Side Arm crack

[Ken]

Hi

I have been practising fairly regularly now and have pretty much mastered the circus crack now and can do the overhead crack and was having problems getting the side arm crack until this evening when I finally cracked it (excuse the pun).

Anyhow, I still haven't perfected it as I am fairly regularly still hitting my back or the back of my neck when doing it. IS this having the whip in the wrong starting position, bad technique or a problem with the step forward. I would work it out by practising more only it hurts so much - 5 times on the back of my neck in one hour! Owww!

Any feedback from those more experienced would be a great help. Thanks guys.

Ken

[Major Mike]

First off, practice slowly for technique, and don't worry about making a big crack. It hurts a lot less, and will help you develop the right habits.

The whip should be moving in a line that is straight from rear to front. Imagine yourself standing on a set of railroad tracks. If you are hitting yourself in the rear end, it means you are not keeping the whip moving in a straight line, but you are moving it left and right. Lay it out behind you parallel to the RR tracks, and just practice dragging it straight out in front of you.

Your hand should start behind you with the butt of the whip facing forward. Move your hand forward till you're almost fully extended, still keeping the butt of the whip facing forward. When you are at the last of your swing, rotate your wrist to turn the whip over so the butt now faces backward. If you're a fly fisherman, its the same technique to do a forward cast.

To see this illustrated, contact Paul Stenhouse and get a copy of his DVD on Whipcracking and Maintenance. He address this very problem, and he shows you why it's going wrong and how to fix it. It's a lot easier to watch than to try to describe it. He does a really nice job of it.

Also check out Anthony DeLongis and his tape called Whipcracking with the Masters. Tony is a martial artist, and talks alot about how to crack the most efficiently with the least amount of effort. Its all about technique and control, not power and loudness, and developing the soft touch allows you to practice without hurting yourself.

Keep working at it, you'll get it.

Mike

[Indiana Texas-girl]

Ken, don't feel bad. It took me several months to get it. A story you will appreciate since you know Dan. He was teaching me the crack back in January. He got pretty frustrated because I couldn't get it down right away. So then he remembered back to when he first started trying the crack and it took him 4 months and so he started apologizing profusely. LOL!

Oh and instead of hitting the back of my neck, I kept hitting my rump, so you can imagine each attempt at the crack...it ended with a little jump and forward hip thrust into the air a bit. Today I have no problems and actually got a few sidearms with my left arm (I'm a righty) a few weeks back.

[PropReplicator]

Sounds like your breaking your wrist backward when you start the side crack. That's what's changing the line of the whip and having it come up and swat you as it tried to come forward. Even if your whip is lying to your side, if your wrist is broken/bent when you start to pull the whip forward, the whip will follow where your wrist is pointing before moving forward.

In the side crack, when your arm is behind you, you want to keep your wrist pointed away from you and not bent behind you. (Hope that made sense!) Don't break your wrist until your arm is well on its way forward, and you shouldn't have any more whelps on your back and legs.

[Mike]

Ken,

I can only back up Major Mike's statements about the Stenhouse DVD. I got it down in only 3 tries after watching his technique! Wrist placement plays a big part in the side arm.

Mike

[MaryonRavenwood]

I got my Stenhouse DVD today. and promptly went out and started cracking after it was over. Ken, I feel your pain (no pun intended)--I'm having a bear of a time trying to get the sidearm right, too. Actually, Major Mike's comments above will be of great assistance to me next time I go out. Watching Paul in the video is amazing--he makes it look so effortless! (Which, I suppose, is how it's ultimately supposed to be.) I have to keep starting wrist position in mind. I think one of my problems at this point is I'm going too much right to left instead of keeping it in a straight line. Although it'll be frustrating, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who took a long time to get it right. When I watch people who are really good with a ship, I just have to keep reminding myself that they have spent hundreds of hours to get that good. Well, I know what I'm doing most of this weekend!

Many thanks to Paul for putting together a GREAT resource. Now I'll never need to buy crackers again! And yes, it's very cool that he's wearing full gear at the beginning of it!

You and I will get it right eventually, Ken. Hey--you're one up on me at this point!
Regards--Maryon

[Ken]

Well i think I got it now - some really useful advice there! I only got the one book at the minute I am working from and like a lot of things in life, its always useful to be told/taught it in different ways.

Many thanks.

Ken

PS - Maryon it took me ages and ages to get the circus crack. I had a master himself teaching me (Sergei) at the summit and I just could not get it. But now I dont have a problem. So now when I try learning an new crack I just approach it with the expectation it will take forever to learn and anything better than that is a bonus.

[MaryonRavenwood]

Good words, my friend. Ironically, the circus crack was the first crack I learned, and the only one I could do for awhile. Of course, it's a much easier crack with a 6-footer...
Regards--Maryon