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Walter & Group...
[GH] One more set of VIZ-QUIZ answers from Ivan Streif. My comments in Red :
Hi Gordy,
Here are some of my ideas for answers to the Viz-Quiz. A very thought provoking exercise!
Ivan Streif
VIS-QUIZ
1. As you explain and demonstrate a task, list some of the ways that you effectively lead your student(s) to learn as they observe.
· Point out the shape of different loops so the student knows what a good loop looks like and how to recognize a bad loop
[GH] Sometimes I'll ask a candidate, "What is a 'GOOD LOOP' ?" Since we use different loops for different reasons, the answer I'm looking for goes something like this: "A good loop is one which meets the objectives of the cast."
· Have them watch the rod tip and the hand, not just the line.
[GH] That's great for putting it all together. Along the way, however, we may wish to have the student concentrate on one thing at a time.
· Demonstrate common casting faults so the student can see the effect bad casting technique has on the line/
[GH] Yes! The student should see the RESULT of faulty casting.
(Example: Your explanation must match your visible demonstration.)
2. Sometimes we want the student to concentrate on what he sees the ROD do as we demonstrate. How do you do that ?
· Put a mark such as a piece of tape on the rod tip or near the handle and tell them to watch the movement of the tape
[GH] Good idea. Yesterday, we learned Al Buhr's method of marking the end of the rod with white lacquer.
I just finished reading a message from Lefty. He told me that TFO (Rick Pope) * is still offering their bright yellow instructor's fly rod for bone fide fly casting instructors at a very attractive price.
* Temple Fork Outfitters.
3. Do you use rods designed or modified for teaching to help emphasize this?
· Marked rods as mentioned above
· White or yellow rods that are easy to see
4. At other times, we want the student to concentrate on what he sees the LINE do. How do you do that ?
· Use a highly visible line
· Use a contrasting high visibility leaders so they can see how the leader either collapses or unrolls
[GH] Furled leaders woven of hi-viz material great for that.
· Select light conditions and a background that make it easier to see the line
· Have the student observe from different positions depending on what you are trying to demonstrate
5. Do you ever use special lines which make it easier for the student to see ?
· A brightly colored line (orange works well) is easier for them to follow during a cast
[GH] Yes. It is the CONTRAST we want. I dyed a line black for use when teaching out on the sand bars in the Florida bright sun. I brought one with me when teaching in the snow at a Continued Ed. course in Marlborough, Mass. a few years ago. Worked well.
6. How do you have your student learn from what he sees your BODY (arms, hands, body motion) do as you demonstrate tasks ?
· Ask the student to watch what the motion of your hands, arms, shoulders, etc. and the resulting movement of the line
· Explain that you are going to change those movements, be sure they can see the difference and then have them explain what effect it had on the way the line moved
[GH] Jim Valle uses a cap with the brim turned front, back, or to either side to indicate the direction of the wind when teaching wind casting. Not really a "body thing", but it works well when doing the wind casting demos. on a calm day out on the field.
7. What is your method of observing your student's casting to determine whether there is good TRACKING (side to side reasonably parallel loop legs.)
· Stand in front of or behind the student and watch for tracking problems
· Place a straight line on the ground extending in front of and behind the student, have them try to cast along the line, look for any deviations to the right or left of the line
[GH] Yes. A prime way to do it is to lie supine on the grass behind or in front of the caster. That way, the caster isn't trepid about striking you with his line. Makes it even easier to judge the alignment of the loop legs.
8. Do you have any tricks to share on enhancing visual teaching effects in the classroom ?
· Videos are much more effective than verbal descriptions at keeping students interested and helping them to understand a concept you are teaching. It is very easy to do with modern digital photography/videography
9. What are some potential visual problems when you are out on a bright sunny day hosting a casting workshop on a field at 9:00 AM during a Conclave (Fair)?
· When doing a demonstration or observing a student, make sure the sun is behind the observers back and not in the casters eyes. If the sun is in the east, the caster should be casting in a north-south direction and the observer should be standing to the east of the caster.
10. What (if anything) do you teach your students about what and how the trout sees?
· Consider silhouettes. Fish frequently feed from below and see your fly as a silhouette against the sky.
[GH] Also, shadows. A moving shadow will spook some fish. A stationary one won't.
[GH] I don't know if the fish actually sees the fly in the air. Spooky fish such as permit and skinny water tailing bonefish will spook if the fly LINE is above and anywhere near them. That is one reason to use long leaders. When there is calm weather and the fish is fairly close, I make a short cast in the horizontal rod plane, because those fish are likely to spook if I raise my rod before I even make the cast.
11. Do you ever have the student visualize what he cannot see as he presents a fly ? (Hint: Teaching to hover during accuracy casting, etc.)
· Visualize a target above the water’s surface if you want to let the fly drop gently onto the water
· In areas of current visualize the way you think the line to going to move so that you can place your curves and mends appropriately
· Visualize where you think a fish could be holding to give you a target and improve the accuracy of your presentation
· Visualize an imaginary target high behind you to help you stop the rod tip high on the back cast
[GH] Well said !
Lyth Hartz sent a very good set of answers. As with several of you, he wasn't sure what I meant by question 11.... and said so. Here is my answer to try to make things more clear to all:-
From Lyth Hartz:
11. Do you ever have the student visualize what he cannot see as he presents a fly ? (Hint: Teaching to hover during accuracy casting, etc.)
Answer: I am not sure that I understand this question.
[GH] You are not alone. Several others said the same thing.
By the term, "visualize", I meant to imagine a target or point for presentation ...."In the mind's eye", so to speak.
If you look at the cover picture on Joan Wulff's Flycasting Accuracy you will note that her real target is on the water. Her point of presentation which she visualizes, however, is ABOVE the real target. The idea is that she is casting and presenting the fly to the imaginary target which allows her to hover her fly before allowing it to drop to the real target on the water.
With a strong side wind, the caster may elect to present to an imaginary target up-wind of the real one to allow for "windage". * The wind, then, actually places the fly closer to or at the real target.
*
"Windage is your deviation to the right or left of your target. While wind can affect a presentation, most casters who practice with targets are surprised to find their casts landing consistently off to one side, or their leader and tippet lays out with a curve in it."*
* * From Casting Corner, Atlanta Fly Fishing School
Lyth replies:
Hi Gordy,
Thanks for your note. Now I understand what that question was about. In fact, before I sent the answers to you I thought about the imagination part but wasn’t at all sure I was on the right track. I use those imaginary and “windage” techniques all the time when fishing, never thought about it before as applicable to your question. Thanks for the insight.
I love these quizzes you create. They are very helpful.
Lyth
12. Do you ever use video feedback technique to show your student what he's doing?
· Absolutely, I believe this in one of the very most effective ways to teach and I also use it extensively to assess my own casting.
· Videos can be played back larger, slower or one frame at a time on a computer monitor to allow for very accurate analysis of casts
· Using a tablet such as an iPad allows you to record a video and play it back immediately to demonstrate your observations to a student. I find the screens on telephones and digital cameras to be too small to see detail clearly.
· iPad Apps such as the Coach’s Eye Sports Video Analysis is very helpful, letting you replay video in slow motion and draw diagrams over the images on the screen.
13. Do you ever use a mirror to help teach fly casting?
· No, but I think it would be a great idea to cast in front of a large mirrored building so you can see the reflection of the whole cast
14. One word description of a fly line loop is: "The shape of the fly line as it passes the rod tip". This may be meaningless to a new flycasting student. Do you have a visual way of demonstrating to this student a fly line loop?
· Lay the line out on the ground so you can demonstrate all the parts of the loop and various loop shapes while the line is in a static position
· Follow up by making the casts horizontally so the student can easily see the effect of arm and wrist positions on the movement of the line, then progress to overhead casts so they can see how it would work in an actual fishing situation
15. Briefly list some important considerations which help students see and understand different loop sizes as you demonstrate them. (Task 1 on the MCI exam.)
· Differentiate between upper and lower legs
· Show the distance between the legs and introduce the terms wide and narrow loop
· Point out the wide or narrow shape of the leading edge of the loop
· Have student watch the rod tip to see how it moves while making wide or narrow loops
· Demonstrate hand/wrist movements and the effect that has on loop shape
[GH] Bruce Richards has said that the configuration of the fly leg (upper leg) of the loop is the greatest determinate for the size of the loop.
16. We sometimes reinforce our learning with the use of pantomime. Is this mostly learning by SEEING? or is it mainly learning by FEEL?
· I think pantomiming primarily reinforces kinesthetic learning
17. Do you ever use the timing for the student's forward cast to help him time the back cast?
· As an approximate guide, if they watch how long it takes their forward cast to straighten, that is about how long they need to pause on their back cast, providing they are not extending the length of line being cast
18. Do you sometimes teach your students to watch their back casts?
· All the time
19. If you answered YES to #18, tell us how you do that.
· Cast with the sun over your line hand side
· Open your stance a little so it is easier to turn your head on the back cast
· Watch your tracking, don’t over-rotate your shoulders while turning your head to follow the back cast
20. Do you ever use a visual method to teach the relationship between ROD BEND and CASTING ARC for your advanced students?
· Yes
21. If you answered YES to # 20, briefly tell us how you do that.
· A diagram showing how increasing rod bend maintains a straight line tip path throughout the casting arc is a helpful visual aid, as this concept is often difficult for people to understand
· I have found video to be difficult for this because the rod tip moves too fast and the tip path is never perfectly straight
[GH] For this, the use of slow motion videos which we've been discussing is a good idea.
One thing to remember when using this for teaching: Most instructors TEACH that a straight line path of the rod tip is best for a small loop. In the real World of fly casting, however, we see that most nice tight loops are made with a rod tip which moves in a slightly convex path. This will generate some student questions when they see that as these demos. are made, especially with slow motion video. Of course, if we DID have an absolutely straight line path of the rod tip, the line would collide with the tip !
Technically, it would be possible to have a true SLP of the rod tip throughout the stroke except at the very end when the convexity is nothing more than a slight dip of the tip away from the oncoming line.
22. Can you provide us with a reference from the fly casting literature on the use of visual HAND TARGET LINES and EYE TARGET LINES as one method of presenting a fly accurately to a target?
· I would recommend Joan Wulff’s Fly-Casting Accuracy
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