Work on the grass, in slow motion, and give the student something to compare against. Start with pantomime: make the stroke with an empty hand first, then with the rod held so the tip draws the path — doing it by hand first is what lets a student feel the stop before the line is involved.

Make the path visible. Lay a rod or a length of line on the ground along the intended tip path, or run a string between two pegs, and let the student watch the tip travel over it. Then use contrast in the same slow motion: a straight tip path giving a narrow loop, a rainbow-shaped path giving a wide loop, and a path that dips and comes back up giving a tailing loop. The three together are what teach the relationship; one demonstration on its own only shows what right looks like.

Then hand it over. The student casts while you watch the tip, then casts while watching their own tip against the reference, because the aim is that they can see the error themselves. That is what the guide’s Horizontal Casting Drill practises — seeing your own tip path and loop.

The aids around this are optional: a pool noodle held where the rod tip should stop, a tape measure for distance, cones for a target. They support the lesson; they do not demonstrate a tip path on their own.

Source

From the CI Study Guide (2025) (PDF) — Appendix A, the Horizontal Casting Drill, and Task 16; terms from the FFI Fly Casting Definitions (Rod Tip Path).