The next stage of this analogy, is to now imagine that you are about to draw the number 7 with your rod tip or thumb (I will be talking a lot about thumbs when covering other casts). To achieve this you must send the rod tip upwards and backwards from it's low starting position just above the water surface, and up the leg of the number 7 to a position just past the vertical as shown on the diagram above.

This should be done by starting slowly, and progressively building up speed making sure that the fastest part of your cast is at the very end of the stroke, (as with all casts). This will build up the compression in the rod spring, and by imparting a stop at this point will allow the spring to unload and deliver the cast upwards and backwards, so that by the time your fly line has unrolled in the air behind, it will then be parallel to the ground and ready to be delivered into the forward cast.

So at this point, allow a short pause for the line to unroll in the air behind, and then deliver the cast to it's target. This is done by sending the rod tip forward, making your thumb travel across the top of the number 7 and progressively building up the cast as before. By bringing the rod tip to a definite stop high above the water will allow you to achieve reasonable distances with little effort, it is only at a point after the stop, that you may then lower the rod tip to allow a nice presentation.

This is a good technique in normal conditions, and will help to prevent the caster (especially if a beginner) from delivering the line in a heap on the water. the cast will alter slightly in different wind situations, and by rolling the above template back and forth this can be shown, but that's another story.

See Step 3:

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