Walter & Group :-
Troy Miller responds to Phil Gay's comment on having small children use two hands on the rod when learning fly casting:
Yes, Phil! I
agree completely on casting with both hands as you describe – especially for
much younger kids. I started my kids out with a flyrod (don’t laugh) at 2
and 3 years old. They can barely hold a 7’ 3 weight up with both hands at
that age, but just getting used to the feel of it and letting them enjoy
swinging it around serves great purpose. By the time all three of my kids
were 8 years old, each could cast 40 to 45 feet with quite pretty loops.
Yes, of course they were my favorite students of all time…
J
Regards,
Troy
Miller
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Clarification on Lefty's teaching trick by John Tarr:
Gordy
& Group,
Couple
of interesting points from a different point of view. I teach at a 2 day fly
casting program for a large retailer typically we have 16 students and 4
instructors per session, I really enjoy this school because you get to see the
results of your work and it’s really cool. I recommend the experience to all
aspiring Masters.
It
does happen especially in the beginning for a struggling student that 2
instructors eager to find that success may have a slightly different approach to
the most basic problem… usually different words ….that One thing that will help
that student the most. I had a student come to me with what he perceived as a
different recommendation asking who he should listen to…my answer “The one that
makes the most sense to you!
Remember also one of our teaching precepts is to give the student time to learn, they learn nothing until they make it their own!
Very good advice ! Even when they "play" at whirling the line around and trying to hit one another or "cracking the whip" (as kids sometimes do on their own time) I don't think they should be criticized. This is how many of them learn the feel of what the rod can do to the line with their input. As far as their doing things on their own, we should remember Mel's words:
THE ESSENCE OF TEACHING IS INSPIRATION.
THE ESSENCE OF LEARNING IS DOING. G.
On
the shotgun teaching I certainly agree that within 45 minutes one maybe two
instructors is plenty…. It’s up to the instructors to have a plan for this and
it should be a consideration when they develop their lesson plan…even if
it’s only a few minutes just before the session…It is not uncommon to be
asked to teach on short notice. A good approach when you are thrown into a
situation like this is to simply ask the student “What are you working on?”
….also goes without saying never contradict another instructor, being
politically correct is sometimes difficult but you have to be the pro and the
student is the important one.
One
other comment on taking a casters rod ….ALWAYS Ask! May I take your rod? …Rip it
out of their hands and you have made them at the least uncomfortable and maybe
much worse.
Hope
that helps
Jim V
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