Are you training or are you testing?

It’s very easy to turn a practice session into a testing session. I find myself guilty of it sometimes—probably more often than I’m willing to admit. I’ll catch myself just casting the line out to set up my distance session, and that first easy cast often goes further with less effort than any of the following casts where I really push for distance. Some days, it’s possible to take a few steps back and turn it into a productive session; other days, the struggle just continues.

The funny thing is, I know that simply working on short-line techniques and playing around with them still improves all of my casting. My biggest improvements before meeting Paul came when I focused all my training on accuracy. I think I once read something Nick had written about using accuracy to improve distance. I decided to really commit to it, and it paid off. Trying to hit a target forced me to clean up my stroke, it quickly tells you about your tracking also.

I think the mindset before a session should be to make it a productive one. Keep the line “short,” hold back on power, and explore the movement. If you’re working on carry, keep it under control. If you’re aiming for distance, focus on making good deliveries. If you’re practicing Speys, set a solid anchor and ensure your cast lands where you intend—at a reasonable distance, with accuracy, and a nice loop. Make things look as beautiful and effortless as possible. Maybe even apply the same approach when going for accuracy? Instead of just trying to bang out targets, check your stroke.

These ideas are probably nothing new to you, but for some reason, we need to hear them again and again.

Cheers, Rickard

PoD: Apparently I need to practice setting up my rod also.