David Siskind | Sunday, 23 March 2025
I had another backhand training epiphany. I hope this will be the end of their discussion. I’ve experienced a quantum leap in confidence and the way I went about it may be useful. Clearly, paying attention to backhand casting will pay dividends regardless of method. We all get more comfortable with various tasks and motions as we perform them over time. But two things bedeviled me. First, my backhand has always felt like a weak stroke. Second, aiming it is difficult. It is hard for me to cast to a target - I tend to shift my gaze to my forehand backcast instead of the ultimate target. So in my fever dreams (I should get a life), I thought of a new drill. It seems to have helped me solve both problems.
I took the pickup and laydown drill, performed with my palm approximately facing the target, using a full wrist flop, and turned it around. After a few standard strokes, I rotate my hand so that my palm is facing back over my right shoulder and perform the same stroke. It’s a forehand stroke with a backhand grip. I’m still casting over my right shoulder but the wrist flop is replaced by a forearm flop. It feels powerful and similar to a drill I learned in the before-times when the rigid wrist was all the rage. Then, I practiced gripping the rod so that the reel was on top pressing against the underside of my forearm. Once the backhanded forehand is dialed in, I take it for a spin around the clock, tipping the rod first a bit to the right then going back overhead and finally to the left shoulder and to near horizontal on the left side. It feels strong. And I’m more easily able to imagine my backcast target while looking at the ultimate target on the water. And as we are well aware, picking the backcast target (the bell), and ringing it before going forward cures a lot of ills. I’ve been practicing this with a little pullback and stopless as well. I move the target around to gain facility in all directions.
I made a little video of this and showed it to Paul who didn’t hate it. I’m sure I’ll hear from him if he decides that he does hate it, and I’ll share why. We’ll see. In any case I don’t think I’ve done any harm.
As for the state of the world, I hesitate to say anything. The new administration is doing its best to chill speech and terrify everyone. The expansionist rhetoric is stupefying. The rendition of people to El Salvedor without due process is terrifying. I feel like they will break something soon that can’t be fixed, ever. And I fear it will take generations for the US to once again be a trusted partner for any purpose. I’m sad.