The new movie has given us a new hat bash, and a whip that looks a little different.
Because they went with DeLongis for KotCS, it seems a new can of worms has been opened, to a certain extent; he has his own way of doing things. I am trying to wrap my mind around the dynamics at work without actually having much real-world whip-handling experience myself.
The title of this post is very deceiving... There is so much more about a whip that gives it its properties than the mere length of a handle, but handle length was what got me first started think about a particular question.
Because I have this newfound fascination with the whip (and because I don't have the money to buy one of every different type of whip imaginable as I start out) I was wondering what you (or more precisely, those of you who have experience with lots of different types of whips) thought about which type of whip is best suited for what.
Jacka really seems to like that long-handled Australain type of whip. According to the article on the main site, when asked to shorten his handle for the movie, he wasn't happy to lose the leverage that a 10 inch handle provided so he made the binding longer and he stiffened the transition at the end of the handle by adding an additional short, tighter bound, section and that went a long way in helping to retain the action he likes. He uses polypropylene twine to try to get the effect of a gradual decrease in the stiffness of the handle into the thong and his bindings are extremely tight and close and go the full length of the plaited belly.
DeLongis must have taught himself how to crack using a Jacka whip. The quote on the main site makes his preferences clear, "The design of the American style bullwhip, which is the Indy standard, is best suited to single throws from all eight angles of attack on both the forehand and backhand sides. However, this shorter handle makes rapid multiple throws difficult, especially when transitioning from single throws to complex compound combinations."
Because so many people who love the short-handle American Morgan-style Indy-type whip (and who crack the whip much differently than the style DeLongis uses) don't like the feel of the "longer" handled Jacka-type whips, I wonder if Delongis' bias that intricate multiple combos can't be done as easily on a short handle are just a result of his own taste and style.
Those who do a lot with stockwhips, like Mike Murphy, seem to really like the action of the long-handled type of whip. Those who do more with American whips don't think the long handled whips feel right. I realize that because this is an Indy forum, I am more likely to run into more American bullwhip users here than I would at, say, an Australian cracking competiton-- but humor me.
Is it just a matter of what you learn to crack with, practice with the most, and enjoy the most? Is it just a product of one's own personal style? Or is there a definative advantage (e.g. when doing fancy routines, precision targeting, complex multi-crack combos) of a particular type of whip and a particular style?
My curiousity about thesee matters was piqued by a (very kind) response in another thread. I am fascinated that so many top-notch whip-makers are here and are willing to share their expertise. In another thread Bernardo mentioned
So I got to thinking. Is it all just a matter of taste? Is it all just a matter of personal style? Is it all just a matter of what you learn to do and what you learn to use?Bernardodc wrote:Mannie, If by handle core you mean the handle foundation, then I use the same 8 inch steel spike as my regular Indy whips. In a way, my CS bullwhips are designed to look like a CS Jacka, but they have a Morgan-like construction and handling, which is what I prefer. I didn't want to copy Terry's whips handling or construction, simply because I like the Morgan style better. That said, I respect Terry's ideas on how a whip hould be made and how it should handle, and respect those who like his whips too.
Or...
Is there a particular design of whip that is better suited for certain applications? Is it a simple matter of physics, leverage, and irrefuatble laws of nature that some designs are superior to others.
Now, I know that every human is different. I still can't do a sidearm flick consistently, but the first time Lauren Wickline's mother picked up a whip BANG-- perfect flick mastery. I do understand that certain types of things come easier to certain types of people.
Now, I also know that we as humans have a tendency to take our own subjective experience and think that is the way it must be for all people in all times in all places. I do understand that what works for you (or Anthony DeLogis, or Mike Murphy) might not work for me.
Now, I also know some swear by a Morgan-style and some swear by a Jacka-style. I do not want this thread to be about which looks better on screen, or what movie was better. I hope we can put aside our strong feelings on all of that for the purpose of this particular thread.
Here's my self-interested motivation for my question...
In a week or two I will have my first real whip. It will be a natural tan Raider's style bullwhip, no doubt about that. I will carry this whip when I wear the rest of my Indy gear and I will practice with it if I can find a place to crack it. I first ordered a 10 foot Raiders bullwhip, then I changed my order to an 8 foot Raiders bullwhip. After watching tons of videos and actually cracking some whips in real life, I am thinking about changing my order to a 7-ft Raiders bullwhip. I know this sounds bad, but I am already thinking about my next whip.
I want to learn how to do really accurate target cutting and I want to learn how to do complex quick combos. Is there one single design that is really, really good for both of these goals?
(I know that if I ever became a professional whip artisan I would be able to design my own whip with just the exact properties for every nuanced trick I wanted to do. But I am not there and will never be there.)
I'm a new hobbiest and I want to learn on something that will open up the most potential for success down the line-- success in target accuracy and success in multi-crack fancy combo tricks.
I have seen Adam Winrich do amazing volleys on an IOAB. I have seen Paul Nolan do a cool four corners with a pretty long Morgan bullwhip. But I have also seen Mike Murphy seem to have a bit more difficulty with bullwhips (in that video with all the flies) than he has with stockwhips (he would only use LONG handled bullwhips in that video).
So, is it all just a matter of what you learn to do and what you learn to use or is there a particular design/type of whip that is better suited for target cutting and complex multiple cracking routines?