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Walter & Group...
[GH] Walter Simbirski comments on the "ESSENTIALS" :
Hi Gordy,
My own view of the 5 essentials is that they can be reduced to two - controlling slack and controlling tip path -
but while this might be a useful exercise for instructors it isn't much for teaching purposes because once we
have reduced things this far we lose the how and the why of the 5 essentials, i.e. how do I control slack and
tip path and why do I want do this or how does this improve my casting?
Another useful exercise is to identify anything that the essentials might have missed. There has been a lot
of discussion about whether the stop should have been one of the essentials for example. We could say
that the stop is an application of power and is therefore covered by the essentials but, again, when we
consider the teaching aspect the essentials do not provide the how and why of the stop. We could also
talk about loop shapes, line speed, the 180 degree rule, equipment design, and a number of other things
but then we start to overload on information. Perhaps this is why casting is a life long learning experience
and also why we have beginner, intermediate and advanced classes... :)
Cheers
Walter
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[GH] Walter,
We can interpret the ESSENTIALS in many ways. *
The idea that the "STOP" (stop sequence) requires application of power is something rarely considered. Of course, one must tighten the muscles at the very least and for almost all casts, actually initiate force by contraction of muscles other than the ones used to make the stroke and casting arc.
Scientists call the muscles used to make a particular movement as the AGONISTS. The muscles used for action in the opposite direction as the ANTAGONISTS. To hold something firmly in place, it usually requires the use of both.
Too much use of scientific terms is a bad idea when teaching fly casters as well as the discussion of too many factors at any one teaching session, as you indicate.
Dusty Sprague has pointed out that these things which go beyond or modify the essentials may be called THE VARIABLES. They are endless.
Somebody once said, "To over analyze is to paralyze". Other teachers have used the term, "Sensory overload" This applies well to teaching.
As we teach the essentials and the styles of casting, we must also heed the PRINCIPLES which Lefty talked about during the early 80's, later placed in print and refined over the years. **
Neither the ESSENTIALS or the PRINCIPLES are strictly correct from a pure scientific standpoint, but they both serves us well as as we teach.
* THE ESSENTIALS OF FLY-CASTING , 1993, by Bill and Jay Gammel, Federation of Fly Fishers.
* * CASTING WITH LEFTY KREH, Lefty Kreh, 2008, pp. 11-18
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