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Walter & Group ...
[GH] I'LL BE TAKING SOME TIME OFF TO VISIT FAMILY ON LONG ISLAND. LOOKING FORWARD TO FISHING THERE WITH PETER MINNICK AND MARK KREIDER ! WE'LL BE BACK SOMETIME ABOUT THE END OF OCTOBER.
I SPENT THE LAST 3 DAYS PREPARING OUR HOME, DOCK, BOAT, ETC. FOR HURRICANE SEASON IN CASE A STORM HITS THIS AREA WHILE WE'RE AWAY.
(Before putting my skiff away, I went out early this morning and got into a school of small tarpon. I took my 7 wt. outfit and jumped a little tarpon which came "unbuttoned" on the jump. The fly no sooner hit the water, after that, when a fish about 70 # engulfed it! Took a good 45 min. to bring the fish to the leader for a release. During that fight I lost almost all thought of my knee and back injuries. Now THAT is therapeutic !)
Gordy
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[GH] Here is a late post from Jim Bass :
Gordy I was out of town when this came in and did not get a chance to view these before I opened one with the answers. I would like to add something to your answers. I think all classes should start with instruction about EYE protection. I got to view the three clips and I feel this, when refined, could be used to teach many different things including training of masters to give the test.
Best Regards Jim
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[GH] Jim,
Right you are. We address this as well as other safety issues with every workshop or course we give.
I always bring a few clear plastic safety glasses with me in case one or two of the participants has failed to bring his own eye protection.
One young lady wore a pair during a workshop.... then referred to them as, "My Gordy glasses" !
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[GH] From Roy Sedge :
Dear Gordy:
I am on the Manistee river in Michigan taking a break from a little trout fishing and catching up on last week's email. We caught a few nice browns last night. Having fishing the salt for several years I forgot how difficult it is to wade upstream for any distance without sun light!. At any rate early fall on Michigan trout streams is truly beautiful.
My response to the three video clips:
1. It appears that introductions, etc. were appropriate and the class will be anxious to get out and make some casts! However, the outdoor positioning of class to instructor could be a problem. I can't accurately determine where the sun is relative to the class or the strength/position of the wind. Secondly, the instructor should not be demonstrating a casting stroke with the non rod hand toward the class.
2. The class/instructor should be positioned so the sun does not interfere with students viewing the instructor. It would be advantageous to have the wind blowing from the instructor's non-dominant shoulder and the class positioned on the side of the instructor's casting hand. All things being perfect, it would also be beneficial for the class to see casting strokes with a bright (preferably orange) line silhouetted against a dark background (trees, bushes, etc,).
3. I had two takes on a MCI question.
A) "Discuss how you would set up your students for an outdoor casting class." (See number two for rationale).
B) " Discuss your teaching focus with beginning student's." My feeling is that a MCI candidate should focus on student's mastering the essentials before a discussion on styles. From a student's perspective based on the three clips, I might be thinking of rod grip and not even focus of the demonstration of the basic casting stroke. Perhaps a little information overload.
I would suggest that prior to any formal instruction place a couple lengths of line outside the rod tip and have students "cast" ovals, loops, figure of eights, etc. and feel the rod-line interaction. My experience suggests that students having a prior kinesthetic sense of rod-line interaction prior to formal instruction greatly hastens the learning curve of students. Too much initial information can prove to be detrimental to an otherwise quality casting session
Roy Sedge
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[GH] Roy,
Good suggestions.
Having the new student get the "feel" of line load on the rod is important. Reminds me of Joan Wulff's, "Circles, Straights and Eights".
I think having the students do this with eyes closed adds a great deal as it tends to sharpen the non-visual sensations.
Jim Valle wrote an article for the LOOP on this concept a while back .
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[GH] A worthwhile challenge from Dan Davala ! -
Gordy,
I understand the intent of this exercise was to examine and point out the less than good practices of the instructor - some obvious, and some quite subtle. Most of those who responded did a more than adequate job of the stated objective. However, I would like to propose an even greater challenge to the group. As teachers, and teachers of teachers, we all know how important it is to focus on the positive and find things the student is doing well. Doing so builds confidence in the student and opens them up to critique as we build on their successes which is far more effective than pointing out everything they are doing wrong.
Therefore, I challenge those who wish to participate to re-examine the clips and find THREE THINGS THE INSTRUCTOR IS DOING WELL! These are the things you would compliment in the instructor and build upon if you were their mentor and observed them teaching this class. I know what my answers are and will share them with Gordy separately. What are yours?
One more thing just to clarify. I am not suggesting that this instructor is doing these things correctly or perfectly, just that these are the things I would extract from what I saw, compliment, then build upon if I were mentoring him. There is simply always something to compliment. Just wanted to make sure that came through.
Dan
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[GH] Dan & Group...
This fits well with something I've taught for years..... LOOK AT BOTH SIDES OF AN ISSUE BEFORE FORMING AN OPINION !
As you have heard me say in the past, I see value in looking at various opinions which differ from one another while seeking their differences ..... and then concentrating on their similarities.
When hosting an MCI exam, I listen carefully to each answer and turn over in my mind both the "good" and the "not good" before proceeding.
Some things to consider :
- We do not know if the instructor is demonstrating to an individual or a large group.
- The level of fly casting expertise of the students is unknown.
- We have no idea of what (if any) instruction or demonstration occurred prior to the videoed ones, or planned in followup.
- The intent of the demonstrations is an unknown as far as the impact on the students.
(Of course, we do know that Dennis purposely does some good and some not so good things for our critique.)
THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE RESPONDING.
WE'LL REVIEW YOUR ANSWERS WHEN I GET BACK.
Gordy
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