Whip Therapy (Get your mind out of the gutter!)

[ij1936]

How many of you find cracking your whip theraputic?

[whammerjammer]

I find throwing leather to be many things. From the feeling of becoming one with the planet simply by being outside, to aggression management and a form of internal release. It can be a pretty good workout both mentally and physically as well. Most of the time I just don't want to put it down even though my arms are ready to fall off. And there's the feeling of accomplishment everytime you reach new levels of skill. Did any of that answer your question? I guess what I'm trying to say is that I find many things in the time I spend with my whips. Best regards. Jay

[Luisiana Jones]

Ill tell ya when i begin to do so seriously because for now ive only done that 3 times and it felt good, it made me feel alone i mean the times i did it i felt like so concentrated on not hitting me that i couldnt think of anything else, i dunno it was ...cool Thats my view as a newbie whip user

[thefish]

It can be very meditative and thereputic, as well as fantastic exercise. I'm in the best shape I think I've ever been in after more than a year of steady whip cracking. Forces the muscles to move fluidly. If you jerk around, you end up hurting yourself or getting tangled up in the thong.

There is beauty in the sport as well. The whip is the perfect example of cause and effect, physics in motion. Gravity, energy conduction, centrfugal force, wave dynamics, leverage, acceleration...All there in a length of braided leather.

I haven't seen DeLongis's whip videos, but he's certainly onto something in the martial arts approach. Very tai chi like. Channelling and focusing energy.

I'm in the middle of a major research project for grad school, (that may well become a book, thesis, or at the very least, change the entire direction of my academic and professional career,) and there have been times in the past few days I've just had to step away from the laptop, grab the 8' Strain Lonestar, and go out in the back yard with a target stand. Clear my head, focus the stress, tension, and aprehension out the fall of the whip. Into the card. (I will not fear. Fear is the mind killer...)

I find a calm that I haven't otherwise managed. I used to fence, (duello and theatrical,) and never managed to focus so purely on it. With the whip, your only opponant is yourself. Just you and the air, or you and your target.

Very Zen.

Oh god, here we go. My NEXT book after "Zen and the Art of Video Production" will be "Zen and the Art of Whip Cracking."

>Sigh<

-Dan