How to improve your casting skills
John Holden urges you to listen to your body before your casting style causes a serious injury, and potentially long recovery
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
All levels of casters risk back pain, mostly limited to a bit of stiffness and soreness after a long session on the beach or field. A good rub with Deep Heat soon fixes it. But in extreme cases prolonged stress causes severe spinal issues leading to corrective surgery. Top tournament casters have always been concerned by the risks and, unfortunately, a few have been forced to retire because of permanent injury.
I don’t want to ring the alarm bells too loudly, but please be aware that the performance gains from modern tackle and casting techniques have to be balanced against the possibility of doing yourself no good at all. In short, if what you’re doing now causes anything more than the odd twinge in your back consider changing method, equipment, or both.
SPINAL SPASMS
Here’s the root of the problem. Imagine picking up a heavy parcel from a table. Walk up to the table, lift the parcel so that it lies across your chest then turn and walk away. Easy and effortless. Now imagine standing in front of the parcel but facing away from it. Pick it up by turning your shoulders and reaching behind you. Your feet don’t move. Turning the shoulders automatically twists the spine, and that’s where the load becomes concentrated when you lift the weight. It’s awkward and you can feel the strain.
The mechanics are similar with some styles of casting. A few variants of ground casting and flat pendulum are notorious for injecting too much pressure, too early – roughly equivalent to reaching behind you for a heavy parcel. Big leads and long, stiff rods make matters far worse, generating way too much load at a time and position when the spine is least able to handle it. The inevitable result is discomfort and probably pain. And if we push our luck too far for too long, maybe a trip to the operating theatre.
