I’ve analyzed nwmanitou’s slinging style with a series of drawings. I hope this sketch helps us out as we walk the path of casting stones! nwmanitou, please let me know how you feel about this breakdown of your casting technique.
Johnny
http://www.slinging.org/images/techy2.gif

Right on man, right on! You even managed to trim me up a little. ;D

This is exactly the method I use. For those trying out this style, I have noticed that it puts a little extra strain on the shoulder and could cause injury. Warming up before casting this way and regular exercises will prevent much pain. Shoulder press and rotator cuff excersises seem to work the best. My favorite is Holding a weight at your side with your elbow bent at 90degrees. Keep your elbow against your side and rotate the weight out away from your center about 80 degrees, using only your shoulder. You should really feel it burn right at the joint. Even if your shoulder is already hurting, this particular exercise dramatically reduces the pain almost immediately and after a couple of days, may eliminate it permanently.

Again, great drawing's Johnny.

Whew!!.....Now I can exhale!!
Have you ever pulled any muscles in the side torso area? I really pulled something bad last weekend. I was casting tennis balls yesterday with no problem. I think it is about healed.
Glad you like the drawings! I'm getting better with this technique everyday!
Johnny

actually, I have pulled a Calf doing this swing. My side and torsoe is very sore at the moment, but that's because I was riding the Vomet Comet yesterday. The fun little stomach bug took out half the office this week.

Um, I guess with any physical activity it's always a good idea to warm things up first. A few years ago, when I first learned this cast. I really hurt my shoulder. First, I had a flat tire out in the middle of no where. We didn't have a jack so I deadlifted the back of the car so my friend could put a block under the axle. Before lifting it by the wheel well, I tried to lift the car by putting my shoulder in the door, I felt every bone in there pop when I tried. After returning to town on a spare tire, I proceeded to show off my sling for some friends by casting as hard as I could for about an hour. My arm was worthless for almost a year after that. I couldn't even through a ball bare handed without extreme pain that lasted for days. When I got to college I went to a sports doctor. He gave me some exercises and within a week my arm was good as new. I had whats called a Subluxating Shoulder, though to what degree I don't know. Basically one group of muscles and tendons were much stronger and tighter than their opposing group, causing severe strain on the weaker part of my shoulder whenever I would thow. Our bodies are suspension bridges, carefully balanced. Our muscles will injure themselves to maintain that balance so it's good to make sure they are strong enough to handle it.

In a nutshell, I threw my arm out and targeted weight training is what fixed it and has prevented new injury.

Hey Nw,  glad you made it back......that Johnny sure likes to show off don't he!  (grrrrr....I'm green I tell ya).   He got it dead on!   Any of you get a chance to try my minor modification to the style for the purposes of target sport?  It really is much lighter on the shoulder.   I can sling as long as I like with it.   It certainly won't match the full style,  however it retains more than enough kinetic energy for the harvesting of small game and target practice.  With broadhead tipped darts,  I daresay one could manage to take larger game at bowhunting range if proficient with the style.   It is the one I clumsily described earlier whereby one holds the arm in an 'L' shape after having wrapped the sling around the elbow and back up to the hand, cocks back, with a quick toss forward of the ammo and back again, ready to pitch forward as the ammo comes down and off the elbow.   It is quite efficient with little energy expenditure and biomechanical stress and uses isometric principles so aptly demonstrated in certain martial arts techniques, such as the 1"inch punch, iron palm, etc.  Just as Nwmanitou's style closely mimics a full windup baseball pitch,  so too, this style closely mimics my Shuriken throw.    This overhand style, as demonstrated by Nwmanitou and others, has provided a panacea of possibilities should one wish to explore them!   :)

Yeah, very well done, Johnny!
I really like those drawings!


And thank you for all tips, nwmanitou ( ahhh why must that name be so difficult to spell ;-)   )


Ulrica....
who has got a little bump on her hand since some month... and trying to not sling so much :-(

Tech
You can also use the horizontal cast instead of the overhand cast with this style. The first loop builds up speed and the final loop(either overhand or horizontal) is the cast. I can cast either way  with good results!
Johnny

Nwmanitou,  I have had great and speedy success with static tension exercises targeting the connective tissues employed in the art of slinging.  For instance,  have you ever observed arm wrestling competitions where some average sized, maybe even lanky individual beats a freakishly large competitor?  It is because of the conditioning of his tendons.   I have witnessed it time and time again, firsthand.   I am quite certain that the developement of the tendons of the shoulder, elbow, etc.  have aided me immensely.  One might try holding small weights outstretched from the body, maybe start with 20lbs. or so and simply hold them still at right angles to the body and at varying positions horizontally, and branch out from there.  Also, it is important to mimic the same direction of tension as felt during the sling....such as holding the arm out and pushing down on a static object as well.   I am certain that those lanky guys have it all over us in the power and distance departments......but we can perhaps sling the big stuff, slower, closer, and with more impact force.  

Johnny,

Honestly, how long does it take you to produce a set of drawings such as the one you just posted?  Do you 'moonlight' your services?

Tech
I rendered the above in about a hour, maybe two, I can't remember! If you factor in the time I looked at the print outs of nw's style, definitely two hours or more.
Johnny

nw
I can see you deadlifting a car! You look like you're built like an Abrams tank! How are those hemorrhoids? I will keep these exercises in mind being a runner/weightlifter myself.
Johnny

Johnny, ...those drawings are one super! service to the sport.     I can see them in a book of some kind already.   What are the chapters??  Who does the text??  mgreenfield

MGreenfield
Thanks for the comments!
I'm seriously thinking about doing an illustrated book on the sling. The thing is, I've never seen a good book on the history, making and technique of the sling! I think I should "strike while the iron is hot" and get busy!!
Johnny

Heck M,  if Johnny don't I will!   Although,  I highly doubt the marketability of a stick figure instructional 'flip-it' book for would be slingers.   :)

More like a fuel truck now. I've gained about 40lbs since I got married. My wife is a terrific cook. At 220lbs I'm roughly 15% bodyfat. Unfortunately, I'm up at 260.

5'10"

Being a bit stocky runs in the family. I was benching 290 in 8th grade.

Whoa!  Got me beat.....how tall are you Nwmanitou?   I too, know well the cumulative detritus that results from a largely sedentary existence.  Too bad it didn't all go to my heiny as I would then be able to at least rest upon the results of my 'hard work'....

Oh, almost forgot,  ditto what Johnny said about yer, uh, roid issue......actually it is a little known fact that Scotsmen of old were wont not to waste anything and found a peculiar use for them in battle,  first they would cut out the offending little boogers and then sling them at their enemies with the utmost ferocity!   :-X     (LOL.....bad form, I know)

Talk about a stink bomb!!
Johnny

I too am 5' 10".    I know I could never carry 260lbs!  My highest ever was 247 and that was a near death experience, literally!  You must have an unusually high muscle density....  I am now down to 218 and am feeling better than I have in years!   All thanks to my personally developed 'Twinkie and Ipecac' diet.... ;D (lol) Ok, that's actually a half-truth.  It was hard for me to retrain my eating habits and a diet of raw fruits and vegetables coupled with low impact aerobic exercise was the ticket........also, having a television powered solely from the power generated by pedalling a recumbent exercise bike has proven quite instrumental....

Hey, nice drawings and technique!, I understand everything but I can't make it   :'(. Maybe I'll have to try and try until I get it.  :)

Jandro,  it's one of those things whose subtleties can be readily under appreciated.   Perhaps one may start with the sling held by both hands as shown in Johnny's number 3 sketch, throwing the ammo downward in order to initiate enough force for it to arc far enough over the shoulder that you can then choose to become dynamically involved by feel alone......thus catapulting you into grasping the style almost at once!   ;)

Just 157 lbs of certified scrawny (go ahead & kick sand in my face. I wont mind!), BUT our clan, male & female, goes strong well into our 90's.    If you cant out fight them, out last them is our motto  ;D  mgreenfield