Kalyn Hoggard | Monday, 1 September 2025
It is pleasing for me to see that I am not just writing my thoughts and stories down for Paul to read and then give me words of encouragement on my progress in therapy for the week. It seems to be a resounding yes that we should meet the students at their level. However, it also seems that if instructors don’t involve themselves with specific parts of learning theory, they cannot be good instructors? Also, some of us weirdo instructors understand what it is like to step back and watch, “the wandering haulers,” as I call my students learning to haul while walking. BUT… It seems like there is a large elephant in the room that I think we ought to give some peanuts before it gets angry. Can there be a unified theory of casting that is undeniable? How ought we respond to the dissemination of bad casting content? Are we all interested in people getting better, or are we using various platforms to self indulge with an argument from time to time?
Being a still wet casting nerd, when I ask people about “the board,” they say that they used to get on there and debate “Mechanics,” or whichever word you prefer that describes trying to make models to better understand casting. Invariably when I ask why they don’t anymore folks say, “A lot of arguing from a lot of people who are at different levels and seem to be interested in debating for different reasons,” typically captures the sentiment. The same can be said about any or all of the organizations that involve themselves with improving the understanding of or the instruction of casting. It seems like there used to be a THUNDERDOME somewhere out there where we could all cheer for MASTERCASTER as he or she slammed home video evidence or scientific knowledge to support their working model.
Now it is more likely that people will sit back and scoff when a new set of poor definitions are approved by the powers on high. I know I’m a lot more likely to just shoot the instructional video clip to everyone I know so that we can laugh at the ignorance in harmony. However, it doesn’t seem like people are interested in being a part of an organization where we can have those debates in a constructive way. If indeed that sort of organizational body exists or could exist. We do have the occasional opinionated instructor out there on social media trying to keep everyone in check, but that certainly isn’t going to lead to any progress. However, maybe something on that front ought to be done. The quick and easy instagram, YouTube, TikTok casting lesson is a thing. Most don’t meet the necessary criteria, which would be to help people learn how to cast. Thousands of people see them, and many of these “instructors” receive a lot of praise, receive certain amounts of notoriety, and make money at it.
The little devil on my shoulder picks his head up and says, “Let the students learn that way, if they stick with it after all the struggles, they will need to find someone like you someday. Someone that they will gladly pay to make their casting blues go away”: www.theflyroad.com.
Maybe this is just the piss and vinegar of a nearly grown man talking. Maybe many of the people that had the passion to move us all forward are non-confrontational, tired of fighting, getting old, or are gone. Maybe the best thing to do is to be apart of these “governing bodies,” and try to inspire change from within.
Or maybe everything is all fine and dandy, and I am making something out of nothing.