Hello, a few weeks ago I came over this website and couldn't resist the temptation to follow the instructions for making a braided sling.

As slinging styles I tried mainly Apache and underhand. I did a few attempts at helicopther and figure-8. But both range and accurracy are currently quite poor for me, no matter what style I use.

However, the place where I live enables me to release a tennis ball in Belgium, let it fly over the Netherlands and have it hit the ground in Germany.  ;)

[edit]I have attached my logo so I can link to it here and you do not need to wait for my homepage to supply it.[/edit]

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Welcome Dravonk,

Don't worry. Most of us live in areas where we have to be careful where we throw. Actually I think tennis balls make excellent ammunition because they do not go too far and are safe and do not frighten people. I like to practise against a brick wall. The ball bounces back to you so you don't waste time having to retrieve it.

Aussieslinger

Welcome Dravonk,

We might even meet in person one day.
I live in the Netherlands, west from Amsterdam, but we have talked about a sling meet in Antwerp again. We had one last April and hope to have an other this year, either in Antwerp or in the Southern most part of the Netherlands, Limburg.

Willeke

I guess it could be quite usefull to me if experienced slingers could tell me how to improve. Limburg would be great for me as it is just a hop away from Aachen but I guess Antwerp lies within range as well.

Aussie wrote on Jan 5^th, 2007 at 9:39am:

Don't worry. Most of us live in areas where we have to be careful where we throw. Actually I think tennis balls make excellent ammunition because they do not go too far and are safe and do not frighten people. I like to practise against a brick wall. The ball bounces back to you so you don't waste time having to retrieve it.

I threw tennis balls in a park today. Then this dog came towards me and looked at me (not listening to its owner who was calling it). It waited until I did the next throw and then took the ball from me... But after a while I got it back. (And I still had a reserve ball with me).

Dravonk,

The styles you chose are good for beginners; they are simple and fairly easy to learn.  The Apache, however, can be challenging to get just right.  Read Larry Forsyth's description of the style before slinging, and afterward also (and compare what you did, to what he wrote).

Most of us are self-taught, though many of us have used some of the introductory articles.  My favorite (because it is what I used myself) is David Taylor's descriptions and videos of the Greek styles.  These styles start from a particular stance that was depicted on some ancient Greek coins, and all have a very small wind-up.  Long wind-ups remove any possibility of a good throw.

Good luck!  Write about your experiences, there are many here willing to help.

    Greetings, Dravonk!                                                                
         We have several slingers on the forum from that part of Europe, but it is always nice to have yet another. As for me, I am in the USA, in Massachusetts about 50 miles west northwest of Boston. There is a lot of "glacial till" around here left over from the last ice age which ended about 12,000 years ago, so I have plenty of stones to sling. Tennis balls are a good idea, though, especially in a populated area. You wouldn't want to break windows in three different countries, would you?!                                                                
         I have been slinging a little over a year and my accuracy is still not that good, but let me suggest that you try slinging at tree trunks. I have tried this and I noticed a big improvement in my accuracy, at least accuracy "in windage" ( side to side. ) My accuracy "in elevation" ( up or down ) still leaves a lot to be desired. I can hit the tree trunk, but there is no guarantee as to where along its length!    [smiley=laugh.gif]          
         Also, I have tried some of the other styles, but they did not work well for me, so I've stayed with the "Apache" style.                                                                                                                          
         Dravonk, welcome to the forum!                                                                      
          [smiley=smiley.gif]                                                                                       .......Dan

Dale wrote on Jan 7^th, 2007 at 2:57am:

Dravonk, The styles you chose are good for beginners; they are simple and fairly easy to learn.  The Apache, however, can be challenging to get just right.  Read Larry Forsyth's description of the style before slinging, and afterward also (and compare what you did, to what he wrote).

The first difference to the described style is that I do not load the sling behind my back. But I think that would be quite hard to do with a split-pouch braided sling. Sometimes I bring the loaded sling behind my back before the throw, sometimes I point the pouch at the target and let the sling fall back. Most times the tennisball goes in a direction 30 degree away from the direction I intended. (Which is already an improvement for me, I threw stones that flew in any random direction with the Apache style. Pretty scary. No, I did not do that in a park.) The vertical direction is even worse, there I have almost no control currently. Sometimes they slam into the ground, sometimes they go in a very high arc.


Quote:

Most of us are self-taught, though many of us have used some of the introductory articles.  My favorite (because it is what I used myself) is David Taylor's descriptions and videos of the Greek styles.  These styles start from a particular stance that was depicted on some ancient Greek coins, and all have a very small wind-up.  Long wind-ups remove any possibility of a good throw.

I have seen that article and the videos, but this style apeared a bit confusing to me. I might try it again though.

Dravonk,

For most of us getting within a 45 degree area somewhere in front of us is good in the first few weeks, we (almost) all have to live with the occasional ball or stone going wild.
I have been slinging almost 2 years now and still have times when I think "good that the field is empty".
Most dangerous when using hard ammo are the shots that go wild by going straight up.

If you try for a while to reach distance the evelation might settle a bit, because that way you train yourself to see what angle gives what kind or results.

It would be helpfull if that dog can be borrowed to return your balls.

Willeke

Willeke wrote on Jan 7^th, 2007 at 8:51am:

Most dangerous when using hard ammo are the shots that go wild by going straight up.

I already experienced this. I did not start with tennisballs, I started with roughly shaped stones. Sometimes I wondered "where has it gone?" and a few seconds later I saw the stone hitting the ground a few meters next to me. After that, whenever I couldn't see the stone flying I raised a arm above my head until I heard the stone hitting ground.


Quote:

It would be helpfull if that dog can be borrowed to return your balls.

But it didn't drop it, it just ran around on the grass with the ball in its mouth...

Dravonk,

Entschuldigen Sie mir, bitte!  I wrote too hastily.  What I should have suggested was certain parts of Mr. Forsyth's article, not the whole thing.  I myself do not practice loading my sling one-handed.  But I do pay attention to his description of the actual slinging style:

Quote:

...stand very still while facing your prey with your body at an angle of about 45 or more degrees. .... Keep the throwing arm side of your body to the rear, hidden from the target's line of sight. Hold your visible arm close to you, across your body. ... Without hesitation and without moving a step, very quickly swing your arm and sling up from behind you and over the top in an overhand throw while attempting to keep your arm as straight and long as you can for airspeed. Put your body fully behind it in a fast turning motion similar to a baseball pitcher but without the step. Be aggressive and make all motions as large as you can. ... The whole action is over from start to stop in less than a second and the arm has swung less than 360 degrees. If your muscles are not used to this motion, start slow and work up to speed over a period of time. Speed and accuracy will only come with daily practice.

You said that sometimes you hold the loaded pouch in front of you, instead of starting with it hanging behind you.  There is nothing wrong with that, it is just another style.  Some time back, one of the members wrote of visiting a woman who had been a shepherd in her youth.  She took him out back of her place, and demonstrated her style, which went something like this:  Start with right hand in front of you, holding sling cords, and left hand out to your left side, holding the rock.  Toss the rock out to your left (toward the target), moving the right hand so as to allow the motion.  Then draw the right hand back, pulling the stone and pouch back as they fall, then whip the sling back, up, and overhead.  The latter part of this style is very much like the Apache style; this one just starts differently.  The old woman had killed a large number of coyotes during her shepherding days, using that technique.

Perhaps the wisest thing for you to do is tell people like me to stop suggesting things, you will ask for help when you need it. ;)

Dale wrote on Jan 8^th, 2007 at 1:22am:

Perhaps the wisest thing for you to do is tell people like me to stop suggesting things, you will ask for help when you need it. ;)

When I said that my range and accuracy is currently quite poor that was already a call for help. ;-) With some videos it would be easier, but I currently don't have a camera available.

Oh, I think I forgot to describe what I meant with "underhand": I hold the loaded pouch in front of me, let it fall back and swing it until it is furthest behind my back. At this point it has no power. I quickly pull it forwards then. The accuracy is a bit better but the range is still the same as with the overhand throws. I have no control over the vertical direction with this throw as well.

Today I didn't get the chance to throw tennisballs and now it is already dark. :-(

The underhand style that I learned was similar to how Mgreenfield does it, as shown in this video (MOV format, or AVI format).  Greenfield swings his sling through a revolution and three-quarters; my underhand style omitted the first full circle.  Try this, see if you get better results.

Your style also sounds similar to the style that Johnny uses, as described and illustrated here.  His style is more of a side-arm than an underhand, but it starts with the sling drawn back and whipped forward, like yours.

Dravonk wrote on Jan 9^th, 2007 at 12:55pm:

Today I didn't get the chance to throw tennisballs and now it is already dark. :-(

I found a very soft and light tennis ball sized ball now which I can throw around in my flat. (Underhand). Though if I give it just a bit power the sling whips back at me and sometimes hits the ceiling.


Dale wrote on Jan 9^th, 2007 at 4:47pm:

The underhand style that I learned was similar to how Mgreenfield does it, as shown in this video (MOV format, or AVI format).  Greenfield swings his sling through a revolution and three-quarters; my underhand style omitted the first full circle.  Try this, see if you get better results.

Thank you. I am currently on a 56k connection, but once I get back to a university computer I will have a look at that.


Dale wrote on Jan 9^th, 2007 at 4:47pm:

Your style also sounds similar to the style that Johnny uses, as described and illustrated here.  His style is more of a side-arm than an underhand, but it starts with the sling drawn back and whipped forward, like yours.

That looks like what I did, though I already released in frame #3 of his picture.

Here is a picture of my slings. The thicker one was my first sling, I made it using some string that was intended for packets. It was a bit heavy so I made the thinner sling out of some yarn. Unfortunatly the tennis balls roll out of the thinner sling. Both have similiar lengths of approximatly 55 cm (22 inch) from retention loop to pouch.

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It sounds like your split (pocket) is the wrong size, try to fill it with ducttape or medical tape.
If it is too small, and tape does not work, there is little you can do about it, but if it is too big, you can also make it smaller by sewing the ends together for a little.
But tape is the most likely help.

Willeke

Yes, it is too small for tennis balls. Duct tape? Is it possible to remove that at a later point without damaging the yarn? For rough stones the thin braid works, I haven't yet found a round stone so I don't know whether it will hold them.

Fine slings, Dravonk! The thick one remembers me to my own first sling made as well from packing strings. I still use it. But now I mainly use flax strings which are normally used for those rolled beef (Rinderroulladen). You can get 100 m rolls of it from "manufactum" quite cheaply. I take 12 of them (5 m each) for a sling that is 1m long from pouch to the end. It is stiff enough to hold the tennis balls. I prefer natural materials and flax is the best I could find so far.

funda iucunda

nice