Not so long ago endless debates about the pushing versus pulling casting “styles” were the norm. Currently it is a much rarely discussed subject, though it keeps appearing now and then. That issue always was the source of many doubts, the following is my take on it.

Mel Krieger’s concept of a “pulling” stroke as opposed to a “pushing” one wasn’t intended as a way of telling apart two different casting styles, it was coined to describe any good casting stroke whatever the style used. For him the reference wasn’t the line but the rod: pulling the rod versus pushing it. In that regard, if you rotate the rod at the start of the casting stroke the rod is in front of your hand for the rest of the motion, so you are pushing it. Conversely, if you leave rotation for the end of the stroke the rod travels behind your hand, so you are pulling it. In summary, you should “pull through” when using an “elbow up-down” style, as much as when using an “elbow backward-forward” one.