I love this sport!

[Lukes Roommate]

I just had to post that I really, really love this sport!
It's been a while since I've been involved with something that I simply can't wait to get out and do.
I love the learning process, that getting a new crack down can be tough, but once you get it, it all unfolds and that "ah-ha" moment hits you.
Learning how the whip moves, "listening" to it, and being able to control and guide a physics lesson disguised as kangaroo hide is awesome.

It can be frustrating, it can be painful (literally) and it can be exhilarating, all in one motion!

And the whip is made of that wonderful hide known as "leather" a wide generalization I use simply because it's a hide.
I grew up in a baseball family. I played it, taught it, coached it. My brother nearly went pro, I decided not to chase that dream.
But the one constant element in all of that was the baseball glove and the love I have for it (especially vintage pre-1940s gloves). The smell of the leather, the feel of it on your hand, and that it is a tool to be used and mastered.

I have that feeling for the whip now, and I am extremely excited to be on the road to learning more and more about this wonderful craft.

[thefish]

Amen to that!

I remember that feeling well, and still feel it on those occasions when I'm "In the Pocket" and the whip is truly an extension of my will.

You're doomed now, LR...You've fallen in with so many of us who have learned the narcotic effect of the whip; that little surge of norepinepherine when that whip breaks the sound barrier.

Crack is addictive, and rather than find a 12 step program for it, your best bet is just to embrace it with the rest of us.

Welcome aboard!

And happy cracking!

-Dan

[bobm2004]

I hear and feel exactly as you do. I especially love those days when you get in the zone and the cracks flow!!

I of course blame my addiction to this hobby on Mr. Adam Winrich! Why did he have to be so nice to me years ago, and then sell me my first whip? He took the time to show me how to use it, then was kind enough to get together with me for a full day of whip play and I was gone! The whip collection now has 20 in it, from 6 feet to 29 feet!

Even today, I had very little time when I got home, but as I passed the shop, I ducked in grabbed a 10 footer and threw it a dozen times or so-smiling I went back to my mundane tasks of the evening!

I ma getting that I need a new whip itch................

[Indiana County Jr.]

Just don't get caught "huffing" the whip.... that was a long conversation explaining that one...

[Lukes Roommate]

"huffing" as in "smelling"?
I do that. I sit on the couch when we watch a movie and just smell the whip, just like I do with my baseball glove.

My only issue with the sport, is finding a good place to practice where I won't annoy, or alarm anyone and where I can practice in peace.
The weekends are good as the baseball diamond near me is empty during the day, and free of immediate homes.
During the week it gets tough as there is either a game going on, or people are actually walking their dogs and BABIES on it.

[kwad]

Ahhhh, whip huffing? Okay, this is entirely new one to me.

However, I do agree with everyone on the other points.
Cracking a whip is my therapy. After a stressful day at work, I immediately go for the closest whip and walk outside. It only takes a few cracks and I'm nice and relaxed.

Luckily, my neighbors are really cool about it. They will stop an watch and ask me questions about it. Never once have I received a noise complaint or had the cops called.

I even have a fan club made up of the neighborhood kids. When they see me outside, they all come running to watch. (They even know my routine and will ask for certain cracks ).

[Indiana County Jr.]

It's a joke son, all in good fun!

[Eloquent 1]

I too have found that there is something inherently therapeutic about whip cracking. After only a few minutes, I come back inside a better man.

I live in a condo with a nice large grassy common area where I take my whip out when I can't get to a park. I've never had anyone complain per se, although one of my neighbors mentioned that their dog (a doberman) whimpers and hides when the whip is crackin'. I've heard everything from passersby from "Oh my god, that's sick" to "Gee, I wouldn't want to make You angry". But the general rule I follow when out in public is to be a "good citizen". The kids love it, though.

Another excuse to crack your whip: David Morgan mentions in his book "Whips & Whipmaking" that some cultures believe that the cracking of a whip wards off evil spirits; of course, I don't believe in any of that superstitious hocus-pocus....

[Indiana County Jr.]

I agree,
Something about it is stress relieving. There is nothing quite like it. I am lucky; no one in my neighborhood has said anything. Most dogs here just bark a lot when I am cracking. The neighbors just look on, I guess in a way they feel safe?


Crack On!
Allen

[Lukes Roommate]

I haven't had any complaints yet, but it's just that built in piece of adulthood in me that wants to be conscientious about the noise level.
I don't mind using my parent's front lawn (they still live in the house that I grew up in) as the neighbours wouldn't complain there, but there isn't enough vertical space for some of the cracks.

It is indeed a wonderful piece of stress relief!

[InexorableTash]

Oh *heck* yeah.

At home in SF I'm about 10 minutes on the bus from the nearest spot I'd consider it marginally neighborly to do some cracking. (I suppose I can't complain too much: that spot has a gorgeous view of the Golden Gate Bridge, when the fog decides to break.)

But I'm currently visiting my in-laws in small town Oregon, working remotely. Need a bit of stress relief? Just step outside to the empty 100'x100' corner lot next door and go to town. Just watch out for deer droppings.