Wristing ...."Cures"

Thanks for keeping me in the loop. All of the answers to wristing that I have seen listed I have used. The most unfortunate aspect of wristing is that students are oftentimes unaware that they are “breaking their wrist”. As you know I am a great believer in the instructor delivering a clear explanation of what to do, why to do and how to do. The student has to know why wristing is bad and of course you can relate that to “the line follows the rod tip” directly. After that I usually I ask my students before they have the rod in their hand to imagine that they have a blackboard in front of them. Then I ask them to draw a straight line on the blackboard about 18 inches long in any and several directions. It is very rare for them to use their wrist. I point that out saying “so you know how to make straight lines, simply don’t use your wrist”. A back and front cast assimilates to drawing a line up a blackboard pausing and then drawing a line half the distance down again. I tell them to forget the back cast and make an “up cast” and demonstrate what we do, why we do and how we do (including the expected faults). I also make some bad casts and ask them to tell me what I did wrong. They haven’t even held a rod and already they are instructors!

Another common but less serious problem with a similar result is “rolling shoulders”.

Best wishes,

Ally Gowans

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

Ally ..... I am guilty of making the tacit assumption that some sort of explanation would precede any, "correction", physical or otherwise..

You have pointed out the need for this ..... and offered one way of doing that. This is what I called the fourth way students learn: 1.) Visual

2.) Hearing 3.) Feeling (kinaesthetic) and 4.) Cognative (Understanding explanations, etc.)

Almost all good casters use some wrist action, granted...... but a bit of exaggeration does help make the point when teaching.

You taught me about the SHOULDER ROLL problem when you were instructing Spey casting. I had not really understood it prior to that..... so when we get to that topic I'll ask you to take the wheel and launch it.

Gordy

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

From Peter Minnick:-

On wristing I asked Dusty if he would introduce the 'power snap' to a

beginner. His response was no he would teach a firm, straight wrist that

forms a straight line along the upper forearm to the hand and tip of the

thumb. Initially the student maintains this position through the back

and forward cast to a positive stop ...casting horizontially on the lawn

using a SLP with 25/30 ft. of line outside the rod tip with the proper

power application,stroke and rod arc. Once the student is able to form

nice loops and has good line control the 'educated wrist ' can be

introduced. The beauty of the "horizontal lawn casting' is that the

student gets real time feedback on the cast and is able to instantly

monitor the variables of the cast....and lastly the student can do this

on their own to practice and improve. Thanks Dusty ...I've had good

success with the simplicity and visibilty of this teaching method.....Peter

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

Peter .....

Yes. One good, "prevention" .... by teaching wrist control early in the game. Joan Wulff has emphasized this in her instructor courses. All should check out her words and pictures on the subject in her book, JOAN WULFF'S FLY CASTING TECHNIQUES, pp.23 - 29. Although not stated this way in her book, she taught the use of a, "straight wrist" at the conclusion of the forward cast and for the start of the back cast, and a cocked wrist such that the butt extension of the fly rod is at a 45 degree angle with the forearm. ..... no more than that. Of course, this fits her elbow forward, vertical rod plane style.

Gordy

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

Thoughts from Jerry Puckett :-

Gordy:

Bob Jacklin has the same gentle bring out the best in one. He made my certification a real learning experience and a Joy. It has been my observation that the B.O.G. are very knowledgeable about human nature and try to bring out the best in one--if one is prepared!

I have watched you, Dusty and Dan Wright testing, as well as others, I am sure Tom is proud, I am!

Fortunately I have Toms tapes on casting and stay in touch with him this distant way.

Great string of messages and my bag of tricks has really expanded, thanks guys.

May I share one thought on wrist control, that may help in teaching, one that I learned from Ryan Barnes and Lance Egan. Ryan would show me his wrist, light bruises from the end of the rod handle from touching during the stop on the back cast, excellent wrist control on casts of 110 to 120 with a five weight. Gotta love youth.

When I teach people with wrist problems on the back cast I first encourage them to touch their wrist with the end of the rod handle on the stop, emphasizing feel, touch, and awareness of wrist control. Your thoughts please?

As I said, just a start, does not always work but now with my bag of tricks, I have many ways to teach the student who may not respond to one way of teaching.

I was taught by Gary Borger and Jason and their three point grip eliminates a lot of control problems for me and is my primary grip. I always stand ready to show this grip as one finds the grip or grips that works best for them.

Thanks for you excellent efforts Sir Gordy!

Jerry Puckett

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

Jerry .... I placed your advice in bold italics. I didn't expect anyone would bring that one up.

This is,indeed, another trick. I do this when casting very heavy outfits for big game. I start with the wrist, "straight" ( adducted) to the extreme that forces the butt extension of the rod to make a real dent in my forearm. I keep it that way during translation of my rod and through the first part of my rod arc. As I make my delayed arc at the conclusion of my back cast I cock my wrist to the 45 degree position which Joan uses. Not only does this minimize the likelihood of, "wristing", but it helps prevent muscle strain while casting these heavy outfits and makes it more likely that I won't mal-track on that back cast. Rambo casters probably don't have to do that.

I don't force the handle into my forearm at the stop on the back cast the way some tournament distance casters do .... rather during the first part of the back stroke. That, also, gives me a feeling of, "leverage".

Gordy

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

Rick Whorwood lends a trick :-

Hi Gordy

When I have a student that is using far to much wrist ; First off I change their grip to a "key grip", this grip will have the student put their thumb and index finger on the sides of the cork grip (not on top and bottom) this simple rotation of the hand will eliminate most wrist movement. Next I will have them hold their casting arm/hand up as if they are about to make a cast, I will hold the rod horizontally above their hand, asking them to run their index finger along the rod blank, back and forth, mimicking the casting stroke. This will give them a straight line to follow, explaining all the time the importance, of not using to much wrist.

I will ask my student, to practise at home this straight line technique, by standing with their casting shoulder beside a door, holding their casting arm up as if they were making a cast (back and forth) mark a line on the door ( you can use a piece of masking tape, or two thumb tacks and string) where your casting hand/index finger would move back and forth as if casting. With the line in place, you will now have a straight line path for your hand to follow. If practiced 10 min. a day for a couple of weeks you have the (muscle memory) to track a straight line and control wrist movement.

Rick Whorwood's
Fly Casting School
www.flycastingschool.com
(905)-662-8999

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

Teaching by Viz .... from Jim Laing :-

Gordy -

One more for the wristing bag of tricks. This one comes from Bruce's continuing education lecture of this past summer. A portion of his six step diagnosis/ cure for the open loop is - "moving the wrist too much". The visual portion of the fix for open loops includes making the student watch the instructor provide examples of bending the wrist. He goes on to say the instructor should always face the student, so that the student has full view of the rod, arm and wrist. When asking the student to focus on the movement of the wrist, you should show them what they are doing, and then what they should be doing (the right way). Taking this one step further, Bruce pointed out how 3 to 4" of white electrical tape wound around the butt of the rod just above the handle makes this much more effective. The white tape makes the rod much easier to see, where its most critical - at the fly casters hand. I think this is why Bruce wears white gloves occasionally, but I'm not sure!

Short answer - tape the rod butt for demo purposes.

Jim

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

Jim .... Joan Wulff, in her instructor courses, used to use an orange cloth thumb, "glove" with a black dot over the thumb nail for visual instruction. Then she simplified it by going to little strips of blaze orange on the thumb nail.

Gordy

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

The royal Green Weenie prize goes to Liam Duffy for this one ....his # 22. (Perhaps the only NO FAIL METHOD !) :-

Hi Gordy,
             For "wristing" here's nos. 21 and 22.
             21. No need to change grip, "thumb on top of the rod" get the student to finish the backcast with his thumb pointing vertically with the hand between the eye and the ear.
            22. Nasty! on a soccer or Gaelic football pitch (I know you don't have Gaelic football) the crossbar of the goal is between 8ft and 8.5ft high put student between uprights with crossbar at "1.00 o'clock" position explain that if he goes too far back rod will hit the crossbar and may break ! this really concentrates the mind. When there is no goalposts available do as a friend of mine (also a MCI) did from pure frustration as the student just would not listen he held his rod at the "1.00 o'clock" position from the side and told the student "This rod is a ****** and costs 600 euro (about $800!!) if you break it you pay for it!!! needless to say the student made sure he did not go back far enough to break the rod! could be called nasty psychology but it worked!
Best regards

Liam

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

Liam.... A wise friend once told me: If you wish to get to the root of a problem, just look for the money !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

From Charlie Shedd:-

Dear Gordy If anybody needs wrist brace, there was one in the

loop from Denise Maxwell a few years ago.

I teach side arm with a rope as a line Joan Wulff. You also mentioned

this awhile ago I have students cast to fence posts moving along

the row. Distance changes and the angle to wind. Then I have them

make back casts to same posts. Later I will use hula hoop on back

cast. If they bend the wrist it shows up right now casting side

arm. I like people to be able to look at their

backcasts. If

you cast looking directly you tend to drop the shoulder resulting in

tip being directed down, Side arm you can see the back

cast. There is a problem with the wind here. The

normal weather forecast is that whenever the sun sets in the West, the

wind will blow from the west tomorrow . Today it is 45 with gusts to

60. If a person can not make good loops into the wind then the chances

are not good that the back cast isn't any good I have a little problem

I do not use wrist. My wrist will not bend, it has been fused. I have to

use longer stroke. At the end what some call speed up, I push with my

thumb. This tightens my loops and i think brings me to quicker stop.

My rotation is in my fore arm. Talking about back casts, at the

show on Denver a well known person was giving demonstration. His back

cast hit the ground most of the time

charlie

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

Charlie: I see you get bad weather in Wyoming, too. If you can make any back cast into a 60 knot wind, I'll take my hat off to you !

I remember well you casting at a Conclave with your wrist splint on, back about 2001. You were changing your style to suit your changed anatomy..... and did it effectively.

A few years ago, I did an article for the Loop on, "ticking" on the back cast. I was actually doing it without knowing it. Tom White and I worked out the reasons. Never could have done that if I hadn't learned to watch my back cast ALL THE WAY TO THE START OF THE FORWARD CAST. The article goes in to detail on that fault and tricks for correction. This is a different problem from the out of control wrist aiming the cast back and down with a wide back cast loop.

Gordy

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