Do you ever hit yourself with the whip trying to crack it?

Mark Brody · Post by **Mark Brody** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:55 am

We've all hit ourselves cracking whips. It's inevitable. Even if you just painlessly slap yourself occasionally, there's sometime you realize that the setup is bad and you knock it off before you really hurt yourself. So how do your bad cracks usually end up?

Shagbd · Post by **Shagbd** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:10 pm

in the past 3 or 4 weeks ive been "learning" whip... Ive probably hit myself 5 times to every 1 time ive cracked it hahaa

Earl Weber · Post by **Earl Weber** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:16 pm

I got myself in the ear once; that's the only one I really remember. It hurt about as bad as anything I've experienced next to getting a broken arm set.

McFly · Post by **McFly** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:20 pm

Once in a while when I'm working on quick combos or fast transitions between two cracks, I'll slap my ankles or my lower calves a little bit. That's the most common for me.

Shane

indy89 · Post by **indy89** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:23 pm

Where's the "all of the above" option?

Darth Indiana · Post by **Darth Indiana** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:33 pm

when i started cracking i hit my legs the most. Now that i've gotten a good feel for my whip i haven't hit myself at all in a while. The only time I did myself serious damage was back in February shortly after i started. botched an overhead crack and hit myself square on the eyelid. i was on the ground for a good minute, unable to move. it's a miracle it hit me just as i blinked, otherwise i could very well have lost the eye. i normally wear goggles at the very least, but this time I didn't, and I payed for it. I posted a thread about it at the time.
Here it is:

viewtopic.php?t=26601&highlight=

It's healed nicely, and you have to be looking for the scar to really see it. I snapped a quick picture, and the scar doesn't even show up.

as to the poll question: i'd say where you're most likely to hit yourself depends on what crack you're doing.

Fink · Post by **Fink** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:35 pm

Where's the EYE option?!?!?

Darth Indiana · Post by **Darth Indiana** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:36 pm

i guess that would count as "FACE."

Castor Dioscuri · Post by **Castor Dioscuri** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:06 pm

Don't laugh, but on my first couple of sessions, I pulled my trusty fencing mask out of the closet... And I'm darn glad I did! You won't believe how many times the thing snapped my mask, and once the thong even loudly fell down on top of it with a loud thud after a bad follow-through.

Nowadays, I mainly just keep snapping myself around my legs. I even did a painless and loud wrap by accident! Though I've retired the fencing mask from bullwhip practice, I do occassionally whip myself in the face with the fall/popper...

At least it's light enough though to only hurt my pride!

Indiana Strones · Post by **Indiana Strones** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:26 pm

Where's the "private equipment" option??

Darth Indiana · Post by **Darth Indiana** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 3:33 pm

it's not "family friendly"
i joked about that in the thread i linked to, but it got a wag of the finger and a minor edit from the mods. if you're familiar with the terminology you can still spot the reference though.

WhipDude · Post by **WhipDude** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 7:03 pm

Actually, I've been rather lucky but I tend to think it's because my long arms keeping the whip away. I have hit myself a few times and it hurts, but haven't ever had the whip crack against my body yet.
I believe a key thing in whipcracking is that when you don't have something perfected, take your time and go slow. Rushing into it or forcing the crack only worsens it.

Bardoon · Post by **Bardoon** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:30 pm

I've mostly hit my back and the back of my head...I rarely hit my legs, but I suppose that's because I'm working on cracks that lead the whip towards my body.

JMObi · Post by **JMObi** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 12:19 am

I used to hit myself in the back of the head, near my right ear, when I was a teenager. After a few mighty wallops I got wily to the ways of whip thongs....that is until only a few weeks ago, the neighbor's cat and I met by accident down in the garden. This cat (I think) ate one of my favorite wild birds, so he and I are not friends. We stared at each other momentarily, frozen in place, but in a sudden inspiration I let fly with an enormous burst of energy with my 10' bullwhip I happened to have in my hand. The cat went into orbit and I hit myself *somehow* on the wrist. Yikes, it was a bit of a hit too. The cat was unhurt. I did not harm the cat in any way.

Mark Brody · Post by **Mark Brody** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 3:11 am

It's a shame the cat got away. I hate cats. I'm scared to DEATH of 'em.

Dutch_jones · Post by **Dutch_jones** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 8:48 am

McFly wrote:Once in a while when I'm working on quick combos or fast transitions between two cracks, I'll slap my ankles or my lower calves a little bit. That's the most common for me.

Shane

EXACTLY !Its always the back
of the legs here.

MacFett · Post by **MacFett** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 7:56 pm

I found my uncle's whip when I was a kid and my first crack attempt ended up wrapped around my neck.
I was scared to death but also hooked on Bullwhips right then and there.

Indy1024 · Post by **Indy1024** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 1:01 am

i always get hit...all over!
so I put that i wrap myself in it..

Solent MKIII · Post by **Solent MKIII** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 5:32 am

Earl Weber wrote:I got myself in the ear once; that's the only time I really remember. It hurt about as
bad as anything I've experienced next to getting a broken arm set.

Did that to myself years ago when I was first learning to crack. Part of the
fall just caught the side of my ear - it felt like getting a mutant bee-sting.
If the popper had hit me, I'd probobly be missing a little chunk of ear to this day!

Hadn't thrown a whip in ages until several months ago and was a bit rusty
until I remembered how to do it again ( lightly clipped myself a couple of
times when I started )

Don't fall off on your practicing, and always be safe!:junior:

jason10mm · Post by **jason10mm** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 8:10 am

I lashed myself across the back yesterday. Left a nice welt about 18 inches long with a larger wheal where I think I was tagged by a knot in the cracker. Didn't tear my shirt but WOW, now I know why folks don't take too kindly to being lashed

I also tagged my chin, though lightly. Almost took my love of Indy into ritual scarification

Do you ever hit yourself with the whip trying to crack it?

What's the most likely place you'll hit yourself cracking a whip?

Do you ever hit yourself with the whip trying to crack it?