FWIW, i'd say

For the intermediate caster, 2nd most common mistake is using too short a stroke for the length of line being cast. Christopher, I'd guess you might be ranking tailing loops as #1. But then tails are symptom, not problem. And the too short stroke may be #1, as it causes some/most of the tails. (I'm surprised no one has mentioned this one)

For the beginner, almost certainly the opposite is #1 - too long a stroke for the length of line.

With the intermediate, the too-short stroke is often what causes tailing loops. And while "improper application of power" is often pretty hard to get a student to correct, it's much easier to get them adjusting their stroke length. Which often fixes the power app problem.

I enjoy intermediate casters. For me the key is (after diagnosing problem) to work around their habits, muscle memory, perceptions, etc. Get `em doing/thinking about something different.

A few years ago, Lefty yanked a rod from my hand saying "Gimme that d@#$#@ thing - you're overpowering it." He took it apart and gave me the 3' tip section & said "Now cast that." For those that have tried it, you know that power doesn't work with a 3-fter. I began to concentrate on power app, stroke & timing. `Helped my casting more in 3 minutes than anything ever had.

I saw another good trick a few weeks ago. A student just could not get the timing down. The instructor got him to walk as he cast. The instructor walked alongside and would speed up and slow down, not talking about anything in particular. The student sub-consciously adjusted his stroke to the walking speed and improved 200% in a 100' stroll. When he got to the end of the casting field, he was feeling the rod.

JC, I think maybe this is one of the reasons instructors get better with experience - they have more tools in their "bag of tricks." Every student is different.

Kent
[url=http://www.flyfishga.com:548cb]www.flyfishga.com[/url:548cb]