JC,
Nice diagnostic of a part of the casting stroke.
The others at the office are giving me some weird looks as I’m miming my back cast trying to figure out if I have the same error 
I’m even laughing at myself here.
I see that same movement (outwards on the reel) quite a bit. IMHO, I think I’m not a victim, but I’ll have to check some videos tonight.
JC,
Great point. I too am finding myself trying to visualize my casting stroke. I have the day off, so I think I’ll go outside and try some (eyes closed) casting. I’m wondering also, if I can cast without going “Reel Out” and still not raise my elbow. And if I do raise my elbow, what effect it will have. I can almost see the follie of that thought.
Lotech Joe
fcch, I got a few of those weird looks myself.
JC, good article and timely for me. I’ve been concentrating on keeping the reel in line with the rod and the casting stroke lately. It does take a bit of concentration though, and I was wondering if it’s because of the way our wrists are made and how we learned a throwing motion with a breaking wrist.
One’s wrist has much more power and range when moved up and down (baseball throw) instead of side to side (dart throw). So a natural tendency to break your wrist and twist the reel out is common. I caught myself slipping into doing that, and it makes a mess out of a cast.
You’re right (of course you knew that) about having more power when the reel stays in line. After all, you’re using the strongest side of the rod (if the guides were placed properly) instead of your arm and wrist to generate the cast.
Bill
Hey Jc, were you watching me again???
Sure sounds like it.
jed
JC,
Very good point and I will confess that I am guilty of doing it. I have, at times, made sure to keep the reel on the bottom on the backcast and noticed a great difference. I just need to “break the old habit”. Thanks for the great article.
Warren
Archimedes most famous quote “Give me a lever long enough, and a place on which to rest it, and I will move the world.”
What does Archimedes and JC’s column in Advance Casting have in common? Has to do with the laws of Physics!
When the wrist flip-flops during the cast, the caster loses the fulcrum (pivot point), which gives the caster the benefit of the lever (fly rod in this case).
If you are wearing a long-sleeved shirt while casting, stick the end of the reel seat inside the shirt cuff. Now cast, it may seem awkward. By doing this little step, you created a fulcrum, which will allow the fly rod to transfer all the energy of the casting arm to the fly line.
Because of Severe Tendonitis, I have very little arm strenght for casting, so I need my fulcrum.
~Parnelli
JC,
I must caveat this post with the fact that I am a poor caster…
One of Australia’s best casters (Peter Hayes) teaches casting with the reel Always to the side. There is no twist as the reel location does not move. The strength is not transferred through the thumb as a component of the lever, but rather throught the top knuckle on your index finger. To follow your earlier analogy it is like throwing a stone where the line of the stone is determined by the straight line made by that lead knuckle. The rod is held in the normal manner, then a 90 degree twist is applied, sending the reel out to the side. The driver is now the knuckle. It is important not to try and hold the rod too tightly when using this method.
I know I haven’t explained this well, but thought the discussion deserved at alternate view.
R
dave
I’m curious if I am remembering this correctly? I think I either read or heard a “guru” and I’m pretty sure it was Lefty Kregh advocating or at the least not worrying about rotating the wrist. Could that be ?
I think your point, JC, makes perfect sense…in the golf swing too.
I think your talking about Charlie Ritz not Lefty Krey. In his book “A fly fishers life” Ritz advocates the use of a compact casting stroke and bending the wrist to help develop line speed, however, Ritz he bent his wrist in the vertical plane, not the horizontal plane as shown in JC’s diagrams. The Ritz method is a lot different than the Lefty Krey move your elbow back & forth style of casting. Cheers.
What a great topic. Last year a friend took a coulpe photos of me casting in a nasty wind on the coast (No OR). Well in that situation, I was not thinking about my cast, but rather a sixe 4 salt water hook in the back of my head. When I got the picture, I horrified to see how far out the real had swung. I figured it would be an easy fix, but I find if I lapse in my vigilence to form I immediately lapse back. Magna est vis consuetudinis (Great is the power of habit).
Adam
I got to eat cold toast for breakfast .
I read JC’s “Reel Out” and just had to go out on the lawn and check it out. Yep exactly what I was doing turning my reel out not 90 degrees but close enough . Took about 20 minutes to check and correct . I found on the Royal wolff website a wrist strap used as a teaching aid that is supposed to help cure this and other casting problems , I wonder has anyone used one and did it help ?
Gnu,
I don’t have the strp from Wulff, but I’ve resorted to tying the butt of the rod to a caster’s wrist, cause he just wouldn’t stop “breaking” his wrist in the back cast.
We ALL open up the wrist (vertically) a bit, but I believe that a beginner should keep it to a minimum so’s not to develop bad form from the start.
Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec
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JC,
You must be a Joan Wulff fan. I’m reading one of her books now. Your article and comments are very similar.
JC,
I just tell a student, “Hey, stand up straight and pretend someone is filming ya!”
That’s a good one, … I tell junior,
“Stand up straight, the clients are going to imitate you”.
Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec
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maybe I have been lucky but I have never got into the habit of broken wrists. One thing I do do that annoys the hell out of me is with one particular rod. I end up with the knuckle of my small finger jammed up hard against the reel - dead center, and breaking my elbow up and out evading certain annoying body parts.
Dear Board,
I guess I’m the exception, but I learned long ago in ball and bat sports that the wrist must remain in the same plane as the swing in order to generate any amount of accuracy and power.
Think about hammering a nail. If you rotate your wrist away from the starting point you’re going to miss the head of the nail more often than not.
The idea of practicing by stuffing the butt end of the rod into the cuff of a long sleeve shirt is a good one.
Regards,
Tim Murphy
Tim Murphy;
What a simple explaniation. I have hammered many a nail and at no time would I consider turning the hammer head 90 degrees to the arc of the swing. My thumbs hurt even thinking about it.
If you go one step further: What are you trying to nail? A 10 penny spike, for distance! Or a finish nail, light & easy!
Both require accuracy or the thumbs suffer!!
Cactus
JC,
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=“1” face=“Verdana”>quote:</font><HR>you do understand that my column was not about ‘breaking’ your wrist, but rather rotating the reel out to the outside.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yup, … got side tracked there when someone mentionned the wrist strap.
Looked at some videos last night and I see I’m not to bad. I keep the rod nice and lined up without rotating the rod.
I was happy to see I have at least one potential problem in check.
Most who open up, swing the arm and shoulder out, almost as throwing a ball. This practice is difficult to change.
Question … Is this (opening up) a bad thing or just a different style.
I “open up” quite a bit. Not elegant I know, and some very accomplished casters and FF’ers have told me so. But is it “wrong”??
Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec
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[This message has been edited by fcch (edited 02 March 2005).]