RE: Minor observations on drift (and creep)

Walter....

Good observations.

I look at drift as the opposite of creep.  I see it as occurring AFTER the stroke is completed at the stop, usually of the back cast (though with false casting or back cast presentation, it might well be used afthe fhe forward stroke is complete.)

As I see it, drift is the repositioning of the rod tip in the direction of a still unrolling or newly unrolled loop.  It can accomplish several things including repositioning the hand and arm for the following stroke in the opposite direction, and increasing the available stroke length (along with rod or casting arc) and tip travel for the next stroke.

Joan Wulffs style for distance casting uses this technique, and it's well described in her writings and teachings.  Joan teaches that a, "drift move" in the direction of the presentation stroke can be termed, "followthrough".

A second style (Lefty's) can be considered as accomplishing the same thing in the end, by extending the back stroke itself to a stop as far back as possible.  This is sometimes referred to as, "Lefty's Stab".

The opposite of "drift", can be considered, "creep" which can be looked at as motion of the rod tip in the direction of a still unrolling or newly unrolled loop.

Let me emphasize that these definitions are still under discussion.  As such, though usable, are NOT "written in stone on the mount" !

                                                                               Gordy

 

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From: Walter Simbirski <simbirsw@xxxxxxx>
To: Gordon Hill <hillshead@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Minor observations on drift (and creep)
Date: Sun, 08 Jan 2006 14:26:36 -0700

Gordy - Just watching some casting videos and it occurs to me that the drift (like the basic cast) consists of

two types of motion by the caster. The first is translation of the hand (i.e. movement from one point to another

or what we normally call stroke) and is mainly controlled by the shoulder and elbow. The second is rotation of

the hand which is controlled mainly by the wrist but also the elbow (hand grip also contributes to rod arc) and is

largely responsible for what we normally call arc.

 

All good casters use a combination of translation and rotation for casting and drifting. On the basic cast

there isn't much variance between casters - its quite easy for a pair of casters to synchronize their basic

strokes. During the drift, especially following the back cast, there can be a lot of variance - probably dictated

by joint flexibility and choice of stance (which can result in restricted movement of one or more joints along the

hand path). Most people use a lot of rotation in the drift but the amount of translation can vary from inches to well

over a foot. If we use the clock face concept with drifting horizontally backwards equating to 9 o'clock the direction of

the hand during drift can vary from around 11 o'clock to around 8:30. The rotation typically stops between 9:00 and 10:00.

 

After completing the forward stop most people drift in a similar fashion. Since the wrist is already fully closed

at this point rotation is provided by the elbow as the caster does a thrusting motion towards roughly 2:30

on the clock. The shoulder and hand remain in the same alignment during the thrust but the elbow is raised until

it is almost in the same line as the hand and shoulder. This results in both translation of the hand and rotation.

 

Cheers

 

Walter