Only the penitent man will pass...

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Posted by Dale Dassel from spider-mtc-td063.proxy.aol.com on June 11, 2000 at 01:28:59:

In Reply to: Dale Dassel: posted by Kent Allard on June 10, 2000 at 16:07:12:

: Hi: I got my whip recently and I whcked myself a few times. I also got a few good cracks. But to avoid getting whacked again what should I do. And what would be the best way for a beginner to start out cracking whips. I am hoping to get better. And I seriusly douibt that Young Indy was able to crack that whip immediately without trouble without instruction beforehand, because it is a little harder than that for me, althoughI could produce a few good cracks. And I'm a grown man???

Well, it sort of depends on what the length of the whip is:
if you have a shorter bullwhip (like a 6-foot), then it has a
faster return action, and it is easier to hit yourself with.
(longer bullwhips crack and swing AWAY from the user, and are
not really in a position to do serious damage)
The best way to go about it is to cast the whip around
GENTLY so your eyes have time to observe how it moves and flows
out. (Again, if you have a large glass window or door to observe
yourself with while you're using the whip, it does wonders) You
have to "feel" the whip through your arm; after awhile, it feels
like an extension of your arm and you can literally FEEL all the
way down the whip. (It becomes like driving: you just DO IT; after
awhile you don't even think about it) But don't get too comfortable
with it and take it for granted- last week I managed to graze my
eye with the whip, and couldn't open it for twenty minutes-
and I have been using bullwhips for six YEARS!
I would practice casting the lash around, front-to-back,
by laying the whip in front of or behind you in a straight line.
(half of whipcracking is playing the lash about to reset it for
another crack or swing) When you throw the whip out in front of
you, like in an arc- ALWAYS bring your whip hand around to your
left side (if you're right-handed) and over your head, returning
the whip to its original starting point. (if this description
confuses you, watch Indy in the market place sequence from Raiders:
he pulls the whip from the carrier, flings it back and to the right-
which sets it, then he brings it out against the ground- up in the
air (for the throw)- and FORWARD, continuing AROUND to his left side,
and "resets" it for the second throw. It might sound confusing, but
once you get it down, its easy.
As for cracking the whip, this can be achieved (easier with
longer whips) by throwing the whip overhanded and letting the whip
lash do the work. Depending on how long the whip is, the lash will
flow out in a hairpin turn (which is essential to make it crack)
break the sound barrier, and CRACK! If you flail the whip out in
a wide arc, it will almost never crack. The whip has to cross itself
to crack. That's physics for you. (make sure you cast it a bit to
the left on the straight-forward overarm throw, which sets the whip
to cross itself in the hairpin. If you need any more advice, or
clarification, just zap me a line at WhipWarrior@aol.com

Glad to help out!

-Dale Dassel



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