"Coach effect" / Wristing / Teaching

Gordy, hey -

I heard the term coach effect from a high-school-coach buddy of mine. He said savvy coaches recognize it when they know a student can learn something, but the student can't get it while the coach is there watching. It's performance anxiety that has nothing to do with a student's capabilities.

I saw enough of it to recognize it in the Orvis schools, where we went through a scores of casters a season. It happens when a student is either very nervous or very intimidated--so nervous that he/she can't command his body to perform with 'the coach' there. You mentioned Tom's method of helping someone relax, which I thought was very creative and speaks to his compassion.

The string that got me going on this was performance anxiety in instructor candidates. Then I thought, I've seen this in casting students -- as an instructor, you make a suggestion, or explain something. They will look you straight in the eye, nod that they understand, then change nothing, even though they seem to be trying. It frustrates them. You try a different approach, the don't get it, which frustrates them more. Etc.

Once I got that the coach effect had kicked in, I tried to voice something positive about a student's cat, then I walked to the next caster. All the while keeping a eye on the previous. Often, he/she improved once the pressure was off.

Oddly, at least in my experience, men seem more prone to this than women.

I'm sure the instructors in our group have experienced this, at least the ones who have run through lots of students. I also wondered if it had something to do with guys anxiety about performing in front of other guys (as in judging themselves by how other judged them). I was wondering how they dealt with it.

Hope that explains it. If not. I'll try again.

David

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Very often new students have excessive wrist break. Having taught a few thousand (or more) It seem to be one of THE most common errors. Our method is to have the student stand directly in front of me and face me. I joke with them a bit and tell them ' now you are going to be the instructor and I will be the student ! It ALWAYS gets a reaction and the student becomes totally relaxed.

I tell them they are only allowed to watch my back cast, '(NO TURNING YOUR HEAD AND WATCHING THE FORWARD CAST)' and I ask them to tell me if I have made a 'good forward cast or a bad forward cast (without looking). I will make an excessive wrist break on the first cast (make it touch the ground behind me) then I will say I'll do it again for you, I make the SAME error again. Before they tell me anything I make a high (a bit above the horizontal) backcast, then I ask; How were the first 2 casts, and 99 times out of 100 they will say 'not so good or bad or show me again'. Then how was the third cast ? Much better !!! or good. Then I say, LOOK at the result, and they can look out on the grass or water and see a straight line to the fly.

Gordy,

I like to use props, I took a large plastic bowl (something you get at a dollar type store) and sliced a small thin section from it. I then made a notch to allow the section to fit over the tiptop section of my old fly rod tip. This allows me to turn the bowl section over. What this does is give a visual clue to my students as to the meaning of a concave and convex rod tip path.

Lou

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From Gary Eaton:-

This is cutting edge application of micro electronics and sensors. It has impact for independence for double amputees and expanded quality of life for single upper limb amputees. It will be years before we see them in common use but, I would relish the opportunity to teach someone to fly cast using one.

see link http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/05/dean-kamens-luke-artificial-arm-gets-demoed-on-video/

Gary Eaton