Since the shortest path between two points is a straight line, I want my rod hand to travel the straightest possible path between The Top Resting Position and The Bottom Resting Position.
Because the direction of the path is downward, I use gravity to help me make the front stroke. That means less energy expenditure. The front cast is initiated by a weight shift. When I am casting well, the line will become tight or I will feel the rod load more. Gravity, pulling on my arm, begins moving my hand downward due to a rotation of my shoulder. As the elbow comes to my side, the elbow joint subsequently opens with gravity and force to accelerate the rod to a stop.
Essentially, my front cast is a seamless, two-piece stroke. In Chris’ words, I am trying to “fall and flick”. The result is a downward motion to create a forward arc with a downward trajectory.
There are two points to emphasize. During my front stroke, my wrist is not used to accelerate the rod, and the shoulder and elbow joints are used sequentially.
The Role Of The Wrist In My Front Cast
There are several reasons for not using the wrist much during my front stroke for accuracy. The rotation of the shoulder followed by the elbow provide enough power to hit targets up to 70 feet. Moreover, too much wrist rotation during the front stroke’s acceleration phase tends to decrease accuracy.
I also want to keep my wrist in a cocked position because it is a strong position. The wrist needs to stay firm during the acceleration phase of the front stroke (a period producing huge torque). If the wrist breaks (rotates backwards further), the rod tip will not rotate with the stroke.
The wrist also needs to be firm when the rod is accelerated to a stop at the end of the front cast. To stop the rod, I want to use the pisiform bone. To form a tight loop, the rod (tip) must also be stopped high. These pre-requisites for a good cast necessitate that the wrist remains in a cocked position.
Once the rod is stopped at the end of the front cast, my wrist turns over slightly to help dampen the rod and to reposition the rod for the next back cast.
The Importance Of A Sequential Use of Joints During The Front Cast
A strong joint is needed to get the fly line, that has straightened out behind the caster, now to move in the forward direction. If I don’t use my wrist, I have two choices: the elbow or the shoulder.
The shoulder is my choice. It is the stronger joint of the two, and while the hand is close to the shoulder, a shoulder rotation has the higher velocity ratio (compared to the elbow).
I could use the shoulder and the elbow at the same time to rotate the rod forward, but as the elbow moves the hand away from the shoulder, the overall velocity ratio decreases. Moreover, the additional force provided by the elbow is not needed due to gravity.
When my top resting position is not compact, the shoulder rotation has a lower velocity ratio. The slightly extended position (forward) also necessitates that the elbow start opening before the shoulder rotation is completed due to the rod angle coming forward too quickly.
When I become more compact and I use my joints sequentially, my loops become tighter, and my line speed increases.