Here is another element on my incremental path to improved accuracy.

A big part of accuracy being consistency, I switched recently from a bare crown knot to a plastic bead that covers the knot and allows for the exact same release friction every time.

This has helped. If before I could play catch at 30 yards and someone could catch the ball 30% of the time without moving their feet, now it is closer to 75% of the time. Maybe half would hit them somewhere if they didn't react.

Realizing I do NOT have any sort of natural talent for slinging I continue to look for ways to make it easier. If it were as close as possible to something I can already do - throw a ball or toss a javelin, maybe it would improve my consistency and then accuracy can be worked toward in a systematic way.

per the pics, I show the bead, then the bead as I normally hold it, lastly the bead as I have been experimenting - holding it like a claw, hand as it would be if I were holding a ball. I use a figure 8 and simply wind up and throw, there is no release of thumb in place of opening hand, just open the hand.

I have tried this with the bead and some of my knots and it seems to have helped accuracy yet again. I was surprised that it didn't feel like a weak hold when slinging rocks compared to tennis balls.
Food for thought.

Die Perle hat sich bewährt.  Aber ich verwende sie heute nicht mehr.
Das ist meine jetzige Lösung.  Funktioniert hervorragend.

Morphy wrote on Sep 13^th, 2017 at 11:00am:


I have used wooden beads before and they did not hold up well, probably the hole was too large and overall size of the bead too small.

These are holding up very well, despite being pretty thin at the base where the crown not is partially recessed. Have whacked it on aluminum pool frame a bunch of times and no problem. They are made from the cut stick backer from a commercial paper cutter. Am pretty sure its just #2 plastic.

In fact this entire sling is holding up incredibly compared to past efforts. Gutted 550 paracord with a four strand flat braid for the retention loop and line, Rockman type split pouch, four strand round release line into the bead/crown knot.

It doesn't make a nice crack on release, more of a whomp,  but it is showing zero wear and that with a fair amount of stone through it - mostly tennis balls though.

for me when i think about it i dont hit my target the thing that i have learned is you need to collect a bunch of rocks or what not that are roughly the same weight and shape and just throw often when i was good at it before i got busy and have gone 5 or so months without throwing i just went out and knocked bits of scrap wood off things and threw at some trees walking around throwing at things till i started getting how high to hold at certain distances