M.H. has not been satisfied with his casting for some time, so he came to me seeking help. His stroke contained several common fundamental flaws, and he has kindly allowed me to post this video showing two of them.
During M.’s forward cast, he pushes his elbow forward, parallel to the ground, and pulls it back in the same manner during his backcast. This pushing and pulling motion (while simultaneously pivoting at the elbow) is one of the most common problems I encounter in teaching. Consequences are typically tailing loops, wind knots, and poor line trajectory on both the backcast and forward cast. With sound mechanics, the elbow moves up on the backcast and down on the forward cast (at normal fishing distances).
M. also relies too much on his wrist through the stroke, and not enough on his upper arm. This “wristiness” can make casting very fatiguing, and also puts him at high risk of wind knots, especially at middle distances and beyond. M. is working to incorporate a more efficient movement pattern, and I hope to be able to post an “after” video at some point. To see sound mechanics in action, look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW39uwrMsMI