Application of Power...Jim Valle

Walter & Group:

Good comments from Jim Valle.   Notes by me in red in his text:-

 

Gordy,

A PS to the Application of Power response.

 

PS. This works for all casts, distance casting and casting in the wind Just get the student to bend the rod deeper not faster. The normal reaction has been an automatic increase their stroke length …more load (rod bend) and then even a greater rotation tip speed phase with tighter loops!

 

Jim

A good concept which gets the job done.  Actually, in order to bend the rod deeper one does need smooth acceleration.  Without that increased rod load doesn't occur.  Telling the student to bend the rod deeper...not faster, however, does make it more likely that the caster will achieve a stroke length and rod arc which matches the amount of line being carried.     Gordy

 

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From: JFV [mailto:jfv@xxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 10:57 AM
To: 'Gordon Hill'
Subject: RE: Application of power

 

Gordy and Group,

 

If I could add a little to Gordy’s thoughts, specifically from a teaching perspective.  When Gordy says “Each of these experts is correct, as I look at it”, that is the absolute Truth!

 

Remember it takes real Understanding to find the “Common Thread” or “Truth” in different teaching statements.

 

Let’s look at few of the teaching phrases we have to consider.

Joan Wulff                     Loading Move …Power snap

Floyd Franke                 Tension Acceleration and Stop

Tom White                    Keep the rod tip on the SLP longer

Mac Lord                       Accelerate to a Pop…Stop

Lefty                             Speed up and Stop

Jason Borger                 ALE, Acceleration, Loop Formation and Energy Transfer

Mel Kreiger                    Wuuu…mP !

Bruce Richards              Translational and Rotation

We might even add the late Charles Ritz with his........"SQUEEZE-ZIC-BLOCK"   ("A Fly Fisher's Life", p.42)

 

 

I have cast with almost all of these great casters. I like and use all of the above and then add some of my own terminology when the situation requires. (note: With kids sometimes “None” of the above, just “Watch this”.

 

With all that in mind (and there are certainly others) I believe everyone agrees on “Smoo..th” application of power.

 

In my experience most of my beginner and for that matter, intermediate and even advanced casters all cast too fast!, Use more power than necessary and use too much stroke for the line they are carrying.

True.  Some use too little stroke for the line out of the rod tip.  Trick is to get them to use the correct stroke length and rod arc for the amount of line carried.

I am always saying “Slow Down, let the rod do the work, That’s what you paid for”, or “Now cast that much line with even less energy”  Sometimes for fun I say “Lets Pray”  in an attempt to convince them it is a Leap of Faith for them to believe the rod will throw the line (even after the Bow and Arrow demo) 

Ed Jaworowski teaches the caster to make the same cast....but using half the energy.  (Another way of expressing the same idea.) 

 

I have lately started to communicate this as … Smoothly, Drag the straight line forward by pulling it, think about bending the rod and then stop at the forward position.

 

What this does is …

If the student is thinking only to drag they slow down,

the pull keeps it translational,

bending is loading the rod (and acceleration)

and the stop at the forward position becomes the rotation (the real tip speed)

(Rotation to a stop.....remembering that the rod tip is traveling at greatest speed between the stop and the Rod Straight Position.)           Gordy

 

It took a combination of thought to get this figured out and simplified but it was the translational /rotation that put it all together.

Now go back and substitute any of the teaching phrases. The similarities will become apparent!

 

Hope this helps,

 

Jim Valle