A thought or two to add...

Posted by Michaelson from leospace047.utsi.edu on June 11, 2000 at 12:49:08:

In Reply to: Only the penitent man will pass... posted by Dale Dassel on June 11, 2000 at 01:28:59:

: : 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???

The "delivery" of the whip tip to target is also controled by the shape of your arm. If your elbow is double jointed, as my wife is, your elbow will allow your forearm to move about an inch to an inch and a half further down when throwing the whip backwards, then forward toward your target. My wife became interested in my bullwhip target work, her being a crack rifle and pistol shot, and wanted to work with my bullwhip in target practice as well. We took turns standing in front of each other (out of reach of the whip end, by the way (grins)) to watch what each other was doing, and critiquing the technique of each throw to determine what we were doing right, and what we were doing wrong. Believe me, it makes correcting any mistakes MUCH faster when having a second person help you with this. Anyway, we discovered where I have a normal arm and elbow, my throw was exactly how Dale describes his throw, in more of a "S" figure from overhead to target, then back. My wife's throw, with her double jointed elbow, actually corkscrewed down her arm, straight to target and back, almost like a bullet coming down the barrel of a gun. Needless to say, her target work is MUCH more accurate than mine, simply because where I'm doing more of a "slap" against a target, she is able to pinpoint her hit because of that darn elbow. The joke around here is that if you had a cigarette in your mouth, she could knock it out with ease. I, on the other hand, could easily knock you away from the cigerette with the same ease. Any voluteers for us to demonstrate on? (grins) Bottom line, there are a LOT of variables that determine your success of the throw. No one does it exactly the same. We all use the same starting techniques, but tailor it to your own size, build, and ease of whip movement and control. You can only find this out by practice and experiment. Oh, my only "damage" to myself has been around my ankles, as I practiced and became proficient with the side throw first before moving on. Lots harder on your lower extremities, let me tell you, when you make mistakes. Also, when practicing Dales suggested overhead throw, fight the urge to duck or dodge the whip when the whip tip comes back at you. If done correctly, it will pass your ear to the return position. If you dodge, the tip follows the movement and you'll have ALL kinds of fun unwrapping the whip from around your neck, ears, eyes, ....not that I'VE ever done that....(grins) Regards. Michaelson

: 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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