I started fishing on a small stillwater where long distance casting wasn't really necessary and some times was counter productive, now I've started fishing some larger venues I'd like to cast a bit further but always reach a block, when I taught myself to cast I hauled so I didn't need to cast a forcefully, now I find it hard to use a haul to get distance.

Also sometimes when I pile on the pressure to get a bit more distance I get a tailing loop on my back cast?

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Get a shooting head set up & say hello to 30+ yard casts.

What rod and lines are you using for your distance casting

all the best Nick

Or get a good technique and achieve it with a standard outfit with not much more than minimum power.

Shortea - a lesson with a good instructor should work wonders.

James, people have tried to teach me, some of them where more than qualified to do the job and they haven't made much difference.

The main problem they all said was what ever I was doing I wasn't shooting much line, even though I was able to false cast the whole head out and get it moving ok, maybe need to try a long belly or dt and see how Much I can false cast

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Odd they would say that, the line not shooting is probably going to be a result of a significant casting problem, or a number of problems. If you generate tight loops and good line speed you should be able to shoot all the running line on a WF - and this should not require a lot of force.

I have to say James, that very few anglers who I've seen are capable of putting out a full 30 yard WF line.
The average distance seems to be between 20-25 yards as far as I can tell.
This question of distance has also come up many times on here, and the general consensus amongst forum users is that the most people can comfortably cast regularly is around 25 yards.
Very few people can cast a regular WF to 35 yards but with a shooting head even I can achieve it!

Most casters that shoot line, shoot only on the forward stroke.

I was taught to practice shooting some line on the back cast as well. If you work on shooting some line on the back cast just before the delivery cast, it will increase the distance. The extra line into the back cast just before the delivery increases the line mass and that will increase distance if you can handle that extra mass for the forward cast.

Just try it and see if it helps you. If you cannot handle the extra line on the back cast, this is evidence that your back cast needs work to equalize the power of the backcast vs the forward cast.

Logically, if you have a symmetrical forward cast and back cast strokes, and you can shoot line on the forward stroke; you should be able to shoot on the back cast as well.

I had an opportunity to have my casting stroke analyzed using the Sage Casting Analyzer. It showed me that my stroke was asymmetric with a stronger forward cast than the back cast. My problem was both a weaker stop and less acceleration for the back cast. I also had some forward creep on the forward cast.

Most casters think that if they cannot cast far enough, they should work on their forward cast. Actually most casters have an asymmetric stroke and they need additional work on their back cast to cast further. It is counter intuitive but working on your back cast will lead to a stronger forward cast.

Here's a non conventional way to get extra distance. Get a step ladder. This will elevate you higher off the water and this extra height will allow you to cast a bit further. This is a strategy that still water fishers on Pyramid Lake in the USA use. I don't know if this would be legal in Great Britain but it is in the USA. If you do so and use a shorter ladder, attach a float connected to your ladder with a rope so that you can locate your ladder when you go to shore for a "bathroom break" or lunch.

Pyramid Lake