Stretching first definitely helps Sam. Too many people don't warm up or stretch out, including myself. Uncle Homer says being able to cast with both hands will give you an advantage over other anglers as you will be able to present the lure to the fish from twice as many angles. I hope the lefty casts works for you and gives the elbow a break. Last year I was having trouble with my wrist because I was cranking deep cranks with a rod that had no business pulling deep cranks. Once I got a rod made for it the pain subsided.