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Walter & Group...
[GH] Due to problems with our section of the ATT&T grid, I have been out of contact for the past 2 days. Now, back on line.
Here is an excellent set of brief and to the point answers from Bob Rumpf. My comments in bold italics :
.Hi Gordy & group,
I had a few minutes this morning, so I took a stab at the new quiz. My answers in bold red font.
Regards,
Bob Rumpf
For Master candidates to get to a level of casting which will make it likely that they will pass the performance part of the MCI test, there is nothing which will take the place of PRACTICE.
Here are a few questions to start the ball rolling for our discussion on this topic :-
1. What (if anything) do YOU do to be ready to practice when the opportunity to do so arises? - Keep a rod strung up and handy - make sure lawn is mowed - always have practice flies on hand.
[GH] Good way to do it.
2. Many books have been written about learning fly casting. Precious few of them include details on effective ways of PRACTICE. One book, published in the U.S.A. in 2009, has 241 pages, 105 of them devoted to practice.
Can you tell us its name and author? - I specialize in out-of-print collectible books, so this one is too recent for me to know off-hand. But I'd sure like to know. Unless you want to wait and ask me again 20 years from now.
[GH] FLY CASTING: A Systematic Approach, by Sheila M. Hassan, 2009, Publisher: Cast90.com, P.O. Box 617, Medway, Ma., 02053.
3. Do you think there are some folks to whom fly casting comes so easily and "naturally" that they can be considered "born casters" who need little practice to become experts? - No, to become a true expert requires practice. - Although some very athletic people seen to pick up on the basics of casting quicker. - People who learn the easiest, are the attentive listeners who are able to grasp instructions and transfer them from head to body. - But after learning basics, they still need practice to become expert casters.
[GH] That is the way I look at it, Bob. Several books have been written about that subject in the recent past. Jim Gill advised me about two of them. I have read them and found them worthwhile:
1. BOUNCE, Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and The Science of Success, 1st Ed., by Mathew Syed, 2010, ISBN: 978-0-06-172375-9, Publisher: Harper Collins.
2. THE TALENT CODE, 1st Ed., by Daniel Coyle, 2009, ISBN: 10-055380684X & 13-978-0553806847, Publisher: Bantam Press.
I am aware of two others, though I don't have copies and have not yet read them:
# TALENT IS OVERRATED, by Geoff Colvin
# OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell.
4. What do some fly casting instructors do to be as effective as possible in getting their students to actually go out and practice after teaching sessions? - Stress, then stress again, the importance of practice. - I also always warn my students I will know if they practiced or not. I also tell them they have to practice or they have wasted their time and money on lessons because my job is actually to teach them how to practice properly. I can only teach, they have to do the learning.
[GH] Bob, By these means you will have likely inspired most of them to practice. Assuming they will return for future lessons, you have also referred to feedback when you tell these students that you will know if they have practiced or not. Even those who might do it for no other reason than to please their instructor will have benefited.
5. Your intermediate student asks you how long her practice sessions should be after after she returns home following your class. What do you tell her? - Practice until you become tired, rest, then practice some more.
[GH] Some instructors advise beginning and intermediate students to practice about half an hour at a time, but frequently. Frankly, I like your advice, because it takes into account that some students will tire sooner than others.
6. Would you recommend the same periods of time for practice for a Master candidate to prepare for his/her exam? - Yes, it would be difficult to practice too much.
[GH] Most successful Master candidates go way beyond the recommendations for our students. Not only are they highly motivated, but they realize that massive periods of regular practice are needed. In addition, they become increasingly acclimated to ever longer periods of practice over their several years of preparation. As they do that, they will not fatigue as early, since they will build muscle and stamina.
7. In general, which of the tasks listed on the Master Performance test would you recommend spending the most time practicing ? - The one they are having the most difficulty performing.
[GH] YES!!! An important point.
8. Why? - You might be able to perform the rest of the required casts well, but you need to perform them "all" well to pass.
[GH] Yes.
9. "There is practice which yields lasting results slowly if ever, and practice which is highly and more rapidly productive."
" HOW you practice is more important than how often or how long you practice"
What is meant by those statements ? - On my website I emphatically state the following: "Practice does not make perfect. Practice only makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect." What this obviously means, is that you have to be practicing while adhering to the essentials. Practicing an improper stroke is a waste of time.
[GH] Agree.
Let's take it a step further: Best to THINK as you practice. Practice to a PURPOSE. If necessary, break each task down into its elements. One example:
When practicing distance casting I like to make a series of casts concentrating on ROD BEND. Then, a series matching it to my CASTING ARC. If my loops are not tight, I, then concentrate on the position of my rod tip at the LAUNCH POINT. Another series of casts concentrating on my HAUL TIMING, and HAUL SPEED. At some point I might consider some casts concentrating on my BODY MOTION. Some with BODY TRANSLATION (step or even a jump forward). If I have problems along the the way, I may concentrate on my LINE CARRY. I'll ask myself, "what about my BACK CASTS?" ... and then make casts specifically to work on them. I may try different amounts of rod translation to delay rotation.... etc., etc.
I may even go back to basics and make shorter casts striving to perfect each element before adding line and distance.
The point is that all during this kind of practice I'm analyzing many different parameters separately while still trying to put the whole thing together.
I'm NOT just casting and casting to see how far I can cast.
To me, this is casting to a purpose with each cast performed...without losing sight of the whole package.
My own mental mechanics ..... works for me.
Gordy
10. When practicing distance casting, do you actually measure your achieved distances ? - Yes
[GH] Bob ... I think that is important. Just "winging it" and seeing how much line I can launch doesn't give me a true picture of real measured distance. (I might even throw an entire fly line.... and if the layout is a mess, I haven't even made the 85' mark.)
11. If you answered, YES to 10., tell us how you do that. - Markers stuck in the ground.
[GH] Good. Targets over a tape work well, too.
12. Should you, as a Master candidate, avoid practice when it is windy? - No and for obvious reasons, it may be windy when you take your exam, and it will surely be windy when you're fishing.
[GH] Yes.
13. Some candidates go out and practice in the rain or when it is snowing. Is this foolishness? - If it is, then I'm the king of fools. It's a good idea to cast at night and all kinds of weather.
[GH] Agree.
14. Do you see any advantage in sometimes practicing with a casting buddy? - Yes and for obvious reasons, you can assist one another visually. When in the company of other casters, I often introduce my wife as my ghillie and loop watcher as she replaces a casting partner when not available.
[GH] Agree.
15. You have practiced your distance casts to the point that you can make the 85' distance 9 out of 10 times. Are you satisfied with that?.. or is there more you can accomplish as you practice that task? - You should practice this cast until you make it every time. And when you reach that point, continue practicing until you make it look effortless.
[GH] Yes. Ed Jaworowski advises something like this, "Practice your distance casting until you can make the same distance with half the effort."
16. If you answered YES to 15., tell us some of the things you would try to accomplish to help perfect your distance casts. - When teaching distance, I agree with many other instructors when I say work on the backcast. Improve your timing and haul until spot-on.
[GH] Yes. That back cast is often a key element, because it is the set-up for the forward delivery cast.
17. Do you practice your roll casts on water? On grass? Both?
18. Why? - The exam may be given on grass. You obviously want to practice on water because that's where you'll be fishing.
[GH] Agree. Of course, you might become an expert on roll casting on grass, neglect your on-the-water roll practice and then find that your examiner is set up to have you do it on water. Also, no matter how you do it, roll casting on grass is not "true roll casting". It is a compromise. We are on this journey primarily to learn how to cast best and how to teach it. In the big scheme of things, this is more important than passing any exam.
19. Do you know any practice tricks to help you learn to make small loops when roll casting? - Make very tight loops while casting normally, watch the rod movements, then duplicate the abrupt stop (rotation) while roll casting.
[GH] One way of doing that when water isn't available, is to pin your leader down to the grass at different distances from you and spend time making one loop after another in rapid succession, each time judging the various elements of the cast in terms of the result with instant feedback. Since the leader is pinned to the ground, you don't have to walk to a roll cast tool and set it up for each cast. You can make a cast every few seconds.
20. Do you practice making faulty casts? - Yes, how else would you demonstrate errors to a student? They are also called for on the exam.
[GH] Yes.
21. Do you ever use pantomime when you practice? - Yes
[GH] I do, too. Tom White used to use his long index finger. Sometimes I use a pencil .... or my toothbrush and bathroom mirror.
22. Do you ever use a short "yarn rod" to practice indoors? - Yes, a homemade one. Here in north country it's sometimes necessary to cast inside on occasion to prevent serious withdrawal symptoms. This is also an excellent time to open curtains and give any non-fishing nosy neighbors something to really think about.
[GH] I've played with several different models. I think the original was Joan Wulff's "Fly-O". Mel Krieger made one which some called the, "Mel-O". Tim Rajeff designed one which (in my opinion) was an improvement. Available from Rajeff Sports. Recently, Lefty Kreh and Rick Pope of Temple Fork Outfitters sent me one which Lefty designed and called the "Office Rod". I've been using it and found it to cast much more like a real fly casting outfit than any of the others. It is the only one which is good for practicing roll casting on a smooth floor. *
23. Do you practice using different casting styles? - Yes
24. Why? - Several reasons. You will encounter different styles when teaching. When fishing, often situations call for a different style to perform the task at hand.
[GH] Yes. Example: My default style is the "Lefty Kreh Style" (Off vertical rod plane/stiff wrist/elbow on-the-shelf). Suits me for my salt water fishing. When I'm trout fishing, I'll sometimes change to a different style to suit conditions. When I'm demonstrating loop control to a class of students, I know they can see the loops best if I use a vertical rod plane style. That is also why many examiners prefer the candidate to use that style for Task 1. on the MCI exam.
25. When, if ever, would you "go back to basics" during your practice sessions? - Any time something isn't working. This is a particularly helpful when experiencing difficulty with your distance casting.
[GH] Agree. Also: I'll go back to using limited amounts of line out of the rod tip (say 30' - 35') when I'm trying to learn something new.
Gordy
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