Peter....
Your message, below, is a cathartic diatribe which emphasizes the learning algorithm which I described in my note to Jim Valle.
You(1.) read the information,(2.) then digested it, (3)questioned it, (4) wrote it out in your own words, and are now (5) teaching it.
See what I mean ?
Gordy
From: "Peter Lami" <plami@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Gordy Hill" <hillshead@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Size of the Loop - Comments by Hill, Wulff, Borger, Kreh, Kyte, Richards and White
Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 15:26:58 -0500
Hello everybody,
I have read with great interest Gordy Hill's last message about controlling
the size of the loop.
At first, I found Gordy's use of the term "increased convexity" to explain
controlling the size of the loop somewhat confusing because it is difficult
to relate to the maxim we have all been taught -- the rod tip must follow a
straight line path. I prefer to think in terms of "angular rotation", aka
"rod arc", instead of "increased convexity". The former term is more
intuitive, i.e. we rotate our wrist (Joan Wulff call this the "power snap")
which causes the rod tip to follow a controlled convex path (I can hear
Gordy saying, "increased convexity" again.) to shape the size of the loop.
(Another reason I favor teaching the concept of "angular rotation" is that
it pays a big dividend when teaching students! Angular rotation helps to
achieve tremendous tip speed -- students seem to understand this very
easily.) In the hands of an expert caster, this angular rotation can be
used to control the size of the loop in a number of different ways.
Many notable teachers have weighed in on this subject. For instance,
?? First, if you increase the [turnover] arc at the beginning of the
stroke, you have the upper (fly)
leg of the loop high and the lower leg (rod leg) fairly straight.
Source: Joan Wulff, Fly Casting Techniques pp 70-72.
?? Alternatively, "The size of the loop is determined by the ending
position of the rod during the
forward cast." In this case, the rod tip follows a straight line
path until the end of the casting
stroke when we rotate the wrist just prior to the Rod Straight
Position. This will form a loop
characterized by the upper (fly) leg being straight and the lower
(rod) leg defining the size
of the loop. Source: Gary Borger, Presentation pp. 210-212.
?? "The size of the loop is determined by the distance that you speed
up and stop."
Source: Lefty Kreh
?? "There is a fairly close relationship between the vertical height
of the tip path arc and the loop's
size. If the tip path has a vertical rise of about a foot, the
loop will be about a foot high. As
the vertical rise increases the loop will grow far beyond the tip
path vertical rise as there is more
speed in the vertical vector and the line will be thrown high and
low. With a straighter tip path
the vertical component is small and slow so it does not throw the
line much in the vertical plane
so there is a close relationship between tip path and loop size."
Source: Bruce Richards
(Note: This is why Tom White is looking for CCI candidates to
control loop size
using Method described by Borger.)
As Al Kyte pointed out to me last year, I don't think there are [four]
different ways of forming loops, just variable explanations. He further
stated, " Wow! How do I start putting these into a perspective?"
"Let's start by reviewing what a rod does during the cast. I see three
primary components to the rod's movement-its bending, its rotation, and its
forward movement (in addition to rotation). Some old timers used to argue
whether "spring" or "swing" provided the most distance to a cast. "Spring"
was the effect from the bending and straightening of the rod. "Swing" would
include the non-bend movements, including rotation and forward movement.
Today, bending is generally spoken of as "loading", rotation as "arc" or
"rod butt angle change" (my term, because that is what I have to measure),
and forward movement as "stroke length" (measured by the movement toward the
target direction by the butt end of the rod). These are three separate
components of movement, which all occur at the same time. I categorize them
as "rod variables", because we vary them all to serve a greater master, the
straight path of the rod tip.
In truth, that path may not be exactly straight, because you need to get the
rod tip out of the way of the fly line coming behind. If not done, the
collision occurs as the rod tip is straightening during unloading. So, for
example, if I start my forward cast with the fly line exactly horizontal
behind me and hope to lay it out exactly horizontal in front, I need to
lower the tip, by lowering my hand during the stroke (to lower the tip) or
continue the rod butt angle change until the tip will straighten below the
path of the moving fly line. I would definitely get this lowering done
during the smooth stroke itself and not as an adjustment, after the cast.
That would seem to become an adjusting correction to an improperly done
cast.
Now I believe I have laid enough groundwork to answer the question in my
language. Do we achieve a small loop by something that happens as we rotate
the rod (Joan), by the final stop position of the rod (Gary), or by the
speed of the rod tip as you stop (Lefty)? My answer would be that all
contribute.
The size of the loop is set up to a degree by what you do with the rod as it
is increasing its bend. In a good, small-loop cast, the loop or bend that
forms in the rod moves progressively up toward the tip, so as to occupy as
little of the rod's tip section as possible before releasing the energy to
the line. (A good haul helps to concentrate the bend into a small section
of the tip--but that is another topic). As you stop the rod, this bend
straightens and rolls the small loop of line off the tip. Also, the final
stages of rotation typically occur by a little, controlled wrist action,
which helps to accelerate the speed of tip movement (Lefty's emphasis).
This speed allow the rod to unload rapidly, thus returning the oscillating
rod and the lower leg of the casting loop quickly to a parallel position
with the top or unrolling leg of the loop. Also, as you rod is being
rotated forward in loading, you may be lowering your hand somewhat or
continuing the rotation angle (Joan's emphasis?) so as to allow the tip to
drop enough to straighten just below the unrolling fly line (Gary's
emphasis).
Boy, I am not sure that is clear at all. What I am trying to say is that
you want a small loop set up initially in your rod by concentrating the bend
toward the tip just before its unloading. You want the final movements to
be quick enough to transmit that small loop forward and you also need to be
moving your hand and rod to a stop position that gets the rod tip just out
of the way. I look at these as "necessary conditions" to a small loop.
What do I teach to simplify learning to the basic student? Stop the rod tip
high.
So I think each of these Master teachers has given you one part of the
puzzle, but without intending to, may have neglected the other components.
Then again, I could be wrong."
(Source: Al Kyte, February 2, 2005.)
After this bit of musing, I am beginning to question the efficacy of
Gammel's Essential Rule #1. Bruce Richards stated, "Extremely tight loops
that would be formed by a truly straight tip path have several functional
problems; no one would use them on purpose. The path we truly want is
slightly convex, the more convex the path gets, the bigger the loop."
Echoing those same thoughts, Gordy Hill was absolutely correct when he said,
"It is an oversimplification to say a tight loop is formed when the rod tip
follows a straight lines path and conversely, a convex path for a large
loop."
I think I'll let Al Kyte have the last word (at least for now) on this
subject -- "Wow!"
Respectfully,
Peter Lami
FFF Master Certified Instructor
Peter D. Lami
1 South Prado; Unit #2A
Atlanta, GA 30309-3374
TEL (404) 348-4975
plami@xxxxxxxxxxx