Club Obi Wan

Hey folks,

I'm kinda interested in expanding my Gear obsession...i mean hobby...into Whips.

My question is, just how good can someone get at using a whip? Apple-off-of-the-head good? Leaf-from-the-branch good? or side-of-the-suburban good?

Any ideas?

Regards,

Farn

Any and all of the above. Regards. Michaelson

That's an easy question to answer. Like everything else, it boils down to how dedicated and disciplined you are when you are trying to learn a new skill. If you practice 15 minutes a day, like David Morgan says, you will quickly become proficient. My advice is to learn the 4 basic cracks. Depending on how dedicated you are, you can learn the 4 basic cracks in a month, 2 months ,etc. From the 4 basics you can branch out to the more advanced cracking and target work. The reason to get grounded on the 4, is that during that time you are developing the 6th sense of where that whip is constantly. It becomes an appendage. You just know how it's going to crack and where, and you develope a sense of when things are wrong and how to bail out of crack before it harms you.

I'd say it's like playing a saxophone. You can play the scales proficiently in about a month. To get to a level where you are playing in jazz band, well it will take years of practice. But in my opinion, you can probably doing "apples off of target stands" (note - not heads) in a few months. Assuming that you are practicing every day. When I am preparing for events, I am practicing a minimum of 3 hours per day on the weekend and at least one hour per day, during the week. For any sport or endeavor that requires skill, it's the dedicated, disciplined individual that always succeeds.

-Sergei
p.s. The best tape for getting you grounded on the 4 basic cracks quickly, "Whip Cracking Made Easy, Vol 1". You can buy it from David Morgan or Mark Allen. Cheers.....

How good can you get? How good do you want to be?
As Sergi said, practice, practice, practice.

Learn the basic cracks with both hands and work on the weaker side.

How good can one be? Target cutting ideas

How about 10 out of 10 matchsticks?
How about slicing the sticker off of an apple and not knocking the apple off of the stand?
How about cutting 10 cups in the speed and accuracy contest in 13 seconds where the toe-line was 8' from the target line and the targets were about 6' apart?

And my favorite - Vi Brady using a bullwhip to knock a lifesaver off of John Brady's tongue?

How about two-handed whip routines? Doing all of the technical cracks and doing them with a whip in each hand, then doing them with staggered timing, then balanced timing, and then start throwing in the opposite timing and doing one crack with one hand while doing another combination with the other hand.

What does all of this have in common? Practice, Practice, Practice!!
And not being satisfied with just making a whip make noise, but actually guiding the whip through what ever your mind envisions.

So learn the ways of the whip and you will never be at a loss for something to do.

Now, I need someone to show me how to do Hassett's Four Corners.

Have a blast, and "keep 'em cracking"

Jerry Rasmussen
Corpus Christi, TX

ps: great to see Janine here. She sent me a few pictures of some 24 plait three-tone stockwhips that were absolutely awesome!

Good post Jerry. I didn't realize you were here too. I have heard much about you, especially your win last year in Dallas for the big shoot out with the WE gang. The "Hassett 4 Corners". Not even close to that crack. I am afraid, I am years away.

-Sergei

Jerry, are you coming up for the Whip Weekend?

ITG -

If everything goes as it's planned I'll be up there. I'll probably be in Sat. morning rather than Fri nite.

I'll have a couple of my long handled bullwhips (16") and an Indy style or two also.

Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Always enjoy being around whip folks as there is an endless supply of information and even a bit of BS too.

Hey - come on down to Corpus tomorrow. We're having a Whip Enthusiasts meet in the park for some good cracking fun.

Later,

Jerry

G'day Fella's,

How good can one get depends on what level of competence you wish to achieve. Some people are fanatics at the project the they decide to take up and others are just happy to get a basic understanding. I myself would have to be put in the lower end of fanatic now days. Back when I was competing I was a fanatic fanatic. I used to sleep eat and breath whipcracking. Sometimes my dreams of a new routine I was trying would get a little out of hand and id find myself half fall'in out of bed just try'in to get that last crack in. I unfortunately don't have what would be called a natural ability and had to work very hard at getting something right. Others would just have that natural gift. I have a mate who is a duel Australian Whipcracking Champion; and he practiced 6 hrs a day!!!! But his determination to be the best at that time drove him to win two championships!

I like the others agree with practice and lots of it if you wish to be able to do some spectacular cracking. Learn your basic cracks, practice them on all the plains possible then put them into staggers and alter that stagger to 1/4, 1/2 beats, eachways (so one crack at the front and one at the back at the same time). You know.... just get into the "feel" of the whip and your ability to alter the beat. Once you learn those basics, different timings and the ability to do one thing in one hand and another in the other hand. Mate...... sky is the limit!

So how far can one go? ..... well I reckon there isn't an end to the possibilities how far your imagination will take you if you really want to learn. So....quick bolt get your whip/s and get cracking, but don't forget the main ingredient...... make sure you have tones'a'fun while your out there!

Thanks Jerry on the stockwhips. But what about your work mate a piece of art!

thanks all, I think it will be a hobby I take up in a few years. That kind of accuracy would certianly be a fulfilling challenge!

Regards

Farn