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!"
I have bursitis in my shoulder that's been particularly bad over the last few months. We had a break of good weather for a change, so went out in the front yard with the 10' whip for some practice.
After working on the overhead crack for a while, I realized my shoulder felt better than it has in some time. I use the mouse a lot at work, and I guess the different shoulder movements using the whip helped loosen it up.
And the neighbor across the street asked me if I would come over and prune some of the higher branches for him.
I reckon whipcracking is a good little hobby to have. Gets you out into the sunshine (when the sun is shining!), gets your joints moving. It's pretty good exercise imo, though I don't know what medical specialists would say.
Thats why I like 10' indy whips - you have to use the full arm, shoulders, hips, feet rather than just elbow as in a lot of stockwhip cracking imo. The zen aspect is good too. They say archery develops one of the highest forms of 'zen' in sport. I'd add cutting leaf tips with an Indy bullwhip )
My wifes physical therapist actually did recommend it to her as a good low impact excercise for the muscles of her upper back. He asked her about the kinds of activities we enjoyed as a family and would encourage the ones that were helpful. If he had not quizzed her, I don't think he would have pulled whipcracking out of the air, but he did endorse it in her case.
Having shoulder surgery from a car accident. Be very careful. I had a torn labrum that required 7 holes drilled into my shoulder to suture and anchor in my labrum. On top of that I had a tear in my rotator cuff and a detached bicep. The recovery was led with complications from a severe frozen shoulder that led to bursitis. Bursitis in the shoulder is very bad. It can lead to bone spurs that will tear the rotator cuff. I would highly recommend seeking medical advice.
However for those folks that have healthy shoulders, absolutely whipcracking is great. Before my accident, I had healthy rounded muscles around the shoulder - deltoids, scapular, serratus group, traps, etc. Great exercise for all those muscle groups around the shoulder. Bursitis in the shoulder is to be taken seriously.
My doc knows about the shoulder, he made the diagnosis. Waiting on an insurance referral follow up to meet with a phys therapist shortly. Definitely agree on taking it seriously.
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