Paul Arden | Tuesday, 11 February 2025
I enjoyed watching the rugby this weekend. Even if the BBC took an extraordinary amount of time to make the download of the one-sided Scotland Ireland match available. France should have beaten England of course but it was nice to see an England win finally. Hopefully the momentum continues because it would be great for the sport to have strong northern hemisphere rugby. France and Ireland are of course world class. And I would love to see a Northern Hemisphere side win the World Cup again. It would be great for the game. For that to happen we really need these Six Nations contests to be furiously contested.
I didn’t watch the Super Bowl and I don’t even understand the rules. I think as adults we enjoy watching the sports we played when younger. I was never really a spectator of sports, can’t stand soccer or cricket, don’t even watch triathlon, despite competing against myself in this. But the enjoyment and thrill of rugby is something that has remained with me. I took the game seriously when I was younger and in some ways sports define us as adults. Rugby training for me morphed into Ironman training. Last week I trained over 14 hrs on the bike, running and weights. Now that the water is getting warmer here, those training hours will increase again with the inclusion of swimming.
Anyway I want to talk about pressure shots!
Dealing with high pressure moments, which exist in all sports and for us means having to put the fly in front of a moving fish, can be very hard indeed. Often the cast isn’t technically difficult but our mind makes it so. Here in Malaysia it’s very difficult indeed: few daily shots, the first shot really matters, it’s both unexpected but anticipated, and the shot needs to be both fast and precise.
The whole thing is a recipe for disaster!
Now it’s one thing not to have the technical casting skills to make the shot. That’s actually unforgivable. And easily remedied through training. It’s quite another to have the skills but it simply doesn’t happen when required. I see both, but mostly the second scenario because I train my guests before they arrive.
So the question is, how to create the right state of mind so that you can actually perform when you have to?
Now there may be different ways of dealing with this, and I think there are two. One is to ignore the pressure and the other is to embrace it. Personally for me, I try to embrace it. If I’m successful in doing this, then I can make unbelievable shots. Everything is fired up. Of course I’ve done it a hell of a lot now and have spent pretty much the last ten years doing it full time.
I believe it’s an act of will. The fly MUST go to target. I stare at the target, draw back from the target on the backcast and do everything in my power to put the fly there on the delivery. If I’m not under pressure then I know from experience that I’m not as clinical. Of course I cock up too sometimes. That’s part of it and also has to be embraced. But that doesn’t hold me back; holding back for me simply doesn’t work, and makes me inaccurate.
So I really try to thrive on pressure and for it to lift me up. That’s a state of mind. And that’s the one that works best for me.
There is another one and that is not to care. I’ve seen that work too. Just don’t care about the fish and have no inhibitions. In many ways it seems the opposite approach to what is required, but this relaxed approach prevents the mind from compromising our performance.
Whichever approach you choose (and you can certainly have both in your armoury), the last thing you want is for your mind to prevent your best performance under pressure. You must have the self-belief that you can perform. And everything you can do to enhance this belief will increase your performance.
Taking shots in fly fishing is the pinnacle of our sport in my opinion. It can demolish us if we allow it. But the rewards are incredibly high if we perform. Learn to be clinical, bloody-minded and have self-belief in your abilities. Believe that you are amazing and you can be. Doubt yourself and you will fail. We have all experienced both by now, many times – of that I’m sure! So work on your frame of mind to succeed.
I might be speaking too soon but I believe that I may have solved my long-term hook up problems. After ten years of doing this time has slowed during the eat. And I can now, or at least have been able to, set the hook, often with delay, and with purpose.
This is something that I find truly remarkable by the way: Time slows. It must be that our brain is working very fast, because I don’t actually think that time slows. But it sure as hell feels that way and I try to embrace it and slow it further.
At first 1-2 second shots expanded to an apparent 8-10 second slow-motion time window. Now frantic eats have experienced this same time dilation too. It’s an amazing feeling and extremely addictive. These shot windows and moments are just incredible to experience.
It’s like when you have a car crash. You can replay that moment afterwards and everything is in slow motion. Time is drawn out. That experience is the same as taking shots. That’s us really being in the moment. And I bet if you have had a car crash (and I’ve certainly had a number of them!) you can step out of your body during the replay button and watch as if a third party.
The great thing about fishing shots is you don’t have to destroy your car to experience this.
I think the reason that the fishing is easier on your second visit, is because you can visualise the shots from your first trip and train accordingly. You know what to expect and can spend time getting properly prepared with this knowledge. Then you can work on being truly clinical in your execution.
One piece of advice. If you do fuck up a shot or a hook-set somehow, then immediately visualise what you should have done correctly. The mind will remember that and will make you better next time.
Have a great week.
Cheers, Paul