30 Years — just getting started!

I’m still learning of course. Just this morning, during a Zoom lesson, I was revisiting the 10m Extended Bow and Arrow cast (there is an B&A cast variation that Spanish instructor Jose Ricardo taught Chris Rownes and I over a bottle of red wine in a car park, somewhere near Valencia, back in 2002), which when combined with the line management loops over the front, loops over the back handling AKA “climbers rope trick” — which I learned from a video posted on the Board some years ago, and now teach to all my students — casts the fly further than 10m. How much further I don’t know, because I’m on a boat and I’m not about to swim out with a tape measure between my teeth.

When I think about what we know and do now against what I knew and did then, it’s just staggering. From the physics, to the range of casts, to how we teach, to the drills, and Zoom of course. It really is mind-blowing.

I’ve been through a lot of changes myself too. Back then I wasn’t very good looking, but now I’m extremely handsome. It’s a clear case of the ugly duckling transforming into a beautiful swan. When I go anywhere people stop and stare. I hear them saying “now there is a handsome man”. I don’t know the exact words they are using because I don’t understand the language. You either have it or you don’t.

Anyway back to the story. What has helped me immeasurably, as an instructor/coach and has helped make sense of what works/doesn’t work/could be better, has been the reading of three books. These are not the only three but they are the ones that have been recommended on the Board now very many times:

“The Language of Coaching” by Nick Winkelman (there is a review and interview on this site), “How We Learn To Move” by Rob Grey and “Motor Learning and Performance” by Schmidt and Lee. I have the fifth edition of the last one, which you can find second-hand online for about $5.

In my opinion every coach NEEDS to read these three books. To not do so is quite frankly insane, inexcusable and ludicrous. For those of you who can’t read there may be audio versions available, but then how are you going to know?

The big things for me were joining all the instructor associations quite quickly. STANIC, APGAI, FFF/FFI, EFFF, then AAPGAI and GAIA. I’m only a member of GAIA now and that’s so you can sue me for up to £20 million, but only outside of the USA. The Sexyloops discussion Board has been Earth-shattering. Meeting, fishing, teaching and casting with instructors all around the globe, as a result of Sexyloops. Competing, understanding and coaching high level competition casting. Zoom and multiple lessons starting with 10 lesson packages. And… The Three Books.

We all have different pathways.

Also 30 years ago to the month, I wrote a small book/booklet called “A beginner’s guide to stillwater trout angling. Including some advanced thinking”. You may be wondering what the advanced thinking was exactly. Here are some examples:

“I thoroughly recommend fishing all the time, perhaps with the odd short break for food and sex.”

“July is a strange month; it has no weather.”

You can find the whole thing here.  Be warned however; it was written when I was 25, there is quite a lot of bollocks in there and some of the information is actually wrong!

Andy is busy building rods in Texas. Soon I’m going to flood you with information on how you can buy these magic wands.

Have a great day!

Cheers, Paul

Today’s POD: Mel Krieger and an ugly duckling. 1997 I think. Funny I remember Mel having a bead but I can see now it was just stubble :D