Club Obi Wan

I've been wondering about this for a long time now...

Will a short whip (3ft below) be able to do the same cracks as a long one (usually 6ft above)? Are there gonna be limitations to what cracks it can do because it is short?

You're probably not going to pull off any graceful DeLongis-style "rolling loop" cracks or wraps with a 3-footer. Most cracks that I'm capable of can be done with both, but will look and feel quite different, even if the same basic moves are being performed.

In my opinion every whip has a different and unique sound.
Longer whips will be louder than shorter whips. Also your enviroment will make the crack different.

I'm having trouble with the flick (dunno if this is the right term)... or maybe the whip is just too light. I haven't practiced with my 7-footer because I need a lot of room to crack it, plus it's heavier and wears out my arm/shoulder faster. With the shorter whip, I can practice in the garage and not strain my muscles that much.

* edit *

I'm probably just doing it wrong... most times I end up hitting my back or getting the fall wrap on my arm.

There is a reason most favor 5-9 feet. With a short whip you're forcing it a bit more and the mechanics of both the whip and you are abbreviated which will effect learning down the road. Get out of the garage and really learn to use a whip. Then go back to the garage and use what you learned.

Also if you can, shoot video of your self while performing the cracks. You will be suprised what you will see in video that you don't see yourself!

Well, the reason I'm practicing at the garage is it's the rainy season. Even if I'm using nylon whips, I do not want to get drenched when practicing outside. Hehehe.

fenris wrote: Will a short whip be able to do the same cracks as a long one? Are there gonna be limitations to what cracks it can do because it is short?

That's what SHE said

Kyle

I managed to finally do the forward flick... I guess it doesn't have anything to do with the whip being short. I re-watched Adam Winrich's videos and saw what I was doing wrong... there are still times that I hit my back or neck, but not that much anymore. I need to practice it more.

Length doesn't matter. Since the loop is important, any size can do that. It just means fast reaction and better technique.

I have a 10' and an 8' and I've found my "short" whip is much easier to get cracks out of than the long one.
And even certain simple cracks (for me) are near impossible to do with the long one.


Of course, with the fall and cracker a 10' whip is more like 12'...

So far, the difference I've noticed between a short and long whip is how much it hurts. The shorter whip, having less weight due to its size, doesn't crack that loud compared to the longer one. Also, it hurts less when it hits me on the back! Hahaha!

As always it's the user, not the whip.

I made myself another 7ft nylon whip today. Tried to crack it even if it wasn't totally finished... it cracks okay, but playing with the short whip makes the 7ft feel really heavy.

I think I prefer the 3.5-footer... at least I don't have to go out of the garage and have my neighbors see me crack. Hehehe.