Post by FlySpoke on Dec 11, 2013 8:48:26 GMT -5
In our two hand casting quest for that perfect loop, there is one aspect that controls it's shape that is without question. It is called "The Stop". I now call it the "The Almost Stop". Given are the elements of straight tip path and continuous acceleration and we come to the finally of each stroke with an abrupt stop. Inertia of the rod and line weight will not allow us to stop like hitting a wall. But there are things we can do to make the almost stop as close to dead stop as possible.
First let's understand the physics of the muscles in our upper arm. There is such a thing as the most effective and strongest position of each muscle in our body. For the upper arm is comes with a bend at the elbow and residing close in to our upper body. What does this tell us about the use of our upper grip and the stop? It tells us that if we extend our elbow far forward and open we are increasingly at a disadvantage in the strength required to make the abrupt stop.
In my teaching a constant fault I see is the extension of the upper grip arm too far forward. We blame it on single hand casting experience. But, we now know that it is also a fault in single hand casting. Take Lefty Kreh for an example in relation to a single hand casting stroke. His forward stroke starts well back and then slightly rotates to a stop with the elbow very close to the body. He likes to keep this tight to the core position as it will help the arm muscles to stay flexed and not extended. He also believes that this strong tight position will keep us casting longer and free of injury. We now know that the extension of these muscles is the weakest position they can be placed.
You need only watch Goran Andersson cast to understand this high stop with flexed arm. The entire purpose of Scandinavian style casting is distance with the least amount of effort. I can well understand the thinking that extending the length of a stroke by the extension of our upper arm seems logical. But if the almost abrupt stop causing a tight efficient front shape of a loop is the goal then a stop that takes longer than an almost stop is not the answer.
Much better to concentrate on the continuous rod tip from low sweep the huge "D" loop and straight tip path forward stroke as your source of power.
Now stop high, stop tight and stop the extension.
First let's understand the physics of the muscles in our upper arm. There is such a thing as the most effective and strongest position of each muscle in our body. For the upper arm is comes with a bend at the elbow and residing close in to our upper body. What does this tell us about the use of our upper grip and the stop? It tells us that if we extend our elbow far forward and open we are increasingly at a disadvantage in the strength required to make the abrupt stop.
In my teaching a constant fault I see is the extension of the upper grip arm too far forward. We blame it on single hand casting experience. But, we now know that it is also a fault in single hand casting. Take Lefty Kreh for an example in relation to a single hand casting stroke. His forward stroke starts well back and then slightly rotates to a stop with the elbow very close to the body. He likes to keep this tight to the core position as it will help the arm muscles to stay flexed and not extended. He also believes that this strong tight position will keep us casting longer and free of injury. We now know that the extension of these muscles is the weakest position they can be placed.
You need only watch Goran Andersson cast to understand this high stop with flexed arm. The entire purpose of Scandinavian style casting is distance with the least amount of effort. I can well understand the thinking that extending the length of a stroke by the extension of our upper arm seems logical. But if the almost abrupt stop causing a tight efficient front shape of a loop is the goal then a stop that takes longer than an almost stop is not the answer.
Much better to concentrate on the continuous rod tip from low sweep the huge "D" loop and straight tip path forward stroke as your source of power.
Now stop high, stop tight and stop the extension.