Spey class

Walter & Group...

From Will Turek :

Gordy,

Lots of great advice - especially from Rick and your comments from your and his conversation. I agree completely. You both mentioned all the points I didn't have time to write. However, I will share my lesson plan for a beginning spey class.

Notes: I usually break both casts into two sessions even though only one is listed. Smaller chunks that focus on one or two mechanical aspects of the cast. For example, first practice session might be 15-20 min of anchor placement. Then call back in and demonstrate what I'm seeing the group do wrong and how to correct. Introduce another one or two aspects, clearing line and d-loop formation, then send them out to put it all together 15-20 min. Doesn't seem like much time, but for beginners that's plenty. Too much time = reinforcing bad muscle memory. Also, notice I don't specifically break out the forward cast... why? Because we are continuously working on it throughout the entire class, a little bit at a time. I've found that focusing on it too much provides a major distraction for students. They will naturally ask, "why isn't my line doing X on the forward cast" all through the lesson. Having already established the overhead and belgium cast, I can refer back to what they've already learned and add a little tweak here and there so they progress, but don't obsess on perfect loops. Perfecting loop formation is for more advanced classes; beginning classes are about basic understanding, technique, and procedure. Open loops are fine with me as long as the line lays out straight enough they can use the casts for fishing.

Also, I intentionally insert a break between the two casts to teach an exercise I've developed for clearing line. I let students discover and experience clearing line on their own first. That way they begin to build their own schema of what it is, how it looks, etc. This gives them some prior knowledge and makes it easier to assimilate the new schema, i.e. modify their existing scheme to account for a more efficient method taught in the exercise. Plus, they learn an effective exercise they can practice on their own to improve their casting outside of class. And which can be applied to ANY water bourne anchor cast. (Perhaps I'll explain this sometime on the board, best with video and not words though - and don't have time now).

Notice I have clear objectives for what students should be able to learn by the end of the class. Also, my outline is bare bones which allows me some flexibility to focus on whatever aspects of the casts is necessary depending on physical and verbal feedback from students.

All my students receive this outline before they attend a class. Affect clearly effects student's learning, having an outline reduces student's anxiety by establishing clear expectations between teacher and students prior to beginning class.

Last, notice this this 101. I have similar course outlines for intermediate, advanced, and skill specific spey classes. All build on skills learned in lower level classes. Together the comprise a spey casting course. The point being, developing a logical progression of classes is just as important as a logical progression of skills within a course. We want students to come back for more. Controlling the flow of information (amount) and presentation (student-centered) promotes mastery learning and facilitates development of life long learners and clients.

I'm offering this to the group to use as a template to develop their own courses.

W

PS. I agree with Craig 100%. From both a time management and pedagogical perspective, I've retreated to teaching only the Circle spey and Double casts for beginners, single hand or two-hand. For many years I tried to teach the switch cast and single spey as well, and got far too bogged down with student's skill levels - it's not an easy cast for most people, and therefore has the potential to eat up a ton of time. From a pedagogical perspective, if the goal of the class is to teach one upstream and one downstream waterbourne anchor it is not necessary. D-loop formation and forward cast can be effectively taught with overhead and Belgium casts. Also, allows me to devote an entire class, intermediate, to learning airborne anchor casts - switch, single, snake. Students already have a firm grasp of the vocabulary, mechanics, and principles from a beginning class and catch onto the airborne anchors casts much quicker.

"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simply, that's creativity".

-Charles Mingus

W

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Will ....    Very clear outline.  You are right in that the "bare bones" method does allow for flexibility.

I applaud your including time constraints for each topic.

Your attachment is included.

One question re. your comment on the switch cast getting you bogged down with the student's skill levels :  Do you think your student will become competent with the single Spey if he can't perform a switch cast ?

Gordy

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From Gary Davison :

Gordy,

 

This would be my general idea on approaching the class for Spey Casting with single handed rod.

 

After the terms and basic principles of the spey cast have been covered.

An important point is to make sure the equipment being used by the student is conducive to the spey cast.   

Then start with the basic roll cast and then build to a dynamic roll cast to show the difference.

Have them make roll casts.

Make sure the students loop formations are good. 

 

Next step would be to move on to anchor placements.  Just picking up the line and placing the anchors correctly in the water is a challenge.  Some folks can spend all day just working on this important task.

 

Once good anchors have been achieved, I would personally start with the easier sustained water borne anchor casts such as the Snap T, & the Double Spey. 

 

Reason being these sustained water anchor casts will allow the student to do the cast in stages with the ability to pause in between rod movements.  This format allows the student to think about the next stage of the cast. 

 

Here is the example of the break down for the Double Spey cast. 

 

First Stage: for the student would be the Lift, then pause,  (Point P movements for the line in the water).

 

Second Stage: would be the anchor placement up stream, then pause, (review placement and see if the anchor is in the correct position for the cast).

 

Third Stage: would be the forward swing for the rod in a front of the caster in a continuous accelerated sweep with gradual upward elevation much like a spiral stair case to the stop position which implements the dynamic D loop, then pause. (Review the D loop formation making sure it has proper form).  

  

Fourth Stage: is the forward cast to the target based on the directional change required for the cast.  (Review the lay out of the loop above the water.)

 

Fifth Stage: is point the rod tip at the unrolling loop to the water.

  

Once the students have the moves for the Double Spey down.  Have them reduce the pause time in the casting sequence as they feel comfortable.  When they begin make the cast with out very much hesitation they begin to feel the (Waltz) rhythm!  Once this is achieved  move on to the Snap T. 

 

Stage the Snap T which is a Four Stage cast.  See how they then react.  Once the student gets the feel for the cast, then they will probably move more quickly and smoothly through the casting sequences.   

 

Once that has been achieved, then I would move onto the Air borne anchor casts that take more precision and timing.  Note the Air borne anchors require good timing and good anchor placement to execute, so the pause is not an option.  Once the line is in the air your are committed to complete the cast.  Less room for errors on these casts.

 

Of course with the single handed rod some hauling may and will be required to load the rod correctly on some of the casts depending on the outlay of line being used. 

 

This would just be my approach on the class. 

 

I seem to have good results with this method. I have not had any problems with teaching this both on grass or water.  But I prefer water over grass any day.  Feeling the load and the importance of correctly pulling and placing the anchor in the water is a critical element in teaching these casts. 

 

All the best    

Gary Davison

 

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Thanks, Gary.

 

How do you decide on how much time to spend on each task ?  (I realize you weren't trying to send an actual class outline; rather  a general overview.)

 

Gordy

 

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From Rene Hesse :

 

Gordy & Group,

 

Great-Great feed back.  I 'm printing this page and putting it at the start of my class binder.

 

To clarify a few things;  The 'box car' of a train is the mind image that 'I' use to remember the path the rod tip should take

in stage 1 of the double spey.  In the book  SPEY CASTING by S. Gawesworth he used an image of a 'room' (page 105)

to illustrate the path.  I never intended to publish the class notes so I used my own reminders.

 

Now on the subject of the 'White Rabbit'- I must have been reading Alice in Wonderland and smoking a Hooka because there is only a white mouse in spey casting and that is the spray caused by the fly line tearing out of the water on stage 2 of the double spey....but in my mind I got the picture. 

 

Juergen made a great point for me, and that was to write the class so someone else could read it if I couldn't teach it.

Thank you.

 

To the question of the goal of the class compared to the results.  That should have changed early in the class when I saw

the majority having difficulty with the dynamic roll.  I was well in touch with the classes progression but ended up having to ('chose to'- and that's where the inner struggle came from) turn it into a demo, and then a basic practice class.

 

I had a distorted objective based on the class pace.  The point of 2-3 casts per class is wise, unless as you said it is a Demo.

Rick's point on the 'progression of casts' is spot on.  They build on each-other and that is a great way to teach it. 

 

Craig brought up the point of the Double spey and snap T being the easiest to teach.  I had never thought of it

that way, and it makes sense.  They are so cool and efficient to do that it will hold the interest of the students to learn it.

Where the single and snake take much more timing and talent to do and they could get frustrated.

 

And the last statement;6.)  Critique your own class or course.  Heed feedback.  Did your students really learn to use the casts you taught ?

 

Amen! - I learn from the classes I teach - every time. 

The guys that help me with the classes are such nice guys,  they are short with feed back, maybe for fear of  hurting

my feelings.  But brain storming after a class is the best way to get better at what I enjoy.

 

So thank you for the feedback, I'm still looking for insights.

 

Regards,

 

Rene

 

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Rene....    Believe me, we are all still learning.   That is what makes this stuff so great !

 

RE. your "white rabbit" :   Simon Gawesworth once taught us at a conclave that if you use inappropriate power as you come around and try to form the white mouse, it can morph into a "white rat".   If that error is even worse, why couldn't we end up with a WHITE RABBIT ????!!!

 

Gordy

 

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Attachment: Spey 101 Intro Outline.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document