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Walter & Group...
[GH] Jim Penrod returns with his own "take" on my story of our experience at the IGFA. I think his own opinion of how this worked for him is better than my own supposition :
Hi Gordy,
I must add one or two things to your story.
Gordy caught me by surprise but I felt very comfortable stepping in front of the group. So two very important things came out of that:
1. Gordy made me aware that I felt confident and ready.
2. It reminded me to always face the audience when explaining in order for everyone to hear.
And finally, the day I took the test we spent over three hours going through and answering questions (Pat Damico witnessed this and wondered if he really wanted to do this). When we broke for lunch I could not get my pulse rate down even though I knew that I had done well on the oral portion (Pat likened it to the inquisition without the rack). After sitting in my car for the lunch hour and doing all the relaxation techniques that I could think of my pulse was still 110 (normally 60-76) and we went to the casting area. I picked up the rod and everything became calm.
All the mentoring and over 400 hours of teaching kicked in and Gordy's surprise teaching was at the forefront.
Jim
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[GH] One of the questions often asked during an MCI exam (in some manner) goes like this :
"HOW DO YOU TEACH ?"
This could mean how one teaches in general or it could be applied to methods of teaching a particular task.
Some instructors use pantomime of hand and rod movements. Some use the "feel it" method... occasionally with the student's eyes closed. (Jim Valle"s "Feel the Cast" comes to mind)
Jim Bass introduces this with his questions :
Gordy, In Gary Borger's book Presentation on page 202 he addresses the subject of visualization.
My questions for the group are:
1 Do any of you use visualization when teaching?
2. Of any who may, how do you use it?
3. Do you feel it is helpful?
4. When do you use it?
Best Regards
Jim Bass
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[GH] Gary Borger's writing on Casting Practice and Visualization should be read by all. *
When preparing for the Master exam, I sought Gary's advice. He suggested that I start by acquiring a library of fly casting books and articles. To that end, he gave me a detailed list. Testimony to his own lack of ego, he neglected to mention his own, PRESENTATION. I, later, found it to be my most valuable one of all.
Quote from PRESENTATION :
"Visualization
Research has shown that the two halves of the brain perform different tasks. The left side of the brain uses words to name things and is the analytical center that interprets abstract symbols (time, reading, writing, arithmetic). The right side is responsible for interpretation of shapes and forms; that is, it sees where objects are in relationship to one another and how lines and parts fit together to form a whole. It's not aware of time and does not use names or symbols for lines or forms; it just visualizes them -nothing more, nothing less.
Both left brain and right brain functions are necessary to learn to cast well. The analytical left breaks the motions down int step-by-step procedures and defines them with words and symbols (the text of this book for example). The spatial right visualizes the lines of motion in space (the illustrations in this book, for example). Good casters cannot describes how they cast, they "just do it". This is because the actual movement of the rod through space is a right-brain directed function, and the right does not use words. Others say you must "feel" the cast - again they are speaking of right-brain perceptions of lines and space. Fly fishers often comment that they "lose themselves" on the stream and that time passes too quickly when they're fishing. The reason for this almost surreal experience is that casting and watching the fly are spacial processes controlled by the right brain - and the right brain has no sense of time. "
More detail follows on visualization with respect to casting and line handling.
* PRESENTATION, By Gary Borger, 1995, ISBN 0-9628392-5-6, pp. 202-203
With this background, take a few minutes to answer Jim's teaching questions.
Gordy
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