Teaching aids / Tips for our BAG OF TRICKS

Walter & Group :-

Neat indoor teaching trick by David Lambert (Note his attachment diagram) :

Gordy-

I'll throw this back into the tricks-toys-and-tools hopper.

I use and recommend the lazer pen as an inexpensive tool for diagnosing the cast (both yours' and others').  It's also a strong, very visual good indoor practice tool.  Inexpensive and very visual.  I published a full how-to 10 years ago; attached is a diagram from it.  It's not perfect but you'll get the idea.

Here's a synopsis/how-to:

An inside tool, have student hold the lazer pen though he/she were holding a rod handle standing a rod's length from a corner and 4 feet from the casting side wall.  Have student start "cast" with lazer pointing to the floor at bottom of corner line.  Then have them trace the corner line to ceiling line, then trace the ceiling line back then come forward and back down.  (see diagram of creep with tool)

This tool shows every little off-track motion, every wobble, every wrist roll, every muscle-induced creep and sloppy stop. One note:  It's very unforgiving. . .but it's pretty useful as a diagnostics tool.

David

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From Rene Hesse on a simple teaching tool :

Hello Gordy,

 

Short answer: Paint Stick

 

Long answer; Explain how the student is not tracking straight and what it should look like.

 

                     Give them a paint stick and show them how to hold it so when they look in a mirror they will

                     only see the thin edge when the make a straight line away from and to the target.

 

                     Give them the stick with these instruction; Place on counter in bathroom

                                                                                     Pick up and very slowly cast back and forth

                                                                                     every day 10 times,  for 30 days- do it slow.

                       This is a cheap 'gift' and great muscle memory tool.

 

                       I will sometimes write 'ssSPP' on it to remind them of the Essentials that were

                        taught in the class.

 

Rene

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Rene....  In line with tricks and tools to help teach good tracking, I'll mention the old "Pizza-box" tool.  This was the bottom cut from a pizza box to which a wooden handle was fastened.  To help teach good tracking, the student "casts" with this to get the feel of straight tracking as the device cuts through the air with no tendency to twist and minimal air resistance.           Gordy

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From Russell Hershberger:

 

Hello Gordy,

 

Inverted aluminum pie tins are one of my favorite targets. They are small enough to really aid in developing accuracy and also provide an audible "ping" which students seem to like. The loudness of the ping can be used as feedback for adjusting the "power" of the presentation. 

 

When searching for Bruce's book "Modern Fly Lines" I had such trouble finding it that I purchased two copies so that I could pass one on to any fellow instructor on a similar literary quest. Hence, if anyone in the study group would like it, I would be willing to part with it at my cost plus shipping ($35 plus shipping). It's brand new (still in the shrink wrap). *

 

I've enjoyed the group's online discussion.

 

 

Regards,

Russell

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Russell, 

 

 We tried the pans.  Worked well, especially when teaching the use of weighted bonefish flies where you need the weight but don't want the splash.   The idea is to make an upward curve (vertical curve) so that the fly goes out, then curves up a bit just as the loop unfurls.  Timing is such that the energy of the cast is dissipated at that point, and the fly descends a short distance with minimum plop.  Much easier to do when casting in an off-horizontal casting plane.  Those plates make a CLANG when the fly lands with too much speed.  (NOT an easy cast to teach even to advanced casters.)

 

Problem was that the light aluminum plates would blow in the wind .... so we placed a long nail through the center to anchor to the turf.  With those aluminum plates, the noise was not as dramatic as when steel plates were used.

 

* To contact Russell about his copy of MODERN FLY LINES, contact him directly at: rah.cast@xxxxxxxxxxx  ..

 

Gordy

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I took this one out of context from a message by Al Crise to his CCI Group.  It describes a use for the video camera which hadn't come up before.....  USE BY INSTRUCTORS TO CRITIQUE THEIR OWN TEACHING. :-

 

One of the ways to become a better speaker is to practice speaking just like you are practice casting. If you can listen to a good instructor you will learn terms and ways of saying that gets the students casting. It is not enough to just hear. YOU have to say out loud what you want them to learn. It might seem funny at first.

 

 I taught my dog, cats, even my rod were there to hear me say the words. WHAT words. I would write out my descriptions of each task. Then cut that written to few words, with a second section of more details.  Then go out and teach. As many of you know I am not near anyone that could listen or even hear. So I did not get feed back. But I stumbled along.

 

Then I set up my video camera and found out what it sounded like.

 

Back to the drawing board so to say....

 

Al

 

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