Whip Length
Moderator: BullWhipBorton
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Michigan Jones
- Dig Worker
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- Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 3:00 pm
- Location: Michigan
Whip Length
Is 8 foot really long enough whip to look good rolled up on your Indy belt is better to get a 10 foot whip?
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Michigan Jones
- Dig Worker
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- Location: Michigan
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Bufflehead Jones
- Legendary Adventurer
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Both are screen accurate. Most of the time that Indy was running around, he had a ten footer on his belt. When he was going to actually crack the whip, they used an eight footer. The whip that Indy cracked in the streets of Cairo scene in Raiders was an eight footer.
The eight footer will be easier to learn with, but after you are proficient with the whip, you will be able to crack a ten footer just as well. The ten footer will be slower and your timing is just a little different, as it is a longer whip. Both are fine choices.
The eight footer will be easier to learn with, but after you are proficient with the whip, you will be able to crack a ten footer just as well. The ten footer will be slower and your timing is just a little different, as it is a longer whip. Both are fine choices.
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BullWhipBorton
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Michigan Jones, You would probably do very well with an 8ft bullwhip. 8ft bullwhips where used in the films too and as VP has so nicely shown, they look fine coiled up on belt. 8 ft bullwhips are also a great choice for general whip cracking.
The only advantage a 10-foot whip has is that it’s a little better for wrapping targets, i.e. people, ect. They are a little slower so you need to take that into consideration, but The extra couple of feet adds a bit of drama and flair to a wrap, plus it give a lil leeway for safety precautions. 8ft bullwhips make a nice intermediate length between a 6ft and a 10 ft whip though and if your only ever going to get one bullwhip, 8ft is usually the best way to go as you can do all your general whip cracking with it, as well as still do a lot of target work and some wrap around work with them. 8 ft tends to be the ideal length for most people who are just learning how to crack a whip too and are what I usually recommend to newbie’s.
Now, Keep in mind depending on what type of bullwhip your buying, Australian or American are measured differently. Australian measurements for a bullwhip exclude the fall, so an 8ft bullwhip is 8 ft from the base of the handle to the end of the plaiting, not including the 3ft fall+popper. American style measurements include the fall, so a 8 ft American style bullwhip will be 8 ft long from base of the handle to the end of the fall.
George, I have never heard of David Making a 9-foot bullwhip, At one time he was more open to custom orders but these days he is pretty adamant about making them his way. You could always ask though. After 5ft , Most whip makers tend to go increments 2ft even lengths, but you could probably find someone willing to make a 9ft whip for you.
Dan
The only advantage a 10-foot whip has is that it’s a little better for wrapping targets, i.e. people, ect. They are a little slower so you need to take that into consideration, but The extra couple of feet adds a bit of drama and flair to a wrap, plus it give a lil leeway for safety precautions. 8ft bullwhips make a nice intermediate length between a 6ft and a 10 ft whip though and if your only ever going to get one bullwhip, 8ft is usually the best way to go as you can do all your general whip cracking with it, as well as still do a lot of target work and some wrap around work with them. 8 ft tends to be the ideal length for most people who are just learning how to crack a whip too and are what I usually recommend to newbie’s.
Now, Keep in mind depending on what type of bullwhip your buying, Australian or American are measured differently. Australian measurements for a bullwhip exclude the fall, so an 8ft bullwhip is 8 ft from the base of the handle to the end of the plaiting, not including the 3ft fall+popper. American style measurements include the fall, so a 8 ft American style bullwhip will be 8 ft long from base of the handle to the end of the fall.
George, I have never heard of David Making a 9-foot bullwhip, At one time he was more open to custom orders but these days he is pretty adamant about making them his way. You could always ask though. After 5ft , Most whip makers tend to go increments 2ft even lengths, but you could probably find someone willing to make a 9ft whip for you.
Dan
A lot of the whipmakers out there will make odd lengths -- 7ft, 9ft, 11ft, etc. And they will usually charge you somewhere between the even length whips the offer. I've had quite a few different makers do a 9 footer for me. It's a nice length if you sometimes feel that an 8ft is a bit short & a 10ft a bot too long. But I agree with BWB, if you're only going to get one whip, then an 8 footer is a great choice.
While I have no proof to back this up, I disagree with the statement that the whip on his belt throughout the films was a 10 footer. If you look at how many coils the whip has when on his belt & how large they are, it looks more likely that it's an 8ft or possibly a 9ft. Morgan doesn't make a 9ft you say? Well, some of these whips belonged to the stuntman, who, in all likelihood, never babied his whip. If through rough usage he happened to blow a strand in the point, then the whip may have been cut back to a shorted length & rebraided. As I said, I have absolutely no proof whatsoever, but I think that the only time they deviated from the 8 foot length was to perform a stunt that required more length, such as a swinging scene...
~Jace
While I have no proof to back this up, I disagree with the statement that the whip on his belt throughout the films was a 10 footer. If you look at how many coils the whip has when on his belt & how large they are, it looks more likely that it's an 8ft or possibly a 9ft. Morgan doesn't make a 9ft you say? Well, some of these whips belonged to the stuntman, who, in all likelihood, never babied his whip. If through rough usage he happened to blow a strand in the point, then the whip may have been cut back to a shorted length & rebraided. As I said, I have absolutely no proof whatsoever, but I think that the only time they deviated from the 8 foot length was to perform a stunt that required more length, such as a swinging scene...
~Jace