i was goofing around yesterday at the studio, putting a few rocks through my new Peruvian, when one of the other artists came up to watch. he asked me about all the different slinging styles and i explained to him as many as i could. he then asked if there was a back handed style, like in tennis, and i started to say 'no', but then stopped to think. just because i haven't done it before doesn't mean it doesn't exist. i decided to give it a try and after a few attempts i think i can say that with the right sling and technique, it's a pretty viable slinging style. anyone else messed around with this?

Chris

I have attempted it, without any noticeable results, but the slinger in this video seems to get at least a good smack out of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HC4g5K6pFc
timann

I have had great difficuly getting any good power out of it. It seems to need more body twist and none of the natural spring of your muscles. In almost all the other styles it is a combo of your body motion an the contraction of arm and chest muscles springing back to the forward position. Also it more difficult to spot the target.

Rat Man wrote on Jan 21^st, 2011 at 3:42pm:

I did a backhand shot with out meaning to once that took out my wife's windshield.

:oOuch, did you fess up...?

Nope.  I love her dearly, but if you met my wife you'd know why. She still thinks it was a pebble off of a dump truck traveling in front of her. Hopefully she always will.

timann wrote on Jan 21^st, 2011 at 10:50am:

I have attempted it, without any noticeable results, but the slinger in this video seems to get at least a good smack out of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HC4g5K6pFc timann

The way he's wrapping it around and dragging it accross his body looks a little awkward and impractical--or is it just me?  I admit it does look pretty cool though...

I have tried it once or twice and whilst it did 'work' in that the shot went forward, power was quite low. I know tennis players hit backhand all the time and with good power too, but the purpose of the stroke is really to give court coverage not because the shot is intrinsically superior. (Sure I know Frisbees are usually thrown backhand but again, this is more to achieve the spin required for the device to work. Their actual velocity is really quite low.)

Play with it as a novelty shot. However I doubt you'll make it your favoured style. If it works well then post a vid. on YouTube.

 I have never tried backhand...  but I know throwing it over your shoulder works, just let it hang down by your feet then bring your arm up and over your shoulder fast and release, dangerous but it does work well.  I also find a great distance throw is just to take the sling starting with it dangling down at your feet then snap your arm straight over your shoulder then snap it back overhand, kind of like with a whip.  It is similar to figure8 but it is much faster to do and gives good distance, I have trouble lowering the trajectory though to hit a target on the ground.  
 Can you make a vid of you doing the backhand?

I've tried it.  Got decent power with it but I think it's better off to focus on other styles that comes more natural to me.  Long ago we had a member here who was a frisbree thrower and he liked the backhand style above all else.  I think he claimed to have thrown close to 300 yards with it. I believe him.  I can  see a pirouette backhand being very powerful too.

I have been doing forehand for so long that back hand seems really awkward and had very little power but thats just me.

Kind of off topic but if I had to call one style "ninja" style I would say backhand. (I know it's not though.) It just seems so ninja-esque.  :D

I use a backhand method for distant targets.  I kind of picked it up when I first started slinging, and had no technique so to speak of, but found that I could send a stone farther if I threw it backhand.  Now it feels natural to throw it that way and I work more towards getting more accurate with near targets using it.
Again, it's probably not really as accurate, and it does require more twisting of the body, but I find that the back muscles can really work towards getting a lot of velocity on the stone when it's released.  I don't rotate the stone at all before I release it.

I've used it, and it operates as a pointless novelty shot. I get more power and more accuracy out of both figure eight and sidearm, and it simply doesn't seem worth it for me.

funfungiguy wrote on Mar 6^th, 2011 at 2:09pm:

Again, it's probably not really as accurate, and it does require more twisting of the body, but I find that the back muscles can really work towards getting a lot of velocity on the stone when it's released.  I don't rotate the stone at all before I release it.

I proper technique for any style uses your core muscles for power. :)