So I just made a new paracord sling about 80 cm long from cup to cord end. Trouble is I'm not getting as good distance as I do with the shorter sling. Am I supposed to helicopter it to a high speed? Advice is wanted please.

I don't offer this as "advice," but as a "this is what I do":
I keep to a shorter sling.  The one I typically use is about 30 inches from loop to pouch.
It's not very long (it's also not "very short") but it slings golf balls well over the length of a soccer field.  (Is a soccer field 100 yards from goalpost-to-goalpost?  I'm not sure of that.)

When I tried a sling that was longer by perhaps ten inches, I didn't get near the velocity and distance.

I started slinging with 55cm sling, next one was 70cm and then 120cm, at first I could not sling with that long at all - it seemed too long for me (I'm 160cm), so I shortened it with monkey's chain to around 80cm and then every time when I started feeling comfortable with the current length I loosened 10cm more. I was slinging full length in about a month ;)

Important! Do monkey chain near pouch -not the release knot

The technique for long vs short slings is different. For a long sling you need a long sweeping throw that covers a lot of distance.

Try standing sideways on to your target with your throwing arm horizontally back, slightly bent sideways at the elbow. Spin up in a vertical plane, clockwise as you look back at it. The plane of rotation is whatever feels comfortable, it will be angled away from the target by about 45 degrees or so.

Relax and give it a few slow rotations. You do not need to spin quickly, just enough to keep it going is fine. Pick up the timing of the rotation, you want to catch the point where the sling is going backwards at the top of the circle.

Throw at that point. Make a long sweeping sidearm throw and really reach forward. If you find the shot hooks off to the left then try starting with more bend in the elbow so the plane of rotation is more aligned with the direction to the target.

Its all about covering as much distance with your throwing hand as you can. As the circle gets bigger, so your throw has to get bigger as well.

You haven't mentioned what style you use but at the risk of stating the obvious, if you get better results with a shorter sling then stay with the short sling. However, as you also say, styles with more initial windup will allow you a longer sling and consequent higher release velocities. But don't be seduced by the "longer is inevitably better" mantra. It is quite easy to lengthen your sling to the point where you will not be able to accelerate it effectively and actually find your velocity dropping, especially if you have short arms.

JustKnot's suggestion of making an adjustable length sling and slowly letting it out as you get used to it strikes me as a very good idea. You may find your ideal length somewhere between the two extremes.

I worry that any monkey-chaining I would do to my paracord slings would cause serious drag that would inhibit velocity substantially.

David:  I am not getting a full visual of the style you are describing.

Thanks for the advice. I'll try your technique David and If that doesn't work for me I'll practice more with a shorter sling. BTW I don't know what monkey chaining is.

jrob24 wrote on Oct 26^th, 2008 at 10:07pm:

Thanks for the advice. I'll try your technique David and If that doesn't work for me I'll practice more with a shorter sling. BTW I don't know what monkey chaining is.

It's a way of tying a length of line into a series of interlocking overhand knots so as to shorten it significantly.  Each overhand knot is "slipped" into the next one and they can be undone in a moment by "unlocking" the last one and tugging the end of the line.  Each bight slips back out of the one before it and the knots are gone like magic.

Quote:

I worry that any monkey-chaining I would do to my paracord slings would cause serious drag that would inhibit velocity substantially.

I've used the monkey-chain to shorten cords for several years; I am always playing with my cord lengths, and the monkey-chain let me adjust the lengths fairly easily.  I have not noticed any additional drag from the knotted cords.

By the way, JustKnot is correct: the monkey-chain should go near the pouch, NOT near the release knot and the finger-loop.  If all the extra cord (and mass) is at the release-knot end of the cord, you will have more bad releases because the release cord can't get out of the way fast enough (because of the  mass dragging at the end of the cord).

Here is how to tie the monkey-chain knot.  This knot has a lot of other names including chain sinnet, bugle braid, and crochet stitch.

peacefuljeffrey wrote on Oct 26^th, 2008 at 9:37pm:

David:  I am not getting a full visual of the style you are describing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY7EOspW594

This is what I am trying to emulate with my long slings.

Kewl, thanks.  I was gettin' lost where you said, "you want to catch the point where the sling is going backwards at the top of the circle."  How can that be the release point?  It sounds to me like it would launch the rock backward...  :-?

peacefuljeffrey wrote on Oct 27^th, 2008 at 5:23am:

Kewl, thanks.  I was gettin' lost where you said, "you want to catch the point where the sling is going backwards at the top of the circle."  How can that be the release point?  It sounds to me like it would launch the rock backward...  :-?

And the next line says....  :P

lol thats the unmistakeable frame of balearic slinger :-)
and that's the same style david suggested.

very good distance style.
Not really suitable for a very long sling. though 80 cm isn't that long so should work.

If you check out balearic slingers thread (david and goliath) he gives length of his slings in cm.
I tend to do mine in inches. 30 inches should be near enough 80 cm though, so yep that style works well with a 30 inch sling :-)

Curious Aardvark wrote on Oct 27^th, 2008 at 11:11am:

lol thats the unmistakeable frame of balearic slinger :-) and that's the same style david suggested. very good distance style. Not really suitable for a very long sling. though 80 cm isn't that long so should work. If you check out balearic slingers thread (david and goliath) he gives length of his slings in cm. I tend to do mine in inches. 30 inches should be near enough 80 cm though, so yep that style works well with a 30 inch sling :-)

I use that style with a 50 incher, but then I am 6'1"  :P

I tried it with a sling that long in wyoming.
Hurt like hell - but went almost exactly as far as my normal sling and standard sidearm.
Just couldn't get the speed into the long sling that I can get into a short sling.
That and being a shortarse don't help lol

One of these days I'll work out how larry does it :-)

It says this on the monkey chain animation page thingy:
Quote:

And, when pulled, all of the knots vanish as if by magic

So how do you stop the knots disappearing as that would be not terribly useful for slinging ?

No no no, when the Monkey Chain is in use, the bights are put through each other in sequence, and then for the final one, instead of a bight put through a bight, the bitter end is put through a bight, sealing off the sequence.  Before that sequence can be pulled out "like magic," the last bit has to be pulled back out of the final bight.

I did some more practice today with my 80 cm sling. I made some 50 yard throws, but haven't bested my shorter sling yet. I think I need to work more on my release timing. Also I did some successful underhand throws and got some golf balls higher than I could with a 9 iron.  :D

UPDATE: The longer sling seems to work better with rocks heavier than a golf ball. Next step: paint some rocks white so I can reuse them.  :)

jrob24 wrote on Oct 27^th, 2008 at 6:46pm:

UPDATE: The longer sling seems to work better with rocks heavier than a golf ball. Next step: paint some rocks white so I can reuse them.  :)

That would be my experience as well.  As yet I haven't used a sling longer than 40" to a side, but when I first made it I thought it sucked.  I generally use a 24" sling, but after some time getting used to it, the 40" started getting good distance as well.  I use it for baseballs, and am hitting almost out to 200 yards with them... still trying for that 200 yards, and I'll get it dangit!  I still use the same technique that I use for my shorter sling, but it is a much more sweeping motion.  It just takes time to get used to all that extra length.  Of course I'm sure the same would hold true of someone used to a 50" sling that tried to use one of my 24" ones.

I'm glad I'm not the guy using the shortest sling out there!!   ;D

Nuttin' wrong with my 6" dried bean sling :P

If I used a 30 inch sling that wuold be as long as I would go. I like them around 20 to 23 inches. Even 30 would feel two awkward for me.

I have found that my 30" sling is about the limit at which it is comfortable for me to hold the loaded pouch out in front to begin a Figure-8 twirl.  If the sling is longer than that, I have to set my right hand back farther but then bring it forward to its normal position for the rotation.  That just doesn't work for me.

Short sling+greek style=rock in orbit. very simple very effective and easy to exacute, loads of fun.

David Morningstar wrote on Oct 27^th, 2008 at 7:40am:

peacefuljeffrey wrote on Oct 27th, 2008 at 5:23am: Kewl, thanks.  I was gettin' lost where you said, "you want to catch the point where the sling is going backwards at the top of the circle."  How can that be the release point?  It sounds to me like it would launch the rock backward...  :-? And the next line says....  :P

I took "throw at that point" to mean "release when the sling is going backwards at the top of the circle."
I guess you meant "make a throwing motion"?  :P

Fullpower24hour wrote on Nov 6^th, 2008 at 5:17pm:

Short sling+greek style=rock in orbit. very simple very effective and easy to exacute, loads of fun.

I was doing quite well with Greek style until I discovered that I could do a Figure-8 really well.  The difference is that I have to work on my elevation with Figure-8, whereas I had to work on left-to-right accuracy with the Greek style.  I prefer Figure-8 because left-right accuracy is more crucial, especially when left and right of my target are local streets with cars and buildings and people!!  :o

I've tried greek style but without much success, so mostly I swing it at a 45 degree angle above my head twice, then release it. For the next to days my goal is to use my longer ~60 cm sling to get a stone across the canal near my grandma's house (110 yards)

UPDATE: My best throw today was greek style.  :o

UPDATE 2: I've improved with greek style with both slings. My best throw today was between 70 and 80 yards, and this was with the wind against me  8-)

A lot of it is simply developing the technique. Each sling is going to be different. Concentrate on developing the technique with the long sling, and as you get that down, the power and distance will come.
 I had that same problem with the sling I got from last years sling exchange. Took some time to work out the kinks, but all I know is that I was cleaning out the garden and sending the overripe tomatos over the pine trees and into the fields with the long sling. The neighbor's kid was impressed.

Against my expectations greek style is now my favorite. I'm throwing golf balls 70 yards with a 22" leather pouch sling. I cut a hole in the center which helps keep the ball in the pouch until the release. I haven't done as well using several 45o wind up spins, so more practice is in order, if it wasn't so cold now.