Beginners get on better with slower action rods as they give you more time to feel the rod load, a transfer of energy into the rod, and unload, transfering of energy stored momentarily in the rod into the fly line as the rod is stopped in the forward casting stroke. Faster action rods can store and transfer more energy than slower but require more of the caster to do so. The result of this is more line speed with tighter loops for better effeciency and longer casts