Club Obi Wan

FIrst off, This is ME....

heres my story:

Back when LC came out, i was probably 7 or 8 or so.... and i was wanting a whip BADDDD.... So my grandfather made me a whip... thats always been his "job"... Make whatever snotty nosed grandchild wants hahaha
Luckily hes one of the most talented people i know, so to say i was a lucky kid is an understatement...
So he made me a 4 plait whip out of latigo... it was a 6 footer and pretty light.... basically it was a "toy" for a kid who wanted a whip....
well Flash forward to.... um... 2 weeks ago.... we had a family gathering and were flipping channels and Raiders was on..... so i went and got my whip and my grandfather and I went outside and cracked it a bit.
when i was a kid, i NEVER could do an overhead crack... maybe i was too small or weak.... anyway... he could do it GOOD...
so there I am..... first time in nearly 20 years of touching a whip... and my grandfather was showing me the overhead.... and ill be d***ed.. IT WORKED!
that got me ADDICTED!
that night i went home and found COW and stayed on here for HOURS reading as much as I could.......
so basically Im a really new member.... just about 2 weeks........
I have already ordered a whip from Joe Strain as well as one from Bernardo Del Caprio....
I knew that the whip I had, that my grandfather made me, was inadequete for the stuff i was trying to do......
but Joe and Bernardo have pretty long waits... and Im pretty impatient!

LUCKILY just days ago Lauren put up a "IOAB" style whip up for sale and i snagged it..... its a 4 plait, but its leaps and bounds beyond what I had.
I just got it in yesterday and i have been practicing furiously.
I stayed outside about 2 hours yesterday... and at least that long today and im not done yet...

so basically.... here I am.... this is about 2 weeks of practice.... i dont claim to be anything more than a beginner, so be kind!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBGHsUP876c

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5s_4FibL5c&feature=user

BTW, i Live in the South and a felt hat is NOT the ideal active wear )

Dude...your a natural!
Where is down south?
Any farther south for me and I would be in Cuba.

You look really good for only having two weeks practice under your belt. Stick with it!

-Nebraska

I live in Alabama/Georgia....

why both? well... its complicated... lol

Thank you so much for your kind words!

Im working really hard at it.

I guess i SHOULD also mention that I am a 3rd degree blackbelt in TaeKwonDo and Hapkido.
I also practice Iaido (katana) Kungfu Dao (broadsword),European broadsword, Rapier (italian style) Rapier and dagger (Destreza-Delongis method) as well as farious two handed weapons: Kama, Sai, Nunchuka, also Bo staff and wushu staff.
I have been a martial artist for over half my life and LOVe to learn a new weapon every chance i get, so thats the way im approaching this.

I didnt mean to say all that to sound like i was bragging, just giving a little background. I HAVE found that once you have a certain level of experience with one type of weapon, then its easier to learn others.

I will say this. I have been doing sword (in some form or another) for over 14 years.... I love sword, I live it........ BUT, having said all that, I have to say that so far, Bullwhip has be SOOOOOOOOOO much more fun!
Like i said, I have been practicing for HOURS each day, and the only reason i stop is because my wife calls me in!! )

if its ok with you guys, I might make videos every month or so to "chart" my progress... or lack thereof

I thought it was very good Shagbd. And welcome to the forum!!

Looks to me like you have a natural ability and an almost innate feel for the whip. Yeah, you need some practice, but your off to a good start. I have a couple very nice 12 plait kangaroo whips, but your 4 plait IOAB rolls out very nice indeed! Be proud of it and continue to hone your skills.

Weston

Some folks get all teary eyed over criticism.... NOT ME!
I REALLY appreciate all of the kind words, i really do...
but some constuctive criticism is always better to build on that a "atta-boy".. ya know what i mean?
However, i will give ONE excuse, This was my FIRST time cracking with that big hat on, so that was unusual to me. If you look when i do the body wrap, it kinda stop... thats because of the hat... ) and also my neighbors were outside giving me odd looks, so i was trying to crack softly )
maybe my next video, ill let'her rip!

so i need some work, please tell me....... where? footwork?
Ill admit, I have a HARD time doing a Cattlemans crack, i cant get the thong to STAY on the "outside" it keeps coming around me...

I spent about an hour today SLOWING things down... for instance, the overheard crack... easy to me when i do it all at once, but i broke it down and SLOWED it down to learn WHERE it was popping and WHY... Im trying to do two successive overhead cracks without swing the whole thing around my head...

I gotta admit, I watch Winrich's videos with ALOT more respect now... he makes it looks easy........ but when you do something so much , it becomes NATURAL, then it really IS easy.

again, I am VERY open to constructive criticism and suggestions!

lay um on me!

Hahaha - I'm so glad you're enjoying your new whip! You really really look like you're having a good time, and you're doing really well for the amount of time you've been practicing. Just wait until you get a nice 'roo whip in your hands!! ;-)

I know you've checked out the video we posted - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvJ3k16EVX0 - so here's my criticism/suggestion... You're a little bit all over the place jumping in and out of planes in your video. Maybe try next time to focus only on each crack individually, like we do in the video, instead of combining them. Part of the goal in whipcracking is for each crack to stay on a single plane. The only time the whip should leave its plane for the most part is inbetween cracks, when you combine them. So when you're practicing your single cracks, pretend you're doing them up against a wall or right against a ceiling or flat along a countertop (depending on which crack you're working on).

Hope that's along the lines of what you're looking for by way of helpful criticism/advice. Truth is though, you look like you're off to a great start and will do an excellent job of figuring a lot of stuff out on your own as you practice. You've obviously done quite a bit of that already!

Lauren Wickline
www.midwestwhips.com

Shagbd wrote:I live in Alabama/Georgia....

why both? well... its complicated... lol

Phenix City?

Looks like you're enjoying the new whip. I hope you hung on to the one your grandfather made for you. These things are the true priceless artifacts in our lives.

LemonLauren wrote:Hahaha - I'm so glad you're enjoying your new whip! You really really look like you're having a good time, and you're doing really well for the amount of time you've been practicing. Just wait until you get a nice 'roo whip in your hands!! ;-)

I know you've checked out the video we posted - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvJ3k16EVX0 - so here's my criticism/suggestion... You're a little bit all over the place jumping in and out of planes in your video. Maybe try next time to focus only on each crack individually, like we do in the video, instead of combining them. Part of the goal in whipcracking is for each crack to stay on a single plane. The only time the whip should leave its plane for the most part is inbetween cracks, when you combine them. So when you're practicing your single cracks, pretend you're doing them up against a wall or right against a ceiling or flat along a countertop (depending on which crack you're working on).

Hope that's along the lines of what you're looking for by way of helpful criticism/advice. Truth is though, you look like you're off to a great start and will do an excellent job of figuring a lot of stuff out on your own as you practice. You've obviously done quite a bit of that already!

Lauren Wickline
www.midwestwhips.com

I THINK i understand what you mean...... so your saying, keep them all focused in the same spot? so the whip is moving along the same line? something like that?
back to the video you guys/gals made........ the cattlemans crack... I just DONT have it.... it turns into a snake killer when i do it... WHY? when i throw it out, it wants to come back on my opposite side instead of staying on the outside...

myamoebafriend wrote:

Shagbd wrote:I live in Alabama/Georgia....

why both? well... its complicated... lol

Phenix City?

BINGO!

hocfutue wrote:Looks like you're enjoying the new whip. I hope you hung on to the one your grandfather made for you. These things are the true priceless artifacts in our lives.

oh YEH!
ill never let that one go!

What Lauren is saying is this, (if I may elucidate on the words of my gracious host of the last couple days for a moment. Thanks again for the crash space!) Bear with me, as I've got some build-up before I get to my point toward the end of this post, (leave it to a college professor to get all long-winded. Us and politicians, man!)

Because whip cracking is about accelerating mass by way of a narrowing channel, (the taper of the whip,) and that objects try to travel in straight lines unless acted upon by outside forces, the whip will move more efficiently by travelling in a straight line.

You've got the idea in your throw, but where you're mostly going wrong with the whip not cracking or binding around itself in flight or coming back and grazing you has to do with your follow through.

Hence what Lauren was saying about. She's not saying "Keep the whip focused on the same spot with EVERY crack," (though THAT is a great means of practice. Good repeated circus cracks, overheads, forward flicks, etc. just make your form and efficiency better and better. I highly recommend doing this as a "Warm Up" when you're getting started. Go through each crack about 10X in a row.)

What she's talking about is keeping the whip moving in the same plane, (i.e. straight lines,) while the whip is still in the process of cracking. If you're doing a circus crack, the whip should be traveling perpendicular to the ground. Overhead cracks should be parallel to it, (yes, you can throw diagonal cracks as well, but SERIOUSLY work on straight lines. Because once you've got them straight, that just makes throwing in diagonals that much prettier!)

But here's the thing David, you're jumping the gun. You're starting to change the vector of the whip's movement BEFORE the crack happens. You're trying to set up your next crack before you're finished with the previous one. You're trying to put another round through the barrel before the previous round has left and the cartridge has ejected, (I figure you'll get that analogy. I've seen this happen by the way. VERY ugly!)

Try this:

Throw a circus crack. WAIT FOR THE CRACK. When you hear the loud, clear BANG, that is your signal to THEN change the direction of the whip into a forward flick, an overhead, whatever...On that one as well...WAIT FOR THE CRACK....When you hear that BANG, that is your signal to move on to the next crack. Let the FOLLOW THROUGH of the previous crack take you to the next crack.

Now, this is not saying do each crack seperately. From watching your video, you've got a good feel for getting one crack to flow evenly into another and that is a GREAT accomplishment to have gotten already. Just slow it down. Take your time, and don't anticipate the crack. Wait for it. The whip is an exercise in Zen. Patience Grasshopper.

Here's why: If we take Newton as a given, then a whip will travel in a straight line until acted upon by outside forces. The whip is accelerating as it is travelling in a straight line, (be it diagonal, parallel, perpendicular, whatever. As long as it's straight,) because the kinetic energy being transfered to it from your hand is being channelled down a conduit of ever decreasing mass, (the taper of the thong and fall.) If you start to move the handle-end of the whip out of that straight line alignment while the whip is still accelerating, it pulls the whip out of a straight line, (the car turning the corner.) It is at this point that the whip decelerates or rubs against itself as it goes by, (either causing friction, which IS energy loss, or just tangles around itself.) Wait until the energy release of the crack, and as SOON as the crack has occurred, you can easily change the plane that the whip is travelling in the way you're already doing.

That's a long, drawn out, somewhat "Beat the Dead Horse To Pemmican" post, but hopefully you get what I'm saying.

All the best, and happy cracking!

-Dan

Makes PERFECT sense!
and it gives me some things to work on!

keep these comments comin!

OH MY GOD!!!

LAUREN!

DAN!

I GOT IT!

I finally figured it out!
It seems pretty simple to WATCH but the mechanics of it are quiet difficult...

I have found out that the "key" at least for me, is FEELING the whip and where its at without looking and know when its in the right sweet spot to pop...

Its about 120 degrees outside in the shade and im half dehydrated, but i couldnt be happier!

Thank you Lauren and Dan for explaining the "plane thing... makes perfect sense!

Shagbd wrote:OH MY GOD!!!

LAUREN!

DAN!

I GOT IT!

This is so cool... Congrats!

With all your weapon training, I'm not surprised you're progressing so well.

see... I already hat the Coachman's crack....
so i rewatched the video that Paul and Lauren did, and realized that if i changed what i was doing there a bit, i could get the cattlemans/ Circus... and VOILA!

Excellent to hear that it's "Clicked" David.

Watching your video, you have the mechanical moves...you were mimicking what you'd seen PERFECTLY, but you just didn't quite "Feel" how it worked, (I think we all intrinsically KNOW it. we just have to EXPERIENCE it for it to be real for us.)

I knew that once you "Felt" it and how the whip moved, that everything would fall into place.

The whip is like Zen. It's absolutely amazing in it's utter simplicity. But there is complexity in finding that simplicity. Once you realize that simplicity, it's all just downhill from there in building those skills.

Sweating, sore, half-dehydrated and excited as H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks? Yeah...That's an awful familiar feeling.

And a VERY good one!

Enjoy it!

Happy cracking,

-Dan

Alright Dan, Lauren and whoever else is watching...

I had a lil time today to make a few quick videos...

Ill admit, when watching these videos of myself is actually a great teaching tool for... MYSELF.... because im doing some things im not aware of etc...
anyway,
Consider these my "progress report" for week two!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlu1AGdqA68

and this was meant out of humor for all the Cairo Flash videos...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bpiw1JPg7w&feature=user

Good stuff. )

I noticed you did your underhand flick with your palm down... I usually do it with my palm up. Looks to me like it would be harder palm down, but I dunno - I'll have to try it palm down next time I go out cracking, just for fun.

Keep it up - I enjoy watching your videos as you learn more stuff!

Lauren Wickline
www.midwestwhips.com

Call me weird (most folks do....) but i CANT freakin get it palm up (Supination)...
Even when i do an overhead flick/ Forward throw it comes off on a slight angle....

well, Dan "TheFish" has already scolded me about my "Coachman's" not REALLY being a Coachmans, so ill have to work on that, AND ill work on the underhanded palm up...
The pronation way i do it sorta works for me.... but maybes its "wrong"...?

Ill keep the videos coming on a weekly basis... )

Shagbd,

LOL, I don't think your underhand flick is "wrong" at all. If you can make the whip crack that way, then more power to you. Though it will probably be a good idea to learn it palm-up too.

And Dan tells the truth - your coachman's isn't exactly a coachman's. It's a bit more like a cattleman's pointed upwards, which is a good thing to know how to do, but yeah... it's not really a coachman's crack. The thing with the coachman's crack, which is also what makes it a bit more dangerous to learn than the rest of them, is that the crack actually happens right next to your head (as opposed to pointed out away from your body like most of the rest of the cracks). When you get it, you'll know - it'll sound like you've just cracked the whip right up next to your ear.

Lauren Wickline
www.midwestwhips.com

I think I actually HAVE done that crack, albeit accidentally, but that was before i learned the cattlemans so that its naturally.... so its like my muscle memory... FORGOT ...
Dont worry, itll be the first thing i work on at my next opportunity...

LemonLauren wrote: And Dan tells the truth - your coachman's isn't exactly a coachman's. It's a bit more like a cattleman's pointed upwards, which is a good thing to know how to do, but yeah... it's not really a coachman's crack. The thing with the coachman's crack, which is also what makes it a bit more dangerous to learn than the rest of them, is that the crack actually happens right next to your head (as opposed to pointed out away from your body like most of the rest of the cracks). When you get it, you'll know - it'll sound like you've just cracked the whip right up next to your ear.

Almost my words exactly. ;-)

I also think I'd noticed that his underhand wasn't so...errrr....underhanded, but was just shocked that he could crack the whip that way, that I forgot to mention it to him, (now I have to try it!) ;-)

As stated before, lots of improvement!

Keep it up, and happy cracking!

-Dan

Am I the only one that's impressed with Shagbd's grandpa here? Reading that story makes me feel kinda bad that you're upgrading your whip, but if I were you, I would definetly get a Strain for gramps too!

well thats REALLY kind of you to comment on...
I am , by no means, brushing my grandfathers whip under the rug...
It still proudly hangs on the wall and always will.
To say i was lucky to have a grandfather him him going up would be an understatement.
The Taught me how to shoot, how to use (and make) knives, how to throw knives and tomahawks... Anything i ever "needed" as a kid, he would always make for me.... boomarangs, whips... whatever..
He's 76 now and im 26 now and he is sitll my best friend in the whole world!
In fact he was my Best Man at my wedding! )

I think ill give paw a call today and see how he's doing... )

Take care and happy cracking!

thefish wrote:

LemonLauren wrote: I also think I'd noticed that his underhand wasn't so...errrr....underhanded, but was just shocked that he could crack the whip that way, that I forgot to mention it to him, (now I have to try it!) ;-)



-Dan

Oh so its THAT weird eh?

Maybe i need to patent it before someone else does!
Im actually throwing the whip like you would a bowling Ball...

From now on this crack will be know as......... David's crack.....

Yes yes, I know... not too fancy of a title, but what the hey?

hey Lauren, Paul and Dan...

guess what I just learned today?

THE TAZMANIAN CUTBACK!!

look for it in the next vid!

also been working on some combos...


Edit: meant to give credit where credit is due..... THANK YOU to Adam Winrich for his youtube videos on the Cutback...... Adam, you explained it VERY well...
I cant wait to make the next video, because the latest one thats up there is pretty pitiful lol

Ya know, one should really practice before shooting a video, but oh well...

The sound was REALLy bad on this one... those lil WHISH sounds actually ARE cracks, just not loud cracks, it was late in the evening and i was trying NOT to power crack....

oh well... ill actually practice next time, this was just a one take/ one try video... mainly wanted to show off my WILD way out there Tazmanian cutback.... got two good ones in there...

i know, i dont have to lean over that far, but i sure as heck dont wanta get hit... I have been practicing NOT leaning over that much when i do it.... also.. that first coachmans stunk.... the second one worked but not that loud... again... it was 8:30PM when i shot this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ2tUmtssss

/applaud

And you've been doing this for what, a month now?

I'm very impressed. And your vid is making me wring my hands more as I wait for the calender days to slip by. My 8ft Strain is coming early July...

Has it been a Month already?
I dont think so....
um... i think about 3 weeks.....
well... close enough...

)

Thank you for your compliments...
I have a 9 foot strain coming about that time too...
but im starting to think i might need a shorter whip for this fast stuff...

Hey Shag, that all looks amazing considering you're a beginner!!!Great work!!!

I have a 9 foot Strain I got just about a week ago and it has been a blast going out and cracking it.

I think the first thing you may notice is that the "hang-time" between letting your whip out then pulling on it to crack will be longer than a 8-footer...but probably not by much. Some tricks might be tougher to do like the Cutback.

I've noticed some comments from people stating that bullwhips and what you can and can't do can also be relative to your height. It might be easier for someone 6'0'' + to do certain tricks with a 10-footer than it would be for someone like me with a 10-footer (I'm about 5'9''-5'10''). I actually have an 8 foot bullwhip on order because I feel it might be overall a better length for me!

I'm a beginner as well so anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!

Im a totally Newb at this, but i dont know if height would have as much to do with it as the length of the whip, as you mention has more lag, the longer it is.... a 8 foot tall person would have to wait just as long for it to coil as a 3 foot tall person... )

However the cutback.... yes.... taller might help.... Ive been trying to work on not bending over so far

Alright NEW VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I decided to make another marking my "one month" milestone of cracking.... well close enough...

comments are welcome..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2-axb15Ym8

One month!!! How much do you practice everday? You are really getting very smooth with it.

scot2525 wrote:One month!!! How much do you practice everday? You are really getting very smooth with it.

bout 2 or 3 hours a day..... usually thats one session sometimes i do two sessions a day

It's so cool than we can all see improvement with every video you make. Lots of practice obviously has its rewards - you've made amazing progress in a month. I notice you're working your non-dominant arm, which is really a good thing to get started with early. Be sure to keep your cracks pointed straight ahead though, not into the ground. That cowhide whip can take some of that, but it'll be rougher on the fine point of a nicer whip if you do that. I can picture you doing some two handed routines not too terribly far in the future! ) Keep it up, and I'm loving the videos... it will be really interesting to hear from you again once you get to practice some with a nice 'roo whip too!

uh oh! which cracks did you see that were headed towards the ground?

The cattleman's was the one that stood out to me. Just keep the idea of pointing the crack out ahead of you, at about chest level, in mind. That way when the whip hits the ground afterward, the majority of the force of the crack has dissipated. Really honestly though, you're doing amazingly well for your one-month mark... Rock on! )

Lauren Wickline
www.midwestwhips.com

LemonLauren wrote:The cattleman's was the one that stood out to me. Just keep the idea of pointing the crack out ahead of you, at about chest level, in mind. That way when the whip hits the ground afterward, the majority of the force of the crack has dissipated. Really honestly though, you're doing amazingly well for your one-month mark... Rock on! )

Lauren Wickline
www.midwestwhips.com

Awwwe Shucks! YOU MADE ME CRY!!
Either that... or im Still Teary eyed over watching "The Bucket List"... sniffle sniffle...
well whatever I AM DOING is a DIRECT resuilt of YOU, Paul and Dan!
You 3 have LITERALLY taught me this stuff online!
Now THATS awesome instruction!

we'll call this one WEEK FIVE....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjVgAWFiYT0

I gotta admit i shoulda practiced before filming a video
you think id eventually learn that eh?

and heres one more i did earlier...
i didnt have as much room so some is sucky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWtrBPmtk2k

I wanted to throw this out there...
I mentioned the whip that my grandfather made me when i was a kid and just wanted to post this: