Based on the discussion of F=ma it would sound like the stronger I am the farther I can cast. Twice the force, twice the acceleration, blah, blah, blah, etc., etc.
But if it was that simple then the biggest, brawniest men would cast the farthest and we all know that isn’t the case. Paul Arden may have put on a few pounds in the last couple of years but he is still not the largest person in distance casting and he can still outcast many people larger than he is. At the same time there are many people of slighter builds who can outcast him. Joan Wulff and Lefty Kreh can probably build a two story apartment out of one of my parkas but if it comes to a casting competition between the 3 of us the smart money will be on me to place third.
Those of you who remember Tom White will remember two things. He was very tall and he could throw more line than they sold him (I stole that last one from Lefty Kreh by the way). Most people watched Tom cast and said, “Of course he can throw a lot of line, he has really, really long arms!”. Tom would respond by slipping his arm into his shirt so that only his hand was sticking out of the neck of the shirt and then cast. Even with this encumbrance Tom could outcast most people.
So if it isn’t size, strength or long limbs that make you able to cast far then what is the key?
I discussed this with a friend who has coached a number of Olympic weightlifters. Dan’s response was that it was strength vs power. In physics we talk about force vs power.
How does this relate to Superman vs the Flash? I hope everyone knows the characters I’m talking about. Superman has what seems like an unlimited number of super powers. I recall an episode where he pushed the earth out of its current orbit (super strength), he can fly, he can use xray vision to see what color of underwear Lois Lane is wearing today, and he has super speed. He can travel faster than light even. The Flash, on the other hand, has only one super power. He’s the only person can move even faster than Superman. In a race he leaves Superman sucking oxygen from the vacuum he leaves behind him. He can punch Superman so many times with his left hand that Superman is left begging for a right. Sorry for all the bad jokes but I think you get my point.
Now here’s the question(s) – both Superman and Flash have similar body types – same height, same weight, same glove size, etc. Ignoring the fact that a punch from either one will immediately dissolve you in to atoms, which one would you rather be punched by and why? Superman has the strength but Flash has the speed.
As a casting instructor do you care and why?