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 just got my bullwhip in the mail today. I went cheap at first--Indy look but just a 4-plait, 10 foot. The smart thing to do would be to look at various whip cracking tutorials and wear appropriate clothing.
Unfortunately, I'm not smart.
I ran out and started to practice and got it to crack twice...
...before almost putting out my left eye.
I went ahead and cracked it another time or two because of the falling off the horse addage, but I'm going to go over the tutorials here and wear safety goggles the next time I try it. Indy didn't wear goggles, but he didn't have to wear a patch either. It is great fun, however, and I'm really enjoying it. More of a workout than I expected as well. I had a cheap (cheaper) whip I used to play Raiders as a kid, but had forgotten how much I enjoyed it.
Yes, whips are a lot fun but they can also be dangerous. If they werent, I don't think Indy would have had one as a WEAPON. But yes, watching tutorials and getting an idea of what you're doing is a good idea, and can save you some pain. And by the way, until you really know what you're doing don't wear shorts while you're cracking your whip - wear long pants. Trust me, I would know. Contrary to popular belief, having the fall and cracker whip across the back of your calves does not feel good. Have fun (isn't that what Indy gear is all about?) but be safe.
The one thing I've learned is you don't need to work hard to make the crack. It's technique not muscle that gets results. You will see and hear that time after time if you watch the many tutorials that are available.
Yeah, in the short time I've been practicing, I've noticed that trying to muscle it doesn't work at all. I can tell that I need to learn the correct technique. I've gotten 5 loud cracks so far but I don't really know what I did differently.
Cheap whips are generally very hard to crack.
Unfortunately these early "equipment failures" keep more people out of the hobby for long.
Technique will only go so far on some of these so called "whips".
Ron
Yup...just got my first whip on Thursday. Didn't do a whole lot on Thursday night but yesterday was the perfect opportunity to practice alot since people have been shooting fireworks, my whip cracks fit right in.
I have been watching the various YouTube videos for a couple months now and it has paid off. Watching and reading tutorials led to me being able to get the overhead crack down with 15 minutes of practical application. I'm working on the flick now which has proven to be a bit harder for me. I figured the overhead would be harder to do, but it's not the case.
Had my in-laws and nephews over last night for my son's b-day get-together/pool party/4th of July. He's been watching me study the whip cracking thing and wanted an Indy cake. So for the first time I put on all my stuff and went out and started cracking the whip. You could hear the kids from across the road screaming, "INDIANA JONES!!". It was pretty cool.
FYI: I picked up an eBay 12 plait cable core whip from Old Tyme Stuff.
I gave up after about 1/2 hour. I didn't expect immediate perfection..but some lucky cracks to learn from would have been nice.
Don't give up on it. It's not easy but you have to be patient and you'll get there. And if your whip is new then that might explain why you're having a harder time. When I got my whip from Gus I was thinking it would be really easy to crack, but I was wrong. I called him up and he said that it was probably due to the stiffness of the new whip. He said just to go through the "motions" of cracking it for a few days without really cracking it, so that the leather would lose some of its stiffness. This, watching tutorials and practice really helped me and my whip cracks very easily now.
Hello crismans!
Could you put a picture of your whip, because if it is like mine, i could give you some tips... (Mine is pretty hard to crack )
Best Regards,
-Alfonso
MustangLoverMex wrote:Hello crismans!
Could you put a picture of your whip, because if it is like mine, i could give you some tips... (Mine is pretty hard to crack )
Best Regards,
-Alfonso
I'm almost embarrassed to. It's a JrzJoes that I got to see if I would enjoy the sport enough to warrant a more expensive one. Since then, I've read quite a few threads where JrzJoe isn't that well thought of.
As for my whip, while it definitely isn't high quality, I can't fault it too much considering the price I paid. I'll definitely be picking one up from one of the whipmakers on the board though.
I'll try to post some pics later. I'd love to be able to get some consistent cracks from this thing until I got a better one.
It is great fun, however, and I'm really enjoying it. More of a workout than I expected as well. I had a cheap (cheaper) whip I used to play Raiders as a kid, but had forgotten how much I enjoyed it.
But yes, watching tutorials and getting an idea of what you're doing is a good idea, and can save you some pain. And by the way, until you really know what you're doing don't wear shorts while you're cracking your whip - wear long pants. Trust me, I would know. Contrary to popular belief, having the fall and cracker whip across the back of your calves does not feel good. 
Have fun (isn't that what Indy gear is all about?) but be safe.
)