Slinging.org Forum
https://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl
General >> Project Goliath - The History of The Sling >> When and where the last professional slingers?
https://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1266498481

Message started by bernardz on Feb 18th, 2010 at 8:08am

Title: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by bernardz on Feb 18th, 2010 at 8:08am
as above

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by David Morningstar on Feb 18th, 2010 at 8:34am

As warriors I'll take a guess at South America, 1500-1600 CE Aztec/Inca vs Spanish.

Nope, actually Pacific Islands, early 1800's Polynesian warriors vs each other and the British.

As shepherds, there are llama/alpaca herders in Peru, yak herders in Tibet, goat herders in Africa and the Middle East, maybe even still in Spain.

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by curious_aardvark on Feb 18th, 2010 at 9:58am
Guess it depends oj your definition of professional.

There are still kids in mexico who use slings to clear birds from crops - they'd get something for it, so technically are professional slingers.

Our fellow member louis pons livermore wins prizes at balearic competitions so directly profits from his slinging. Also a definition of a professional.

If you mean regiments or squads of battle slingers, that's a different matter. see david's answer :-)

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by Lycurgus on Feb 18th, 2010 at 1:01pm
My Re-enactment group got paid for an event at which I slung.
Does that make me a professional? ;)

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by slingingrat on Feb 18th, 2010 at 1:09pm

Lycurgus wrote on Feb 18th, 2010 at 1:01pm:
My Re-enactment group got paid for an event at which I slung.
Does that make me a professional? ;)


Why i think it dose ;D :o

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by curious_aardvark on Feb 21st, 2010 at 2:59pm

Lycurgus wrote on Feb 18th, 2010 at 1:01pm:
My Re-enactment group got paid for an event at which I slung.
Does that make me a professional? ;)


Only if you wouldn't have got paid without the slinging ;-)

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by bigkahuna on Feb 23rd, 2010 at 5:08am
What about the troops in the Spanish Civil War?? Didn't they use slings?? That would make them the last military slingers.

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by Aussie on Feb 28th, 2010 at 6:58pm
Wanderer posted a link sometime ago about an Ethiopian Jew in the Israeli army. This guy was absolutely deadly with a sling and when questioned about it he explained to his CO that in the Ethiopian army slings are still used as grenade launchers, even to this day.

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by ilovepancakes on Mar 10th, 2010 at 5:30pm

Aussie wrote on Feb 28th, 2010 at 6:58pm:
Wanderer posted a link sometime ago about an Ethiopian Jew in the Israeli army. This guy was absolutely deadly with a sling and when questioned about it he explained to his CO that in the Ethiopian army slings are still used as grenade launchers, even to this day.


I remember reading that post but I can't find the link. I was looking to reread it after reading the Slings in Modern Resistance thread.

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by Lycurgus on Mar 11th, 2010 at 2:22pm

Curious Aardvark wrote on Feb 21st, 2010 at 2:59pm:

Lycurgus wrote on Feb 18th, 2010 at 1:01pm:
My Re-enactment group got paid for an event at which I slung.
Does that make me a professional? ;)


Only if you wouldn't have got paid without the slinging ;-)



Booooo spoil-sport  ;D

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by colejack3 on Jul 7th, 2010 at 9:14am
I thought the tribes in africa still used slings? Do the australian aborigines use slings?

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by slingbadger on Jul 7th, 2010 at 5:35pm
Australia is the only place the natives did not have slings

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by Goku on Feb 11th, 2011 at 5:55am
Aboriginal Australians had/have woomeras (Atlatls) and hunting boomerangs (essentially a rabbit stick) for hunting and combat.

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by HurlinThom on Feb 12th, 2011 at 12:05pm
If bull-slinging counts we have a whole Congress full of professionals.

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by starhiker on Feb 12th, 2011 at 12:44pm
I guess mudslinging is almost the same as clay ammunition! ::)

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by Sons of benjamin on Feb 27th, 2011 at 10:20am
There are many secluded peoples that still use the sling for hunting.  These people would mainly be in or around forests where there is very little modern human activity.  Also, there are people in the baleric islands that are professional slingers.  I watched a show on the history channel in which one of these slingers reenacted the shot that david would have had to make to kill goliath (in the baleric islands, slinging is a recognized sport.  This man was the world champion at the time).  He hit the target on the third try.

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by Masiakasaurus on Feb 27th, 2011 at 11:39am
That man was Luis Pons Livermore, and he's also a member of this forum. I wouldn't call him a professional slinger, though. While slinging is still practiced in some remote places and is still a sport in the Balearic Islands no one is getting paid to sling. There are no organized professional leagues where the competitors are drawing their salary from the sport. Organized groups of paid slingers is the focus of this thread.

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by thabaill on Jul 12th, 2011 at 5:49pm




http://www.prints-online.com/hand_grenades_the_sling-method_of_throwing_them_used_by_spanish_troops/print/4394394.html

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by Thearos on Jul 14th, 2011 at 8:32pm
The first is an Indian policeman slinging against demonstrators, which I posted a while back (from Washington Post, I think)

The second is v. interesting: Moorish legionaries practicing slinging ? NB they're in fig.-8 starting position !

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by curious_aardvark on Jul 15th, 2011 at 7:21am
what's the date on those spanish grenadiers ?

I've always said the sling is the perfect delivery system for small grenades :-)
Given the power of modern explosives you could deliver a pretty effective shrapnel grenade under a pound in weight with no problem.

Totally silent delevery, pretty accurate 100 plus yard range and the launcher fits in your pocket.

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by jlasud on Jul 17th, 2011 at 3:01am
That photo with the spanish troops is really cool! Good to see such rare photos,thanks for sharing.Agreed C_A,don't know why it was so rare...guess they've quite forgotten about the sling.

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by curious_aardvark on Jul 18th, 2011 at 7:27am
I gues the biggest problem with sling based grenade delivery is the timing of the fuses.

But with modern electronics I reckon you could rig an internal accelerometer (like the ones if wii controllers - cheap enough) to only arm the fuse when the grenade reached a set velocity that could only be produced by sling release.

Or use the same accelerometer as an impact fuse.

If I ever win the lottery - I'm building a serious ordnance range for exotic sling ammo :-)  

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by thabaill on Jul 18th, 2011 at 9:51am
Hello

I am not sure, but I think that the date of the picture could be early 20th Century.

Have you seen this?

http://www.nodo50.org/despage/Nuestra%20Historia/guerra%20civil/bombas%20con%20honda/bombas_con_honda.htm

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by HurlinThom on Jul 18th, 2011 at 1:05pm

Curious Aardvark wrote on Jul 18th, 2011 at 7:27am:
I gues the biggest problem with sling based grenade delivery is the timing of the fuses.

But with modern electronics I reckon you could rig an internal accelerometer (like the ones if wii controllers - cheap enough) to only arm the fuse when the grenade reached a set velocity that could only be produced by sling release.

Or use the same accelerometer as an impact fuse.

If I ever win the lottery - I'm building a serious ordnance range for exotic sling ammo :-)  


Fuse timing has been a problem for a long time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOrgLj9lOwk

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by fattybones on Aug 22nd, 2011 at 9:16pm
Arkansas, 2011 AD.  However, he also acts and sells slings.  He clearly gets paid to sling, at least indirectly from sales he gets after demonstrating slinging.  Reference: http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1312927906  He seems pretty organized, but alas he is not a group. ;) ;D :P

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by Arturo Delen on Oct 22nd, 2011 at 2:06am
What is the requirement for being a professional slinger?

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by Masiakasaurus on Oct 22nd, 2011 at 2:23am
Being paid to sling?

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by curious_aardvark on Oct 23rd, 2011 at 12:06pm
yep the definition of 'professional' is someone who is paid for their services.

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by Wiegieboard on Oct 23rd, 2011 at 6:54pm
Technically I guess that David on here is a current professional slinger?

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by Masiakasaurus on Oct 23rd, 2011 at 11:39pm
I think he qualifies.

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by lobohunter on Jan 4th, 2012 at 4:03pm
Well my money. Lays with the modern day day Palestinians who may be hurling rocks at the. U.s soon but about. The phrase mud slinging. What is its orgin

Title: Re: When and where the last professional slingers?
Post by Bill Skinner on Jan 5th, 2012 at 7:39pm
Early in his political career, Lincoln was challenged to a duel by one of his political opponents, he said he would accept if the weapons were corn stalks  daubed in mud at ten paces.  That is the story I have heard we get the term "mud slinging" from.

Slinging.org Forum » Powered by YaBB 2.5.2!
YaBB Forum Software © 2000-2024. All Rights Reserved.