Lesson 1: Introduction and Must Knows

I’m Lindsay Kocka, founder of The Wade Well Method. This offering has been many years in the making, and while I’ve been teaching this very method with fly fishing schools, retreat groups, and various angling organizations since 2019 I’m thrilled to have finally brought this online offering to life. Feel free to navigate to the various pages on my website to learn more about my history as an angler, educator, and trainer, and dig into some of the various publications where Wade Well(formerly known as Fluent Movement on the Fly) has been featured. Without further adieu, let’s dive in.

The format of this course is laid out in sequential chapters. While I do recommend moving through them in the order that they’re presented, there’s no good reason why you can’t skip ahead and toggle back and forth between the various lessons to your hearts content. With that, the Wading Strong course is meant to be revisited as often as you’d like after you complete it the first time around. This curriculum contains a good deal of short videos that offer experiential tutorials and classes. Within any given lesson there tends to be a blend of information to be read and absorbed accompanied by physical practices to be explored. Do make note that this course asks for you to take action and move your body. The concepts that are taught tend to be best experienced within the physical.

On the subject of our movement and mobility practices, you’ll frequently be presented with various combinations of movements that are approached from positions executed while standing up, seated, in a quadruped position, and lying down. While acknowledging that it’d be positively impossible to create just one singular method that is perfectly accessible to all bodies at all times, I do my very best to offer options to customize the physical practice. That said, this course is no substitute for working in-person or one on one within a dialogue driven space: a static digital course simply has its limitations. Please feel free to reach out to me personally if you have specific questions in terms of modifying portions of this course to better fit your body, and keep in mind that this particular offering is designed for those who will indeed be standing and moving about while wading in the water.

Last but not least, in terms of gear and equipment there are a few basic items that will increase the quality of your experience within this course. Please consider setting yourself up for success with the following:

• A tennis ball(a myofascial release/massage ball is also an option, but not needed. Avoid lacrosse balls or anything considerably more robust than a tennis ball.

• A blanket or full size towel

• A cushion, pillow, or yoga bolster

• Two yoga blocks or similarly shaped objects(blankets and pillows can accommodate in the place of blocks as well)

Thank you for joining me within this journey! My sincere hope is that you’ll step away with more knowledge and skills alongside a robust toolkit that ultimately enables you to explore the profound practice of fly angling with a greater sense of ease, enjoyment, and empowerment.

Onward!