Keep it on the grass, in slow motion, against a tape measure. The guide’s Horizontal Casting Drill is the tool set: tape stretched to 70 ft, cones at 28, 35 and 42 ft, your casting arm even with the 35 ft cone, and the rod tip sliding from the 42 ft cone to the 28 ft cone while your line hand progressively bends the rod. The student sees the straight-line rod tip path, the rod bend and the casting arc in one motion.

Then show the errors on the same tape, still slowly. Cones at about 46 and 24 ft give a domed tip path and a wide loop; cones at 40 and 30 ft, with the tip dipped below the tape, give a concave rod tip path and a tailing loop. Only a CAVE man throws a tailing loop.

Reinforce with static and dynamic aids: the rod tip on the grass, line laid out to show the loop, a pool noodle for the stop, and pantomime so the student feels the stroke with an empty hand. Task 16 notes that ground demonstrations in slow motion are very effective.

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).