From falls & poppers to plaiting & cracking technique, this section is dedicated in memory of Sergei, IndyGear Staff Member and Whip Guru. Always remember to keep "Celebratin' Life!"
So after about 2 years of using the bullwhip, the only run-in I've had with my whip was a few unexpected lashes to my leg(s)... Until NOW. Yup, it finally happened. I was out in the back practicing with my Morgan. I don't know if it was the wind or what happened, but all of the sudden I hear 'POP!" Immediately following the "POP," was a burning sensation in my eye. After over an hour of not being able to open my eye properly I went to the doctor and found out that I had lacerated my cornea. So without further adieu...
and no, this is NOT going to stop me from using my whip
p.s. Who knows- Maybe that's how old Indy got his eye patch
Isn't that REAL dangerous? My son had a similar accident playing basketball and he had to put drops in his eye like every three hours for two days. The doctor told him that there was a real good chance of infection and losing the eye, or death. It was a very big deal.
Sergei had a story about an eye injury he got while using his whip. It might not be Indy gear, but protective glasses are a smart thing, I think. Hope your cornea heals up without complications. The good news is that the cornea is the fastest healing tissue in your body.
Hope the eye heals up fast. I had the same thing happen to me, although mine was as serious--my vision was cloudy for about 2 hours before it began to clear up.
It may not be "Indy" tough, but I've always got safety glasses on anymore.
Sometimes all it takes is the slight move of the head to have the tip of the whip divert it's travel. That was the hardest thing I had to make myself do was to NOT pull my head away from the whip movement, as I found when I did, that's when the whip wrapped itself around my neck. Even though it was a perfect throw and follow through...just that slight movement shifted the tip, and it ended badly, though NOTHING like THIS!
Get well, and don't rush it. Your eye needs to heal in it's own good time.
I hope your eye gets better soon. Hurts just thinking about it! Keep us posted on your recovery. I, like you and most whip enthusiasts, have only lashed myself slightly about the legs after many years of practice. I´m out the door right now to pick up some fashionable eye protection!
I hope your recover fully soon sir. The eyes are truly a gift and must be protected at all cost.
I've been cracking whips for over 25 years now and thankfully I've never hit myself in the eye, though I have hit every other part of my body when I was learning! These days I don't wear any protection whatsoever and I've never hit myself. This is not to say I'm an expert whipcracker, but I am very comfortable with a whip and it's just not something that happens to me anymore, and that is precisely why I'm going out to buy a pair of protective goggles! I've just described one of the main reasons accidents happen to people asside from innexperience: over-confidence. So, though I may not look as cool as an a action-hero with my goggles, I plan on keeping my eyes for a long time.
Nibs, I’m glad that your ok, but you are very lucky you didn’t loose your eye.
It's so easy to get overconfident, or just to take the whip for granted and that’s when it will happily give you a reminder to be more respectful. Mistakes happen even to the best whip handlers; unfortunately in this case you had to learn that the hard way. I’m glad to hear your not giving up, but at least get your self a pair of these.
Nibs - glad to hear you are going to be okay. Thanks for the reminder that I need to wear eye protection. I need to be especially careful when my kids crack the whip. I'm going to get some good eye protection to keep with my whips - maybe even two pairs - one for travel and one for home.
Franco - good call. Glad to hear a "veteran" is willing to take precautions too.
Personally I always wear eye protection. I am a safety officer at my company. I have to preach the stuff every day. I also do would wood working and all it takes is one wood chip in the eye and you never do anything with out protection. Heck, I even mow the grass with safety sun glasses.
I hope your eye heals fast. I don't know what part of Texas your in but it was really windy here today. I've noticed that wind does strange things to longer whips.
Eye injuries are no fun, I've been there. I hope you heal up real fast and being able to open your eye is a good thing(i couldn't open mine for a week!). anyways I wish you a speedy recovery
Thanks for the kind words y'all I went back to the doctor today and am happy to report that my cornea is 100% healed! But ya, from now on I am DEFINITELY going to be wearing eye protection. Thanks again for your concerns and kind words.
This is one of the things I love about this forum. You open it up in the morning, with
a fresh cup of coffee ready to read the latest from makers and owners and you come
across a post like knibs7 explanation of his injury.
Now that I have the coffee wiped off my screen I can give a big THANKS to knibs7
for a good laugh to start off the day Sorry to hear about the injury but glad to see
you're taking it in stride. Keep us posted on your progress.
Ouch man. I hope your eye gets better quickly. You don't have any depth perception without that second eye!
You know, these Hurt threads really make me want to both buy a whip and not buy one. Whenever it is that I do buy a whip, I'll be sure to break out some old equipment floating around in my garage. I think it'll help when I first start.
Aside from loving the movie, the downtown shots are practically from my childhood as they filmed in Cleveland, my home town. It really looked like that, decorated windows, etc. In the one department store, Higbees, they had 7 floors all connected by steadily narrower escalators. The top one was even made of wood and would clatter along and was only one person wide.
I may always see a whip in that scene from now on. Glad you're good as new.
Glad to hear your eye is OK now ,Nibs. I've been wearing glasses religiously since I drew blood on my left cheek, no more than an inch from my eye back in December. Scared the heck out of me! Anyway,We should all learn a lesson.
~raider 57