Club Obi Wan

Is there a difference behind a Tasmanian Cutback and a Behind the Back Crack? I ask because last night I figured out how to crack my 4' Joe Strain stockwhip behind my back, but I was NOT bending forward. If anything, I found that leaning almost slightly backward helped push the whip handle back, which kept it very straight, and so it looked more like a perfect, vertical Cattleman's crack, cracked behind and across the back. I will shoot some video to this effect soon, but regardless, I would love to know your thoughts. I find the Tasmanian Cutback awkward and difficult, but doing it the way I did it last night was not.

I guess if anything, the difference (and the reason for leaning forward) is that the Tasmanian Cutback is more horizontal?

Did I just answer my own question?

Thoughts and videos demonstrating and/or explaining the difference (and how) are most welcome!
Daren

DW,

I have been watching your videos and they are great. I have learned better technique from them. Keep them coming and would love your take on the overhand or forward crack..... It looks so simple and it should be easy but it is eluding me to the point of frustration!

Keep up the good work

Ohio

Ohio Jones wrote:DW,

I have been watching your videos and they are great. I have learned better technique from them. Keep them coming and would love your take on the overhand or forward crack..... It looks so simple and it should be easy but it is eluding me to the point of frustration!

Keep up the good work

Ohio

Thank you, Ohio! I will certainly make more instructional videos, and I fully intend on doing one on the forward crack! Thanks! In the meantime, I highly recommend that you contact Anthony DeLongis and invest in his DVD set, "Mastering the Bullwhip". http://www.delongis.com/PalpableHit/Bullwhip.html

Thanks again!
Daren Henry W

I understand what your talking about. I've been trying to do the behind the back cattleman's crack with a 6ft nylon cowwhip for a while. I agree that they are 2 different cracks (tasmanian cutback & behind the back) as they both have different techniques. It might be easier for you because your whip is so short. I find the tasmanian cutback to be easier with a slightly longer whip (7 to 9ft).

Daren, As far as I know there is no difference.
A lot of people do bend over because they have watched others bend over and with a longer whip it is easier to achieve the crack while bending.
Chris

Thanks, Chris, I appreciate it. I suppose one could argue they are different, as the whip is cracking on a different plane, the way an overhead crack is really just a cattleman's crack in a horizontal plane, but I do agree that they are essentially the same. I've been working on them both, and I suppose it all comes down to how you want to present them in a routine, etc.

Daren

Indeed.

Hey Daren!

When I do the Tasmanian Cutback, I actually kind of point the handle of the whip away from me while the turk's head touches my back. I suppose that makes it sort of a vertical angle when it cracks... but when we were at the QM this past November, I did the regular behind-the-back cattleman's crack and, interestingly, the bending over for the Tasmanian Cutback seemed sort of excessive after that. Maybe it's from studying with Anthony and trying to refine my form down to the most energy efficient ways I can, but it seems like bending over is unnecessary.

Although, it is nice to feel like you've got some extra distance between your face and your bullwhip.

And actually, I haven't tried this yet, but maybe when you're coming from a horizontal crack (like an overhead) and transitioning into a Tasmanian Cutback, maybe bending over to try and make the angle more horizontal helps keep things more smooth. I'll have to dust off my whips and try and experiment.

Shane

McFly wrote:Hey Daren!

When I do the Tasmanian Cutback, I actually kind of point the handle of the whip away from me while the turk's head touches my back. I suppose that makes it sort of a vertical angle when it cracks... but when we were at the QM this past November, I did the regular behind-the-back cattleman's crack and, interestingly, the bending over for the Tasmanian Cutback seemed sort of excessive after that. Maybe it's from studying with Anthony and trying to refine my form down to the most energy efficient ways I can, but it seems like bending over is unnecessary.

Although, it is nice to feel like you've got some extra distance between your face and your bullwhip.

And actually, I haven't tried this yet, but maybe when you're coming from a horizontal crack (like an overhead) and transitioning into a Tasmanian Cutback, maybe bending over to try and make the angle more horizontal helps keep things more smooth. I'll have to dust off my whips and try and experiment.

Shane

It helps with a longer whip, with a shorter whip it's not necessary because you can manipulate it much quicker and smoother.

Daren, I’ll back up what Chris said, the Tasmanian Cutback and a behind the back crack are essentially the same. There are just slight variations in the way different people do them based on how they learned it, or from whom they learned it from.

The reason some lean slightly forward (aside from seeing other people do that and mimicking it) is also based on physical limitations of the individual. It seems helpful and a bit more comfortable for those with shorter arms and broad shoulders to lean in a little as your bringing the the whip(s) into position. It reduces some of of the strain/torque off the shoulder rotator. I'd say that the lean in is more prominent while first learning the mechanics of the Tasmanian Cutback though. While your still getting comfortable with how it works, after that most start to stand more upright adjusting as they go. Admittedly I still lean in a bit when doing Tasmanian Cutback but bending like your taking a great big bow , really that’s more of an exaggeration of the technique (I’m sure I’ve done that on occasion too). I suppose if you bend far enough over you could probably call it a horizontal Tasmanian cutback or maybe the New Zealand cutback.

Dan

BullWhipBorton wrote:Daren, I’ll back up what Chris said, the Tasmanian Cutback and a behind the back crack are essentially the same. There are just slight variations in the way different people do them based on how they learned it, or from whom they learned it from.

The reason some lean slightly forward (aside from seeing other people do that and mimicking it) is also based on physical limitations of the individual. It seems helpful and a bit more comfortable for those with shorter arms and broad shoulders to lean in a little as your bringing the the whip(s) into position. It reduces some of of the strain/torque off the shoulder rotator. I'd say that the lean in is more prominent while first learning the mechanics of the Tasmanian Cutback though. While your still getting comfortable with how it works, after that most start to stand more upright adjusting as they go. Admittedly I still lean in a bit when doing Tasmanian Cutback but bending like your taking a great big bow, really that’s more of an exaggeration of the technique (I’m sure I’ve done that on occasion too). I suppose if you bend far enough over you could probably call it a horizontal Tasmanian cutback or maybe the New Zealand cutback.

Dan

The only time I've seen adam winrich bend a LOT is when he was doing a tasmanian cutback with a long david morgan 10 footer,

which is understandable when doing a crack like that with a longer whip.

Here's the main difference to me; Behind the Back is painless, the Tazmanian cutback consistently welts my hide!

Weston

riku1914 wrote:
It helps with a longer whip, with a shorter whip it's not necessary because you can manipulate it much quicker and smoother.

Makes perfect sense.

And Dan - I have noticed that as I've done the crack more and more, I've been bending less. Sometimes though I'll bend like I'm bowing just for the effect.

Shane

Shane thats good, A clean technique is important but it’s also alot of fun to play around and see how extreme you can make it.