Walter & Group.......................
From: rjhesse@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:rjhesse@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, November 27, 2006 11:03 PM
To: Gordon Hill
Subject: Re: Al Crise on translational movement
Hello Gordy,
Could the term," pull "be isolated in to muscle groups?
I have been trying to convert to more of a "puller" in an attempt to learn more and maybe better ways to cast distance. If the acceleration concept is in place along with the, 'no slack, straight line and stop', would the main musle group you start your forward cast with be the tricep? I'm just trying to get the basics of this new cast.
Thank you,
Rene
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Rene...
First let me say that this is not a, "new cast", rather the addition of the concept of "pull" for the translational phase of a long cast while delaying the application of rod arc which is the angular change of the rod butt which we can call the "rotational phase". Delaying this rotational phase shortens the power snap and results in a more efficient transfer of energy and a tighter loop to the same distance cast that you have been using.
On muscles: All muscles are contracting structures. As such, they can only exert a, "pull" to the joints which they move. A, "pull" of muscles on one side of a joint can flex that joint while a "pull" of other muscles on the other side of the same joint result in what we call extension; (a, "push"). A prime example is the biceps muscle which can flex the elbow (bend it) to use when pulling. Its antagonist is the triceps muscle which pulls in the opposite direction thus extending the elbow to allow a "pushing" motion. This is the problem with trying to relate the use of one muscle to a casting movement. We provide a conundrum when we point out that this triceps muscle is activated in making the "pull" of the first part of the cast even though it is generally considered a, "pushing" muscle.
Another way of looking at it is to consider a, "pull" as motion toward your body, while a, "push" is motion away from you.
With a fly cast, there are many muscles which employ to result in the pulling motion of the first part of the cast and many more which operate to provide rotation. A complex scenario, indeed.
Remember, that when making a back cast, the same concepts involving translational ("pull") and rotational movements pertain....but the muscle groups used will be different.
I like to look at it as a pulling motion to, "pull the line straight" before adding rotation. (As Bruce Richards pointed out, this, "pull" or translational movement mainly is used to take out any residual slack in the line.) Taking out the slack makes the effort of rotation (rod arc) much more efficient.
Gordy