Well I folks are intrested. For all SCAdian Slingers and Other Slingers in the Oklahoma,Arkansas,Kansas and Texas region. I will be doing a live fire slinging demonstration at the SCA Event Harvest of the Axe on October 31st.

If you are not a Historical reenactor Historical (Medieval or Rennisance) Kit will be a prerequsite for entry and there will be a small fee ( Around $10.00) for admission. I'll post the website here in a bit for those that are intrested

Friend of mine took a couple of pics :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/imarcc/4065926278/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/imarcc/4075437255/

Let me know how it works. I'm still trying to get them to even acknowledge slings here in AEthelmearc.

Well I had the attention of about 15 archers for several minutes.  Currently trying to get a two hour Ground School Class going at the Next Winterkingdom

Marc Adkins


slingbadger wrote on Dec 13^th, 2009 at 5:19pm:

Let me know how it works. I'm still trying to get them to even acknowledge slings here in AEthelmearc.

winkleried wrote on Dec 13^th, 2009 at 6:23pm:

Well I had the attention of about 15 archers for several minutes.  Currently trying to get a two hour Ground School Class going at the Next Winterkingdom Marc Adkins slingbadger wrote on Dec 13th, 2009 at 5:19pm: Let me know how it works. I'm still trying to get them to even acknowledge slings here in AEthelmearc.

If you did get your classes, which throws would you teach your students? (I imagine it would be a tad better to teach only a couple of throws and drill on those, rather than dozens of throws, and with far less time spent on each.)

The pics were from a demo Donnerschlag. The Ground School class is more an overview of Medieval and Rennisance slings as we currently understand them. in Part one I discuss actual historical slings and provide replica examples and in part two I discuss what a sling can and can not do ( Range, Power, Ballistics, etc.). Nobody launches any ammunition. Last year I had a very poor showing but it was only my first year teaching at this particular event.

For the Demo I used, the Underhand, Byzantine, Apache, Balearic and Manchegan Horizontal. I used my main work horse slings ( see the pic thread) and the Manchegan Sling. Ammuntion was mainly rounded stones I picked up at a local harware store and then I launched a lead bullet.

I would like to think that the archers in question, came away with at least an appericiation of what a sling can and cannot do.

If i was teaching a begining set of slingers how to cast I would start with the Reverse Apache (AKA half underhand) and possibly move to a Byzantine cast. From there they are on thier own. Part of the problem is that in the SCA I had to have no less than 2 diffrent types of marshalls present ( Archery and Knife, Axe Spear) before I could even put a stone in a pouch. So until I get the powers that be used to slings and what they can do, Teaching Casting styles is a distant pipe dream for now.

The audience was about 20 feet away from me duing all of this.

Marc Adkins



Donnerschlag wrote on Dec 13^th, 2009 at 10:16pm:

winkleried wrote on Dec 13th, 2009 at 6:23pm: Well I had the attention of about 15 archers for several minutes.  Currently trying to get a two hour Ground School Class going at the Next Winterkingdom Marc Adkins slingbadger wrote on Dec 13th, 2009 at 5:19pm: Let me know how it works. I'm still trying to get them to even acknowledge slings here in AEthelmearc. If you did get your classes, which throws would you teach your students? (I imagine it would be a tad better to teach only a couple of throws and drill on those, rather than dozens of throws, and with far less time spent on each.)

Haven't heard of Manchegan Horizontal. Please elaborate and include video if possible.

Horizontal release with a Manchegan Sling. Slow wind up with a big mucking rock sort of thing.
What makes it challanging is the Manchegan Sling does not have a retention loop of any sort so you have to wrap the retnetion end around your hand. If fr whatever reason it works free when you release the BFR ( Big Freaking Rock) sling and rock are going downrange.
Another problem with this sling is the width and the length. It is not my fastest casting sling but ya don't wanna be down range when that 200+ gram rock lands................

FOr those folks that do not know what a Manchegan Sling is

http://slinging.org/index.php?page=la-honda-manchega-sling-in-la-mancha---pio-santiago

Marc Adkins


Aussie wrote on Dec 13^th, 2009 at 10:37pm:

Haven't heard of Manchegan Horizontal. Please elaborate and include video if possible.

It was my first, and I've never had my sling turn into a bola perdida. When I used mine I wrapped my middle, ring, and pinkie fingers around the hand-loop in addition to the ball of my thumb. Just in case you don't do that, I thought I'd share.

If it's such a problem, maybe you could tie the retention cord to your hand with a reef knot or something for good measure? :D

I have used a sling without a retention loop, if you weave the cord in between your fingers and wrap whats left in a figure-8 between pinkie and ring fingers its extremely secure.

Part of the problem guys is that I try to make these things as close to possible as the original Sr. Santiago was talking about, Which means wide flat braids, using Medium to large rocks. In short a lot of torque, I cross the retention end in my hand as shown in Sr. Santiagos Article. I can see wrapping the retention end around the fingers if I was using the smaller version that Pio wrote about, using a lighter rock, but that's not whatI am using.

Marc Adkins

When is the next event? I am in Oklahoma.
Oscar