Scott Loudon | Thursday, 24 December 2015
I’m back! I think we need a little summary of what has happened since my last FP. I’ve sat and passed my final accountancy exams which is quite exciting and it looks like Paul grew a beard which has since fallen off. I think it’s because it wasn’t working at making him any wiser.
So, to casting…
What’s the one piece of advice you always get when you ask about improving your casting or practicing something? “See an instructor.” Let’s be honest though, and speaking as an instructor, it isn’t always practical to see an instructor or perhaps even beneficial if the only time you pick up a rod is when you see your instructor. The reason instructors are valuable is that you have real time feedback to identify and direct what to do next. So what if we don’t have that? The answer is simple and getting more and more simple as technology improves – video!
Almost everyone now is carrying a phone with impressive video capabilities. If you’ve got a modern iPhone it’s got slow motion capabilities but there’s a solution if you don’t - the Hurdl Technique app (formerly Ubersense). It allows you to showcase multiple videos side by side, add annotations if you wish, share with your friends and best of all scroll through your videos frame by frame or as fast as you wish. In the absence of someone by your side, or better still, as an addition, this app should really help understand what you are doing and let you work out the small changes you need to make. You’d be amazed how much you might think you are doing that you aren’t in reality.
Learning isn’t just about reviewing yourself though, it helps to have someone telling you what to do! This is where Paul comes in with the wonderful Sexyloops app This app has loads of content taking you from your very first lesson all the way through to much more useful fishing casts. You can watch it at home or even at the river bank. Give it a go, it’s definitely worth it.
Youtube and Vimeo also have their place – there’s many hours of fascinating clips from techy issues like dolphin nose loops to simplistic casting instruction. Be warned though not all advice contained in the internet vaults is good advice!
Finally, it would be silly to round off an overview of technology to help your casting without covering the very basics. Good old fashioned books, VHS and DVDs. There are old classics from Joan Wulff which are thoroughly worth your time, as are Mel Krieger’s works for anyone thinking about instruction. Don’t forget the more modern names too with the more technical approach from the likes of Jason Borger and Simon Gawesworth.
Christmas is up soon so have a great day and enjoy the time off from work!
Scotty