CASTING VIDEOS RECOMMENDED BY JODY MARTIN
Helpful videos
There are SO many YouTube videos out there! Some are excellent, and others are not as good. I mentioned two of my favorites: Pete Kutzer (his videos are on the Orvis Learning Center) and Carl McNeil. Carl McNeil’s instructions and demonstrations are more in line with ours (he is an FFI certified MCI, or master casting instructor), whereas Pete is not (which is clear proof that you don’t have to be FFI-certified to be a great caster and teacher), so Pete’s terminology might be slightly different.
I think this series of short videos by Carl McNeil is a very nice summary of the “5 essentials” that we have been talking about:
Bill Gammel’s 5 Essentials of Fly Casting: An Introduction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDYMkD6o03E
(This one just introduces the concept of the 5 essentials, but it does not actually tell you what they are or demonstrate them)
Essential 1: Eliminate Slack Line
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRxehBEnCX8&t=1s
(The importance of minimizing slack)
Essential 2: Timing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g-9nudZCDY
(His “Timing” essential includes the “pause” that I used to describe this; it’s the same thing)
Essential 3: Vary the Casting Arc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Jjg72Pq-dg
(Note how he distinguishes between translation and rotation, which together make up the total “casting stroke.”)
On this essential, his description and mine are slightly different. He summarizes this as:
Long line – long stroke, short line – short stroke
Whereas I think it’s slightly more correct to say:
Long line — wide casting arc, short line – narrow casting arc
Essential 4: Power Application
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km_8TUyt4fI
(Power, also called force – the importance of a smooth application of power)
Essential 5: Straight Line Path of the Rod Tip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bg6njFSKv4
(How a straight line path of the rod tip results in a narrow loop)
As we work through all of the Teaching Tasks, these videos are also excellent models for how we can teach others – concise, clear, no wasted words, and a demonstration that matches the explanation.
People learn in different ways, and people also teach in different ways. What are some other videos that you have found helpful?
