Walter & Group....
Tom....
As per my last note, one of the hardest things for casting pundits to comprehend is that the acceleration of the hand and (therefore) the rod handle is entirely different from that of the tip of the rod. This is due to the flexibility of the rod itself. While the acceleration curves are different, that of the rod tip is dependent upon that of the hand.
Yours is a good way of looking at the tailing loop. The brief deceleration during the casting stroke is what brings the tip up following its dip and completes the concavity of the tip path. This would not have happened if the caster had maintained smooth linear acceleration of the hand to yield smooth accelerated acceleration of his rod tip !
Gordie;