Task 20 Discussion 11

Walter & Group...

[GH]  Paul Arden sends his opinion :

Hi Gordy, 

A very interesting discussion - as usual.

Personally I don't think it necessary that an instructor demonstrate an ability to cast with both hands, except in the THCI - in which case I believe that it's essential to be able to cast and teach using both correctly, ie left hand up as well as right hand up. 

I think there are more important things to do than examine for ambidextrous casting. Being able to cast left handed has very limited benefit when teaching left handed casters IMO. 

Cheers, Paul 

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[GH]  From Bob Hansell :

Gordy,

The other side of Gary’s debate below is good skills do not translate to good teaching capability.  Ted Williams was the best hitter in baseball, he could not coach (Washington Senators) worth a lick. The appropriate view of the ability to cast with the non-dominate hand is: it is yet another tool you can use to teach when you think it best.  If you cannot do it, you could still be a great teacher.  So, it is appropriate to test but it may not be the thing that fails a candidate if all the other requirements are at Master’s level. Just another point of view.

Thanks,

Bob

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[GH]  From Jim Bass :

Gordy & Gary

 

I have a thought about teaching with the left hand.  I am not schooled about being crossed wired or the difficulty of casting with the other hand yet one thing I know is when I go up to a student who is a lefty and shift my rod to my left hand I get a great big smile which says, Jim I trust you and I can learn from you. I also live with a school teacher and she was trained to teach, "Penmanship" a word from the past, to a left hander child you would demonstrate with your left hand.  You do not face them but come up beside them. Show how to hold the pen and slant the paper. I know we are mainly teaching adults but we have many who come to us as child like casters. 

 

Another reason I feel we should keep this in the test is the confidence we gain from learn something which could be difficult for ourselves. It also proves to me that I can still learn new skills when given a challenge.  I was able to teach this to myself after I got my CCI. That was at age 71 and counting.  I feel we all need a sense of accomplishment to keep us sharp and active in order to let others learn from our experiences.  

I know this rambles but what does it hurt for a grown man to learn something that would help his students. If he can't learn it then he can teach as a CCI. That may be the cold hard facts. I may only achieve that height but it won't be because I am not trying.

 

I think we have worn this out, Leave it in the test. 

 

Best Regards Jim

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[GH]  Gary Davison answers Jim Bass :

 

Jim

 

Great why of putting it with regards to putting yourself in the shoes of your students.  I for one see this task as just doing that. Putting yourself in your students shoes who is left hand dominate in my case.  You the CCI, making the attempt to cast with the left hand when you are right hand dominate, puts you in a position of great respect with that student in my opinion, as well as the other CCI's & Masters you are teaching with in a given event.  Especially at your age!   Gordy will agree. ;o). 

 

As they say it gets more difficult with age, but I see this as you do, as a challenge worth the effort! Plus you are demonstrating your willingness to learning new task makes you feel good about yourself!

 

As you say Jim is builds confidence not only in yourself, but also the students you are teaching.  Plus it give us the great feeling of Learning how to Learn again even at our age. 

 

I remembered when we first met at Al's clinic at Hawk Ridge in Glenn Rose Texas, and you got your first dose of Learning how to Learn again.  It is wonderful to watch someone go through this process.  It is as humbling as casting with your non dominate arm! 

 

Leaning the depth and how complex this sport can be, will take you places you never expected.  Being able to convey it in the simplest of terms to a student is in deed an art.  

 

Adapting to a students teaching needs, based on the teaching conditions, may require non dominate demonstrations in my opinion.

 

So I take my hat off to you my friend.  Keep Learning new things because the more you learn the younger you feel.  It's great to be a kid again is it not!  Feeling good about what you can accomplish to help other learn a new sport is invigorating. 

 

Have fun with it!

 

Cast Long and Prosper Jim.  You too Gordy!

 



 

All the best    

Gary Davison

 

Gulf Coast Spey

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[GH]  Agree !

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[GH]   From Jim Dowd ..... Another left handed instructor writes :

Dear Gordy,

Thank you and each of the participants in the Master Study Group.  This forum is excellent! 

My left handed responses to Joe Libeu’s questions:

Question 1.  Speaking as a left handed angler, my answer is emphatically “Yes!” – I find the ability to cast right (or opposite) handed is very useful.  The most common example would be when heavy winds are blowing into the dominant (in my case, left) side.  Another example - purely from a safety perspective - when fishing from a drift boat or skiff it is wise to keep one’s cast outside the boat to avoid injuring one’s companions.  The ability to cast with either hand enables one to do so regardless of target positions relative to the boat.  Although other examples could be cited, the primary angling advantage to opposite-handed casting is that it permits one to take advantage of many opportunities to a much greater extent than if one were limited to casting solely with the dominant hand.

 

Question 2.  As a left handed fly casting instructor, the ability to demonstrate casting with my right hand has often been useful.  I prefer to provide casting demonstration with the students facing my casting side so that they may observe the entire sequence of motions.  If the wind is blowing into my dominant (left) side, it is easier for me to emphasize and demonstrate a slow, smooth stroke with casts on the downwind (right) side of my body.  Also, the ability to provide visual demonstrations to “visual learners” by casting with the same hand as they use is a helpful tool.  As others have said in earlier discussions, asking the students to cast with their non-dominant hand is a powerful tool and aid to self discovery.  It allows the instructor to “get out of the way”, and let the student learn from direct experience.  Same answer to question 3.

 

Question 5.  Yes, I believe being able to make basic casts with the non-dominant hand has made me a better fly casting instructor.  In my opinion, there is GREAT value in developing and practicing this skill set from an instructor’s perspective.  It forces you to integrate the fundamentals with “a beginner’s mind”.  The habits, preconceptions, and other integrated patterns associated with one’s dominant hand/arm/side over a lifetime may act as an intellectual and/or kinesthetic roadblock to learning and discovery.  I suspect that is not the case with the non-dominant side.  The sum total of this experience, I believe, provides greater empathy and understanding what of the student may be going through.  It is an excellent tool to have in the instructor’s toolbox…

Cordially,

Jim Dowd

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