What's the best length for me?

[Mark Brody]

I was looking at David Branch's whips, and he says that 6 ft is ideal to learn on. I was looking to get an 8 ft whip (something more appropriate to Indy), but with whips being as expensive as they are, I really don't want to buy several whips. What length did you all learn to crack a whip on? Is an 8 ft whip really that much harder?

[BullWhipBorton]

I recommend either a 6ft or 8 ft whip to learn on. 6ft whips tend to be less intimidating to an extent, though I personally find 8ft bullwhips to be a better over all whip though to use and learn with. You have more length to get a better over all feel for the whip and how it cracks as you begin to develop that dialog with it. They are also long enough to do body wraps and such, yet still well suited to target work.

In the longrun, many people find it easier for most to go from a longer whip to a short whip, as apposed to going from a short whip, to a long whip.

Dan

[PyramidBlaster]

In my experience, the longer the better, to a certain extent.

I would recommend an 8' or 10', depending on your height.

I'm self-taught, and I learned on a 12'. When I started making whips, it took me a while to build anything shorter than 10'. When I finally did, I found that I had to re-learn how to crack them all over again. The reason being, the longer the whip, the slower the action, for the most part. Much of learning the whip is about timing, and developing a mental picture of what the whip is doing when you can't see it.

Short whips take split-second timing, longer ones have more give-and-take. Then again, there are many maneuvers which shorter whips can do that longer ones can't. I've used everything from 4' to 40', and in my experience...I'm now settling between 8' and 10' as the 'perfect' all-around whip. Right now my favorite is a fast 10'.

[Mark Brody]

Thanks for the help, guys. What's the best IOAB for whip cracking? I've been looking at Todd's and Winrich's whips. What gives the best bang for your buck (pun intended)?

[PyramidBlaster]

That depends a lot on whether you'll accept Nylon or if you need leather. Nylon whips are cheaper, more or less comparable in crackability to leather, and require next to no upkeep---you can even use them wet without fear. I currently build using nylon, but am probably a couple of months away from trying kangaroo. I used to build using cowhide. For day-to-day use where I don't have to worry about anything, it's nylon all the way for me.

Still, for many there's nothing like leather. it's a personal preference, and I must admit that I miss having a good leather whip. Nylon will probably last longer, but there's just something about leather, man...

I was totally in the 'leather only' camp until i got to use some other people's nylon whips...Now I really do see the beauty of them. Here's my latest.

[Canuck Digger]

I learned on a long whip, probably 9 or 10 feet long, but I've since come to really appraciate the 8 footer. It's my personal favoourite as it lets me do target work with a fair amount of accuracy, it's long enough to have a nice roll out, but is also short enough that you can practice just about anywhere, which isn't true of ten footers. You have to remember that on top of the length of the whip, the plaited length that is, there is anywhere from 2 to 3 feet of fall and cracker on top of that (usually around 30"), AND then there is the length of your own arm. So an 8 foot whip can easily reach out to 12 even 13 feet! Which means that you need a circle of a minimum of 25 feet to practice in safely! That's a lot of space in you happen to live in the city... I'm just saying that the best whip length is the one that you will take out and crack to most, because that's the one that will give you the most satisfaction. Some like it longer, it's all a matter of taste.
Cheers,

Franco

[Mark Brody]

That depends a lot on whether you'll accept Nylon or if you need leather. Nylon whips are cheaper, more or less comparable in crackability to leather, and require next to no upkeep---you can even use them wet without fear. I currently build using nylon, but am probably a couple of months away from trying kangaroo. I used to build using cowhide. For day-to-day use where I don't have to worry about anything, it's nylon all the way for me.

I remember hearing something about that earlier. That's a great looking whip you have posted there. I'd be thrilled to own one like it. Where can I get one?

Canuck Digger, you bring up a lot of good points. The target work sounds like a lot of fun. Overall, the 8 footer seems to be the favorite.

[PyramidBlaster]

rjallen70 is making some good nylon whips, for really reasonable prices.

I'm to the point where I'd be comfortable selling mine, but what I lack right now is time....Right now I'd have a pretty long turnaround time, probably up to a month...Maybe it's time to try an interest thread--I've had some offers.

[JMObi]

I learned on an 8 footer and other shorter lengths. But I now crack 10 foot short handle whips exclusively.

Really you should learn on all the lengths of whip to become truly proficient, but being already experienced in other lengths I have decided to just focus on the 10 footer exclusively from now on. Time is limited for practice, and i don't mind if I now don't get fully proficient on other lengths, since I don't intend to carry any other length in my field bag )

If I get to really know that one length well, I'll consider myself a 10' specialist. The longest whip I ever cracked was owned by Richard Taubman in Australia and I think it was something like about 40 feet long.

[IndyWhips]

Best advice before you buy is to find a local whip meeting, you'll find that most whip crackers are very generous with letting you handle their pride and joys, this way you'll get the feel of many whipmakers work and be in a much better position to judge whats best for you in terms of lenth, weight and maker.....

It really is different strokes for different folks, my prefered length is 6 foot, anything over this does restrict where you can use your whip.....

Best Wishes

Tony

[dr. tyree]

I think the 8 footer is the easiest to learn on. The action on a 6 is so fast, when you're learning it's hard to make adjustments or even see what you're doing right/wrong.

I've come around to the 8 after years of cracking longer whips. The 8 is usually the longest that can be cracked on stage or in a fairly large room and can still have enough length to do disarms and wraps, etc. It's just a great all-purpose length, IMHO. The others are for special applications, like where even an 8 is too long (like grabbing your dad's leg before he is swept away by a tank track) or for long reaches like wrapping beams or wires or elephant trunks or Anubis statues before the director yells "Cut" and the grips come in to rig the swinging whip with the wire core.

[LemonLauren]

Personally, I like a 6ft for starting out with. It's long enough that you can still easily feel the flow of the whip and see the loops or hairpin curves you're creating (or, in the beginning, trying to create). But it's still short enough that you feel a little more in control of it at first, and the popper end is close enough to your arm that it's a little easier to directly associate your arm movements with how the whole thong is reacting to them.

On the flip side though, if you don't anticipate being able to save up for the 8ft you really want later on, then I say go for the 8ft now. It might be (in my opinion) a little harder to learn on, but you certainly will learn to use it eventually. And it's not like an 8ft is a horrible monster to learn on either - it's quite doable, and many many COW members have successfully started with one and grown very fond of that length. It's just that at first, you have to be more patient with letting the 8ft extend completely before you throw it in the direction of the crack, and you have to be a little more precise with your movements because there's more whip to amplify any little mistakes. So, if you really want an 8ft, I think you should get it.

Be careful though - whipcracking is addictive, and you may easily find yourself buying more whips later on, no matter which one you decide on for your first! )

Lauren Wickline
www.midwestwhips.com

[Baldwyn]

Depends on the size of your backyard. If you have a large backyard, get this 50 footer.



Ah, seriously, my first whip is a 6-foot target bullwhip from the maker of the above whip, and it's still perhaps my favourite one to swing around. Not screen-accurate (I also have a DM 10', and a Joe Strain 12' until it sells in the Bazaar), but I like the weight and fluidness of it. Right now, I'm considering a <6' snake whip, actually!

[Mark Brody]

Just ordered my whip today from rjallen70!

8 foot brown nylon. Oughta serve my purposes well once it gets here is a week or so. I must admit, I'm pretty excited to try my hand at cracking it. Now all I need is safety goggles.

[Whipcrack]

Just ordered my whip today from rjallen70!

8 foot brown nylon. Oughta serve my purposes well once it gets here is a week or so. I must admit, I'm pretty excited to try my hand at cracking it. Now all I need is safety goggles.

You "chose wisely" Brody. You will be very happy with an 8 footer. I have never tried a nylon whip though. Let me know how it cracks. I have heard they can be a little too light through the body but as a first whip I don't think you will even notice it.

Good luck,
Bill Walton