Teaching while guiding

Walter & Group.............

 

From Dusty Sprague (CBOG):-

 

Gordy,

 

Earlier I sent an email to you about an approach to teaching aimed at guides with clients on the boat who would not listen to the guides casting instructions.  I suggested that you might send my solution along to the group.  If you chose to send that email, please send this one as well. 

 

Thanks,

Dusty 

 

Here is Dusty's message (My computer garbled it a bit when I dug it out) :-

 

Rick,
>
>Thinking more about the client who just keeps doing the same wrong
casting
>motions over and over and won't listen to your corrections or absorb your

>demonstrations, or comprehend and try to execute your instructions.....
>
>If you can remove from the situation every distraction you can from the
>client this will help him/her more easily concentate and focus on you and

>your instruction. You might try this, if you haven't already:
>
>First, get rid of every possible distraction so the client can better
focus
>and concentrate on you. Have the client lay the rod down
>comp letely...removing that distraction. Have t hem sit on the boat
>empty-handed, looking directly at you, with them listening and watching
>you. This situation should minimize the potential distractions that may
be
>blocking their mind from listening or watching you.
>
>Then, demonstrate and explain what they are doing incorrectly.....first
>demoing the bad loop, then explain and demo how the movement of the rod
>caused this; then explain what the body did, usually the hand/arm did to
>cause the incorrect rod movement. Show them the poor cast.
>
>To correct this poor cast tell them what to do differently with their
>body....example...don't bend the wrist so much....move the hand in a
>straight path...move the arm in such a way to move the tip of the thumb
in
>a straight path, etc. This better, more correct, movement of the body
will
>cause the rod to move in a different way... example...t he tip will move
>along a straighter path, etc. This better, more correct rod tip movement
>will cause the line...the loop to be better...create a tighter loop.
>
>You essentially describe and demo the problem f rom the line to the rod to

>the body. The cure is from the body to the rod to the line.
>
>At this point, before they jump up and try to do better with a rod in
their
>hands, I'd have them pantomime the good motions without a rod, repeating
>this pantomiming in slow motion without a rod for several
>repetitions.....ten times or so. Only after they have the motion better
>without the rod would I let them pick up the rod. This slow-motion
>pantomiming without the rod helps ingrain the new and different motion
into
>their minds more quickly. If there is more than one new/different
movement
>they need to make, have them practice each distinct part, with
slow-motion
>pantomimi ng of that part, before combining to make t he entire
multi-piece
>movement....essentially breaking the problem down and practicing each
piece
>at a time before putting them all together.
>
>The above scenario removes as many distractions as possible considering
you
>are already on the water. I think it would be beneficial if you could
>check-out your clients casting and attempt to make corrections before you

>get on the water, if your situaiton allows. When you meet the clients
tell
>them you'd like to demonstrate a couple of casts that will be useful
durng
>the days fishing. Find a stretch of grass or sand at the boat launch area

>and demo a couple of typical casts that will be useful during the
>day....maybe a standard straight-line overhead cast and maybe a
>low-to-the-water side-arm cast, or, a roll cast to bring a sunken fly to
>the surface before recasting. Whatever casts you think the y'll need for
>the day's fishing. Jus t show them a couple of very reasonable casts.
>
>What you are really interested in is watching your clients make a few
casts
>so you know what their limitations are. You're going to watch them
anyway,
>on their first few casts when you get on the water, so you know where you

>can most successfully fish them and where not to take them. By having
them
>make some casts on the grass or sand before getting on the water you have
a
>much better location, with fewer distractions, where you can work with
them
>a few minutes to try to make some improvements in their casting.
>
>Have the clients make the casts you have just demonstrated. At this point

>you have a feel of what they need to do differently....and, while you're
on
>the grass or sand you can then try to make those corrections before you
get
>on the water. I realize this may not be possible all th e time or at
every
>boat ramp, but, I do believe it would be usefull if you can do it.
>
>Also, as you know, most inexperienced fisherman don't know how to fight a

>fish. If you work hard all day and they get one or two takes, if they
land
>the fish its a good thing; if they lose the fish, its not a great day. I
>like to play the fight-a-fish scenario with them before I put them on the

>water. This works great if on land where you can play the role of a
>bolting fish. Its more difficult in the boat, but doable if you're high
on
>the poling platform and they are on the bow.
>
>You're probably bored with reading this by now and are well ahead of me
on
>all the above so forgive my ramblings.
>
>Best,
>Dusty 

 

-------------- Forwarded Message: --------------
From: bwrichards@xxxxxxx 



Hello Dusty,
Everything you wrote below is good stuff, and should work, however, we both
know it won't always.... Since this a a guide/client issue, not a typical
casting student, quick results are needed since the guy isn't there to
learn to cast, he wants to catch fish. Personally, I wouldn't bother with
nearly as much explanation in this scenario. If the angler is not
responding to what the guide has been saying he is either not understanding
clearly, or thinks he's doing what he's being asked, although he really
isn't. Also, in my experience, a caster who won't respond to verbal
instructions with a rod, won't do it pantomiming either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More from Bruce Richards:

< BR>When I have a student who shows signs of not responding as hoped to verbal
instructions, I go kinesthetic right away, and would do so even quicker
with a guide client. Take off the fly and cast with the client, using good
non-contact technique and enforcing the things you want them to notice with
single word commands at the right time. Often the caster isn't stopping the
rod soon enough, or fast enough. Exaggerate the stop and say STOP at just
the right time. When the client takes over he'll have that playing in his
head and the feel of the stop will still be with him. If they are creeping,
exaggerate the wait before moving forward, saying WAIT while doing it. When
they go back to casting on their own the guide should be able to correct
the problem when it starts to come back (and it will), by saying WAIT, or
STOP at just the right time to reinforce.

In most cases these casters are doing one thing wrong that is causing most
of the trouble. Work quickly to fix that one thing only, don't complicate
matters with too much explanation. We already know that clear explanation
doesn't work. If after improving the main flaw there is another that still
prevents functional casting then work on that in the same way, until the
client can cast well enough to be at least partially effective. Then go
fish for a while and revisit casting instruction later when the client
better understand how important this all is to his success. Nothing
encourages improvement better than failure!

In my opinion, when quick results are the main goal and the student isn't
all that interested in knowing how casting works, kinesthetic is the way to
go after a very basic explanation and demo. In a guide/client situation
the guide has to know what is most important to the client, learning to
cast, or catching fish. If learning to cast is part of his goal for the day
he will probably b e more willing to listen and take time to learn. If he
just wants to cast well enough to catch a fish that day, kinesthetics with
key "reminder" words works best, in my experience.
Bruce

Scientific Anglers/3M
4100 James Savage Rd.
Midland, MI 48642 USA
Tel: 989-496-1113
Fax: 989-496-3374

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Comment:  I take a page from Lefty's teaching when the client can't get a tight enough loop to handle wind or gain distance.   More kinesthetics.... no science or deep explanations.  I tell him:  "Now try to hit the rod tip with your fly line."

This almost always yields a tighter loop.

If the problem is a back cast directed downward, I tell him: "As you stop your back cast, squeeze your thumb and index finger together."

If his loops keep tailing, I simply say, "Make your stroke a lot longer".

With erratic layouts when a straight one is needed, I say, " Do it again, but with half the effort."

When the client is overpowering the rod when trying for distance and does know how to haul, I use another of Lefty's comments: " Use your rod hand to pilot the cast; your line hand is your accelerator."

I find that very simple comments like these get results toot sweet !

Gordy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Bruce Chard (MCCI and Florida Keys Guide) :-

Well Gordie I like to take the angler to a secluded area with NO FISH ANYWHERE!  Then I can get as much of his attention as possible.  I will then explain to him that we will be working on some casting skills and that its very important that he pays attention so that he might be able to learn important information about what ever I think the angler needs help with in his cast.  I will then demonstrate as an attempt to get him to pay attention to me.  Some people learn more from watching then listening.  Then I will instruct from that point on. 

 

Bruce

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Comment:  I think I can find those special spots !

 

Gordy