choice will always be their best option. Not using aids has definite skill enhancement opportunity if the training is structured to capitalise upon those opportunities. As always, whatever feels best is best.

Yep, as I said fishing presents different challenges, so the strategies change. In competition, everything needs to have as sharp a focus as possible for performance improvement.

John

[John Waters]

I think it’s the same when taking shots, John, and we ignore distractions. However what I’m questioning is when focussed on the target centre with our eyes, is does the mind see the loop in the peripheral and make adjustments accordingly?

Cheers, Paul

Maybe Paul, same applies to the fly when you cannot see the fly. Conscious vs unconscious decision making in sport. Give the conscious mind a singular focus and let the subconscious mind take care of everything else. There are different terms used that all mean the same thing. It’s all about the performance.

John

[whinging pom]

Morning Pom

The QE is defined for a given motor task as the final fixation or tracking gaze directed to a single location or object in the visuomotor work-space within 3degrees of visual angle (or less) for a minimum of 100 ms

https://members.believeperform.com/i-sp ... %20%5B4%5D.

I’m not sure that hovering fluff would be a great candidate to train with unless you had eyes like a sh*t house rat and a great deal of control to start with.



Some just can’t see it and these are difficult students to teach. Saccadic eye motion may be a reason, they are moving their eyes too fast instead of pursuit tracking and this may be due to an onrush of adrenaline. Getting these guys to relax is key and keeping the goals simple. Watching to see where students are focusing their attention is one of the biggest tools in our armoury.

Regards

Vince

Vince for that explanation Thankyou, sadly no tips on the training to achieve it.
I’m assuming QE is the phenomenon which when you accidentally swerve into a hedge your eyes guide you to the peril… the biggest tree, and guides you directly at it! It can be the only tree in 20yards and people sadly will always find it.

I know with putting once I’m happy with the planned putt with the contours, the movement of the putter in relation to my grip and stance. The tendency is to watch the putter head strike the ball, but if you get your eyes focused on the cup . Life outcomes seem to be better.
I’m assuming with accuracy one you’ve prepped the length off the hover and the distance and velocity. The very last thing you should observe is the middle of the bulls eye ring.

I know in a fishing scenario, where I am often directly down stream, I try to mindfully focus a foot or too upstream of the trout rise. When I’m fishing with people they tend to land short as I think they are fixated on where they saw the rise form, even if they are told that the trout will have drifted up and back to meet the fly and they are probably landing it on the tail or behind .

Another point is when glancing back to avoid a branch in the back cast I try to look at the gap not the branch or the car driving into the tree scenario is applicable.
There’s one particular tree by the brook that’s eaten the best part of a small fly box .. I’ve taken so many branches off it to overcome the menace, but I just can’t help being drawn to gaze at the menace that’s cast so much missery upon my fishing jaunts.

So is that QE ? Or is that lost the plot? And is there any simple training exercises or is it just having an awareness?
Ta very much
Pom