Basic whip cracks I've managed so far are... (Page 1 of 3)

Not a very experienced cracker myself, but the best lesson I've learned so far is doing everything with as little force as possible. If you don't get a crack but otherwise seem to be doing the correct motions, just slowly add force until you find what's just enough and not too much. Taking a video and watching it is a very good way to go as you can see if it looks graceful or "jerky".

Those cracks you mentioned are pretty much everything I can do more or less, somehow the most difficult thing for me is the horizontal crack so that it's actually horizontal. I still suck plenty with left handed cracking too. Being an out of shape computer geek I'm not very coordinated, and that doesn't really help

I'd say the same as Devin. Getting the basic cracks down will teach you a lot about how the whip moves, and the principle is always the same regardless of the move you're learning. I can also recommend Robby's teaching videos.

- Pokkis

Cool

I would like to purchase the DVDs but funds do not allow right now.

I don't think I explained myself too well.. I think I kind of went backwards a little after learning the slow figure eight, but then within two days had that sorted and three more cracks boot!

Jasamine

I'm thinking about making a whip cracking video of myself doing what I know. My forms probably pretty bad but ah well, I try. I would say the hardest part of getting to be a good whip cracker is learning to start a new throw of the whip after immediately finishing another. For example, using the follow through behind you on a Cattleman's crack to throw a side arm flick that sets up and overhead fast figure eight, or an overhead that leads into a Tasmanian cutback that leads into a fast figure eight. Stuff like that! You've inspired me Jasamine, I do believe I'll make a cracking demo video.

Grant.. My form is probably awful but with more practice I do notice things becoming much more effortless. I would enjoy seeing your vids.

Jasamine

Reverse cattle man's??  I don't know that one.

I need more instructional videos. The only ones I know are cattleman's, coachman's, and an overhead that I've somehow forgotten how to do right.

A real life addendum to my above comment:
I am currently stuck on the crossover.  It is my nemesis and have been told by our fearless leader , more than once, to do something else.  Instead of going forward, I am going back to the previous cracks and getting those perfect.  Today, After about an hour of going over the "oldies"  and doing some target work, I ended the whole session with a crossover and actually got a bit of a snap once on the first swing.  Once...but it happened.  It will come, I think, just keep trying.  Close your eyes sometimes.  Sometimes if I cant get it right, if I close my eyes and clear my head I can do it...Closing your eyes gives you that flaming half-moon-chi-finger-lotus-farting action that seems to be so darned  popular now adays...Whatever it is, it works.

Thank you for the compliment, Jesse and David - for  your kind words on my DVDs.  I teach the way I would like to be tought. Slowly, safe and detailled. But talking about your nemesis, the Crossover. Let me tell you that every single student I ever had, had her/his own valley of death (you call it nemesis). One manages to handle the Underhand in no time. Others become desperate by trying tp perform it. And the ones who crack the crossover like nothing have massive problems with the Horizontal. And those who do the Horizontal like they never did anything else, don't get the Underhand. And so on. Everybody is different. Everybody has a different way to learn. So it is okay to watch what your whip does. But... Only for a very short time! When you get used to watch your whip instead to feel where it is, you will have big problems, later on. Just watch the WB short "Don't blink". It tells you something about looking after your whip.

The art of whip cracking (and the training) develops your ability to feel where you are. Learn to crack your whip with closed eyes. You don't need to see your whip to know where it is and what it does as long as you are connected with the whip. Feel its motion. Let yourself fall back. Trust in yourself. You will hit your back with closed eyes, yes. But didn't you hit yourself with your eyes open, too? The whip should become an extention of your arm. Of your body. Of your soul. Feel it. I said this before - the whip talks to you. All the time. All you have to do is listen. This is no spiritual mambo jambo - I don't like that esoteric stuff very much. It is my experience.

Robby

Our very own Robby gave me the best training advice for cracking whips.
Crack the whip with as little effort as you possibly can,..... just enough swing to put it where it needs to be.
It doesn't have to crack loud, sometimes it's a mere pop sound.

Pay attention to how the whip roles out, and watch your plains.
Cattleman's should go straight up and back down staying on the vertical plain. If it starts to get a bit diagonal, then you need to correct your stance or grip.

I practice a four crack combo of underhand, into cattlemans then side arm into overhead, Up, down left, right.

Happy cracking,....