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1) Once Hywel has placed himself in a basic distance-casting stance, he normally stretches the muscles and joints of his legs and torso to increase flexibility and to avoid injury.

2) After paying out the entire shooting head (in this case a 50 foot/38 gram Airflo tournament shooting head), Hywel selects the amount of overhang (i.e. an amount of line which will be hauled outside the rod tip) he will be using for hauling during false casts and his final line shoot.

3) Once in position, Hywel raises the rod, then gently leans into the back cast after hauling the holding line/flexing the rod tip to create a very narrow loop. Note the weight shift to the back foot which he uses to provide maximum leverage for the forward cast. The primary purpose for the false back cast is to create a tight loop and to place the line behind the caster in a position that will provide a good trajectory when launching the line forward

4) Hywel executes a false forward cast while shifting his centre of gravity forward. Notice that the holding (hauling) line (located just below the rod) and the rod itself are following a similar upward trajectory. This parallel line/rod position decreases friction while creating a long hauling distance (i.e. from reel to release point behind the caster). Hywel is looking up the rod whilst determining wind conditions to adjust his forward trajectory on the launch cast. Again, during the false casts, the object is to conserve energy while getting the loops tight and the forward and back casting trajectories in synch.

5) This is the final back cast. Hywel hauls and drifts further back into position by leaning back to maximum extension (a unique stance somewhere between the American and Scandinavian styles). His body and legs are arched for maximum torque and the body weight is shifted back and blocked by the back foot. The front leg is poised to take the weight of the shoot once the back leg starts the forward cast. The hauling hand follows the weight of the shooting head up to the reel while maintaining constant tension in the process.

6) This is the launch cast or forward shoot. Despite the grimace, Hywel is in no apparent pain. The rod snaps forward to the proper upward position. The hauling hand is in line with the rod and well behind him indicating immense quickness to produce high line speeds. Body weight has shifted from the back leg, progressing through the front leg and into the toes of both feet for maximum rod loading. Although this isn't captured by the photo, Hywel pokes the rod at maximum arm extension to create a wedge-shaped loop which is ideal for cutting through the wind for maximum distance.