Paul Arden | Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Yesterday Nick and I filmed the 110-115’ video. It’s starting to get a little more technical. The video normally takes about a week or so to edit. There has been some really interesting comments and questions on the 100’+ video, some of which we comprehensively answer in this next one. I’m sure it will lead to ever more questions of course, but that’s also good too.
Once this one is finished we we film the 120+ distance and then finish off with 130’. The 130’ video will encompass specific competition training as well as where we think things will go in the future. The 120’ of course really will be 170/Stopless specific. There is a real shift of backcast gears when we get to this one.
Many years ago I used to wait until someone was casting 110-115’ before teaching them the 170 technique. Over time however, I’ve started introducing it earlier – even as early as 70’ – because I’ve found that there are many benefits that come from learning it (timing, smoothness, force application, into-wind delivery casts and so on).
On fact one of my Zoom students/athletes yesterday really clicked with the 170 and said “it feels like less effort”. Bingo! I do have two spots available by the way. I’ve self capped my student numbers to 20 at a time. There are two spots available.
I give 12 Zoom coaching sessions for 700USD. Normally 12 meetings take around 6 months. Many rebook, which keeps places quite limited. One flycaster I’ve been training for over three years now and he can certainly throw a line!
This week I go to Kuala Lumpur and get some coaching myself. Not flycasting however, but swimming. I haven’t been coached as a swimmer for about 25 years and with the Malaysian Ironman coming up in October, I thought that getting some stroke analysis done would be an excellent idea.
So I’m down there this week for the first of four lessons, to learn to swim “properly”, or with better technique, or just simply faster, according to your view point (all three for me!). I wish it was closer; I would go more often. But it’s a 5hr drive each way. Zoom coaching would be a good idea and there are coaches who do this. But unfortunately there is no pool locally and my swim training is in the lake, which makes it very difficult for me to film underwater, particularly with all the green algae!
So I’ll be down once/month for the next four months, starting this week. I’m also going to get my truck wrapped (like a snakehead) and I’m interested to see if we can have a competition casting gathering too on these trips. There is a triathlon club down there, who do long distance Saturday bike rides. And finally I want to get a professional bike fit! I can see an exciting plan coming together – short answer is, if you are going to drive a 10hr round trip, make it worthwhile!
Cheers, Paul