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Walter & Group...
>From Bill Kiester:
Gordy,
Three years ago I was conducting a casting clinic as part of a trout fishing get together at a trout club here in Connecticut. Jim, the organizer of the get together, had a sixty six year old friend who was still an active cardiologist. He had never had any exposure to trout fishing or fly casting. When he got to my station I started him out casting along a clothes line laid out on the ground. Within fifteen minutes he was casting beautiful three foot overhead loops with 40 feet of line in the air. I told him he had a rare gift and he HAD to keep casting and he should think about getting into trout fishing. I see Jim frequently and he tells me that his friend has never picked up a fly rod since that day three years ago.
Bill Keister
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[GH] Bill,
Granted, there are some folks who pick it up more quickly than others. We've all had experiences like that over the years ... however they the fact that they are notable and remembered, suggest they are exceptions to the "norm".
Doesn't sound as though he was well motivated.
A few years ago, I taught two beginners. Two young ladies in their twenties. They were sisters. One had a job in the cosmetics industry. The other was very athletic and worked as a physical therapist. The first never really got to cast with a decent basic stroke and soon gave up on the whole thing. The second soaked up casting information and techniques like a sponge. She has since become a CCI and has a couple of fly rod World records to her credit.
Here, I think the difference was multifactorial:
1. Motivation was keen in one and almost lacking in the other.
2. The successful student was "tuned" to athletic achievement before even starting to learn fly casting.
3. Then there is their instructor .... ME. Subconsciously, I probably put more effort into teaching the successful sister. I don't think I sufficiently inspirational to the other.
4. PRACTICE: Te successful one practiced every chance she got. I don't think the unsuccessful one ever really practiced except for an occasional session with her father who is also a CCI. He is a member of our Group and will recognize the scenario.
Perhaps your brief encounter with the cardiologist was successful because of YOU !
Gordy
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[GH] From this point on, instead of repeating similar or identical answers, I'll chose some others from the many responses and send them on.
>From Tim Kempton:
3. Do you think there are some folks to whom fly casting comes so easily and "naturally" that they can be considered "born casters" who need little practice to become experts? No, it takes 10,000 hours. see Malcolm Gladwell book “Outliers”. *
[GH] * OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell, 2008, ISBN 978-0-316-01792-3, Pub.: Little, Brown & Co.
4. What do some fly casting instructors do to be as effective as possible in getting their students to actually go out and practice after teaching sessions? Keep the lessons simple, and fun, start with short casts, and build, vary the routine. Have set goals for each session.
[GH] I don't think we've emphasized the FUN part. One of the reasons Lefty Kreh gets such good results so quickly is that he makes it fun during the whole experience. Helps people to want to learn. Also puts students onto an elevated frame of mind which dissolves lots of self doubts and apprehension.
5. Your intermediate student asks you how long her practice sessions should be after after she returns home following your class. What do you tell her? At least 10 mins per day, and vary the exercise routine, set goals, stop on a high.
[GH] Stopping on a high! Good advice. Great for the learning and practice psyche. Success leads to success.
7. In general, which of the tasks listed on the Master Performance test would you recommend spending the most time practicing ? The first 5 and accuracy
8. Why? Practicing the 5 fundamentals, and line control
14. Do you see any advantage in sometimes practicing with a casting buddy? Yes, with a video. Get him to stand both to the side and in front and behind to see tracking
[GH] Video adds rapid feedback, teaches a lot, and adds to the FUN.
15. You have practiced your distance casts to the point that you can make the 85' distance 9 out of 10 times. Are you satisfied with that?.. or is there more you can accomplish as you practice that task? I like to aim for 100%, as it could be the one cast that does not work that costs you the fish.
[GH] Do I dare read "the fish" as a metaphor for "the exam"?
16. If you answered YES to 15., tell us some of the things you would try to accomplish to help perfect your distance casts. Practice short casts, longer casts, pick up and lay down, quick casts, best of three casts, body movement, and just plain practice, and keep challenging, asking questions, seeking better answers, picking a style that suits you, getting videos (ubersense) and watch where my hands and body are.
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>From Rich Kovars:
1. What (if anything) do YOU do to be ready to practice when the opportunity to do so arises?
I have a standard practice bag that holds everything I need to set up a practice course: a copy of the Masters test, 100 foot tape, markers, reels with practice line etc.
9. "There is practice which yields lasting results slowly if ever, and practice which is highly and more rapidly productive."
" HOW you practice is more important than how often or how long you practice"
What is meant by those statements ?
To me the first statement says that there are hard ways to do things and easy ways and that goes for practice as well. We need to be smart in the ways that we practice otherwise we can waste time. The second statement follows along with what I call deliberate practice. Just going out back and throwing the rod around isn't going to get it done. You need clearly defined tasks, intermediate goals and expectations for each session in order to work toward your ultimate goal.
For anyone who is interested in the notion of deliberate practice should read Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoffrey Colvin. I am also a registered sporting clays shooter and have taken quite a bit about practice from the book Sporting Clays Consistency: You Gotta Be Out of Your Mind. I think it is important that we learn from other disciplines as well as our own. There are world class performers in every area and we can learn from them all. *
--Rich
[GH] * TALENT IS OVERRATED..., by Goeffrey Colvin, 2008, ISBN 9781591842248, Publisher: Penguin Group.
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>From Clarence Button:
3. Do you think there are some folks to whom fly casting comes so easily
and "naturally" that they can be considered "born casters" who need
little practice to become experts?
Yes, there is variation in individual athleticism and there is carry-over
from other sports and even dancing (Wulff) experience in terms of learning
complex movements, motions, but generally good casters are "made; not
born". Likely as not, they are the result of effective instruction and
focused practice.
[GH] That is the way I see it. Some of our best candidates have also -
1. Learned by frequently teaching, especially with a senior instructor.
2. Have had an active, effective mentor as a "coach".
3. Have cast with several experts. Some with special fly casting interests.
4. Are pro-active in asking for advice from numerous accomplished casters when indicated.
6. Would you recommend the same periods of time for practice for a Master
candidate to prepare for his/her exam?
I don't feel constrained by that 40 minute limit, as my stamina and
concentration have developed over time. My partner has to drag me away
from practice after 2-3 hours.
15. You have practiced your distance casts to the point that you can make
the 85' distance 9 out of 10 times. Are you satisfied with that?.. or is
there more you can accomplish as you practice that task?
No, I have to empty the reel of the fly line and then buy a longer
distance line, or try the distance with a lighter weight rod, or a rod
with different action, or cross.into the wind. Seldom are the conditions
perfect when you need the distance!
[GH] As I've said, before. Passing the exam is only part of the Journey. One cannot become an expert fly fisher or teacher without becoming proficient in the use of varied tackle.
16. If you answered YES to 15., tell us some of the things you would
try to accomplish to help perfect your distance casts.
For me it's a matter of experienced feel and visual feedback. I know
about half way into the back cast or the forward cast if it's "right" and
I chat with myself about what I did to achieve it or alternatively call
myself an idiot and say " I can do better.than that by ...well fill in the
blank". I picked up a trick from MCI Rod McGarry of having someone video
record me using a iPad and getting instant feedback. I also make a point
of asking other CCIs who have been my students and, when I can, MCIs to
advise me (there are none living within 900 miles.)
[GH] Being part of a "casting instructor community" helps along with practice. One can do this by attending casting events including Conclaves, IFFF Fairs and regional meetings. Informal, "let's get together and do some casting" arrangements can be great learning experiences, too. Unfortunately, travel and accommodations are expensive making this more difficult for many.
23. Do you practice using different casting styles?
Yes. I watch YouTube videos and read extensively about different styles
as well as try them out. Everything from grips to rod angle to different
arc angles, with different rods.
[GH] Watch those You Tube and other casting videos critically before you practice what they teach. Consider the source. As you watch, see if you can identify any casting errors. Failure to do so, may lead you astray. Some of them are very good. Others, not so.
24. Why?
It expands the repertoire of adjustments and style modifications I can
offer students. These stylistic changes can significantly improve the
casting of some persons with different body types, disabilities or
injuries.
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>From Guy Manning ( An alternative answer to question 2 ) :
2. Many books have been written about learning fly casting. Precious few of them include details on effective ways of PRACTICE. One book, published in the U.S.A. in 2009, has 241 pages, 105 of them devoted to practice.
Can you tell us its name and author?
Though I haven’t read Sheila’s book, there is another book focused on casting improvement while practicing that I recommend. It presents a progressive, step by step practice program for both accuracy and distance. There are a few pages where I am interviewed on my training techniques with juniors.
Master your Fly Casting! ...and have fun doing it
By Jim C. Chapralis
Description: Softcover. 216 pages (5½ X 8½ in.). 64 black and white illustrations. Full-color cover. ISBN 0-970865368 $16.95 (U.S.)
Guy Manning
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[GH] Guy,
Thanks.
I'm remiss in not having read it. Now, I will.
Gordy
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Jim Bass sends a message of encouragement. Worth sharing:
Gordy this is one of the best guides to practice I have seen.
Best,
Jim
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>From Bob Stouffer:
Dr. Gordy
Regarding the importance of practice and the "Learning Pyramid".
One of my (many) deficiencies is the ability to easily learn higher mathematics. Just not cut-out for this. So how did I learn Calculus? By teaching others in small (and patient) group sessions.
Bob Stouffer, CI
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[GH] Yes! We learn when we teach.
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