Whip Basics. The Forum

I've just watched Robby's splendid review of Rachel's new Amper Style cow whip.

Those involved in the 10/10 challenge might note the wonderfully relaxed way Robby puts this whip through it paces. There are no extra movements at all, yet he is never stiff or wooden. Note the position of his feet, and of the hand that is not holding the whip and also the angle of his head. (My great fault is a tendency to look down!)

This video sums up for me the beauty of 'minimalist' cracking: no fuss at all, just wonderfully elegant. Robby is a very modest person, and will probably twitch when he reads these remarks; but I think this little film really encapsulates best practice.

Mr. Robert, I totally agree. This is the relaxed almost "zen" like movements I am striving to achieve in whip crackin' .
To crack a whip like a gorilla is not that hard, but to make it seem so effortless and controlled takes a lot of practice and focus.
I don't necessarily want to "crack" the whip but more to control it all the way to the crack just letting the whip do the work and the control part is in the way I transmit the instructions to that end.

Robby is the perfect example of how to achieve that for me.

Ron

Not much to add except it is nice to hear the breathing connected to the movement. Poetry

I hope to one day be able to execute the basic cracks with 1/10th the grace that Robby does....

You're right Robert. Simple and elegant.

What's the link to the review?

Based on his other YouTube videos and tutorials, it does impress me how little effort he puts into the whips to make them crack. It's inspiring and encouraging for me.

Here you go, Tristan : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pmc7xzb ... e=youtu.be

It does twitch indeed a bit... But - thank you, Robert. And thank you to all the others who commented here in this thread. To be honest, I can't say too much on this. All I do is what I teach. I let the whip talk to me and follow that message. I'm not the one who's cracking the whip. The whip does it all by itself. I just follow with my arm and listen. But the most important part on this is, that all of you can do that. Everyone. My way of cracking a whip is pure laziness. I don't do anything. The whip does all the work. Try that for yourself. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Feel the whip in your hand. And then listen. Move the whip. If it makes sense or not. Be slow. Be patient. It takes time to understand a whip's language. Don't force it. Don't be forced by the whip. Work together. Become one with the whip. And allow the whip to become a part of yourself. The rest is easy.

But - again - thank you very much for your friendly comments. I appreciate it!

Robby

Robby, this sums up exactly why I find your style so good. 'I let the whip talk to me and follow that message.'

All too often, our instinct is to tell the whip what do do. In my experience, that doesn't work so well. Yes, one can get a 'bang' that way - but so what? Listening to the whip, cooperating with the whip, allows one to let it do things I couldn't imagine, but which it's only too ready to tell me - if I just listen! Then, the whip will teach me!

I've noticed that when I am getting into the zone, the whip feels like an extension of myself. Like you can feel everything going on in it and can tell what it's going to do. When it feels right, you can tell.

Which goes with what you mean, I think, Robby.