Walter & Group...
Congratulations to Bill Whitebread for passing the Masters exam !
Gordy,
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Answers from Mark Surtees. I picked his answers, today, because they come closest to my own. Take note of his answers to questions 1.) and 3.) . So far, Mark is the only respondant to answer these two questions this way. G. :
Hi
Gordy
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1.)
Would you use
the term ACCELERATION as you teach a class of beginning students ?
No, the
term seems to be almost always interpreted as ?more power? by beginners and I
would like them to use as little power as
possible
2.) If you answered, yes, briefly
tell us how.
3.) You have two advanced fly casting
students who wish to improve with respect to distance and accuracy. Would
you use the term ACCELERATION in teaching these students ?
I might
if there were serious issues with improper power application but generally I
would try to avoid it for the same reasons above.
4.) If you answered ,yes, tell us
what word picture you would paint.
5.) When teaching, is there ever a
time when you would introduce the concept of EFFECTIVE ROD LENGTH
?
As a
teaching term, not so far.
6.) How would you do that
?
7.) Your beginner student has just
learned what a loop is and how to make it. Would you go into the mechanics
of how and when the loop forms with her ?
No
8.) If so, how would you do that
?
9.) You are coaching a very
accomplished fly caster who wants to pass the CCI exam. As you discuss
loop formation, he asks you when the loop actually forms. What do you tell
him ?
For a
CCI exam it should be sufficient to say that it forms when the line begins to
pass the rod tip. However, should the examiner require more, the candidate could
explain that the beginning of loop formation is at RSP as counterflex pulls the
line below the pre RSP tip path, only at maximum counterflex does the line
really begin to pass the rod tip.
10.) This CCI candidate wants you to
teach him more about application of power in order to make an efficient
cast. How do you handle that ?
I would
look to demonstrate how little power is needed to make an ?efficient cast? at
normal fishing distances by asking for smooth, low power side casts along a tape
so that the line does not fully extend. I would try to demonstrate the effect of
improper application of power using tailing loops and the effect of improper
reduction in power by failing to stop correctly.
11.) At what level (if ever) might
you introduce the concept of matching rod bend to the casting arc
?
At an
intermediate level normally, the point when we introduce a change of speed,
hauling or increasing the length of line to be cast.
12.) Your "intermediate" level
student has been fly casting for years. He can cast about 60 feet, but his
layout is a mess. You have determined that this is mainly because of
inaproppriate application of power. What words would you choose to help
him correct that ?
I would
tell them what I believed the problem to be and explain the exercises that we
can do to correct it. I like to use ?smooth?, ?fluid?, ?rhythm? ?calm? if the
issue is too much power and harsher words like ?stop? ?block? ?check? if they
have lost their stops. If its both then ?Sssssssssslick? is cool?.
J
13.) As you tackle the problem in
12.), What physical means (if any) would you employ
?
I use
the same exercises that I would use in 10 above and demo the effect of poor
stops in the cast if that were the problem.
14.) This student is an advanced
caster who wishes to improve his overall casting. He is a graduate
mechanical engineer. As you try to improve his loop formation and timing,
would you use terms and concepts that you might not use with another student who
is a high school history teacher ? Briefly explain.
No I
wouldn?t, the tems and concepts that we use should be simple to explain and
understand and appropriate for any student within the context of a
casting lesson. Sadly, on the one occasion when I have not followed this
principle I confused the sh*t out of my student and it was a pretty poor lesson
as a consequence.
15.) Do you ever use a Casting
Analyzer as you teach fly casting ?
No
16.) When (if ever)
?
17.) How
?
18.) Do you ever use video as you
teach ?
No
19.) When
?
20. ) How
?
21.) You have students at 4
levels. Each wants to know how to make the smallest loop possible.
How do you do that with ? :
a. An
early student who has been casting for only one
day.
I
explain and demonstrate slp and use practice routines with short lines, side
casting up and down a tape.
b. An
"intermediate" student who has been fly fishing for years and can cast about 50'
with big loops.
Pretty
much the same.
c. A
more advanced student who can cast 70 feet or so while using much more effort
than necessary.
I go
back to using the exercises outlined in 10 above, these can be used just as
effectively with a haul, that is try to reduce power so that the hauled cast
doesn?t fully extend.
d. A
CCI who can make 80' distance. This fellow wants to be a Master
candidate. His loops are not consistently good. He gets an
occasional tail as he tries to form a tight loop.
Same as
above.
22.) Do you think it is possible to
teach fly casting to students at all levels without using any scientific or
physics terms ?
Not to
all levels no, but, even when we do use such terms, they are very few and
usually quite easy concepts to manage.
23.) Why do you think that we ask our
Master candidates to have some basic knowledge of the physics involved in fly
casting ?
Because
we have to understand how the tools that we use to cast actually work. I believe
that we should have a basic knowledge of bio-mechanics too and a good
understanding of the psychology involved in both teaching and learning.
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Tony Loader makes this comment with respect to question 5.) (On effective rod length) :-
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