Thearos
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No, we have not. Let me restate the debate.
1. Accuracy. Working at reasonable ranges for accuracy shooting (say 15-20m), we notice two things.
a. Some people shoot hard and straight and hit the target b. Some people shoot a bit slower and on an arc and hit the target.
Examples of a: Mr Marauder. Yurek. Rockman. Examples of b: Jaegoor. Bill Skinner (I think). Masia.
Now the debate is whether a or b is better. The lobbers think that b is better, because it allows more control, and that it is the more mature way of slinging. I tend to think this. The straight-shooters think that a is better, because it puts the shot straight at the target, and therefore that you should work on your skill until you can do that.
But another thought occurred to me-- that perhaps some people have the natural skill to straight-shoot without difficulty, but that many (I suspect) do not have the coordination. I have been slinging for over 30 years now, and must say that if I straight shoot, I consistently pull to the left. If I lob, I can place shots, and lobbing has helped me grow. I still try to concentrate and align and get my straight shots in order.
2. "Power". Still at the same range (15-20m), I put forward three observations: a. Straight shooters get their power from speed b. Lobbers CAN get power from using heavier stones (which in fact are the optimal ammo for lobbing) c. Heavier ammo retains speed better.
There's been a fair bit of debate here: I've argued that a heavy stone launched with a fair bit of speed does arrive with a pretty considerable terminal KE; Masia. has insisted on momentum as the important factor favouring the heavy stones (and I do not pretend to understand all of his maths); the "whangers' believe that the speed of their projectiles mean the fast stone has a LOT of KE.
3. "True nature of the sling" This, I fear, is the area of greatest subjectivity and silliness, and I have contributed much to the silliness. But frankly, no one really has much experience in using the sling in war or in riots or in hunting or in herding. I would welcome evidence, from texts, ethnography or films, showing slings in use-- with an eye to this lobbing vs whanging problem.
4. Distance Now once we get beyond the 30 m range, everyone shoots with an eye on drop. I don't think we have a lot of experience on accuracy shooting at these ranges (40, 50, 80, 100m)-- at that point, everyone just lets rip at different angles ("whanging at an angle"). Except that (Masia writes) we should perhaps be thinking more in terms of scaling our lobbing outwards.
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