I doubt that Ted Williams would have said that the right bat was the ONLY key to successful hitting in the big leagues. I'll bet he was a big fan of batting coaches and proper technique. In fact, Ted was instrumental in starting some fantastic youth baseball camps where fundamentals are taught by big league ball players and coaches. And they charge a pretty good chunk of change for that training. Like most of us, they offer some scholarships for disadvantaged youth who would never be able to afford to attend such a camp otherwise. But quality instruction costs money. People who dedicate their lives to teaching something have to eat and live indoors, too. And those 2+ decades of teaching in the Army - the country did pay you for that, didn't we?
Your article on measuring and customizing grip size on a fly rod is excellent, and will be included in the first edition of The Adaptive Fly Fishing Handbook. We've been sizing and customizing grips for folks with hand/arm problems for awhile now. Your method is the best we've seen and the article makes it clear and easy. The use of commonly available and inexpensive materials is a key factor for us. But it's pretty disingenuous to characterize our conversation about the use of your article as including some sort of pledge from me that nobody would ever earn a nickel from it's use. I made it very clear to you that The Adaptive Fly Fishing Handbook is being SOLD to a publisher and that folks will have to purchase copies of that book. Furthermore, almost ALL of our instructors derive a significant portion of their livelihood from the work they do as therapeutic adaptive fly fishing instructors/guides. And sizing of rod grips to fit hands is just one small thing we do to help anglers enjoy their fishing more.
It is a FACT that using the right size and shape of grip on your fly rods will make a major difference in your enjoyment and performance as a fly angler. And the analogy to a tennis player using a raquet with a grip too big for his/her hand or a golfer using clubs with too small of grips for her/his hands or a batter using a bat too skinny or too fat is a very good one. Everyone knows that you don't do that if you're even just a "weekend warrior" at one of these sports. The fly rod is no diffferent. And the fact that Lefty, Joan, Mel, et al have neglected the subject for far too long doesn't change reality. If you think about the marketing aspects of such a statement and what that would mean to rod mfgs (and fly shops), it makes perfect sense that nobody has talked much about it in fly fishing - where the mfgs and retailers are bound and determined to ignore true pro shop level service and product lines, yet insist upon charging pro shop level prices.
In the end analysis, I would contend that a truly GOOD casting instructor DOES customize your grip for you. So should a truly good fly shop when they sell you one - for a fair fee.
Ken Morrow
Certified Angler Education Instructor
Certified Adaptive Fly Fishing Instructor
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