----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2007 7:35
PM
Subject: Teaching disabled students /
Spey practice / Line carried
Walter & Group........
From Brian Nims.........
My daughter is an "Aspy" (short for Asperger's
person). I have really enjoyed teaching her on many occasions
and she does OK. Aspy's typically are challenged socially. They
are considered on the Autism Spectrum, but, can appear to be very skilled in
many ways. She does not pick up on social cues well at
all. Usually in a conversation she may not know when it is
her time to respond. I am very literal with
Carmen since she does not understand slang or any expressions that are
indirect or could have double meaning. She also learns one thing
at a time. I try to give her one and only one tiny lesson at a time
and let her experiment. I keep things simple and don't expect her to
interact verbally. She loves it when she succeeds. The other day
she was delighted to show me how she can form loops and she did very
well. I always keep a rod strung up at all times (as Uncle Tom White
always said) and it reminds her to practice. When her brother and
sister are busy with their friends being social, Carmen enjoys practicing
her casting by herself. I have a lot of fun with her and
she is my favorite fishing partner. She will fish all day long, no
matter if we are catching fish or not and still look forward to going
again.
I would love to
share more of this experience or answer any questions as best I can for
anyone in the group.
Bryan Nims CCI
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brian.... That helps give us some
great insight. Let's see .... that would make Carmen Tom White's
grand neice, right ? G.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Kat Wagner :
Hi Gordy,
While I haven't had the experience of teaching flycasting to a student
with Aspergers, I do have the experience of teaching autistic and
asperger students. At the school where I teach, these students are
mainstreamed into school, learning how to adapt and learn in an
"everyday" environment. As a music teacher, I deal with similar
challenges. I have learned the following:
-Keep with a similar routine in your lessons
-Transitions can be difficult, so try to tie it together and do not
abruptly change. Give warnings such as "we are going to try this one
more time, and then move on to something new"
-Give lots of time and patience (as we should with everyone)
-They have difficulty reading body language and non-verbal cues, so
use lots of auditory and kinestetic directions.
-They tend to make decisions on what is said literally, figures of
speech are not well understood. So if you make a promise, be prepared
to fulfill it. If you say you are done in 3 more casts, end at three
casts, not one more.
-The more research you do, the better you understand what is going on
for them, the easier it will be to understand how to modify, and most
importantly, the better of a teacher you will be for your student.
Kat
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kat .... I think we all learned from your message. Thanks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My nephew has a bipolar disorder. This results in wide swings of
excitement coupled with hyperactivity contrasted with periods of deep
depression.
When he's depressed, it's hard for me to be able to teach him anything
let alone fly casting. When on an up swing, it is as though he's, "on
fire" to learn. My way of handling this situation is to avoid trying
to push him in any way while on his, "down swings." By doing it
that way, I succeeded in having him become a very proficient fly caster
capable of good loops at 80' at ll years of age. More
importantly, I note that he never seems to start his depressions while fly
fishing. He's now 18.
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
From Ally Gowans on Spey Practice :
Hi
Gordy,
Spey casting
practice like all forms of practice can be tiring but is especially so if
muscles are tensioned by for example tightly gripping the rod or used
outwith normal postures.
Spey casting
breaks down into two basic forms; the Roll Cast in which the line is picked
up in a “D” loop from the water until that remaining in contact with the
water is minimised and the final part of the cast is made by completing the
stroke tangentially to the loop (normally slightly upwards) (in this case
the Roll Cast would have no “stop” behind the caster – unlike the Roll Casts
required for the CI tests). It is a curved (some say circular or elliptical)
motion (like all other forms of Spey casting) (hence Grant’s mention of the
“Planet Cast”). (This is the basis for the Double Spey, and the two cast
combinations of Snap T and Snap C etc.)
The other form is
sometimes called the Jump Roll, Forward Spey (American term) or Switch Cast
(although traditionally in Scotland the Switch Cast had a
wider interpretation). In this form the line is smoothly lifted from the
water and repositioned so that the leader and as little line as possible
lands gently in a straight line ideally just in front of the casters
shoulder and pointing towards the intended casting direction with a perfect
“D” loop behind and the curving acceleration path continues to complete the
cast as with the other basic form. This cast and its rotated relative the
Single Spey are I think the most efficient and fastest casts of all when
done correctly (with good ergonomics) and where it is practical to use them.
The second basic
form translates into the Snake Roll, Circle casts etc.) Its my opinion after
years of teaching fly fishing full time that developing the gentle, smooth
and controlled motion required to make the second form mentioned (this I
call the “Dropped Form” and the other I call the “Picked up Form” referring
to how the “anchor” is achieved) seems to be the most difficult part of
casting to master for many anglers and the biggest faults that occur are
using too much effort and dropping the rod point behind them (something that
is not good in any form of casting!). Timing of the rotation to the forward
direction is also problematical but watching the leader alight the timing is
“touch and go”, (touch the water with the leader and go to complete the
cast) again without stopping. I hope that this is
helpful.
Best wishes,
Ally
Gowans
New – DVD video
“Spey Casting Made Easy” by Ally details http://www.letsflyfish.com/spey_casting_dvd.htm
See my web sites http://www.letsflyfish.com
and http://www.flyfish-scotland.com
Spey School dates for 2008 are
March 14/15/16 & April 11/12/13 see details on the web
sites.
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Comment:
I was amazed to watch Ally cast, especially to note how
easily he does it ..... with the lightest grip
imaginable on the rod cork except for the exact moments of greatest
tension.
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
From Chuck
Easterling:-
Hi Gordy,
You havew said:
"You are using the term to mean the length of line FROM THE LINE HAND
TO THE FLY, INCLUDING THE LEADER."
That is not correct. When I refer to line carry I
am referring to the amount of fly line--the leader is not
included. 60' feet of line carry means 60 feet of fly line.
Chuck
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chuck...
Thanks. I stand corrected.
Frankly, I had never heard or used the term, "line carry"
before. Once defined, I think it will be a good one . When I use
the term, "carried" I try to remember to qualify it by saying, "the amount
of line carried out of the rod tip." I don't include the leader ....
perhaps I should state that to make it clear to others . Just the way
I've been looking at it.
No harm in saying, "the amount of line carried from the line hand"
...... Someday we'll all be on the same page.
When we talk about being able to shoot a certain percentage of the
line, "carried", these differences become of great importance.
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Troy Miller:
Please understand that I had a smile on my face when I wrote that
"Chuck had duped me" and "he'd pulled a fast one on me". I'm not
complaining in any way about the exercise. We all learned a lot from
that session, I believe, and Chuck's points were well
taken.
The definition of precisely how we measure "carry" and "shoot" is
apparently not clear. If you ask me if I can shoot a certain
percentage of "the line I'm carrying", I would assume you mean just the
flyline out of the rod tip (before vs. after the shoot).
Loop form and speed are definitely critical regarding shooting.
But so is good SHOOTING FORM. Some casters launch beautiful loops
initially, that should sail into the next county. But they introduce
some other counfounding error which reduces the shoot. Having a super
clean flyline is one of the most important things! Properly
maintaining/controlling the line to be shot is another. Position of
the rod during the shoot is another. The flyline taper will have an
effect (imagine if you spooled your WF line
backwards...).
Thank you VERY much for that lesson, and all the others you've given,
Chuck. We're ALL better casters because of the fine details that you
help us to hone.
Regards -- TAM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~