Slinging

I would like to use the opportunity and say a few words about my views on the technique of slinging. Before that, however, I want to underline that in my opinion of course everybody is free to sling the way he or she regards to be the right one. That is exactly one of the reasons why I joined this forum.

Concerning hunting/killing with a sling... This is just what the sling was originally made for, killing. I shot a deer with a sling in the mid-90s in Kazakhstan by hitting its neck from about 40 metres distance. The animal instantly dropped dead.

Which leads us to the subject of technique. I must admit that I was rather astonished when I first read about different „styles“ on this forum. For me the style has always been defined by the function, the way the sling works, and by its effect. When I started slinging, I thought that more force from the slinging arm would add to distance and impact power. I found, however, that this is not the case. More force produced by the arm only leads to pain in one’s shoulder and elbows and to sore fingers. Furthermore, the chance to hit something gets clearly diminished if there is too much force put into the arm. I found this assumption confirmed when I visited our fellow slingers from Tir de Fona in Spain.

A few basics concerning slinging technique: I have tried many of the techniques described on the forum. In my opinion, there are only few remaining which are in fact useful for a slinger. 

A beginner should basically train with a sling whose cord length does not exceed 60 cm. The sling should not be too light, either. As a technique, a beginner should choose slinging at his/her side. This technique may produce only limited power, but it provides a good feeling for the weapon. It does not matter if one has to begin standing very close to the target. Long-distance shots should only be thrown by more experienced slingers.

Being more experienced, one can switch over to train slinging above one’s head, namely the release technique which is commonly described as overhand here. Why overhand? Well, just because it guarantees the greatest probability to hit the target.

By using sidehand, the sling during the release phase does a semi-circle, 180 degrees. It is extremely difficult to find the exact moment of release with this radius. The more distant one stands from the target, the worse the „angle incertainty“ of the sling gets in relation to the aim. There still is another reason why using sidehand is only for extremely professional slingers: One has almost no influence on the position of the sling rotor.

While shooting a clean overhand, the angle that the sling describes in relation to the target is only 90 degrees, half of that of a sidehand shot. Furthermore, within these 90 degrees it is possible to adjust the position of the sling rotor towards the target.

Positioning the rotor horizontally will result in the projectile being released horizontally in about the height of one’s head, which works well for distances up to 30 m.

If I incline the rotor in a forward angle, the projectile will be released forward (downward). I use this technique for very short shots or when aiming at targets below my own standing position.

The farther I want to throw, the more I must incline the rotor backwards. For extreme dictance shots, the rotor is almost vertically behind me.

These are a few personal thoughts. The technique surely is much more complex than what I have described here. If you want me to, I like to add a few photos as soon as possible for better illustration.

And, of course, I enjoy even more to discuss with you all about my assertion.

I think as you have pointed out, that slinging is a very personal thing, I disagree with certain things you have said but agree with others. I also found underarm to be a nice type of throw for beginners to learn with (being me) as I find it is easy to keep it at low speeds and also felt very natural. I still can get near to my maximum distance using underarm style and I still feel my technique isnt anywhere near quite perfected and am sure I could get alot more power from it yet. I agree it is difficult to aim with underarm, but if slinging with force, it really should be just as difficult as overarm aswell, both require the release cord to let go at a split second, and although the overarm allows the ammo to go low if released late, underarm allows it to go slightly high, so adjust your shot accordingly as people would do for overarm.
I would agree with ardvark that I dont think sidearm does make it that much more difficult (so long as I am thinking of the right throw).  I found that I naturally developed into a sidearm style when throwing underarm at closer range. I agree that if a bad release is done, the effects are worse off than on underarm or sidearm, but I feel the accuracy is actually easier with this shot.
Personally aswell I disagree with overhand. I know lots of people like this shot, but it is the most unnatural out of all the styles for me and I can get anything from it. I can do the figure 8 well, and the helicopter, but the overhand isnt a shot I find to be the best, personally.

For sling length, I agree around the 60cm is a good length and I have been loving my sling at 22" (around 55cm I think) but I dont like any shorter. I am looking at throwing with 32" soon being what I started with and I remember enjoying that. Longer I find an encumbrance for aiming and is only good for distance with me at the moment, but I am still a very new slinger and so just need more practise before using one that length. But the balearic slingers did carry 3 lengths which I assume where all around the same lengths I am talking about.

Nemo

"Also, when thrown on level ground, a round stone will stay in a straight line, and it will hug the ground, greatly improving your chances of hitting."

This is one reason I like round stones. Whether you use underhand, overhand or sidearm if you miss your intended target, excuse me, dinner, by a few yards the rock will hit the ground and roll right into the target with quite a bit of force. The rounder the stone the less force seems to be lost in making the transition. It's like bowling for rabbits.

I've talked about these things to Jaegoor, who's thought a lot about them-- and who went through a lot of trouble to write this primer below. I have a few questions or notes.

I like the point about a short sling-- in fact it inspired me so much I went and braided and wove a 60 cm sling (rather than the thing which I usually use, fingertip to breastbone, maybe 90 cm or so ?). I also note that some of Jaegoor's videos show him slinging with a 60 cm sling.

Jaegoor recommends "slinging at his/her side". I'm not sure what this means. From videos of Jaegoor, I wonder if he doesn't mean the Balearic (and Bedouin) style of side-arm: rotations are in the vertical plane, like a propeller, followed by the arm whipping from the side, like a boy throwing a stone to skip it over a pond. As C-A notes, it's v. accurate-- if you sling well.

Jaegoor the recommends "overhand". It is possible to sling this way with a short sling--"trebuchet" style, you hold your hand back then your body whips it forward, as if you had a longer arm or an atlatl,as Bill Skinner says. It's not possible with a longer sling, you have to hold it to the side of your head with the other head (the "Greek-style" developed on this forum from the staters of Aspendos). Actually this works (I can hit a target at 10 paces with this). When I was a boy I had a short sling, long as my fore-arm, and most of my slinging was of this sort.
It just doesn't go very far or very strong. It also tends to fly into the ground.

Helicopter-style: the problem is how to direct the tangent from the circle the sling ("rotor') describes. As a boy, whenever I tried this (which I read about in books: three rotations and release), the shot flew all over the place. From some youtube videos, I think this is widespread. David Morningstar releases to the side, and the stone flies straight but offset, as if someone standing next to you were shooting a crossbow. Jaegoor does something extraordinary, which I've seen on his videos (and also other people's, for instance the guy who shoots 38 m/ s) and stroven to imitate: his body twists as he shoots, and somehow moves the "point of tangential flight" from his side to straight ahead of him. Finally, I've seen a Bedouin shoot helicopter style, by controlling the point of release so that the stone flew into the target at an angle, as if he were directing a remote controlled gun mounted on a hoop around his body.

I know Jaegoor doesn't like figure-8. I tend to agree: it seems accurate, but  I can't control my arm right during the actual throw: I throw my arm into it and my elbow hurts.

If Jaegoor could post some photos to lllustrate, I'd be very glad.

Hi Thearos,

congratulations, you have understood what I wanted to say. What I meant by "slinging at the side" is usually called "underhand" here. I teach it a bit different from what is common here, though. I put a great importance on the position of the hip during the shot, for it is the hip which draws the arm from the circle (rotor) forwards. I am going to do a few pictures and maybe a little video for better illustration.

...there which are still absent..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHj5NUdw-8I Sidehand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7KiQScrJAw a shot on 40 m

Unfortunately, no very good quality. It was taken up by a visitor of the castle with the mobile phone. He filmed me in the training

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA9qx-jFmFc a shot on a honeydew melon. The video conveys an approximate idea of a head to hit.
If one exactly looks, one can recognise which scarcely was quite wrong the first shot. only the second shot was a hit