I've been holding BOTH cords 'tween thumb and curled forefinger; with the retained cord-loop around either my bird or ring finger.   This grip seems to work OK, but I see other grips in the gallery.   Is there a grip regarded as "The One!"??    If so, what is it & why is it the best??  If not, what are some of the grips used and what are the advantages of each??   Many thanks!  

FYI, I use underhand rather than overhead delivery.

mgreenfield

Mgreenfield, check here, please:

http://www.slinging.org/forum2/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=1;action=display;num=1065154918

and here

http://www.slinging.org/forum2/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=1;action=display;num=1070429705

Jurek

I have one cord anchored onto my middle finger, hanging down, palms up... and one the other pinched between my thumb and for finger, again, with strings hanging straight down.

Chris

I do it like Chris, except I have two loops.  I'm trying to catch up on all the cool threads tonight.  I've been busy.  I like Chris's method because too much separation between release cord and retention cord makes the cradle shift, in flight, and you can possibly loose the stone.  But if I make both cords go up in the middle of my hand, then they get tangled more easily.  However, that's how the Peruvian's do it, and their slings have more bulky cords to not tangle.

Infact, if your release cord is a "grip" type, then that's probably the best way.  I use a release node (knot) on the end of my retention cord, and I prefer it to be the only cord between my thumb and first finger.  I just ignore the other cord and pretend like there is only one.  

And this knowledge was earned after years of trial and error, long sleepless nights of questioning and doubts, and other assorted scientific research.  Just kidding.  

Actually I started out Peruvian, and ended up Chrisovian when I started braiding slings.  My old shoe lace slings worked better the other way it seemed.  One advantage with the, through the hand technique, is it saves your middle finger from getting sore.  Ofcourse, that depends on sling construction too.

                                           Ben

With my plaited cord slings I put the loop on my ring finger and lay the retention cord out between my thumb and index finger.  Then I hold the release cord and retention cord pinched with index finger and thumb.  I use a release node tied into the the release cord.

This seems to work for me, but something just came to mind.  I tend to release late (left).  I am wondering if the release cord is hanging up in my hand upon release.  I can't remember ever "feeling" this, but still, maybe it could be happening.  I once tried the retention cord hanging out between index and middle finger, but don't remember that helping any either.

The next time I get to sling, I will look into this.

jeff <><

Does anyone here use a wrist loop?  I used a finger loop mostly growing up and my fingers always ended up turning purple and I had trouble with the centrifical force pulling hard on my finger.  Now i use a wrist loop and love it.  The wrist cord comes up across my palm, and between my thumb and index finger.  The release end with a knot is gripped beside it.  I don't have any problems with it tangling and the full loop around my wrist gives me a lot more strength for larger rocks.  

Barak

Jeff, do you have any cord tangle or twist in flight?  The friction from that could cause late releases.  But with your larger stones, I don't think it should be too big a factor.

I'm sure the reason Barak's cords don't tangle is because he does such nice tight braids.  I've thought about using a wrist loop myself, but I haven't done it.  Sounds like a great idea.  I know Tibetan slings use wrist loops.  I use a double loop.  One on my middle finger and the other on my little finger.  You can see pictures in the gallery page for Benjamin Scott.  As a result, I don't have trouble with blisters anymore and the hold is very secure, as the tension spreads across every finger in my hand.  The reason I haven't gone with a wrist loop is primarily because I like to forget the retention cord altogether and just focus on the release cord without having to worry about the retention being positioned and held alongside of it.  It's all a matter of taste I'm sure.  

Which brings me to an interesting matter.  Maybe I should start a separate thread for it.  I will.  Later.....

                                     Ben

Ben,  I do not have any noticable twist in the cords during the sling.  I do get some twisting of the two cords as I am grabbing the release cord, but just twist it a bit and the tangle comes out.  Then during the sling, all goes well in that respect.

Upon release, my arm crosses my body and ends up under my left arm, hand along my left side. The sling almost always wraps around me.  This is a small annoyance, but does not adversly affect my slinging.

I don't always release late, but this is a problem I have.  Maybe my release node is too big.  Maybe altogether unnecessary.  Being made from nylon seine twine, my cords are not all that big and a bit slick, so and the node helps to hang on.  I would like to have cords that are thin but stiff like an 11mm climbing rope.

I did notice during my last slinging outing that two windups helped with the late release.  It seemed to be due to a little extra sling speed which made the stone more "feelable" and my releases timed a bit better.

jeff <><

Quote:

I did notice during my last slinging outing that two windups helped with the late release.  It seemed to be due to a little extra sling speed which made the stone more "feelable" and my releases timed a bit better. jeff <><

That could be it Jeff.  Not that I know anymore than you.  But I was thinking as you read that it could be that on the single windup, you don't catch the energy quite soon enough and so you carry it out a bit too far.  Who knows.  It could be you need one of those fancy Tibetan slings with the multiple split loops  ;)  Nice looking anyway.

GTG.
                                 Ben

I don't have too much trouble with blood circulation with my finger loops, but I generally don't sling very large rocks.  

A wrist loop like Barak's seems ideal for larger rocks because it is a bit more secure going between thumb and pointer finger.  My wrist loop experiences just never felt right, but this sounds like a better location for the cord.

Chris

When slinging very hard with medium to heavy stones or with my heavy corded sling using heavier stones I get some pain in my hand and fingers.  The pull on the fingers can be tremendous.  I notice the pain most right at release and for several seconds after.  The large release node in my heavy sling also hurts my thumb sometimes.

jeff <><

Someday we'll go really space age and use releases like the triggered ones they use in archery now days.  I remember when I was in highschool and first saw one of those.  I was so disillusioned!  I thought, "why not just shoot a gun if you want to squeeze a trigger."  Pretty good idea really, but I prefer to get my fingers sore.  Urrghhhh (manly grunt).

                                             Ben

Yes, we must hurt or we have not done it the manly way.

Things like this always remind me of the Robin Hood scene from Time Bandits.

jeff <><

Jeff,

Don't you like it when you post right after me.  If you look in our signatures, you have the whole passage there, layed out.  

Yes the manly way!  Urgggggggghhhhhh!! (Manly slinger war cry).  Even Ulrica is welcome to sling the manly way if she wants to.  Urrrrrghhhhhhhh!  

                                   Ben

Thank you Ben :-) You´re so kind!

I´ve read so much about this pain, so I already looking for something to protect me from it ;-)
Before I even know how it´s feels.
I was thinking of a hard-leather thing you wrap around the finger as a Ring which look like a T.  I have the piece but haven´t sew it together get.
Today, I tried a wrist-loop, or what ever you called it, because I wanted to keep my fingers warm.. And that also worked wery well. So know I´m not knowing how to do...
Always these decitions to make ;-)

I have tryed a wrist loop in the past, but didn't like it very much. I use a toggle on all my slings and it works well for me. The toggle is made from a birch dowel and is long enough to cross over two fingers(at least, could be more). The retension line is either tied on to the toggle with a clove hitch, or if the toggle is nice and fat like 3/8" it can be drilled the retension line passed through it and knotted with an overhand knot. The grip is, the toggle over the first joint of the middle and ring fingers, the retension line exiting between these two fingers, the hand held in a semi fist with only the fingers currled. This is an easy hold not a death grip. The toggle is easy on the fingers; with it you can hurl some big rocks and no real pain.

WalkingBird

Ask me about slinging for fun and profit.

Oh!
Another way to do it. Sound good, though. I tried with a little batterie ( it just lay there on the table), put my "grip" around it and try to sling.. ( without stone though; I was standing in the kitchen ;-)   ) And that also felt okay.
So now I have many different ways of slinging to test.
I´ll be very busy this spring, I guess  :D

WalkingBird, tell me about slinging for fun and profit.  lol.

Chris

I really like the freedom of a toggle, because it allows you to quickly, unobtrusively and descreetly engage and disengage your retention cord in complete safety.  I also like wrist loops big enough to allow me to slip out of them quiickly in an emergency, like if it got snagged in machinery a la Isadora Duncan :'(, etc.  Has anyone here ever seen the pictures posted around sports gyms and military bases shawing the guy's finger that got stripped to the bone :o, and had to be sewn back on after trying to hang on the rim of a basketball goal and dunk the ball?

It was gruesome, and sickening, but it sure made a beleiver out of ME  I don't wear jewelry on the sports field or when working around any sort of machinery anymore!!!  Likewise, it sort of put me off of using finger loops, when I discovered that the wrist loop worked just as well for me after some practice.  This, despite the fact the a middle finger loop was my first  "love",  and that's how I first learned to grip and use the sling properly and effectively.  Finger are pretty fragilke and vulnerable.  I wonder if people took advantage of this in ancient warfare, when the distance closed, and the  slingers were forced to fight hand-to-hand?  (OUCH!) :o

I forgot to mention that my usual grip is the pinch grip holding both cords between my thumb and forefinger. so I can just release everything as one, and retain the payload in the pouch better until the intended time of release.  I use the smallest retention knot possible to prevent the projectile or cord snagging it.

With practice, I was surprised how fast and hard I could spin the sling, and still maintain complete control over the payload even with a very thin cord, and tiny knot, so long as I was not wearing gloves.  about 4-5 0z is my ideal wieght for a stone or glande/egg sinker, and I don't find that heavier stones that put undue strain on the grip are usually worth the extra sacrifice of safety, control and the sensitivity (which is very possibly the most critical factor in achieving accuracy, power and consistency), to say nothing of velocity, in return for a little extra weight and "smash" factor.

I admit that there are special cases where this doesn't apply (such as with multiple projectiles, etc.), but generally my stones do much more damage to the intended target when they are accurately shot out (with adequate weight, good shape for the intended purpose and a composition consisting of good hardness and toughness) at higher speed, than heavier, slower ones do.  I find that for me, at least, the pinch grip allows me to spin the sling faster without losing the retenion knot and stone to overwhelming centrifugal (outward) pressure.  I can therefore sling a lot farther and harder with it.