This week was the beautiful art of throwing nets … some small, some large, but all awesome.  These people make throwing look easy.   Congratulations to Chris Morris – he took the win with throwing a perfect shot right towards the camera man.  Awesome.

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How to Throw a Cast Net   —  Written by: Chad Ferguson (click here to read whole story and see the step by step photos)

1. Hold the yoke of the cast net in your left hand and hold the cast net up in the air, fully extended. Shake the net out and make sure the lead line around the bottom is not tangled or caught on itself.   Tip: If this is not done the net will not throw correctly and will not open up completely.

2. With your right hand grab the net in the middle of the net about half way between the yoke and the lead line.  Tip: This is critical. If you grab the net too low the net will not allow itself to open with it’s own weight. Experiment with grabbing the net higher or lower and get a good feel for what is more comfortable for you and how easily it is for you to get the net to open. Find the “sweet spot”. 

3. Roll the net over your left hand. When doing this you are rolling the net under your left hand and back over it so it back towards you.  Tip: If you roll the net in the wrong direction it will not open.

4. Split the lead line at the bottom of the net in half. You want about half of the net to be in your left hand and about half of it hanging down. Check again as you are doing this and make sure the lead line is not tangled. If the lead line is tangled, untangle it. Now, roll this portion of the net over the top of your left hand, going away from you.  Tip: Again, making sure the lead line is not tangled is critical. Splitting the weights in the right area is critical also. Doing this correctly makes it much easier to throw. 

5. When you look at the lead line facing away from you the weights and lead line on your left should be almost level and the weights and lead line on your right should be almost level also. There will be a noticeable drop in the lead line and it should be near the middle of the net facing away from you. Grab the lead line in the middle of where it drops. This will be the middle of the net. 

6. Put the lead line in your teeth, not the weights, just the rope. If you prefer to throw without using your teeth then you would lay this portion of the lead line over the top of your left hand. 

7. Reach down with your right and grab the lead line facing away from you as far down as you can grab it without bending over (note my right hand). With the lead line in your right hand, roll the portion of the net laying over your left hand into the palm of your right hand and hold it firmly. Now you are setup to throw. Remember your using the weight of the net to open itself and the motion of your upper body. It is not about how hard you throw it is about the motion and proper technique. Your lower body is relatively still. I make a slight step with me right foot but it’s very short and only to compensate for the motion of my upper body so I don’t lose balance.  Tip: One of the best things you can do while holding the net like this is practice rotating your upper body and watching what the net does. As you rotate your upper body the net should swing open (out away from you. Practice this holding these parts of the net in your hand and getting a feel for what is taking place. 

8. Rotate your upper body and throw. As the net opens up I am letting go with my left and first. I still have the net in my right hand but am holding it very loosely allowing the net to come out of my hand but still following through with my right arm helping the net to open. Open your mouth to release the lead line (if you are using your teeth). Tip: Where most people go wrong here is they rotate their body and just try to lob the net out there. Rotate your body, allow the net to open, and follow through with your right hand helping to carry the net open while allowing it to slide out of your hand. Also, don’t forget to open your mouth and release the net from your teeth.