As I threw today, I took notice of my style.  I also tried a couple of things.

First, I tried varying the angle of my release.  Since I do a single windup starting with the stone hanging and release overhand at above horizontal, I wanted to see what changing the angle did.  In the end, not much effect was noticed by a change of several degrees.  Releasing above 135 deg. was only good for closer ranges.  90 to 115 degs.  from horiz. was good for out to 200 ft without any problems.  Below 90 deg. for very long distance.

Second added some body motion I previously did not use.  I typically stand just about facing the targer, with throwing hand/shoulder/foot back just a bit.  Today I stood with them at almost 180 deg. to the target (or area of interest).  This forced me to turn my body into the throw and added some power to it.  I then tried twisting my arm/shoulder around even more and skipping once or twice as I threw.  This added quite a bit more power.   1 Samuel 17 says that David RAN toward the battle line and slung at Goliath.  Maybe this is a description of his throw as much as positioning himself closer.  A little run seems to add a lot to the leverage of the throw

Also, I am sore like I've been beat.  My throwing shoulder, elbow, forearm, hand and fingers are in pain.  This probably because I have a sedantary job and don't use these important parts of my body for such things regularly.  I am, however, fairly strong, if out of shape.  I simply did not expect to encounter such great stress.  My previous outings have not included such vigorous attempts.  The lighter stones also caused the greatest stress.  Not enough mass to take up the force and the muscles pay.  Just like any other sport involving throwing, I suppose.  If I shot really light arrows in my longbow, its limbs would fail due to the lack of mass to take up energy.

Well, simply put, I had a great day of throwing stuff.  Stick and stones, that is.  Which will, as the children's taunt goes, break your bones.  I love to throw stuff; bullets, sticks, stones, steel shot, frisbees, etc.  Just what I'm made of, I suppose.  God makes us all different, and I got the projectile gene.  Yippeee!!!

Jeff <>< who forever more will love to throw stuff

Sounds fun! I hope to do some tomorrow.

I often run when I sling.  It's no so much a wild run though, more of a controlled/regular run... like in bowling.  I start to do my single rotation when I'm still moving and then as it loops around, I twist my whole body to give it some additional whipping power right before release.  I think it's a great style and it seems very powerful, but I don't achieve the ranges of some of the other people here.  

The key to slinging accurately is being consistent, so I generally sling the same way every time.  

Chris

Great experiments Jeff!  

I sling in slanted horizontal style and lunge with my front (left) foot on the rotation before release.  It's a big lunge and slightly to the left.  It helps me to get a better pull from the back and a lot more power.  Dynamic sport!  

                                       Ben

I agree with Chris, consistency is obviously a key element in accuracy or even distance.  Just like shooting a bow.  Got to do it the same each time.

jeff <><

I  must interject a little sling theory I learned recently.  Consistency is key, yes.  But it is difficult to keep consistent shots for me, when I work with the sling in my release.  Everything is moving too fast to control and the battle between the hand (the anchor of the orbital mass), and the mass itself, is too intense to be precise in such a tug of war.    

I have quit working with the mass- and instead I throw my shots toward the target at a precise 90 degree angle up from the angle I'm winding up with.  This way I am not allowing the sling to have any pull on my arm from the side that can prevent accuracy.  I haven't practiced in quite a few days because I've been incredibly busy and tired.  But I just got out there last night and nailed shot after shot after shot, right into the bullseye at 15 yards.  I kept expecting to miss and I didn't.  Well, I did twice when I didn't follow my own rules.  

I wind up at a slight angle off the horizontal so that 90 degrees up is a natural pitcher's throw for me.  It works for me and my shots aren't affected by the power I'm putting into them and so on.  If I were to throw more in line with my windup, I'd be a victim of a thousand factors.  So instead I make my windup a victim of my throw.  I windup very slow for more than one turn and I pull hard on my final throw.  My power is in no way lacking.    

Another big factor.  Make glands or get a group of standard weight stones.  It helps a lot.  It's not necessary, but it helps you to be more scientific with your own technique.  Heavy stones tend to release early and light ones release late.  

To be honest, for years I've been thinking that more than likely I'd have to eventually settle for a 24" sling to be able to get any kind of accuracy.  But as most of us agree, the shorter slings lack power compared to the longer ones.  So I've been sad  :-/  My other thought was that there might be a certain sling length suited for each individual.  However, to my pleasant delight now, I'm using a 32" sling and my accuracy is now shocking me!  It's easier than throwing a baseball.  I'm not kidding.  It just works and I can't fully explain it.  When you throw a ball by hand, you have to calculate the trajectory if you're throwing at any distance at all.  With a sling, things are much faster and straightforward.  It's like throwing an invisible ball and then to your surprise, it hits the target as a visible object by magic.  It's fun.      

Leon has impressive accuracy!  But he breaks just about every rule I set down for myself!  So what can I say?  There's more than one way to skin a coon.  

                                        Ben the fanatic

Quote:

The lighter stones also caused the greatest stress.  Not enough mass to take up the force and the muscles pay.  Just like any other sport involving throwing, I suppose.  If I shot really light arrows in my longbow, its limbs would fail due to the lack of mass to take up energy.

This is interesting problem. The comparision a human body to a bow illustrates essence of body stress quite well. There is one a great difference, however.

The archer strains the string with some strength providing a potential energy to the bow, after release his work finish. From this moment just the bow start its sudden and short mechanical work. The archer isn't able to control it alredy. If the arrow is too light and the tension too big, the the arrow accelerates only so quick as the more inert limbs allow (inertion of the parts of bow makes a limit of acceleration). So the medium strength (F=ma) of bowstring which pushes the arrow is small (so mechanical work too), as a result the big rest of a kinetic energy is "consumed" by the limbs. It could break them.

On the contrary, during slinging the all hurling job is BEFORE the release. Then we are able to control it. On condition we feel how the body and arm smoothly drives the stone from backward. I know (from my own painful experience) that a blind hurry is not good. If we start the final sudden whip at improper moment the stroke of the arm (or rather the all body) surely will be idle and painful because we won't transfer much enough energy to the stone by the cords. Our knuckles, tendons and muscles must violently brake the idle impetus of the body. As a result, we get the pithless throw, pain and discouragement.

Therefore during practice we should try to put so many energy (impetus) as we able to control, more makes no sense. For me the proper shots are plesant and not paifull and as result powerfull. But if I'm too violent during the final whip (relative to my control of the sling) then my body sometimes works without a "full conection" with the stone and at last I get a pain and my shot isn't so good. I feel that my present limitation is in my technique (and/or the sling design) but not in my potential energy.

So we should start practice composedly and consciously for finding and filling an optimal way. The speed and automation will surely come in due time.

I know it isn't simple, the all body (from the feet to the arms) must make the quick and harmonius "dance" according to rhythm of the rotated sling. But just it is beautiful in slinging, never ending way ;)

Jurek

See my new thread on how I hurt myself!

jeff <><

hey you should also try a swiping motion around your side, that way u can control the ceiling  :)
jack

I wind up like a overhead(helicopter) throw, but I bring the sling down more like a underhand throw.  :D

:-)
I just use different styles and slings for different purposes. I think where most people have problems is that they try and use just the one style and sling for everything.
For example a hanging pouch, sidearm windup and horizontal or vertical release is best for distance but amazingly inaccurate. A fig 8 throw is seriously accurate with moderate power - but not overly great for distance (but it's so much fun seeing rocks shatter on balearic targets).
Most of the other styles also have their particular positive and negative aspects - so realistically the only way to be a complete slinger is to vary both slings and slinging styles to suit the moment.  
And you can take it one step further (as i did with the slinggolf putter) and design a sling and throwing style for a particular purpose if none currently exists.  

hey nobody said this was an easy sport :-)
But it sure is fun :-)

Oh and speed helps for both power and distance. A good powerful throw should happen almost too fast to see. If you video yourself and the final release portion of the throw is clearly visible -  then you need to move faster :-)