The Slow Figure 8 is slowly driving me maaaaaad

[Lukes Roommate]

So far things have gone swimmingly for the cracks and easy combos I've attempted.
Cairo Flash, Australian Cross (or Cairo Cross as I've been calling it), things have gone well.
Forward flick, overhead, sidearm, underhand, cattleman's, yep, all can do.
Then the figure 8. Yes, the slow figure 8, yep, the slooow figure 8...

I had to drive with my left arm last night as I wore out my right attempting this crack. Over and over, failure, and I felt like I looked like a rubber dummy with voltage being shot through it's body as my right arm seizured into a backwards frenzy of frustration.

I'm using an 8ft whip, that's not broken in yet. I've gone over Adam's video on YouTube, and a few others, watching in slow mo. I can see myself doing it, but just can't get it. KHHHAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNN.

Sorry, just had to vent as this is the first "wall" I've run into with my whip education.
It's supposed to rain today and tomorrow so I will have to practice the arm motions as actual whip practice won't be feasible.

Any tips?

I have Anthony's Beginner DVD on it's way, and will be picking up Mastering the Bullwhip, both volumes. Until then it's YouTube and trial and error...

[tomek9210]

What exactly do you have problem with? It's just cattleman's crack, then your arm moves down along the circle and another cattleman's crack, but backwards. It's hard for me to explain it better, maybe someone else can make it

[Lukes Roommate]

I know, it sounds simple, and looks simple, but going backwards with the crack, my body loses it's coordination and I spaz out! I'm sure with more practice I will get it. I know the arm motion, I just have to figure out the sweet spot and once I hit that, I should have no problem.

Is my whip state, in that it's not fully broken in, affecting this?

[tomek9210]

Nope, I think you should be able to do it with every whip, broken in or not. Just try to do that move without a bullwhip.

[Marhala]

Adam is great when teaching cracks. I learned that particular crack with Alex Green in Whip Cracking Made Easy II. Perhaps you should just sleep over it and things which seem difficult your mind will just reorganized them. Next time you try it will be far easier. Relax, and enjoy!

Just a thought.

Have a great weekend,

Aldo.

[Lukes Roommate]

Thanks guys!

[louiefoxx]

Can you do the reverse cattleman's crack by itself? Being proficient with that will help the slow figure 8 a lot!

Louie
http://bullwhips.org

[rjccj]

Louie's advice is spot on. I'm a beginner myself and what helped me learn the slow figure 8 was just practising the reverse cattleman's crack. Here's how I learned how to do it.

Starting with the whip laid out straight in front of you, pull your arm back under itself and bring the whip up pretty firmly, making sure it lays out straight like on a regular cattleman's crack. Keep practising this until it lays out so you won't hit yourself. Then when you've got that figured out, start bringing your arm back when you see the whip at the same point you would on a forward cattleman's crack. Use the same speed and same motion, just in reverse. Follow through smoothly and bring the whip back out in front of you.

Paul and Lauren have a really good video demonstrating just doing the reverse crack. They might start with the whip behind them, but I found it easier to start in front.

Hope it helps, like I said, I'm a beginner myself, and hopefully didn't just sound like a rambling idiot. lol

[jedichase]

Hey,

I notice this every time I try to teach someone how to do this crack and notice something that most people do.
If you do a regular forward/ circus crack you notice that you move your arm down and what you need to do is continue this downward movement into the reverse crack. Another important thing i have noticed is to learn how to do the forward crack in different positions and learning how to keep the whip moving. For example, next time you practice this do the forward crack and use that downward movement to turn your whole body 180 degrees if you look then the whips downward motion has turned to upward motion for the same crack.
Confusing but just try to do the crack in different directions and positions and slowly you will learn.

[InexorableTash]

Ditto to what was said about working on just the reverse crack first. And regarding that:

Slow down and watch the whip. Your arm wore out since you're bending it and twisting it in a new way, which is expected. It is going to feel very different than a forwards crack because your arm doesn't bend that way! However, the whip movement and timing should be the same, so focus on that.

What I did was alternate a forwards crack, stop, then try a reverse crack. Focus on watching the whip - where it curves, when it straightens out, the hang time, and so on. Don't worry about the crack, jus try and make the forwards and reverse roll-out symmetrical.

Once it looks right, you should get that pre-cracking "whoosh" sound reliably, and can "play" with the movement until it is cracking and your muscle memory takes over.

[Lukes Roommate]

My post was a bit incorrect in that I was having problems with the reverse
cattleman crack, I hadn't actually attempted the full combo yet.
Thanks very much for the advice on the reverse crack, I will put it into play
as soon as the weather clears!!

[Lukes Roommate]

Well, I got out for some practice yesterday, and managed to get a crack twice out of the reverse cattleman, and the movement felt right. The rest of the time the whip would hit the ground, so I worked on figuring out what I was doing wrong with my arm motion.

Something feels a bit "off" though in general. I could do the Australian Cross without issue, and yet Friday and yesterday I was having major problems with it. On my second crack, the whip would hit itself, or get locked up with itself on the follow through before the crack should happen. And yesterday I cracked my hand in the attempt. Got a nice blood blister for my efforts just below my thumb. So strange as I feel I'm doing what I've normally done, to success, and yet attempt after attempt results in the whip colliding with itself. Argh.

Going to get a workman's glove for practicing this combo until I figure out what's gone goofy...