Seeing as this is the place to be for slingers I was hoping that some people might be interested in a little friendly competition.

Originally I was thinking like a challenge board. Anyone can set a challenge or try and complete one.
I haven't though of all the challenges but think there could be some fun ones.

Some of my ideas
Long distance measured
Puzzle piece ( land a projectile in a perfect size hole/space)
2 shot ( throw first shot in air then hit target with second shot before 1st lands).
Catch and couch , catch a incoming projectile and fire it back in one movement.

These are just some ideas .

Feel free to put as many down as you like and maybe if enough interest is shown we can have a little game

Mersa wrote on Aug 20^th, 2017 at 7:14pm:

Puzzle piece ( land a projectile in a perfect size hole/space) 2 shot ( throw first shot in air then hit target with second shot before 1st lands). Catch and couch , catch a incoming projectile and fire it back in one movement.

those challenges seem too extreme to me.
start with : what is the max distance from which you can hit a beer can with 5% accuracy. (don't go closer than 10m)
i believe most of us will not go much further than 10m :P

How about most consecutive shots on 50cm disk at 10m

Flat shot have 2 rings set up 5 m apart and throw flat thou both.

Think I'd like a board that has practical doable challenges and near impossible feats .

Persistence and a video camera can make for amazing stuff

Make a slinging highlight reel if guys could pull some of it off

another one.
hit a balearic target when you are behind a wall , pavise or other fortification that blocks direct view. you would aim by peeking before throwing.

Have a tree or pole in the way and curve left or right

throw with your opposite hand using a style OTHER than underhand :-)

So left handed for right hand slingers and right handed for lefties.

Probably harder than anything suggested so far :-)

I've just got the hang of slinging with my right hand!

I like the consecutive shots on a diana one. Very simple and easy to see hits.

It would interesting to sling something like a whiffle ball or some other very light projectile and see if you can make it curve all the way back to you like a boomerang.

I've been throwing in the wind lately that one is possible for sure (wind not spin) boomerang.

Even consecutive hits in multiple styles .

Looks like a bit of interest

I'll let the thread simmer for a bit and then write up a draft challenge board.

DRAFT


Consecutive hit challenges:
1: Hit a Balearic target from 10m+ slinging both left and right handed.
2: Most consecutive hits on the Diana 10m+
3: Most consecutive hits on Balearic target in different styles 10m+

Distance challenges:
1:Longest distance hit on a soda can
2:Longest tennis ball throw on flat ground
3:Longest distance open class

Other challenges
1: Hit Diana curving around vertical obstacle 10m+
2: Hit Diana over horizontal obstacle 10m+ vision impaired.
3: Throw and catch a light ball in the wind without moving.

Are we talking making videos of us particpating or just posting our results?

and are we going to tell jaegoor :whistle:

I've got a suggestion. I saw this video from Mick Grewcock who is an amateur bowyer and archer where he was trying to hit an old hi-viz jacket on a stick and I realised I'd never considered slinging at a "human" target which is somewhat strange considering one of the more famous historical uses of the sling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7f5FmpDhBc

Maybe we could have slinging at a human target and aiming at particular parts of the body. It's already been discussed how supposedly some slingers were skilled enough to hit certain parts of the enemies faces so maybe something similar with a cardboard cutout? Too ghoulish?

Also Jaegoor should have his own category. It's like putting an Olympic athlete up against a fun-runner :D

Just make sure when you translate it to German to get the distance to target correct for Jaegoor. 100 meters right?

Kick wrote on Aug 22^nd, 2017 at 2:21pm:

to hit certain parts of the enemies faces

to recreate that : put two beer cans side by side and try to hit the one you chose... :P

My take on it is that any one can attempt the challenges
Of corse we can just go by word of mouth but I think video footage will be the most enjoyable for other members . Should be new footage not old.

A lot of these challenges leave it open to try 1000s of times with the video camera running.

Maybe leave the board open to new challenges. Like the human body shots . Hit a frizbee in flight

And maybe have all submissions by Christmas and a little secret Santa for the participants. Sling trading

Just some ideas again.

I like the idea of the beer cans. Barely ever drink but I do for once have some around :D

Some how beer seems to be the answer to all our threads.... Hmm.....seems about right.

:P

Had a good atempt at curving around a tree yesterday . Was coming close to Diana at 10 m but no direct hits .

Keep on practicing

Hope some of these get done

I love these types of threads. If time permits I would like to get a video up if at all possible.  I wouldn't mind taking a few shots at a soda can or something.   Looking forward to seeing other peoples videos. ;)

Yeah morphy me too looking forward to the next time I got a few hours spare to attempt some of these

Thinking about it and I think we should have a (beer) can challenge .

Any feat where a sling is used to hit a can . It really would make for the best highlight reel!!

@Mersa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N-ACnKZN5c
watch after minute 2:00
he tries around obstacle

Be scary standing there

Quote:

The Inca king Guayna Capac, according to a written tradition, was going to war on red stilts from which he fired his sling with gold shells.

source:https://translate.google.gr/translate?hl=el&sl=es&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fperso.wanadoo.es%2Fhondero%2Ftemas.htm
http://perso.wanadoo.es/hondero/EL%20MUNDO%20DE%20LA%20HONDA.htm

slinging on stilts :P

I'm not sure if that would look intimidating or hilarious...

Ok, whos going to volunteer? We obviously need stilt slinging for the highlight reel.  :)

I just spent the last hour practicing with a can as a target from 5 m.
I must say I had over 100 shots (guessing) and only 7 hits.
5 direct and 2 glancing.
Gonna be harder than I thought.
Going from the 50cm disk to a can.

@Mersa by glancing you mean indirect(hit after bouncing) or to the side with small damage?

Side with minimal damage.
Its hanging on string so if you don't nail it it just moves to the side.
I'm throwing in my dining room with a small ball.

Had another 30 minutes or so . Getting better, hit maybe 10 out of 60 throws mostly glancing but.

I'm waiting to have a good go outside with some rocks.

So I got to have a go at hitting the can today at the range.
Unfortunately I was rained out early and had no hits on the can.
However my accuracy was much better than normal even with rocks as ammo.
I usually find the rocks at the range(limestone from 4x4 tracks nearby) hard to aim as there all different shapes and weights.
I don't normally find my rhythm like I do with more uniform ammo.
But today I was hitting the board the majority of the time with misses curving more than bad aim or release.
I took a little warming up but had the best day at the range yet.
Of course my first shot at the can was the closest. Skimming the top left and hitting the string it was tied to.

---

Soda cans are difficult with the best of ammo. If my concrete stockpile isnt ruined im going to make some ammo up and get some practice in. Might be able to get a video up.

Another unsuccessful attempt. So many close calls .
The angles really open up over 10. And camera makes me nervous.

Screenshot of my can on a stick.

---

Much success in my 5m indoor range. Able to hit the can a lot of the time now. Still nothing outdoors with hard ammo.

I haven't forgotten I'm still trying.

---

Sorry guys I've been moving and haven't had much time to put into this.

Had some good progress. Able to hit the can at 5 m almost every second or third shot. And had some success at 10 and 15m but yet to try get it on film.

Any progress people???

The weather over here has been atrocious so haven't had the chance to sling. The bad weather has also seemingly brought a rather nasty cold to me and my girlfriend. Second night in a row now I haven't been able to sleep. Currently 2:01am over here...

I have not forgot about taking part. Life has been so busy I have virtually no free time these days. (I sneak on the forum at least thanks to my phone.  :P  ::) I enjoy taking part in these sorts of threads, but its been difficult i.e. impossible, to get any practice in. Nice job on the target practice. Sounds like you are making good headway. Those soda cans can be wily little buggers.

with the left hand aiming at a beer can:
105 hand throws (0%hit, 10m),

1st sling throw from 20m was a hit!!  :o
total of 80 sling throws.

followed by 26 hand throws 1hit from 10m

Are your hand throws with no sling just for comparison??
1/80 from 20 m with the sling ??
I have a new spot for practice so I should make some progress soon !

Mersa wrote on Oct 1^st, 2017 at 6:02pm:

Are your hand throws with no sling just for comparison??

no . it was for warm up and better feel.
i'm not left handed so all that throwing was awkward, but i think starting from the basics helps.

not sure if i should call that hit a lucky shot or not...
there were ~5-10 close hits, a lot of misses 4m+ and some sling entanglements

If your trying to hit something and you do then it's more than luck!!!

So here it is , half filled water bottle vs 26g rubber practice ball 45mm dia from over 10m( roughly 15m).
I had so many bloopers hitting the camera and on the rebound. So many close calls but persistence paid of , got it done in around 1 hour.
Sorry CA I have to post this one.

---

Good shot! I wish I could be out slinging (especially in weather like you've had) but the flood waters have yet to recede and it still drizzles every few hours. Miserable weather. I've given up hope of slinging (except maybe singing ice balls) until next year.

Nice video. Thats my favorite angle for sling videos, especially with small targets. Do you feel like you are getting more accurate?

Well I'm much more accurate than when I started slinging.
I got really good with this ball a while ago but I've been practicing with rocks lately. Feel like it took longer than it should have today.

I have noticed when switching between different sizes/weights my accuracy goes completely to pot. It's quite surprising how quickly the body adapts and then falls into a rhythm with a certain type of ammo.

I actually started getting reasonable grouping straight away I just couldn't hit the bottle/can , I started with a can but it kept blowing away , I had no water at that point and the can I was using was 200ml where as the bottle was a little bigger at 600ml . I hit my phone (camera) 3 times and phone went flat so I had a break In between can and bottle.

With rocks I find that the way it releases from the pouch effects my accuracy most if I have smooth rocks I have a much more consistent grouping. 

---

With the changing weight maybe there is some possibility you can adjust, (maybe?), especially if you practice a lot at it. With poorly shaped ammo, its virtually impossible.

Not sure why it took me so long to understand that as a slinger, but once I used a really good, consistent set of ammunition for awhile and then switched back to poorly shaped ammo, it became apparent real fast how badly it can affect your accuracy.

Im convinced people who dont see a big difference arent slinging at small enough targets for it to matter.

I've been trying to switch it up between tennis balls and rocks (and a giant ball bearing) and so not rely on just the one type of ammo too much. It's good to practice a variety of weights and sizes and densities in my opinion.

Yeah I agree, consistent ammo makes training a lot more progressive.
It transfers some of your aiming to odd shaped projectiles but bad release tendencies and aerodynamics make grouping hard.

I want to try get a few more days were I can practice soon.

Still need to sort out a good hunting ammo.

Curious Aardvark wrote on Aug 21^st, 2017 at 8:07am:

throw with your opposite hand using a style OTHER than underhand :-) So left handed for right hand slingers and right handed for lefties. Probably harder than anything suggested so far :-)

I was doing it a few years ago and it wasn't that bad. My brain already knew what to do, my body didn't take long to catch up

Im super uncoordinated with my left side. Everything sport wise anyway.

Anyone had any chance to try anything???

We had heavy rain for about 2 weeks then a few days ago the snow came and it's been freezing ever since. Any serious slinging for me will have to wait until Spring :(

i found a range at which i can train for longer distances (up to 150m) pretty safely ;D. my throws have some issues that doesn't show at the short range up to 30m. :(
the stones are released with a downward & right angle of attack...
working on it .

Yes sir. Long ranges sure reveal alot. Great way to get better on accuracy if that interests you.

The best way I know to get a perfect release: use light ammo and longer distances (40-50 meters). It will really magnify all your problems. If you can get accurate doing that, you are just plain good.

Been practicing lately but haven't got any footage . Starting to find I have weird trends in my accuracy . Too much ammo variation , balls rocks fruit metal.

I did a perfect curve around a tree yesterday. First try can size target. Shocked myself

So I had a good day practising today I started on odd shaped rocks but got frustrated with the inconsistency of the flight of some of them and the time it was taking to find the smoothest spherical stones. I stopped practicing there and went to my usually spot where I practice with my rubber ball.
Had a good day hitting the bottle from 10m quite a lot and getting consistent grouping. Then I got the camera out.
As usual this messes with my head and I lose my rhythm.
I finally made some progress later on.

Here are 2 videos
One from 10m hit
And a miss from around 35-40 m

---

And the other

---

wow very nice throws


Quote:

Then I got the camera out. As usual this messes with my head and I lose my rhythm.

:P

Thanks.
Also as usual I post the videos in the end of a thread page so they get missed.

Typical day of trying to get footage. Cameras out targets safe.
Tried 20m shot on glass beer bottle with stones.
Got it on 2nd shot after I turned camera off. Wish I got it on film. Absolutely obliterated it!!

Just jugding by your posts it sounds like you are really improving.

Thanks morphy
I've made a big improvement in accuracy over the last 5 months since I joining this forum.
Been trying my best to throw at least once every few days.
I'm going to give it a good go and try get to Mallorca one year.

one more challenge you might be interested in

Quote:

Slingers joined a society or union, and acquired the title of "foner" (slinger) if they passed the following test: fire nine shots hitting each of the crossbars of a traditional gate.

the crossbars are horizontal....
https://web.archive.org/web/20111015232438/http://slinging.org/index.php?page=the-way-of-the-sling---jesus-vega

in the past i 've achieved to hit upright sticks or a hanging rope from up to 15m distance, of course with not enough consistency to call it skilled shot and not lucky.

I'll try find a gate and give it a go!!

Morphy wrote on Oct 16^th, 2017 at 7:53am:

With the changing weight maybe there is some possibility you can adjust, (maybe?), especially if you practice a lot at it. With poorly shaped ammo, its virtually impossible. Not sure why it took me so long to understand that as a slinger, but once I used a really good, consistent set of ammunition for awhile and then switched back to poorly shaped ammo, it became apparent real fast how badly it can affect your accuracy. Im convinced people who dont see a big difference arent slinging at small enough targets for it to matter.

It's interesting that you mention this.  Because, I actually don't notice a massive difference in accuracy with changing ammo. And I like small targets like cans.

Actually, the best accuracy I've ever achieved (and this is completely subjective, no hard data) was one bow-hunting season about 5 years ago, when I got my deer on the first day, so I had lots of free time. I started off by missing a grouse like 10 times in a row, until I ran out of nearby rocks, and it still just sat there. After this I was inspired to improve, so I would sling for like 3-4 hours a day. By the end of the week, I was hitting 6" trees from about 20 yards away 1 out of 5. It felt amazing. i felt like I could actually hunt something. But I never saw another grouse after that.

Anyway, during that period, I was just picking up weirdly shaped and inconsistent rocks from the forest and along a dirt road. Didn't seem to make any difference.

Maybe there was a difference and if I had consistent ammo I would have been even better. I dunno.

Mersa wrote on Sep 4^th, 2017 at 8:47am:

Another unsuccessful attempt. So many close calls . The angles really open up over 10. And camera makes me nervous. .

Mersa, You should try this technique. When you film yourself, just film everything, and don't think that you are going to post it. It's just archival, for your own records. Then if you do get something good, you can post it. 

I find it calms the nerves if I don't think that I need to post anything. (and sometimes I don't).

I did this once and the memory card got full just as I started performing . i need to free up some space on my phone so I got more chance with it.
I have had maybe 10 -15 shots on rabbits in real life with the sling with mainly rocks but also a few clay glandes I made. All were misses but most were within a meter. Surprised that the rabbits arnt more scared by the windup. Some don't move at all. Had 2 were I was able to take a second shot somehow. I also may have got a rabbit but this isn't confirmed by any means read story here.
http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1509491851

IronGoober wrote on Jan 3^rd, 2018 at 9:49pm:

Morphy wrote on Oct 16th, 2017 at 7:53am: With the changing weight maybe there is some possibility you can adjust, (maybe?), especially if you practice a lot at it. With poorly shaped ammo, its virtually impossible. Not sure why it took me so long to understand that as a slinger, but once I used a really good, consistent set of ammunition for awhile and then switched back to poorly shaped ammo, it became apparent real fast how badly it can affect your accuracy. Im convinced people who dont see a big difference arent slinging at small enough targets for it to matter. It's interesting that you mention this.  Because, I actually don't notice a massive difference in accuracy with changing ammo. And I like small targets like cans. Actually, the best accuracy I've ever achieved (and this is completely subjective, no hard data) was one bow-hunting season about 5 years ago, when I got my deer on the first day, so I had lots of free time. I started off by missing a grouse like 10 times in a row, until I ran out of nearby rocks, and it still just sat there. After this I was inspired to improve, so I would sling for like 3-4 hours a day. By the end of the week, I was hitting 6" trees from about 20 yards away 1 out of 5. It felt amazing. i felt like I could actually hunt something. But I never saw another grouse after that. Anyway, during that period, I was just picking up weirdly shaped and inconsistent rocks from the forest and along a dirt road. Didn't seem to make any difference. Maybe there was a difference and if I had consistent ammo I would have been even better. I dunno.

Who knows. I know I've had some slinging sessions where it didn't seem to matter but over all when slinging every day and keeping track of my hit percentage it made a big difference for me.

I could see if the stones were fairly heavy and not overly weirdly shaped. I've not had that experience with jagged and otherwise poorly shaped ammo.

I would say though, generally speaking, that I would be asonished if it made no difference simply because we don't know of any other weapon where imperfect ammo doesn't make a difference.

Some of the things I've noticed are changing drag (affecting elevation), planing into the wind, inconsistent release timing (very slight but when rotational speed is so high and the target so small even a fraction of a second can be a miss) and maybe a few more things that I can't remember off hand.

You are probably not alone in this though. I find myself being an outlier on a lot of my target slinging views. Strangely enough, as much as we have debated over the years, I find myself agreeing most with Jaegoor. But I'm open to being wrong on this one. In fact I really hope I am. Sure would make life easier.

I'll agree with you there morphy.
Some days it don't matter what I sling If I'm slinging bad I'm slinging bad and same applies for good days .
In general I find that smooth roundish rocks can get consistent grouping but the Jaggered flat spuare edged stuff can just go anywhere .
Aerodynamics and smoothness of release are the main things.
I can ajust to weight within reason and size of projectile if the release is smooth and the aerodynamic profile is nice.

That's been my experience as well Mersa.  That being said I don't doubt you IronGoober. Before I settled on manufactured ammo as my favorite I had many good slinging sessions. I think getting better at slinging is a little like losing weight. You many not see the changes as much because it's so incremental. Over time little changes add up to big ones though.

I remember when I first started slinging seriously. The first year I didn't feel like there was much improvement. Then I went back to my old target and started slinging at it. I remember barely being able to hit it before. But now I was hitting it all the time. That's sort of how I figured out the obvious that I was getting better.

Probably with all that practice you did get a lot better.  Do you feel like you are better than you were back then,  now that you are using lacrosse balls IG?

I'm definitely not as accurate as the magical week, but I do feel like I am generally more accurate than a few years ago.

My impression when I first started using lacrosse balls was that I wasn't any better off than before. But it is possible that I am getting a bit more consistent because of the fact that I'm using consistent ammunition.  I didn't really think about it at first, but I do seem to be improving, and at a much more noticeable rate than before.

So, maybe you are right. Time will tell. If I can hit my target 1 out of 2 with lacrosse balls, and then I go try rocks, and am much worse, I think I'll have a definitive answer, at least for myself. (and if I do, I'll post about it!)

In favor of consistent ammo may not matter, I present this evidence.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oALzA79BLWc

If you watch the rest of his stuff, he is pretty darn good and uses similar rocks to the ones he shows here.

IronGoober wrote on Jan 5^th, 2018 at 12:44am:

In favor of consistent ammo may not matter, I present this evidence.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oALzA79BLWc

he was accurate but not consistent. in that particular vid...

edit: rain may have rushed him to make those hits :P
i 've been watching his vids and he is very good.

This thread just got very interesting. I can't post much at the moment but will later today.  Thanks for posting that IG.

He's good but I bet he would be even better with a bag of equally weighted and shaped glandes or spheres.
Also both target and projectile are quite a good size, smaller they are the harder it gets.

I know back when I was using a standard Balearics bullseye which is something like a 19 inch diameter circle it looked really tiny on video to the point that I started zooming in the video. That was at 25 yards.
He's also visible in the shot meaning the camera is further back than it would be otherwise.

I can't really say what size his target is. It could be smaller and he might be closer but if I had to throw out a random guess I would say it's around 15 inches in diameter and hes maybe 15-20 meters away, max. Maybe closer. 

Not to take anything away from his slinging. He's obviously spent a lot of time practicing. It's just if we are discussing this topic of what part good ammo plays we have to go into it with a definition of what constitutes "good slinging".

The other part of it is the size of the stones and the speed he's slinging them at. Larger and slower moving stones are much more forgiving. Less planing, slightly off kilter spin is less a factor and of course the slower you release, theoretically the longer release window you have to hit your target. Lots of things we could discuss on this topic.

I would like to see how it does on smaller targets further away. I don't think we can see a big difference unless we extend the difficulty level out to a further range. You need to be closer to the physical limitations of the weapon/human body.

@ Morphy

i don't exactly understand your point. he hit 2/5 a balearic bullseye 20-30m.

Morphy wrote on Jan 5^th, 2018 at 1:25pm:

definition of what constitutes "good slinging".

there is no definition to that.   if i get one hit at a 10cm target from 10m i forget about the previous 100 misses...
maybe something similar may have happened with all those extraordinary historical accounts.

from the comment section of the above video using google translate:

Quote:

-Round stones fly better? -Needless to say. Stones tempered by nature fit better into the pocket of the sling. It is good in it with the promotion and departure, the superfluous will not hook. There are no such pebbles in my region. Making shells for sling, this is a passed stage. But if you carefully select the stones, they pretty, relatively accurately fall on the target. In a square 120x120cm with ≈20m, you can put five out of five.

johan wrote on Jan 5^th, 2018 at 5:40pm:

@ Morphy i don't exactly understand your point. he hit 2/5 a balearic bullseye 20-30m. Morphy wrote on Jan 5th, 2018 at 1:25pm: definition of what constitutes "good slinging". there is no definition to that.   if i get one hit at a 10cm target from 10m i forget about the previous 100 misses... maybe something similar may have happened with all those extraordinary historical accounts. from the comment section of the above video using google translate: Quote: -Round stones fly better? -Needless to say. Stones tempered by nature fit better into the pocket of the sling. It is good in it with the promotion and departure, the superfluous will not hook. There are no such pebbles in my region. Making shells for sling, this is a passed stage. But if you carefully select the stones, they pretty, relatively accurately fall on the target. In a square 120x120cm with ≈20m, you can put five out of five.

True. But I would like to see us define it. I already have my own definitions of what constitutes amature, journeyman, expert, master and grandmaster but I doubt people will accept it as they may see it as too difficult or even impossible to accomplish.

I wish I could translate exactly what this fellow is saying. I can't tell if he's saying if the stones are good they consistently will hit 5 out of 5 or if he selects deformed stones but chooses the kind of jagged, deformed stones he prefers, then they will hit 5 out of 5.

Either way it's sort of a moot point. I would not suggest anyone come to a conclusion on whether perfect ammo vs decent ammo vs deformed/jagged ammo makes a difference by slinging at a 120cm square from 20 meters away.  That is far too big a target and much too close to come to a conclusion on it.

Got to have a walk in the forest this morning with my girlfriend. Was lucky enough that she filmed a few throws.
Here's a hit on a 12oz coffee cup from around 10m .
One of those days too , average ammo (rocks slightly smooth).
Good grouping and a solid hit in less than 20 throws. Good day for bad ammo.

---

Morphy wrote on Jan 5^th, 2018 at 8:49pm:

Either way it's sort of a moot point. I would not suggest anyone come to a conclusion on whether perfect ammo vs decent ammo vs deformed/jagged ammo makes a difference by slinging at a 120cm square from 20 meters away.  That is far too big a target and much too close to come to a conclusion on it.

I think I agree with you that crappy ammunition doesn't make much of a difference from close distances (which I'm inferring that was your point).  But most of my slinging, and if I were hunting small game, is (and would be) from about 20 yards away and under.  So, for the these purposes, I don't think that having crappy or consistent ammo will make much of a difference, if one has sufficient skill/practice.

That being said, weight and shape are two different things.  I'm talking mostly about the geometry, not the weight. I usually try to get similarly sized stones when just picking stuff up off of the ground (similar weight).

Also, on the size of that guy's target. I'm pretty sure that everything he is using is a standard "Diana" (if I'm referring to it correctly still), or 50cm in diameter. He shows it with a measuring tape a few times in a few of his videos.

everyone who uses less than decent ammo does it out of necessity. for target practice up to ~30m the error from the stones is usually small, skill and coordination play a much bigger role they are the base. Without that base anything else is impossible, so until i get 50% or more hits at a 10-50cm circle@30m it seems a little pointless for me to throw @longer distances for accuracy( but i still do it once in a while so i can find some little flight details i ignored on the 30m target practice)
--for most of us faults and inconsistencies are still big enough that they are obvious @30m range....


Morphy wrote on Jan 5^th, 2018 at 8:49pm:

my own definitions of what constitutes amature, journeyman, expert, master and grandmaster

no problem to know more about it ;)

Mersa wrote on Jan 5^th, 2018 at 9:27pm:

Got to have a walk in the forest this morning with my girlfriend. Was lucky enough that she filmed a few throws. Here's a hit on a 12oz coffee cup from around 10m . One of those days too , average ammo (rocks slightly smooth). Good grouping and a solid hit in less than 20 throws. Good day for bad ammo.

It's hard to see that cup. Nice shot!

Mersa wrote on Jan 5^th, 2018 at 9:27pm:

Got to have a walk in the forest this morning with my girlfriend. Was lucky enough that she filmed a few throws. Here's a hit on a 12oz coffee cup from around 10m . One of those days too , average ammo (rocks slightly smooth). Good grouping and a solid hit in less than 20 throws. Good day for bad ammo.

I love these videos you post because trees and nature is my life. What beautiful scenery that is. And the slinging is great as well. So as an arborist do you spend a lot of time out in the forest? I always imagined they did more residential and commercial work.

I have done it all from millionaires backyards to protected forests , I am the voice of the trees. But yeah the bush doesn't pay as well as the places with money but sometimes it's not about the money and about the trees .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bFQYNfJqqY
staff sling and beer cans @~4:21

That had a lot better slinging in it than I was expecting. Good to see. Annoyingly, one of the few things I'm not able to take with me to the summer cottage this time is my staff sling which still needs some proper testing. Have to wait for better weather to come around before I can get to the spot I've been using as my range.

stone shape is irrelevant...proper ammo placement solves that.

Sarosh wrote on Mar 27^th, 2018 at 5:25am:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bFQYNfJqqY staff sling and beer cans @~4:21

note how in the slingshot test, towards the end the speed dropped...few realize that as you pull the bands back, they warm up...the warmer they get, the less retraction power that they have...or the longer they are held in stretched position, the more power they will lose on the snap back...that is why many who are really good with one do quick release shooting..
but as to the other, i saw no advantage of a staff sling over a regular sling from watching the video...
.....

One advantage ( less time to learn the technique)

in the video the staff sling is presented as better than the sling. i agree with mersa a noob can use a staffsling much more easily than a sling.

but the sling is much more versatile than the staff sling.

edit: i really like the way he tried to measure speed of projectiles but i don't think it was necessary to put a man to say the readings .there was a camera...

Fowler is a showman.  I talk to him frequently on another forum. I use to be a fan of him. Then he started selling out. But that's of the times, I guess.  He actually annoys me know, but look at his channel.

Invariably when I see channels like this put forward theories it's based on a newbies opinion of what is possible with the sling. In one sense it does get more people interested in slinging, but the other side of it is people who have little skill/knowledge of  something giving opinions that people then take as gospel truth.

The best one to one fighting style I can think of with either a sling or a staff sling is a normal slinger using a rotor. Especially if your 10-15 meters away and the slinger is fairly strong and fast, it will be very difficult to dodge a shot from that distance.

I feel like this may be a stupid question, but, what’s a rotor?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter_rotor
from what i understand morphy means a multiple rotation style could be helicopter style

Yes, Sarosh is right. A rotor is simply a sustained spin until one is ready to release. This is opposed to a throw that always has a set amount of rotations. Think of the typical Hollywood depiction of a slinger.

A rotor has the advantage of maintaining motion and tension on your sling indefinitely until you are ready to throw.

If David started a rotor as he was walking towards Goliath he would have maintained an even spinning until the right moment upon where he would've pulled into the throw and immediately slung the stone. That's the benefit of a rotor.

I'm with morph . I think the main advantage of using rotor techniques is being ready to shoot(ammo secured in pouch). But I'm not sure that it has much application outside of warfare. For sling hunting a more stealthy technique will likely work better than rotors. And target practice it really don't matter at all .

Morphy wrote on Mar 28^th, 2018 at 8:04pm:

A rotor has the advantage of maintaining motion and tension on your sling indefinitely until you are ready to throw. If David started a rotor as he was walking towards Goliath he would have maintained an even spinning until the right moment upon where he would've pulled into the throw and immediately slung the stone. That's the benefit of a rotor.

yes, he used a short sling.  it is said most likely to have been two straps of leather crossed like a sharp "x" . 

now the staff in his hand is another thing.  a staff was used as, among other things, a range finder.  staffs were not random sticks, well they could have been if they were worked on a little.  they had a measurement system.  according to the height of the person whom it would belong to and up to the next even cubit added.  most were marked half way down, marked at one cubit from each end, as well as marked with the span and breadth of the hand on each or at least one end.  it was for all purposes also a "measuring rod".  when he had it in hand, holding out the skinny end towards the enemy to get the range.  it helps when nervous...he was using it to measure off the distance as he ran up to the giant, rotating his short sling in the other hand.  when he was the right distance, prolly two or three lengths of the staff or whatever he had practice a lot at, it was over.  there is a guide to the staff in old jewish writings...it usually had a couple other lil tricks like that to it too....  some made their's as needed instead of carrying one all the time.   they sharpened the end and made staves out of them, some with said systems on them and usually would throw them away when done.  slinging groups would make walls out of them to stand behind when needed.  like a wall off an old frontier fort.  and have different length staves through out the camp for hand to hand problems, but mostly they just used them to dispatch the enemy wounded after battle.

RS, where are you getting your information?  Can you give a title or author?

yes bill i most certainly can...it will take a little minute but i will work on getting that together and when it is complete will pm it to u.

Could you post it here?

no.  but i have started gathering some of the info for mr. skinner.  in a way i feel bad about doing it like that, but i will show him a couple things regarding it anyway.  it is a chore but one i am not too burdened by.  but i am going to start making a series of training videos later this spring and summer.   drills for slinging improvement, one of the best places to do said drills, show a few neat things about different styles that i have not seen others show, and among many other things..."the game"...

the game is the ultimate in slinging games, witht he exception of playing war.  it involves one certain type of slinging move called,(for a loooong time) "the floating backhand."   the playing forum requires a small bit of a set up, but really is easy to adjust.  each man, for the most part will have a slightly different webbing height...according to his personal 'full' cubit(measured from the bent outside elbow to middle finger tip, or two and a half spans of the hand. (span is used here to mean length and not full area or expanse as it also means) as a cubit and two and a half spans are virtual equal).  so no one has advantage.  the projectile leaves the sling, cannot go over the man's webbing which is set at his cubit in height and the longest thrown distance wins...it has to be done with the floating backhand only which requires a certain hold and follow through....the entire maneuver feels completely unnatural but is call by the name that it is  because when the projectile is released it floats  a cubit or less off the ground for as far as it can go(if it touches the webbing it is disqualified, if it goes out of bounds sideways or touches the sticks holding the webbing, it is disqualified, and when it touches the ground it is dead, i.e. rolling does not count towards distance.)  as each man's height is raised or lowered according to his own body, no one can claim disadvantage one way or another....it is supposed to be the deciding factor of who has the best working understanding of slinging dynamics...today i got, and with my non dominate hand i might add...approximately 16 metres,(i had no webbing but was easily within height) a new record for me...when i do the video to show how it is set up, i will offer a trade forum challenge, prized for any who can beat my distance, which will be recorded at the time of instruction and show u the results.

side note: the same source in which i got this and the staff info. also lays out, what it calls, the proper sling to body size measurements. but i will hold that down for now as well.

iow's i am going to wait on much of what i have to say until the videos to keep assertion slinging loudmouths at bay.  i will post them on youtube and perhaps leave a link here.

Ok. In that case, Bill, once you get the information could you post it here? Thanks.

RS wrote on Apr 25^th, 2018 at 4:27am:

no.  but i have started gathering some of the info for mr. skinner.  in a way i feel bad about doing it like that, but i will show him a couple things regarding it anyway.  it is a chore but one i am not too burdened by.  but i am going to start making a series of training videos later this spring and summer.   drills for slinging improvement, one of the best places to do said drills, show a few neat things about different styles that i have not seen others show, and among many other things..."the game"... the game is the ultimate in slinging games, witht he exception of playing war.  it involves one certain type of slinging move called,(for a loooong time) "the floating backhand."   the playing forum requires a small bit of a set up, but really is easy to adjust.  each man, for the most part will have a slightly different webbing height...according to his personal 'full' cubit(measured from the bent outside elbow to middle finger tip, or two and a half spans of the hand. (span is used here to mean length and not full area or expanse as it also means) as a cubit and two and a half spans are virtual equal).  so no one has advantage.  the projectile leaves the sling, cannot go over the man's webbing which is set at his cubit in height and the longest thrown distance wins...it has to be done with the floating backhand only which requires a certain hold and follow through....the entire maneuver feels completely unnatural but is call by the name that it is  because when the projectile is released it floats  a cubit or less off the ground for as far as it can go(if it touches the webbing it is disqualified, if it goes out of bounds sideways or touches the sticks holding the webbing, it is disqualified, and when it touches the ground it is dead, i.e. rolling does not count towards distance.)  as each man's height is raised or lowered according to his own body, no one can claim disadvantage one way or another....it is supposed to be the deciding factor of who has the best working understanding of slinging dynamics...today i got, and with my non dominate hand i might add...approximately 16 metres,(i had no webbing but was easily within height) a new record for me...when i do the video to show how it is set up, i will offer a trade forum challenge, prized for any who can beat my distance, which will be recorded at the time of instruction and show u the results. side note: the same source in which i got this and the staff info. also lays out, what it calls, the proper sling to body size measurements. but i will hold that down for now as well. iow's i am going to wait on much of what i have to say until the videos to keep assertion slinging loudmouths at bay.  i will post them on youtube and perhaps leave a link here.

Why can't you post that information that has been requested here? In mutiple posts across this forum, that you have done. Multiple people including myself has requested you post links to information.  To which you haven't done it yet. Also when you started on this forum, a few members had issues with your attitude, that you are the ' all knowing sling master'  which if you can't backup your information to what you stated.  It seems you are pulling this information out if thin air. This forum is for sharing knowledge,  and discussing it. Not picking random stuff from your 'secret ' crystal ball that has connections to the past.

For what it's worth, I'm always willing to be persuaded, though I know that's probably not high on your list of priorities.

If this video does indeed come out with compelling information and target slinging skills to back it up I will be delighted. But...based on 7 years on this forum and reading some pretty wild claims with virtually no proof, I have to say it's hard not to be skeptical at this point.

I really don't want you to feel attacked or anything RS, it's just if someone came to me and told me they have a treasure map that leads to a chest that's full of jewels but they don't let me see the treasure map or go with them to find the chest and they never show me any of the jewels I'm going to start questioning exactly how real the map is. I can't think of a single reason why posting sources on this forum for others to read and investigate for themselves could ever be a problem unless those sources don't exist. Maybe I'm wrong and there's a perfectly good reason as to why you've evaded the question of exactly where you are getting your information and refused to simply post the titles of the books you've read or any of the authors who are so learned in slinging. Maybe there is a good reason but you haven't even offered any reason other than it's "difficult". I could well be eating my words once these videos come out and you actually share the information you say you have access to but I still don't understand why you can't share it now. Please, if you can't actually give us sources tell us WHY you can't give us sources.

It's getting tiresome.

Vet, Morphy, and KTO: I think you may have scared RS off with your completely unreasonable request for references. He hasn’t been trolling us with mysterious sling tales of questionable authenticity in a while now  ;D

It would seem so. Maybe he's still working on those videos as I type and they're going to entirely revolutionize slinging, the reference list stretching off into infinity, but somehow... I doubt it.

Probably to my detriment I always have a little razor thin slice of hope that there will be some video showing something at least. Not just for his claims but for all the people who come on here and make these over the top claims of some new and improved this or that. RS, if you're out there, please make that video. I would be absolutely thrilled to see slinging, as you mentioned, that was so much better it almost isn't even the same sport. No sarcasm there, I would be thrilled.

according to kabbalah doctrine, david's slinging ability really had nothing to do with it.  several reason why, from the way he prepared his rocks to a phrase he used that shocked goliath causing him to momentarily lower his shield giving david all the advantage he needed.  they teach the conversation was a few lines longer than what is biblically referenced.  it is said david never told anyone what the phrase was because it works on everyone.  he only shared it with solomon when david was on his death bed and accordingly solomon has it hidden in full in one of the o.t. writings he supposedly authored, but done in a way that one would not suspect what it is, but that it seems out of place still and kind of, well very sort of... child-like...
also the preparation of the rocks is shared in those.  apparently it has to do with the parched corn according to the kabbalah and a method he used to magnetize those rock by preparing the corn with them then cooking them somehow.   ;D 
i have for sure found another rock mutation recipe....let's see if i can post it and how long it takes to catch the attention of home land security to get here...lol  i'll go ahead and do that now in the goliath forum.
somebody give it a try and see what happens!

RS you truly are the Neo of reference dodging.

He's the new apex

I'd say he's even more adept than Apex.

You do realize that corn did not reach Europe until the 1500s? That is AD. How much longer to the middle east :o

If you're having trouble with the corn I suggest you steer clear of the Project Goliath subforum all together.

Morphy wrote on May 10^th, 2018 at 7:55am:

If you're having trouble with the corn I suggest you steer clear of the Project Goliath subforum all together.

:-?

All I wanted was a picture to the two pieces of leather crossed in an "X" fashion.  I thought he had found a new type of sling and I just couldn't understand how it worked.

I still can't make a cestros or a staff sling work worth a hoot.  When I try, it's safer for everybody to be a long way away.  Probably including myself, I probably have the dubious award of almost being the only guy to almost kill himself with a cestros dart.  I managed to hit myself with the flat instead of the point.

No, I have no idea how I managed that. ;D 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAE6Qt5byIA

max distance hit was 18m i think.

Just so everyone's aware: "Corn" in old English and even in some current usage refers to any grain. In the US, we refer to Maize as "Corn" while in Europe it was wheat for hundreds of years. Alternately, corn could also mean barley, rye, oats, or others.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/corn

In biblical terms, it could have been a number of things, but would certainly refer to the most common grain plant of the region involved.

Sarosh I'm liking your Byzantine, big improvement ??

Excellent slinging Sarosh.

woodssj wrote on Aug 5^th, 2018 at 11:27pm:

Just so everyone's aware: "Corn" in old English and even in some current usage refers to any grain. In the US, we refer to Maize as "Corn" while in Europe it was wheat for hundreds of years. Alternately, corn could also mean barley, rye, oats, or others. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/corn In biblical terms, it could have been a number of things, but would certainly refer to the most common grain plant of the region involved.

I know that, but I do not believe RS does . If he did, why would he call the grain corn?

I tell ya... I believed it all until the corn part. Magical exploding slingstones and Jesus the Holy Noodler aside, it was the corn that broke this camel's back.

LOL I miss RS’s crazy stories. I still laugh that he had people trying to catch fish by slapping the water with a flat stone, but if I had to pick just one favorite, it’s definitely the Holy Noodler ;D

No way the turkey throw is the best , because I think it's actually a viable style with a lot of practice , the rest was pure Rs ,,rambling poopy

The Turkey throw is legit. I've tried it out a few times but you need the right length sling to maximise the efficiency of it.

Mersa wrote on Aug 28^th, 2018 at 4:02am:

No way the turkey throw is the best , because I think it's actually a viable style with a lot of practice , the rest was pure Rs ,,rambling poopy

So I guess that's why it's sort of a shame it turned out the way it did. Trolling 101: don't get so wrapped up in the nonesense that you can't distinguish the real from the BS anymore. He went too deep too fast. There was no getting him back. Slingception.

what is the "turkey throw"?

It actually first came up in RS's intro post. Mersa made a video (because RS was entirely incapable of such a feat...).

http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1517174584/0

seems like a greek style variant with a more difficult starting position , so why not greek style?
nice throw mersa

A variation of Greek style?! No way! Greek is fairly simple to learn, but the turkey throw is a lost art which takes years to master. It is only preserved in RS’s personal library of ancient Phoenecian manuscripts that were passed down to him from the five great noodlers of the Illuminati. Four of them died to protect the secret, and it only made its way to RS from noodler #5 because RS knows this guy who met some kid who saw him pass out at Thirty One Flavors. Turkey style is pretty serious stuff  ;)

To be fair, it isn't any more difficult than Greek and, as was pointed out by RS, you can hold the position so you're ready to fire for as long as you want just by resting your arm on your shoulder. It's fairly powerful and accurate as a throw. It's the one useful thing we got from RS, don't ruin it! :D

Ha ha ha !!!!!
Nice summary !

Might have to revisit the turkey.

Kick wrote on Aug 29^th, 2018 at 2:10am:

To be fair, it isn't any more difficult than Greek and, as was pointed out by RS, you can hold the position so you're ready to fire for as long as you want just by resting your arm on your shoulder. It's fairly powerful and accurate as a throw. It's the one useful thing we got from RS, don't ruin it! :D

Lol. It's all we have left of the good times right?  ;D

Morphy wrote on Aug 27^th, 2018 at 9:41am:

I tell ya... I believed it all until the corn part. Magical exploding slingstones and Jesus the Holy Noodler aside, it was the corn that broke this camel's back.

LOL, read this just when I needed a good laugh.  ;D

Hahaha ya that guy..... I usually just skipped over his comments but I might have to go back and check out this Turkey throw. So it’s just a different starting position?
Mersa and Sarosh you guys are killin it!
So how about a different challenge with October approaching!
Let’s practice for a couple of weeks and then have a pumpkin shooting challenge!!!!! By the way, if you have never shot a pumpkin the exit wounds are massive hahahahaha
Or for another more casual challenge get a stone or ball through a basketball hoop from the three point line

Like the Halloween theme challenge

I agree. Great idea Tomas.

Perhaps we can make a new thread and get a few people onboard

Were it not for my schedule I would be out there slinging at pumpkins....

I take it back, were it not for my schedule and the nonstop rain I would be...

Nope that's not true either. Were it not for my schedule, the rain and these BUGGERS.

https://i.imgur.com/Vx3p9Hu.jpg

I tried going for my jog yesterday. Its been raining for the past week. I knew they would be bad. But I literally coated myself from head to toe with DEET. No good... They were everywhere. It was madness. I ran like I've never run before, made it about 5 mins out and turned back for home running for my life.

Today I will be jogging in place in my living room thoroughly defeated. You guys go...have fun. Houston is a total loss.  ;D

Rain and all my time is taken up. Any free time I do have is being used to recover from my non-free time and dragging myself outside is a mountain I can't overcome right now. This is only going to last another two and a half weeks. I'm clinging to that right now. I need a holiday.

I’ve never seen mosquitos like that! Christ!!!!
Well, it’ll be weeks before the pumpkins show up in store so I’m not rushing anyone!
New thread for this might be a great idea.
Quite excited now!!!!

The person that sent me that pic said it's from the Texas City d**e, a popular fishing spot near my area. Not sure if that's true or not but considering how bad the mosquitos are there at normal times I can imagine what it must be like at dusk on the d**e right now. 


EDIT: Wow... Profanity blocker got me. Well it's bike with a d. Anyways... ::)

I didn't even know there was a blocker  ;D

I’m going to practice from 10-15 metres later and see how that feels.
I remember Luis’ Pons Livermore’s video where he was shooting at 25 metres and even he only got a few hits.

Tomas wrote on Sep 14^th, 2018 at 6:31am:

I’m going to practice from 10-15 metres later and see how that feels. I remember Luis’ Pons Livermore’s video where he was shooting at 25 metres and even he only got a few hits.

Video or it didn't happen.  :D

Nothing worthwhile happened lol it’s been a while

So I do like the pumpkin challenge. I also think we need a pumpkin pie challenge. Which is essentially whoever can eat the most pie while slinging, holding a sling, or even just being in the general vicinity of a sling.

If you can't justify the calories we can just say it's a benefit for the children. Whos children and how it benefits them is irrelevant. It's for the kids.

This and the obesity challenge are in my top ten. All this clean living is for the birds. Give me a beer and a pizza and I'll take that challenge any day. Again, to be clear, I don't want to, but for the kids I will.

Amen brother! I can sling pizza and beer in my mouth all fay

So who thinks we have enough people to start a new thread of challenges ??

I have been practicing. I wasn’t able to hit my soft drink cup but I would have def hit pumpkin a few times!
Let’s do this!!!!
https://youtu.be/lqg3YmshhhQ

Nice sling ,jumper and slinging .


Let's say . One pumpkin as many hits as you need , try make a face. Compare jack o'lanterns????
Sounds like a fun challenge for anyone who can get a cheap pumpkin.

Lol awesome Tomas. I'm jealous guys. Have fun.

I may drape a cheap tablecloth or yard of cloth behind the pumpkin so we can see the pumpkins splatter.
Thanks for the kind words you guys. In all honesty I used to be better but I don’t sling all the time like I used to.
Btw, did anybody notice that my slinging got better when I switched slings a little over halfway through? It’s a noticeable difference how much better I am with a sling I designed for myself no matter how good the other sling may be!

So with Christmas almost here and the year coming to an end perhaps we could create a new challenge or even a yearly schedule of online events .

Easter egg challenge

4th of July ??? Financial year?? Solstice??

Halloween pumpkin challenge

SITH sling exchange

Hitting an Easter egg with a sling? Pumpkin was hard enough but I can give it a go :D

Kick wrote on Dec 5^th, 2018 at 6:53am:

Hitting an Easter egg with a sling? Pumpkin was hard enough but I can give it a go :D

Or maybe just who can throw one of those plastic easter eggs the farthest ;)

Clearly the Easter egg challenge is to catch the Easter bunny!?!

Ha ha

I was thinking 10m+ hitting an egg on camera, or throwing a chicken egg for distance ?? Or as many eggs as you can hit in a minute?? This is all up for discussion .

Perhaps the calendar can have a few target and distance events and then the anual SITH to wrap it up

We could do a New Year’s Eve fireworks compilation or even 4th of July!

Easter challenge: how far can you throw a mo'ai?

or more realisticly, the most decorated slinstone?
I paint mines in flashy colours for easier retrieving. So I guess it's easter every day for me.

Frondeur wrote on Dec 11^th, 2018 at 10:57am:

the most decorated slinstone? I paint mines in flashy colours for easier retrieving. So I guess it's easter every day for me.

I actually quite like this one. I vote for this :D Bonus points if you score a good hit on a target with it.

Kick wrote on Dec 11^th, 2018 at 12:17pm:

Frondeur wrote on Dec 11th, 2018 at 10:57am: the most decorated slinstone? I paint mines in flashy colours for easier retrieving. So I guess it's easter every day for me. I actually quite like this one. I vote for this :D Bonus points if you score a good hit on a target with it.

That does sound like fun!
I think CA might have a leg up on everyone else with his fancy laser burner though. Here’s a rock I polymerized and then etched with a cheap laser a few months ago. With a good laser you could make some awesome looking ammo.

---

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Dec 12^th, 2018 at 3:36pm:

Kick wrote on Dec 11th, 2018 at 12:17pm: Frondeur wrote on Dec 11th, 2018 at 10:57am: the most decorated slinstone? I paint mines in flashy colours for easier retrieving. So I guess it's easter every day for me. I actually quite like this one. I vote for this :D Bonus points if you score a good hit on a target with it. That does sound like fun! I think CA might have a leg up on everyone else with his fancy laser burner though. Here’s a rock I polymerized and then etched with a cheap laser a few months ago. With a good laser you could make some awesome looking ammo.

...I now have less confidence in my ability to win...
That does look really cool :D

Easter sling ammo exchange ???

V

---

V for vendetta?

nice clip I forget that it's summer over there.
distance? what is the target? looks small

Just a pile of rocks I stacked on the reef , I couldn't step it out (being water) but I would say it was around 10-12 m at a guess , but maybe out to 15m-16m. Just a little bit of fun on q nice summers day , this beach is a slingers paradise.

---

So we are past the Equinox and its seems like a good time to propose another online challenge ,
My proposal , best hit on an egg, Easter egg challenge
Only 2 rules
You must use a sling (goes without saying really)
And you must throw from a minimum of 5m (this is trusted)

Basically best hit on a egg , one singular submission per member, can be a chocolate or chicken egg, boiled, free range or caged. Only members who enter the challenge can vote , most votes wins . At this stage no prize but given enough people are keen we may be able to conjure something up.

Let me know your thoughts and let's try keep the fun going!!!

I'm in! I finish my placement in two weeks then I have loads of free time and the weather should be better by then. I can put some more work into it than I did the pumpkin challenge

Sounds like fun.  Don't know if I'll be able to hit an egg.  But I'll definitely give it a try!

A 4th person will make voting not a tie , let's say, You can't vote for yourself , 1 clip , any angle (that's up to your creative mind) any ammo any egg (again up to your imagination) .
Let's say submit clip by 1st of May ??

What you think??

Definitely agree with no self-voting.  Good with everything else too.  Wonder where I might find an ostrich egg :D

So looks like just the 3 of us , let's just say there are no losers only winners , wish you all well in the easter egg challenge !!!

I'll be finally free next week so I'll try and get an egg to smash :D

Indoor bolas hunting to warm up for the Easter challenge :D

https://youtu.be/EcXtdD9l1HQ

Nice!  Chocolate rabbit is my favorite kind ;D

I've been having really nice weather for slinging.  I was out last weekend and had some real close throws.  No direct egg hit yet though.  I've been making ice balls all week so I can have another go at it tomorrow.

It's been pretty sunny but just a tad too cold and the ground is completely soaked. You can see it's driving me crazy, I'm reduced to throwing a mini bolas at a chocolate rabbit  ;D

Nice kick!
I've been struggling with finding time , I'm hoping the next 2 weeks I can dedicate a solid few hours to getting my egg clip.

I've been rabbit hunting! :D

https://youtu.be/IpRbmucu5kk

Nice kick , good solid hit to the vitals , bunny was dead on impact , ethical kill , did you eat the whole thing ;) ha ha

If you didn't eat it, you can put an egg inside, tape it back together, and then do it again ;D
Nice hit :)

My girlfriend and I shared the rabbit :D I think I hit it directly in the face and completely decapitated it. I had wrapped it in clingfilm in an attempt to keep the delicious innards together but the sling stone cared not for my plans. Most of the chocolate was saved but a fair few chunks were scattered. One thing I learned was that my accuracy hasn't been too negatively effected by the winter break. I'm still not as good as I would want to be but, for 20m distance, and such a small target, I didn't do too badly I think. I'm still no Jeagoor though.

The bolas is a lot easier to throw and I spent another hour or so practicing with different throwing techniques. I only had the one short video because the camera battery was dying but I'm hoping to go out again some time soon and get more bolas footage.

Here is my submission for the egg-hit challenge.  Forewarning, I never achieved a direct hit on an egg.  The linked video is my best one (second throw in the video).

I think I may have gotten slight contact with the egg on this throw.  The reason for that is because in all my attempts to break one, the egg fell to the ground many times.  Sometimes I made contact with the plate or a branch, and sometimes the wind blew it down.  But this is the only time it actually broke.  That being said, the fall could definitely be the only factor.

The sling is paracord with a leather pouch.  The length is 29 inches (73.5 cm).  The distance of the throw is about 45 feet (13.7 m).  Ammunition is 2.5 inch (6.3 cm) ice balls.  Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/zO0Ubc7Mo5g

One last thing, I have a whole bunch of recordings from trying to hit an egg.  As soon as I go through them and do some editing, I'll be posting a couple more videos.

Good hit! Much smaller target than my rabbit as well.

Awesome stuff guys , I haven't had a opportunity to try yet , gotta be in next day I guess otherwise I guess I'll have to forfeit , great hits guys

So I was lucky enough to finish work early so I got 9 old eggs I had saved and went out to a spot I use.

I almost got the shot I wanted but I failed and ran short on eggs, the final egg was all I had left and was able to get a hit from approx 7-10m as a static target , the moving target thing is really instinctual but also very hard , I hope I can do this one day and get it on film

Below are 2 clips
One of the hit that I'll use for my submittion , and a photo of the egg after , the egg is in the left of screen on top of a pile of sand .
Second clip is the close miss for the shot I was trying to get on film , but at 2 eggs a throw I only had 4 trys .

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Great stuff man!  Glad you had a chance to get out and blast an egg.

Love the second video even without a hit.  That's some Jaegoor-like stuff there :D

Awesome! I'm feeling guilty now that I had the chocolate rabbit because hitting an egg is a lot harder. Great stuff guys!

I'm glad we all were able to make a submittion , well done team , shall we vote or are we not fussed ??? There is nothing to win just the pride . But I think all shots are great

Nah let's not bother voting. I think we should keep up the challenges anyway though. It's good fun :D

For sure what's next ?!

Double kill? Two targets, one in front of the other and you have to hit both with one shot. I don't know what type of target would be best for that though. Maybe paper targets?

I like the challenges to.  It's fun having a specific goal for practice sessions.

I think the double hit idea is good.  Maybe two standing targets on the ground or a platform.  Now I'm envisioning slinging a bowling ball at some pins :D

The paper also sounds good though.  Maybe a thin piece of paper taped over a large ring.  Then hang one in front of the other.

Ok , double kill , 1 shot 2 targets , I like it .
Sling bowling sounds fun too but would be better played as a actual round in person I think .

I'm up for another challenge if you guys are .
Let's make it happen

I'm in.  Let's do it!

Might need some imaginative thinking for the targets. I hope I won't regret my suggestion :D

What's the longest distance recorded hit ?
I have 45m and that is medium range...

I think a nice challenge would be: video of a hit at a balearic target or smaller, from 100m or more.

One problem with that is that I don't have that much space for long distance throwing. I'd have to wait for a lake to freeze for that I think :D

@ Kick

yeah me neither. :-/ I'd have to drive to find a long range but when it happens just remember to have a distinguishable target and record it. Just be ready ;)

It would be better to see long range hits late than never...

I finally got around to cutting up some videos.  Here's the first additional video from the recording sessions I did while trying to hit an egg.  These are the hits I had on the plate which was holding the egg.

Over all the days I recorded, I hit the plate 6 times.  Two are missing from this video because my phone ran out of space for one.  And during another, the camera was zooming in and out really fast by itself.  No idea why.

https://youtu.be/xxOone9vokc

One more video from the recordings I made when trying to hit an egg.  This one is a bunch of hits on the tree that was holding the paper plate with the egg.  I wanted to put this video together because I like seeing the ice balls shatter :)

https://youtu.be/wVOjIPIW4G8

Awesome! I haven't had the chance to go out and try the double kill yet as the weather has been pretty terrible and I've gone and caught ANOTHER cold! This was a bad one too, fever, shivering, sore throat... Lucky it seems to be clearing up quickly. Next week I'm going tutu the sneer cottage with my dad and my friend (first time in Finland for him :D) so I might try and try it there.

Hi fellow slingers.

I agree with Sarosh that slinging at a baearic target at 100m would be a good challenge. After all the sling is a long range weapon.

I sometmes sling from goal mouth to goal mouth on a football pitch with an underhand style.Slinging between the posts on a rugby pitch would be good practice.

I sling mainly at a 80cmx40cm target at 48m (160 feet). When i now sling at 36m (120 feet) it seems too close.

Finding somewhere to sling at distance is a problem but i have found several places. Old industrial sites can sometimes be found. I found a new one yesterday in Belfast harbour estate with a concrete wall as a backstop. You might have to slip between a gap in a wire fence.

On a slightly different matter. How do we go about getting local councils to recognise slinging as a sport and persuading them to provide appropriate sports facillities such as other sports like tennis, football, hockey and rugby?

Any ideas how much it would cost to fabricate a balearic target from angle iron and plywood. If not too much i could get one made and arrange to have it cemented into the ground on some unused land?

SRFF

I'd say it's next to impossible to get it recognized. There are far too few slingers. Also increased scrutiny from officials will probably less them to try and ban these "dangerous weapons"'. In some ways its good slings are kind of flying under the radar.

I also have the problem with a location for a distance of 100 m.  Although I know of one place I can probably use.  It's on the land of a nearby college.

Another thing for me personally is that I don't know for sure that I can throw 100 m.  I think I probably can, but I've never measured a distance throw with any real accuracy.  Usually when throwing for distance, I'm throwing in to the trees and brush around my house.  So I can't really measure it.  I will start looking in to the possibility though.

On the topic of getting recognition for slinging as a sport, I think it has to go the other way around.  I don't think recognition comes first, then you get dedicated areas for slinging.  I think there needs to be a lot of interest and people doing it, then it gets recognized.

@SRFF to make slinging a recognised sport you need to show them how they can make money through it, but slinging is of the cheapest sports you can do. so good luck. another way would be through tradition.
or if the International Olympic Committee smoked some weed...

I agree with Kick ,I like that it's flying under the radar.


joe_meadmaker wrote on May 18^th, 2019 at 12:20pm:

I don't know for sure that I can throw 100 m.

you can

Double kill!  Many misses were involved, but I got the double hit in my first slinging session trying to do it.  :D

Here's some info on the throw.  The sling is one I made just the other day.  I posted a picture of it in the sling pics topic.  It's made from boot laces and a leather pouch.  The length is 31.5 inches (80 cm).  The targets are plastic rings I made by cutting the middle out of two bucket lids, and then taped brown paper over them.  The targets are about 58 inches (147 cm) apart.  My distance from the front target is about 55 feet (16.7 m).

https://youtu.be/UEeDGM3QF4Q

Yeah boy!!!!
F***ing brilliant .
Not how I was planning on trying it but I really like what you've done.
I was going to attempt ricochet the stone from the first target to the second, I like your way..

Again great work

Thanks man!  I was thinking about a ricochet as well.  But I remembered Kick mentioning paper targets, and thought it might be easier to break through something than to hit a ricochet perfectly.

Still looking forward to see what you guys come up with :)

That's so cool! Great shot!  Heading to the summer cottage today so hopefully today or (more likely) tomorrow I'll try and get the shot.

Well... I didn't have a great set-up and kept hitting the wood pieces I used to hold up the paper. As such, the paper kept ripping and was eventually unusable. I got one hit which only went through the first target then I gave up, but I've been slinging for about 6 hours at wooden targets and I've been far more accurate than I feel I usually am. I got some video of some general slinging to make up for the challenge fail before the camera died but it's going to be a while until I can get it uploaded and have another go at the challenge. Hopefully later this week.

It's days like today, when I've been mostly on target and got some really cracking hits (even though I failed the challenge), that I remember why I don't just like slinging, I love it.

Video is done. I really didn't have a good set-up. Hopefully I'll do better soon.

https://youtu.be/C7U1kXHCvHk

@Kick

Nice attempt!  Other than the stability issue, I think your setup was good.

I saw you had a couple throws that got the first target but not the second.  I had this happen as well.  I uploaded a video which contains that throw along with a couple others.

https://youtu.be/63WSV08fr3I

After the throw that hit the first target but missed the second, I moved the front target back so they were closer.  I also tried to increase the velocity of my throw to lessen the arc.

I like your other hits too.  Thanks for posting :)

I have a better idea for a set up that should minimise the number of hits to the supports, but, unfortunately, the weather has turned so it won't be till next week probably that I get another chance at it.

@ Kick

you make me wonder why people live at high latitude :P

The snow :D

So guys were almost back at the Halloween challenge , anyone keen to get another one going this year

I saw a "On this day last year" type post on Facebook of the damage I did to that pumpkin recently :D They's also got pumpkins back in the shops. Maybe we should go for something different this time though. Have a hanging target as a "bat"?

Whatever is decided, I'm in!  I'd be fine with a pumpkin hit challenge.  I wasn't part of the last one.  I think it was October last year that I was just joining the forum.  At that point I hadn't done much of any target slinging.  Just random throwing and distance.

Love to see an ice ball vs pumpkin.
I want to test some ammo I've been saving so I vote for pumpkin to remain.

The pumpkin challenge would be a nice annual contest for slinging.org. Who doesn't love smashing a pumpkin with a sling?

I'm good with pumpkin if that's what we're all going for :D Now if we could get some good weather over here...

Mersa wrote on Sep 24^th, 2019 at 7:05am:

Love to see an ice ball vs pumpkin.

Oh, it's coming. ;)

Ice Balls vs. Pumpkin

Not to spoil the video, but just in case there's a pumpkin-apocalypse before you get to the end of it.  When the pumpkins attack, I would recommend arming yourself with more than just ice balls and a sling.  ;)

https://youtu.be/TlT5-npH0CI

Good slinging. Might not have exploded the pumpkin but does show you still don't want to be hit with a ice ball :D Hopefully I'll be able to get out there myself. The weather has been so unpredictable, I haven't wanted to risk my girlfriend's camera getting caught in the rain.

You a fine shot my friend , great start to the pumpkin challenge

Thanks guys!  Definitely looking forward to seeing your attempts.

Nice slinging man. Those fresh pumpkins are tough!

Thanks Morphy!  Yep, definitely a worthy opponent.  :)

I think I'm going to give it another go with a longer sling.  Most of the ice didn't break on contact, so maybe try getting a little harder hit on it.

I'm still waiting on the stores near me to stock up on Halloween pumpkins , we don't usually have the big orange ones in our stores , I wanna improve on last years hits that's why I'm waiting  because the pumpkin of choice last year may as well been made of rock,

The weather has just been too unpredictable. It was snowing yesterday but really wet snow that didn't stick. Showers today but then suddenly clear skies. Darn weather!

If you guys want to make a really, really long trip, you're welcome to come sling at my house.  I've still got a pumpkin at 95% and the weather's been fairly decent.  ;)

Nice slinging video! How do you like the shirt? Get any comments on it?

Ha ha , I'd love to try some mead and ice balls , just need to finish my teleportation device ha ha.
As for the shirt , brilliant !!!

Slingbasket wrote on Oct 7^th, 2019 at 2:25am:

Nice slinging video! How do you like the shirt? Get any comments on it?

Thanks!  I like it.  The material is very thin, which I like, but when the sun hits it you can definitely feel the heat.  If I get another shirt through that site, I'll probably get a lighter color.

No comments yet but I haven't really worn it other than around the house.  I thought it would be good for the video.

I really wish there were some actual pumpkins around here. I can't even find Patty Melons anymore. Damn shame, I've got heaps of lead too, and I want to see how they compare to clay.


Mersa wrote on Oct 7^th, 2019 at 8:29am:

Ha ha , I'd love to try some mead and ice balls , just need to finish my teleportation device ha ha. As for the shirt , brilliant !!!

I don't have Ice ball's, but I do have some mead! :P

Hey Jackinati . Coles is providing the goods.
Picked this up today .

---

If that poor pumpkin only knew what was coming  :D

@ joe_meadmaker

:thumb:

Sorry about the poor videos but I got it done.
This is the first hit, after I got a little silly , I'll post more later.
PENETRATION!!!

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Mersa wrote on Oct 14^th, 2019 at 7:05am:

Sorry about the poor videos but I got it done. This is the first hit, after I got a little silly , I'll post more later. PENETRATION!!!

Nice shot!

What do you reckon the distance was?

Nice! It's been tipping it down with rain for ages over here so I haven't had the chance. I'm really hoping soon it dries up so I can actually have a go.

Approximately 11-12m , measured 10m and took a extra step or two

Awesome man!  A perfect hit!  I love the setting there too.  Looks like a great spot for slinging.

Some more, these show how tough the pumpkin really is , so glad I got a penetrating shot this year , and my first!!
This was after I got the shot I wanted , I used less desirable stones and wasn't as worried about capturing me throwing , later the pumpkin fell into the water and floated away for a few minutes.
Luckily I recovered it after some large stones were thrown to splash it to shore ,I will make a jack o'lantern for Halloween now, next year I plan on "sinking" a floating pumpkin
Challenge accepted!!!!!

And yes it's a perfect spot for slinging, almost endless odd stones.

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The roundness of the pumpkin definitely shows the power loss of a glancing hit.  When I went shopping for my pumpkin I remember wanting to get one of a larger size to have a bigger target.  No such luck, you still need to hit it pretty much in the center for a good impact.

Great stuff!  Can't wait to see the floating pumpkin attack! :D

It's also a good spot finding stones considering it's in Australia... and isn't limestone.

Damn you Mersa! :'(

That was a great shot. That thing was really in there lol. Can't wait for next year when I'll be able to take part in this.

I was thinking of getting my pumpkin today because the weather yesterday was beautiful but now it's back to grey and showers...  >:(

I might Have to miss this year. We've already had frost and it's looking to be wet and horrible from now on. Very annoying. I might have to do a late one with some other fruit once the snow comes in and it at least stops raining.

I award the Halloween pumpkin challenge to mr mead maker.
That's 2 years in second place ha ha .
Thanks for the Halloween fun , next stop the SITH.

Shame I missed it :( Next year! And I really can't wait for the SITH :D

Thanks Mersa!  I'm humbled.  But know that if the voting was announced, I would have voted for you. ;)

Sorry there wasn't a break in the weather for you Kick.  Definitely next year!

Was hoping we can get another Easter challenge this year , last year I was able to hit an egg at approximately 11m , this year I'm hoping I can 1 up myself and hit an egg out of the air , I was very close last year but only had a few eggs to attempt the task , it doesn't need to be an egg I fact we could just have a generic challenge . I find this is the best way to get me motivated to sling , a small friendly challenge .
Open to any suggestions as my SITH is in the mail it's time to move on to the next chapter.

I like it.  I remember your video with the egg toss into the air.  Very cool (even though there wasn't a hit)!

What about a challenge building on that idea.  I don't want to dig in to Easter yet, way too early.  But what about a hit on an air-bound object.  Basically we'll need to throw something in the air, and hit it with a sling thrown projectile.  I think we can allow for a larger target than an egg.  At least I would appreciate that. ;)

Here's my contest proposition.  Throw an object in to the air (ball, ballon, carboard box, an egg if you really want, etc.) and get a hit.  No restriction on projectile, whatever you want.  The target object can't be any larger than 24 inches (61 cm) across.  I think shooting for 5 m distance on the hit is good, but no specific restrictions because that could be difficult depending on the object (flight time may vary :)).

Thoughts?

I know jaegoor has hit multiple airborne targets and I think it's time we all started to try . I'll be down for it, I know Kick will be hindered by winter but hopefully a few members are up for the challenge.

I've seen Jaegoor do that.  Incredible stuff!

I'm in winter too, so that's no excuse for Kick. ;)
Just have to wait for Santa to be flying by and pummel him with snowballs. ;D

If you do that you'll go straight on the naughty list

Being on Santa's naughty list is a good thing, if you are a blacksmith...  ;)

Good charcoal doesn't come for free, y'know! Unless you're naughty.

(No, I don't blacksmith myself, It's just a joke I've heard by one)

joe_meadmaker wrote on Dec 16^th, 2019 at 12:06am:

I'm in winter too, so that's no excuse for Kick.

IS THAT A CHALLENGE SIR?! :D

I can guarantee that I will fail though. I've only just got enough coordination to sling let alone throw something then sling :D

Kick wrote on Dec 16^th, 2019 at 3:42am:

IS THAT A CHALLENGE SIR?! :D

The gauntlet has been thrown. :D

I'll have to see what I can do...

If you are throwing the ball in the air then I suggest you use a handball , the biggest size that you can grab w/ one hand. If another is doing the throwing you can use almost anything.

Okay guys, here you go!  A few things.  First, I can't begin to describe how much fun this was.  Just a blast!  Although very tiring too. :)

Second, if you're on a hill, I would recommend using a target that doesn't roll well.  I'm on a bit of a hill, and I think if I'd have been using a ball it would have constantly been rolling down the hill.

Third, make sure your sling has a pouch that holds the projectile well.

Without further ado, slinging at an airborne target.

https://youtu.be/Bu1GwW6HpJA

Damn! You did amazing! I really need to get out there. It's been horribly wet and miserable (not even any snow so it's been dark too) so I haven't been slinging in ages.

You made that look too easy Joe !!! I'm gonna have to find some time to go try do this and get it on film , guess you found a use for those ice balls that were filling up the freezer.
Great job on both filming and slinging

I was like : wtf? he's cheating he uses aimbot!
Awesome video! awesome accuracy!

Thanks guys!  Be it now or later, I definitely recommend giving this a try.  I did have a (much longer) video with every throw, but for some reason it didn't come out very good.  The video was kind of choppy.  I still have the original recordings so I might try cutting it up again.  It took a long time though so I'm not sure yet.

@JM, did you just complete the ice bucket challenge?

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Dec 18^th, 2019 at 8:47pm:

@JM, did you just complete the ice bucket challenge?

Right!?  The ice bucket challenge, slinger style. :D

Looks much more fun than the original version :D

This looks like a great idea and a good way of pushing yourself to get better. I am getting back into slinging after many years off. So I braided up a sling the other night and made some of those balloons filled with sand ( cool idea, I have only used stones and tennis balls).  My plan is to compete against myself and post the video here for constructive suggestions. I will video the first 10 shots and go from there. https://youtu.be/g6eCq1X1LhM
The sling needs some tuning and I need some warm-up and stretching. I also found that the shot was a little heavy for starting and I need more layer of balloons to hold the shape better. I plan to post again in two or three weeks.
Thanks for any ideas to improve!

Nice slinging George!  Your technique looks very similar to what I do.  Where are you slinging?  Looks like you're in an auditorium or something. :)

Yep, there are a lot of places at BYU to sling. Hard thing is finding a quite time.

fairly accurate slinging :-)

Was slinging today in the dark, and my target was bushes around 50 meters away. I was checking different throwing techniques and I have to say that it felt good hitting it most of the times.

Will be posting a video next time maybe this weekend.

Joe I have no forgotten the challenge of aerial targets I had just had trouble with my filming (phone was playing up)
I plan to give it a go sometime in the next 2 weeks.

Oh I didn't think you did.  I am waiting with bated breath.  Can't wait to see how you do with this.

So I got to attempt the aerial target challenge today, pleased to say I got it on my second throw!!!

What’s next????

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1st and 2nd throw

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YEEESSSSS!!!!!!  Beautiful hit my man!

I love how your technique was a little different than what I used.  I threw the target up, and took the shot when it was coming back down.  But you went into your sling rotation at the same time as the throw, and hit it pretty much at the peak of its trajectory.  Fantastic!

Cheers buddy, so what are we doing next ?

Really impressed with your slinging and surprised that I got it so quickly.

Maybe we need a distance accuracy challenge?
Or another aerial target perhaps a frisbee in flight ??
Or a super accurate challenge like hammering a nail into wood or blowing out a candle???


It’s also getting closer to Easter so maybe we could revisit the egg challenge??

I'm definitely game for the egg challenge again.  I know my accuracy has improved since last year and I'm anxious to try it again.  But with Easter not coming around until April, I think we can squeeze something else in before that.

I like all your ideas.  Although I am drawn to the aerial target idea.  I'm a big fan of adding the "instinctive" aspect.  Perhaps a moving target.  I think I could set up something like a large scale pendulum.  Then try to hit the swinging target.  Any other thoughts on a way to do a moving target?

I've also been trying to think of a good way to do a speed challenge.  Something like throwing a certain number of projectiles into the air before the first one hits the ground.  I think that could be hard to get on video though.

Filming can sometimes be the hardest part , you really need an extra person or a bulletproof camera to get some angles.

I’ve always pondered with the idea of throwing one projectile up almost straight and then attempting to hit it with the second projectile before it hits the ground. I think it’s doable but would be a hard one to film. I feel like I would be filling a few memory cards before I got that one in the bag.

Pendulum I feel is almost too easy I think it would take longer to set up than it would to hit , unless the actual target was tiny.

Frisbee would be fun , but needs an extra person to throw the frisbee for you.

A long distance accuracy shot could be fun ?

Perhaps standing at the bottom of a hill and kicking a soccer ball up the hill and trying to sling it as it rolls down?
I’d have to find a good spot for that.

Always wanted to try hammer in a nail with a sling .

Candle could also be cool?

Floating target?? I’m intending on that for next pumpkin challenge.

There has always been talk of curving a shot around a tree or shooting over a wall to a blind target ?

Lots of options we just need to agree.
It seems we’re very active in this post

I would love to take part in more of these challenges but yeah, filming, setting up the various challenges and then having actually decent weather to sling in have all been challenges themselves. This winter in Finland has been atrocious. We've had a max of about an inch of snow and it lasted A DAY. The rest of the time has been wet, muddy and miserable. Not good conditions for my girlfriend's camera or for slinging. The main area I can sling just becomes a swamp and a fair amount of it is just a giant puddle right now. I cannot wait for summer or some decent snow. Whichever comes first.

But yeah, hammering a nail, egg shot and candle would be awesome.

You might need to invest in a GoPro or something similar. Will definitely help get you more motivated to go outside in bad conditions. I can see your frustration in weather conditions hindering your slinging. But asides from the problem of capturing footage I think you could still get out there. Of course slinging on a beautiful summers day is more ideal.
I know I make the same excuse for myself with a lot of my hobbies, rain + whatever and I can usually talk myself out of it but maybe a waterproof camera will give you the push to get out there.

Not discrediting you just trying to give you a positive push.
Also indoor might be an option?
Have you asked any local sporting halls??

Yeah a GoPro might be a good thing to get. I might look into that. My main problem is a good place to sling. There are just so many people around the area I usually sling and people walking dogs etc. I never feel all that comfortable there. Indoor might be possible but I fear they will be a way off from where I am and I'll be even less motivated to go slinging if I have to take a bus :/ We'll be moving out of student housing next year so I'll have to see where we end up. Hopefully I'll find a better slinging spot.

Finding the right spot plays a huge role in slinging practice.
I’ve only just found a good spot recently that’s not a big drive away, I used to go after hours to a school and it was fine until one of the parents complained. I wasn’t hurting anyone or anything but some people just want to ruin people’s fun.

Back to the challenges!!!!!

I think we're starting to get things narrowed down a bit.

I like the frisbee idea, but unfortunately I don't have anyone to throw it.  I could do a frisbee hit, but it would pretty much be the aerial target with a different target.

In general I wouldn't mind trying a distance hit at some point.  But at my current skill level I think it would just be continuous throwing until I got that one lucky shot.  Not to imply that all my other good hits don't involve at least a small amount of luck. ;)

You could be right about the pendulum being easy.  I'll be able to set it up pretty quickly though.  I have a swing set that's rarely used.  I was going to take the swings down and hang up an old tire as a weight.  I think I'm still going to give this a try and see how it is.  If it is pretty easy, there will at least be another slinging video. :)

I like the ball rolling down the hill idea.  Sort of like trying to hit something that's running at you.  Like you, I'd also have to look around for a place to do this.

I think the small precise target might be our best option right now.  I really like the candle idea.  My concern with that is the wind will blow it out before the sling will.  I don't have an indoor area for slinging.  Maybe the nail is our best choice for something fairly easy to set up.  What kind of distance are you thinking?

Well if we go with the nail I think that any distance past 5 m is acceptable, this will be a hard challenge, hitting the nail is one thing but it actually hammering into the wood will be difficult, glances are going to bend the nail and some of the ammo may not hold up to the test , filming may also be an issue. But like you said it might be our best bet.


I would like to try the frisbee, I’m thinking it’s kinda clay pigeon esk. I have a friend who’s available sometime and I could always ask the girlfriend.

Perhaps in reality the pendulum idea makes the most sense.
That way we will both likely achieve our hits before Easter.

I was thinking about the nail challenge and there might be another issue.  Well, not issue, but something to think about.  A pretty hefty and dense projectile will be needed to hammer a nail into wood.  So I'm picturing a piece of wood that is totally smashed up, while in the center is still the nail that hasn't been hit yet. ;D

What if we line up three challenges.  We can start with the pendulum.  Or if you would like to try a frisbee hit, we could keep this one pretty general.  A hit on a target that is moving horizontally (at least for the most part) in front of you.  Then either would be valid.

Then when we get closer to Easter we can open up the egg hit challenge.  This will be some good practice on a smaller target.

And finally once the egg challenge is done, we can take on the sling-hammer challenge.

Quite a busy schedule! :)
What do you think?

Ok deal, first challenge pendulum!
Let me see what I can rig up !!

Right on!

And just as a reminder because I know there have been some new members join in recent days, anyone is more than welcome to join in on this challenge.

Just to fill in some info if you want to join in the fun:
[list bull-blackball]

You can use any sling, throwing style, and ammunition that you want.

Your target must be a pendulum style setup.  So basically a target that is swinging side to side in front of you.

The target needs to be in motion when you score your hit.

You should be at least 12 m (40 feet) from your target.  Although this usually isn't looked at very strictly.  I'm also totally fine with a change to this, but I think it's a nice manageable distance.
Just get your hit, or your attempt, on video and post it for everyone to see.  A good attempt can make for a great video too.  It's all about having fun. :)

So I got a chance to try the pendulum challenge.
I must say this was my least favourite challenge yet, I struggled with getting a good swing on the pendulum.
First I tryed with a target that was too light and then again with a target in a area where the footage wasn’t able to see the target. So I went out to my sling range with a plan. I used pulleys and some of my arborist ropes to try make a decent pendulum effect, I was still not completely happy but it was the last chance before I lost my cool with this challenge. Ended up working ok but not my original design or idea for a target. If I get time I may revisit it for a second attempt.


Anyway I threw 25 stones and 7 hit the mark.


Here’s the highlights.

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Your setup looked pretty good to me.  Nice slinging man!  7 out of 25, I hope I get that kind of accuracy.

Winter finally arrived and I had snow on the ground all weekend.  So I didn't get to try this yet.  I did pickup a rope and some other hardware, so I have everything to set it up.  Hopefully next weekend if weather permits.

You did seem to discover one thing I had concerns about.  Keeping the pendulum going.  I'm going to try a release cord to set the pendulum in motion, but no idea if it will work at this point.  Again, hopefully next weekend.

Good job man!  You got 1 out of 3 on the challenge list. :thumb:

Great work! I have basically no way of setting up a pendulum... Might have to do of the other ones if the current storm lets up. :-/

Thanks guys.
Really was difficult, well more difficult than I thought keeping a good swing, and as I said I still wasn’t overly pleased. I might revisit it again but I may also move to the egg challenge.

Any requirements??

Or simply make a video where an egg is the target?

Really would like to hit an aerial shot with an egg but cost of eggs might discourage this idea.

I think the egg challenge can be left open for options.  Just hit/break an egg with a projectile thrown from a sling.

I like the aerial idea.  Although I make no promises until I get the pendulum out of the way. :)
I think with an aerial egg target we definitely need to use plastic eggs.  Maybe try an empty one vs one filled with something to give it some heft.  I'd be curious to see the flight path differences.  One that's weighted should be able to be thrown much higher in the air.

Could also throw a bunch in the air at one time and unload on them with a shotgun-sling. ;D

What about hit an egg with an egg? :D

Kick wrote on Feb 11^th, 2020 at 11:43am:

What about hit an egg with an egg? :D

Hmmm.....  Some plastic eggs could likely be used to make some ice eggs. :)

Sweet, I’ll move on to the egg challenge soon, I have an idea but I’m not sure if it will work just yet. I’ll need to try to find out.

Right on!  I look forward to seeing what you put together.

At the moment they're predicting a sunny day on Saturday in my area, so I should definitely be able to get my pendulum attempt in.  I'm pretty excited about it.  I making ice balls like crazy! :)

Kick, if you want to jump right into the egg challenge too, you're obviously more than welcome to.  Just don't let it interfere with your Mallorca practice. ;)

joe_meadmaker wrote on Feb 12^th, 2020 at 11:04pm:

Kick, if you want to jump right into the egg challenge too, you're obviously more than welcome to.  Just don't let it interfere with your Mallorca practice.

I'm lucky to get any practice in at all really. The weather has been crap and so my practice area is effectively a large puddle. Add to that I've gotten a lot of shifts that are eating up any time I could be going and slinging anyway. I love winter and I love summer but this in between nonsense is getting tiresome. I would be happier with 3 foot of snow.

I was able to get out for the pendulum challenge.

Here it is: https://youtu.be/Z65CWWAWj7Q

I feel that my accuracy should have been better.  While I was doing it, I felt as though I was doing better than the numbers show at the end.  I think I'm going to give this another go and try a different sling.  In this video I'm using one of my hemp/linen braided slings.  Maybe I'll switch to a good ol' leather pouch and paracord.

I still had a good time with this challenge.  Looking forward to the next one. :)

That looks like a lot of fun!  I don’t have a lot of room in my yard, but I may have to try to rig something up anyway. Nice slinging Joe!

Awesome joe, great slinging!!!
You always impress me with your style and consistency with those ice balls. Did you ever get a chance to use my EDC sling??

I guess we’re moving on to the egg challenge!!

joe_meadmaker wrote on Feb 15^th, 2020 at 10:51pm:

I was able to get out for the pendulum challenge. Here it is: https://youtu.be/Z65CWWAWj7Q I feel that my accuracy should have been better.  While I was doing it, I felt as though I was doing better than the numbers show at the end.  I think I'm going to give this another go and try a different sling.  In this video I'm using one of my hemp/linen braided slings.  Maybe I'll switch to a good ol' leather pouch and paracord. I still had a good time with this challenge.  Looking forward to the next one. :)

Are you kidding? You did amazing! Way better than I would have managed and that hit at 1:50 was sweet. Awesome!

Thanks guys!  I appreciate it.

@Mersa - Speak of the devil.  I did some recording with another sling right after the pendulum challenge.  I just finished editing and will link the video in the SITH topic. ;)

And on to eggs we go!

@Kick - You're right.  I did a video slinging at a pallet fairly recently.  During that session I was a little over 40% accuracy (if I remember correctly).  So I think my expectations were a little high.  But you're right, I am happy with what I accomplished.  Thanks man!

I got a pendulum challenge in guys. That was more difficult than I thought. Sling on brothers!!
https://youtu.be/AsMsUy4A_8s

@PracticalParacord - Right on man!  Great of you to join in the fun.  And welcome to the forum.  Nice slinging!

Awesome! Great set-up for it as well.

https://youtu.be/hA8jCanAkTw

Angenommen  ;D

https://youtu.be/xrvHd9rc1L4 ;)

Jaegoor wrote on Mar 1^st, 2020 at 4:16am:

https://youtu.be/hA8jCanAkTw Angenommen  ;D

Excellent!  I wondered if you were going to link that video here for this challenge.  Your video was definitely an inspiration for me to try a pendulum target.  I love your hit when the ball is knocked out.



Jaegoor wrote on Mar 1^st, 2020 at 4:18am:

https://youtu.be/xrvHd9rc1L4 ;)

Now this could be an idea.  We've still got the egg challenge.  Then we're going to try to hammer a nail into a board.  But a balance challenge could be an interesting idea after that.  What do you think Mersa?

Versuchen Sie eine Münze zu treffen. 😁

Egg hit!  After all these airborne and swinging targets, this felt like good old slinging again.  Great fun!

I didn't include it in the video but it took me 33 attempts to hit the egg.  I had 3 hits on the plastic lid (one is kind of borderline) and a total of 9 hits on the lid/pallet together.  So about 27% accuracy for the pallet.

Here's the video: https://youtu.be/qWlHMSHUtvc

This is 2 out of 3 for me in our current Challenge Triad.  But because there's still some time before Easter, I'm going to try something else before moving on to the nail.



Jaegoor wrote on Mar 2^nd, 2020 at 4:36am:

Versuchen Sie eine Münze zu treffen. 😁

Jaegoor, challenge accepted. :)

Great hit joe , I still haven’t had a good slinging session since the pendulum. I have a small amount of time today so maybe I can squeeze an attempt in.

Thanks for keeping up the challenge I really enjoy the challenge thread.

Both coin and nail are going to be filming nightmares

I'm still recovering from a nasty cold (not corona virus) that I picked up in Mallorca (or more likely one of the 3 airports I passed through on the way to Mallorca) so it might be a little while until I can get out and do the egg challenge but I definitely want to have a go at it.

Mersa wrote on Mar 8^th, 2020 at 7:48pm:

Both coin and nail are going to be filming nightmares

Jaegoor filmed himself hitting the coin with the camera being behind it and down to the side. I think I'll try something similar to that and pray I don't take out the camera...

i had an attempt today but unfortunately i wasn't able to do it. had some extremely close calls but no hits. i was not slinging the best today and hope ill find some more time soon.
i boiled my eggs to get a little more durability out of them. i still want to try something if i find the right spot but finding filming hard.

Kick wrote on Mar 9^th, 2020 at 3:38am:

Mersa wrote on Mar 8th, 2020 at 7:48pm: Both coin and nail are going to be filming nightmares Jaegoor filmed himself hitting the coin with the camera being behind it and down to the side. I think I'll try something similar to that and pray I don't take out the camera...

What I'm thinking for the coin is to have the camera behind me and to the side, but near the ground and angled up.  I don't want to start losing coins in my yard, so I'm going to get some metal washers that are coin-sized and spray paint them orange.  I think that will help them to be visible in the air and on the ground.

I'm actually not sure if this challenge was intended to be an aerial target, but that's what I'm going with.  Kind of like hitting the flipped coin out of the air.  I definitely have a concern that I just might not be able to get a hit with this one.  First attempt will be next weekend as long as weather permits.

Aerial coin hit it is , at least filming will be easier. Shots gonna be more luck than skill but (at least for me) let’s step the coin up to next after egg challenge and the nail challenge can be last

Mersa wrote on Mar 9^th, 2020 at 11:15am:

Shots gonna be more luck than skill

Ha!  That thought goes through my head while setting up for every challenge. :D

Although I hope with each challenge, a little bit less luck is needed than the time before.

So I got the Easter Egg challenge done today but not without a few hiccups.

I started with a setup that was an egg balanced on a post , I had some close calls but no direct hits (one glance posted below)

Then my carton of eggs blew of a rock and smashed all my spare eggs

I was not happy with my filming and was struggling in the wind, my hair kept getting in my eyes and I was struggling.

So I moved spots, I got out of the wind but had nowhere to put the egg, I was ready to give up.

Then I found a piece of bailing cord, I was able to tie a small cradle for the last remaining egg, and I hung it from a tree.

I wasn’t able to get the lighting right for me throwing and the egg so I just filmed the egg,

Then the gods gave me strength and believe it or not I hit it first throw with the new setup, from roughly 12m .

So happy to tick this off as I have no time to attempt it in the coming week.

Next up coin toss

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Awesome shot! I'm hoping to get the egg done this week. I have work tomorrow but, if the weather is ok, I should get this done on Thursday.

Great hit Mersa!  I like it!

I hope your weather is cooperative Kick.  I'd love to see another broken egg here! :D

Thanks guys. I’m going to do my best for the next challenges but I might get my ass whooped trying.

It's been raining all day today.


I miss Mallorca...

I love it. Eggs are wily targets.  Well done! ;)

Coin hit attempt.  I switched the camera to a portrait orientation rather than widescreen because it worked better with the angle I was using, and with throwing things up in the air.  The washers I used didn't show up great, but still pretty well.  I like how the video came out overall.  Except for one thing, but you'll see.

https://youtu.be/7cp6oKy-ZRg

Some really close shots there. Great video!

Thanks man!  I think on my next attempt I'm going to get a little more selective with the coin tosses.  On the first round I took a shot no matter where the washer went.  Toward the end I was getting pretty consistent in the area I was throwing them, but still not perfect.  The next time I try this, if a toss isn't right where I want it, I think I'll let it go.  That should give me more higher percentage chances.

Great work joe, I’m waiting for a day where I got some clear blue sky, I have my ammo sorted(a pile of super light plastic balls) that way I should have consistent ammo and be able to attempt this at a public park. Gonna be a hard shot , feeling like it’s gonna beat me this challenge.

Jaegoor raised the bar again, William tell, and with an actual person, I could attempt it on a manikin no problem but a person would give me target panic for sure.

Just got back from a 3 day camping/hunting trip, I’m quite happy with my social distancing. Now back to slinging.

Sounds good.  I've got everything set for a second attempt at that coin today.  It's supposed to be sunny and mild, so should be perfect.

Yeah, Jaegoor definitely got the ideas stirring.  I've been trying to think of a good way to set up an arrow and sling apples at it.  But to have the apple protected in the event of a miss (because there will be a lot of them :)).  I was thinking about some kind of a netting around it.  Not sure though.  That's a ways off anyway.  Still need to get that coin hit, then a nail.

Your trip sounds pretty awesome.  I've just been staying at home and keeping the cat company.

Second attempt trying to hit a coin (metal washer) out of the air.

https://youtu.be/Liy4zlDBFZw

Yeah boy!!!!
That’s awesome!!
Great slinging, I’m going to have to get out there soon!
Those hits looked awesome!!
Great job on challenges so far!!

Awesome! Great stuff!

Thanks guys!  That was a really fun slinging session.  Although that's usually the case when you're getting some good hits.

When I did my first session, I was a little hungover.  Maybe that's why it didn't go as well ::).  It may have also been the familiarity of having done it once.  In the second go at it, my throws were just so much better.  Not just the sling throws, but the coin throws as well.

On to the nail.  I might wait on that until after Easter though.  I think I know how I want to set it up, but still considering options.  Some extra practice time will definitely be good for that one too.

Looking forward to seeing your next one Mersa!  You too Kick if you jump in on any of these.  ;)

Hey I’m thinking we put a hold on any upcoming challenges.
I’m not sure about you guys but there are some pretty extreme social distancing measures in place where I am. I might still get a chance at the coin toss I have some extremely light ammo I might be able to use at a park and not push myself by leaving town to sling.
So basically I’m asking if we can hold off on the challenges

1: Hammering a nail
2: Hitting an object of a persons head.
3: Hitting a frizzbee/ horizontal flying target.
4: Sticking ammo onto an arrow.

In the meantime I’m hoping we can discuss a small series of challenges that we could all do at home (slinging of course).
It’s very rare that everyone is home like this and I think we can likely get a few more people to join if we post this as an entirely new thread on the general notice board.

I was thinking generalised ammo like a ping pong ball

Maybe a few challenges could be
Land ball in cup
Curve through door or window
Bounce through hallways to a cup

Somewhat easy challenges that people might join in on, give each challenge a week and make a scoreboard/leaderboard

I have no objections to a temporary pause.  It will allow me to try some others things along the line of defending myself with a shield while I try to attack myself with an ice ball. :D

I'm also totally game for some indoor challenges.  I'm currently working from home.  Some little sling challenges could be just the thing to drop in here and there throughout the day.

I'll have to look around.  I don't think I have any ping pong balls.  Might need to order some.  Although I'm pretty sure I have some little plastic practice golf balls.  Those should work if I can find them.

Feel free to start the new thread whenever you're ready Mersa.  I'm in!

So I got some blue sky and had a small attempt while walking the dog.

20 throws and no hits but a few were super close, much more achievable than I first thought. Hopefully I can get another session in later today or soon enough.

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So I got another attempt in,picked a pile of 75 rocks, so many extremely close calls that I started throwing multiple coins in my last 15 or so rocks, got a solid hit around 6th try with multiple coins. Was grouping good just need that lucky element to play it’s part, I swear a couple just spun at the right time and would just miss.

Anyhow I think I’m happy with this submission but will continue to try to get this done with a single coin in slow motion on my gf phone when I can bother her and the weather is right to see the coin.

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Excellent!  Those slow motion shots are fantastic!  I like the pics you included too.

It can definitely drive you crazy when the throws are coming so close but not getting contact.  I will attest to that.  Great hit on the group coin throw!  I like it!

It was fun, I really enjoyed it for the most part, just hard now with social distancing, I would usually get odd looks from people when slinging but now just being outdoors seems like a sin.

Came up with a cool idea but I’ll save it for now , much the same as this but a slight twist.

I’m still pretty interested in a “corona virus challenge “
Need to come up with a few ideas for easier challenges we can do indoors or in confined areas.
I was thinking maybe a leader board with points
A tournament??
And maybe run week long challenges and the participants get to vote the winner and scores are added each week.

Can't wait to hear the twist. :)

I'd like to do some small indoor challenges.  I still haven't looked to see if I can find some suitable projectiles.  I'll try to remember to do that tomorrow.  Don't think I like name "corona virus challenge" though.  I think we just need a new topic called Indoor online challenge, or something like that.  Indoor challenges could definitely carry on when all this craziness is a thing of the past.

I think a week is good for simpler challenges.  Maybe two weeks if something is a little more difficult or requires some setup.  We could start with something easy.  How about a ricochet off a wall and in to a bucket?  Or is that too simple?

I think stuff like that is perfect, ping pong ball into a cup etc.
I must admit I’m pretty bored these days and a little indoor challenge could help. Really only worth it but if we get a few people on board. You and I do quite a few challenges in general.

Really enjoyed the coin challenge. I think I’m going to try shooting clays when this mayhem ends. That’s pretty high on my slinging to do list.

First indoor challenge.  No description here.  You'll have to take a look. :D

https://youtu.be/U8iPQugU7nQ

Awesome!! Nice sword collection too!!
Is that my key ring sling??

It is.  The size makes it perfect for golfball-sized ammo indoors. :)

Oh, I forgot to mention, if anyone else wants to participate in the first indoor challenge, you don't need to do exactly what I did.  The basic idea is just to get two hits in a row.  It can be two hits on one target, or one hit on two different targets.  Definitely have fun with it and feel free to add some flare if you want.  I was about 15 ft (4.5 m) from my target and used little foam balls, but any distance and projectile is fine.  Hope to see some other entries. :)

I love it! It's snowy and wet outside so I'll be doing this tomorrow. Just need a good target...

Here is some indoor throws

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It's up! And this is absolutely the best video I've ever made. It's a little different to Joe's and I actually only got the one hit, but I didn't want to keep trying and annoy the neighbours too much. Or my girlfriend...

https://youtu.be/YnK2yx3RTdc

Nice kick always be prepared!!

I took every shot sat up in bed and I have to say it was a lot easier than I expected :D I can't remember who brought up sitting and slinging and whether it was possible in a thread a little while ago, but, I can say now from experience, along with seeing Pepe in Mallorca do it, it isn't even that hard :D

Great stuff guys!  Awesome slinging!

I really like your take on it Kick.  Very entertaining.

I've got an idea for the next one.  So that might be coming early next week depending how well it works.  I'm once again hoping to get out this weekend to finish my "Back up 10 feet challenge".  I got busy last weekend and wasn't able to.

looks like winter has arrived early today. bit of rain out. wouldn't mind trying the 10 feet challenge if i get a chance.
hopefully covid restrictions ease up and we can resume some serious challenges again.

i enjoyed the coin challenge alot.

Hope you get a chance to try the 'back up 10 feet' challenge Mersa.  I got through it today.  A very tiring experience.  I always forget that the seasons we're experiencing are reversed.  As you're coming in to winter, we're starting to see regular warm days.  Still getting a drop in temperature here and there though.

And for those days that aren't nice out, here's Indoor Challenge #2!  This one took me longer to get than I thought it would.

https://youtu.be/UVgd_s3xBAc

I had a quick test go at this because I wasn't sure of my sockball would bounce well. It's possible but ooo boy that's hard. I'm loving these challenges.I'll hopefully get it done later today. First I have to smash up a wooden pallet with a staffsling.

joe_meadmaker wrote on Apr 15^th, 2020 at 8:17pm:

First indoor challenge.  No description here.  You'll have to take a look. :D https://youtu.be/U8iPQugU7nQ

lol interesting overhand technique. Always looks counter intuitive to me, but a number of people seem to use it effectively.

Now as to your reasoning for your target selection I'm going to say you got that wrong and while you were slinging at the knight.
The little immortal strangling demon got you.
The knight is SLOW, the gollum is FAST.
Always kill the fast bastard first !

And yes - a somewhat worrying sword collection ;-)

Oh, what's wrong with having a few swords around the house?  ;D

Absolutely nothing joe.
I can see nights on the mead ending in armoured battles, lucky I live so far away otherwise we would have way to much fun.

Indoor challenge two done!

It was so easy!

Sort of...

https://youtu.be/u4b7a-GzsVM

Yes!  Awesome!  The miss attempts are so funny.  Mine was the same way.  So many misses, and so many misses on the second throw.

I've almost got the third one ready.  There is one last throw and I just cannot get two in a row.  I'd just say heck with it, but the two in a row has become kind of the thing for these.  I'm going to try again tonight.  Here's hoping.

Can't wait! I'm loving them :D

Bounce bounce, had the same thing as kick in the first few throws but then I found a good spot to aim for and they almost landed in my hand.

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Alright man!  We've got this going!

I didn't get a chance to try to complete the third one tonight.  Definitely tomorrow though.  At least an attempt.  I like it because I actually don't know if I'll get it.

If anyone else has any ideas, feel free to put them out there.

Looking forward to seeing it

The biggest problem I had was using the cupboard door. They kept hitting the handle and the edge of the door, but it was literally the only usable corner in our flat.

I got it!  It's basketball time gentlemen!

No ball, no problem.  Grab a rolled up sock or whatever you have.  No basket, no problem.  Grab a bag, box, or empty garbage can.  Hang it from a door, set it up on a table, use whatever you have!

The long shot is the big one for this challenge.  I was standing about 16 feet (4.8 m) from my basket, but no set distance.  Do what you can with the space you have.  This one was a lot of fun!

https://youtu.be/5VEHUs0yPA0

Oh boy does that look hard. Good job on getting two shots, because I'm wondering how I'm going to do one!

Yeah this ones gonna take a few goes I’m thinking. Not too sure how I’ll go about it but I’ll get onto it soon

Great shots by the way, long shot looked lite it took a few attempts to nail 2

You are correct!  I've got at least a couple hours into throwing that long shot.  :-[

It was most frustrating a few days ago because I would make the first shot and the second wasn't even close.  I felt much better yesterday because the second shots were bouncing off the rim or hitting the net.  I could see I was getting very close.

Here is my basketball indoor challenge no3 submission.
I started with a smaller “basket” but I was hours into it without even one going in so I made a bigger target so I could do the double.

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Holy crap man!  Into a cup!  :o
That was an incredible attempt.  The switch to the bucket was definitely more in line with what I was picturing.  Nice slinging! :)

I had a few hours under the belt on the cup attempt and I just couldn’t get it to go in, maybe one day

Great stuff guys! This thread really should be stickied or placed at the top. It's almost become it's own subforum lol.  ;D

I second getting it stickied. I have yet to try the basketball one but I've had a string of shifts at work. I have the one day off for May Day and then I'm back for a long stretch so I would want to get it done today but I'm also rather liking lounging around eating May Day donuts and other treats (Vappu is serious business in Finland, corona or not) so let's see :D

Nice longsword collection there Joe. They're on my 'to buy' list when I get my own place. What better to hang over the fireplace!

Thanks!  Completely agreed, great to hang over a fireplace.  And everywhere else. :D

It’s a thread that’s been going for a while , would be nice if we had a few more competitiors and maybe even some type of leaderboard system, catch The Jaegoor

I've had crazy work shifts so haven't managed to get around to the indoor challenge, but I think I have an entirely new challenge idea. In this video:

https://youtu.be/Yq1N8I4XwtY

Skallagrim discounts the use of a sling as a melee weapon right off the bat and it got me thinking. Could a melee hit with a sling be made into a challenge? Perhaps loading a sling, hitting a target with the sling like it's a flail, not losing the stone (or other ammo) and then slinging at and hitting a further away target? I've not tried this at all and won't be able to get it done today, but I have three days off in a row coming up and I think I might have a go at this :D

So I posted this and was like "Well I could always do the basketball challenge now..." and it didn't take too long :D I wasn't throwing from that far (student flat...) butit still was pretty difficult. Fig. 8 was what changed it for me. I was trying underarm and finding it impossible, but fig. 8 worked really well. It could be argued that it was just brute forcing it's way into the bag, but to those people I say... yeah maybe. Another great challenge :D

https://youtu.be/IMc1R95h4oU

I agree.  I think the dismissal of the sling was a little premature.  If you have a sling with a cupped pouch, you could seat a rock or whatever in it, then tie the cords together around it.  Then you would have your flail and the weight wouldn't fall out.

I like your challenge idea.  If weather permits, I might have a go at that too.

Nice job on the basketball challenge Kick!  It's like your doing the slam dunk from a distance. :D

I actually forgot about the slam dunk until I packed everything away and took the bag down  ::) But yeah I thought this was enough. I had a long week at work so didn't want to drag myself out to the field but still wanted to do a bit of slinging. This was just perfect :D

Nice stuff kick, I’ve been enjoying the indoor challenges

I had a quick test go today hitting the metal pan with a stone in the pouch. Every time, the stone came out... As a one shot hit, it would absolutely work, but it's perhaps not a long lasting weapon :D I also tried indoors with a sock ball against a cupboard and I was able to keep it in the pouch and then sling it against the wall so it might just have to be an indoor challenge if stones won't stay in the pouch. More testing required!

I should never have doubted Skall :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EfHSNqNg_8

I saw the new video from Skall as well.  I'm glad he went back to revisit some things.  And also that other people got on his case about it. :D

AND.....

Here is my video on the sling melee hit with a follow up throwing hit.  Oh wow, this was tough.  I actually changed the sling, the balls I was throwing, and the technique I was using before I finally got it.  Very challenging, but a lot of fun.  I had a great time setting things up too.  Hope everyone likes it.

https://youtu.be/vFIQMolDArI

Awesome! That's way better than what I'm going to be able to do :D I'll try anyway today :D

I was all set to do it and then a massive headache came out of nowhere and ruined that idea. Then the next day it snowed. A lot. And now I've been working and don't have a day off until Monday. My only day off... I really can't wait to win the lottery and then never have to work again. I should probably get around to buying tickets...

It's all good.  I've been trying to think of something for the next one but don't really like any of my ideas so far.  These indoor challenges seem to be getting progressively more difficult, which is fine.  But I'm thinking something interesting, but also fairly simple, for challenge number 5.  If anyone has any ideas, let them be heard.

I’m also playing catch up, hopefully I’ll do the melee hit soon.
I’ll also start brainstorming

Löschen Sie eine brennende Kerze mit einem Stein. Zerstören Sie die Kerze dabei nicht.
Distanz 10 bis 15 m ;)

I love the idea!  I thought about that one too.  The problem will be finding a day that has absolutely no wind, so the candle won't get blown out.

I'll add it to my list.  I still need to try hitting a nail.

And I still need to do my melee hit. I haven’t had as much time as usual and have been back in the city. Long story short my mother has is very sick and I’m caring for her so I’m not getting much free time. I’ll try get the melee hit done in the next week and maybe we can start outdoor challenges again . Covid restrictions are lifting on the 6th where I am

Sorry to hear about your mother Mersa.  I hope she's okay.

And take your time man.  It's still going to be a couple weeks before I can even attempt the nail challenge.  My accuracy has been so far off lately, I want to do a couple slinging sessions without a target.  Just throwing at nothing in particular.  I hope that will will get my body mechanics back in line and clear my head.

I'm very behind on the challenges. Still haven't done the melee hit one.

Sorry sorry sorry, I’ve taken so long to attempt this and I just rushed in a video. Not the best filming but it will do. No double on this one just didn’t have the time but a submission none the less.

By the way I hit the gnome.

---

Good throw Mersa!  You usually get the hits pretty quick.  Was this the same?  I remember it taking me probably a couple of hours to get my melee hit.  I found there were two options.  Just barely touch the first target so the sling isn't disrupted much.  Or get the sling going hard and power through it.  Most of my attempts were the easy touch.  But I remembered Kick mentioning the use of a sock ball.  After switching to that, the more powerful hits worked.

It was literally one attempt. First shot . I actually didn’t have time to really try but got that on film so I’ll call it good enough. I think if I hit anything substantial I’d knock the ball out.
Are we going to continue back to normal. I might be able to getafew slingung sessions in. I need some slinging motivation

I have 4 days free from work and my plan is to get the melee hit down (I suggested it and I still haven't done it  ::) ) and I might try and get the 10m challenge done. Honestly, I don't know if I'll bother filming it because I have the one video and it takes SOOOO long to film and edit (still two videos I haven't done) but I'll keep notes on how many shots it takes.

One throw!?  That is crazy.  When I first started I actually tried putting baseball caps on a couple of the plastic jars I was using. :D

It looked really funny, but made them way too heavy.  The sling was affected too much by the melee hit.  Just couldn't keep the ball in the pouch.

I think the sling as a general rule won’t hold the amo with a serious melee hit.

Let’s wait for kicks submission then resume the slinging challenge as normal. Can vid restrictions have eased and I should be able to find a day or 2 a week to attempt some tasks.

What are our next challenges going to be??

Are we at the nail hit??

I think we have to choose something that Jaegoor has not done yet.

Ich denke, wir müssen etwas auswählen, das Jaegoor noch nicht getan hat.

Sounds good to me.  There's one more video I'd like to do before jumping into another challenge too.  I've been trying to get it done for a couple weeks now, but my weekends keep getting busy with other stuff.  This coming weekend or the next I should definitely be able to get it done.

And, yes.  I think we're ready for the nail challenge.  We can finally complete the big challenge set.  Remember a long time ago when we were planning the pendulum/egg/nail triple challenge...

Ok I’ll hold tight just now and see how this all progresses.

What did you have in mind IG??

Oh, I didn't. I was just saying we have to try and challenge Jaegoor somehow  :)

We could do a hat trick of some sort, have to get 3 hits in a row on something? I dunno. I like the idea of combining challenges. Swinging target with a hat trick?  For Jaegoor it can be 3 nails.

For Jaegoor it’s 3 pendulum nails while blindfolded with his left hand!!!  ;D

Mersa wrote on Jun 16^th, 2020 at 1:24am:

For Jaegoor it’s 3 pendulum nails while blindfolded with his left hand!!!  ;D

... don’t forget he’s riding on a unicycle too!

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Jun 18^th, 2020 at 1:57pm:

Mersa wrote on Jun 16th, 2020 at 1:24am: For Jaegoor it’s 3 pendulum nails while blindfolded with his left hand!!!  ;D ... don’t forget he’s riding on a unicycle too!

While singing an A cappella rendition of “Wake me up before you go go” by Wham!

The mental image of this is amazing....

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Jun 18^th, 2020 at 1:57pm:

riding on a unicycle

Reminds me of an old challenge of mine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-_UAZ_ooOU
Good times  8-)

I recently got a new bike (well the bike is new for me) and I've managed to relearn to cycle with no hands on the handlebars. My previous bike was weirdly balanced so that it was impossible to try it without the front wheel turning. Now that I can do it, I was thinking of cycling, loading a sling and doing a drive-by on a target :D Not sure how I'll film it but a crash will make for a good YouTube video :D

As an unicycle rider, I recommend to do it with an unicycle than a bike. Easier to jump off and less likely to have a painful meeting with the metal frame should things go wrong  ::).
FYI: cross country skis are fun as well to sling on. And its a softer fall ;).

Kick wrote on Jul 6^th, 2020 at 6:22pm:

I recently got a new bike (well the bike is new for me) and I've managed to relearn to cycle with no hands on the handlebars. My previous bike was weirdly balanced so that it was impossible to try it without the front wheel turning. Now that I can do it, I was thinking of cycling, loading a sling and doing a drive-by on a target :D Not sure how I'll film it but a crash will make for a good YouTube video :D

Make sure you have a Snoop Dogg song playing as you do the drive by.

Drive by sling???
I think we have a challenge!!!

If you guys want to make this official, I think I've got a pretty good idea. :D

I'm game :D The weather's crap and I have next to no days off but as soon I as I can I'll be out there and most probably flying over the handlebars :D

Let’s do it, it’s something I can probably get done unlike the other challenges that need my slinging range and a fair bit of time. Im away from home at the moment and my slinging is suffering, no range and only my rubber ball for a while now.

hands-free cycle-slinging is the first step down a slippery slope to the apocalypse...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLUX0y4EptA

Damn I love that song. I completely forgot about it.

We'll I've had Handlebars by Flobots stuck in my head and I've now had plenty of time to practise cycling no handed. I'm as good now as I was when I was 15 so pretty darn good :D I've also actually done it. I've slung a stone on a bike! It was just on the way back from work (late night with no one around) and I managed a low power helicopter shot using a really short sling from Loki. I could probably use a longer sling without problems but wanted to play sade to start with.

Video shall be coming soon :D

Looking forward to it!

I've got my run planned out.  I don't want to go into any details in case it doesn't work out like I have it pictured in my head.  I want to try the new Y-sling I made this weekend, so the drive-by might have to wait another week.  I'll see how things go.

Also have to try to get that nail challenge in at some point.

joe_meadmaker wrote on Jul 17^th, 2020 at 10:14pm:

Also have to try to get that nail challenge in at some point.

Yeah I need to do that one too. I found a perfect plank of wood for it and I have nails so I just need to get out there. My work shifts have been seriously crazy so I just haven't had the time. I had 5 shifts in a row, then one day off, then another 5 in a row, then 4 in a row with one being a 12 hour shift and now, finally, I have two days off. I need a holiday.

Well that was kinda fun, feel like I’d kill it on a skateboard.

Bonus angle thanks to my GF

---

Damn it Mersa! I was hoping to get it done first! Damn good shot though :D I'll hopefully be getting it done today.

Ok so I went out pretty early and got it done. Also lost my tennis ball and rock and bent my back wheel...

But I got it done! Video coming soon.

Sounds interesting, can’t wait!

Great shot Mersa!  You make all the throws look easy!  :thumb:

I won't be able to get mine in today.  Maybe tomorrow morning.

Took less than 10 try’s, was harder to ride on the bumpy road one handed than it was to throw.

Just a heads up as well, you don’t want to get your sling tangled in your wheels. That’s for sure.

I literally came home for the weekend so I’m glad I could do it

This thread is probably the most entertaining part of slinging.org for me. What I’d really like is a little more participation from other members. We have had a good little thing going between myself, kick and joe but I know there are other slingers on the forum that are well capible of these challenges.
Maybe a small incentive would encourage more activity?
Could we perhaps start a challenge with some type of judging or voting?
I would love a online tournament and 10+ competitors?
If we got 8 or 16 we could do it as a VS contest.
Start with easier tasks and vote or judge the winner of each pair until there’s a ultimate winner. A prize might encourage a few more participants. Maybe even teams?

I think that this thread being in the “sports” area gets it overlooked a lot.

I’m not in the best spot to be doing challenges as usual but this thread really gets my motivation going and keeps me improving.

I'm with you man.  This thread has not only kept my interest, but has been a great help to keep me practicing.

I would also like to see more participation.  I thought the indoor challenges had a chance to do that, but didn't seem to.  That was basically a 'create your own challenge' event.  Although admittedly I had a good time with it and posted a bunch of things in a pretty short span of time.  There was also NOC's trash sling challenge (not in this thread specifically, but I think it counts), which had a prize.  But only a few entries were posted by the end.

I think there's a lot of reasons why folks aren't able or don't want to participate.  But if anyone is willing to share their own reason, I would be interested to hear.  Is it available time, video recording capability, lack of interest in crazy chance hits (like hitting a coin out of the air ;))...

Personally I would love to join in, but I can’t justify the time right now.  I am on total lockdown right now, so if I can’t do it in my backyard, it isn’t happening, and most of my “free time “ happens after dark when my children are unconscious for the night.

I do some of the challenges I just don't have the ability to record or post them,good Ammo is also an issue most of my practice is done with acorns :P.

Mersa wrote on Jul 18^th, 2020 at 5:10pm:

Just a heads up as well, you don’t want to get your sling tangled in your wheels. That’s for sure.

This was why I was using the shortest sling I own that can still hold a tennis ball :D


joe_meadmaker wrote on Jul 18^th, 2020 at 11:21pm:

I think there's a lot of reasons why folks aren't able or don't want to participate.  But if anyone is willing to share their own reason, I would be interested to hear.  Is it available time, video recording capability, lack of interest in crazy chance hits (like hitting a coin out of the air )...

I think it's all of those reasons. There are some that I still haven't done just because finding the time for them has been difficult. My work shifts have been pretty insane recently and because I'm so tired after my shifts I then put off everything until the next free day which then means I have almost no time to go out slinging before I have to start doing something else. I think as well for me, I've found I'v not wanted to film everything because the filming becomes a distraction from the slinging and then I know it will need at least a tiny bit of editing so it's more work that takes away from the slinging.

All that being said, I agree that this is easily one of the best threads and I love having that motivation to go and sling but also to try new ways of slinging. I think it would be difficult to get enough participants for a competition but maybe starting a fresh thread that doesn't look as intimidating (up to 30 pages now :D) and that has the challenges clearly written out could help get people on board.

Greenjay wrote on Jul 19^th, 2020 at 1:22am:

I do some of the challenges I just don't have the ability to record or post them

Even if you can't record a video, I think all of us would enjoy hearing about your experience with the challenges.  Let us know how you set things up, and how the slinging went.  :)



Kick wrote on Jul 19^th, 2020 at 3:33am:

I think as well for me, I've found I'v not wanted to film everything because the filming becomes a distraction from the slinging and then I know it will need at least a tiny bit of editing so it's more work that takes away from the slinging.

I agree with this.  The days of slinging just to sling are awesome.  No worrying about setting up a camera, getting a great shot, or having to edit later.

Video is done!

https://youtu.be/gR2KSd24pZA

Awesome Kick!  Nice throw!  I'm not sure how you guys are managing that one a bike.  Probably because I haven't been on a bike in a couple decades.  It's just quite amazing to me.

I got my video done too.  This has to be some kind of record for the fastest we all completed a challenge and posted a video.  I don't have a bike, and had to use a mode of transportation that's a bit more stable.  So I tried to make the throw itself more difficult by increasing the distance.

https://youtu.be/u1q2s6etJSQ

Great stuff with this one guys!  I hope we still see another entry pop in here though.  :D

Great work guys!!
Love the lawnmower, great way to do the chores and the challenge at the same time.
Nice turn around for challenge submissions.
If I’m lucky I might get to try it on a skateboard.

What are our upcoming challenges??

Great hits! Mine were incredibly close so I'm thinking of trying again once my back wheel is unbent. Should we do the nail challenge next? That one is going to take a really long time for me to do I'm guessing.

I think the nail is the next one on my list.  It's been hanging around too long and needs an attempt.  So I'm good with that plan.

Maybe once the nail is done we can do a brainstorm of ideas and see if anything interesting comes up.

I’ll do my best for the nail challenge but I’m not really equipped for it where I am currently. With some luck I’ll make it work

Mersa wrote on Jul 18^th, 2020 at 8:11pm:

This thread is probably the most entertaining part of slinging.org for me. What I’d really like is a little more participation from other members. We have had a good little thing going between myself, kick and joe but I know there are other slingers on the forum that are well capible of these challenges. Maybe a small incentive would encourage more activity? Could we perhaps start a challenge with some type of judging or voting? I would love a online tournament and 10+ competitors? If we got 8 or 16 we could do it as a VS contest. Start with easier tasks and vote or judge the winner of each pair until there’s a ultimate winner. A prize might encourage a few more participants. Maybe even teams? I think that this thread being in the “sports” area gets it overlooked a lot. I’m not in the best spot to be doing challenges as usual but this thread really gets my motivation going and keeps me improving.

Over the last several years I’ve had to put life on hold but I’m very close to being done. I hope next year will be the first one where I’m not stupid busy all the time. The best I’ve been able to do is write down a to do list of all the interesting things I see here to try for later.

One thing you may want to consider is the fact that all of these challengers are in one thread. For those who might want to join in but haven’t  been keeping up with this adventure you three have been taking part in reading a 30 page thread is pretty daunting to get caught up.

Not saying if you made individual threads  there would suddenly be a huge influx but it might help draw people in to things easier.

I've nearly got setup for slinging and filming, so I will likely be another contender for the challenges. Love outdoor ones like the 10 feet step back challenge idea, which will be my first attempt. I would like to see that challenge in some form become a standard for slinging, as it's very well rounded.
Only problem is that it takes 1 hour to do. To make it shorter and more challenging, perhaps you have to hit the target within 10 shots in order to advance to the next distance?
10 shots move back 10 feet.

I really like the idea of getting more people together for challenges, and the idea of teams is exciting. I also think that some friendly competition would help motivate people to practice more.

@Way of the Sling - That's awesome!  It will be great to see someone else giving the challenges a shot.

I like your idea for a variation on the 10 feet challenge.  I had a similar thought.  Remove the time limit.  As you said, give yourself a certain number of shots to hit the target.  If you get a hit, you move back feet.  If you don't get a hit, you move forward 10 feet.  Continue until you're tired.  You could also just have a goal to reach a certain distance mark.

We should have a sticky(ed) thread where each post is a separate challenge and the post has a list of all of the entries, and a "winner". We can then modify each entry as more challengers post their entries. That is the only decent way I can think of to keep track of all of them.

Ok, Since everyone has been avoiding the nail challenge, I am throwing down the gauntlet!

https://youtu.be/M-Q4ygiqa-A

Awesome video NOOC !!! I really like your approach.
I guess there’s no more procrastinating, the nail challenge is on!!

IronGoober wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2020 at 4:36pm:

We should have a sticky(ed) thread where each post is a separate challenge and the post has a list of all of the entries, and a "winner". We can then modify each entry as more challengers post their entries. That is the only decent way I can think of to keep track of all of them.

This^.

Ideally the challenges should be more accessible to newer members if that’s an option.

Also, prizes would be cool for bigger challenges.

And , because I am a total nerd, ranks as people pass certain challenges they can go up in pretend internet rank. Again, nerd, so this comment was inevitable.  :D

I agree somewhat.

I’m proud that this thread has survived the whole time since I posted it but perhaps it’s time to make a dedicated thread for each challenge.

But I also can’t let it go , ha ha

I think this thread is fine to introduce challenges, but for those who want to see a quick summary and don't want to wade through 30 pages of posts, another summary thread would be perfect.  It makes it really easy to watch all the entries that way too and might get more visitors to the site interested in slinging.

I think a completely separate board for online challenges would work the best.  Then there could be a separate topic for each challenge.  Which would allow for discussion, rules, etc.  But all the challenges would be listed together in one place.

Mersa wrote on Jul 22^nd, 2020 at 8:19pm:

I agree somewhat. I’m proud that this thread has survived the whole time since I posted it but perhaps it’s time to make a dedicated thread for each challenge. But I also can’t let it go , ha ha

We definitely shouldn't let this thread die. It's too iconic now :D I'll be attempting the nail challenge soon and I might have another go at cycling and slinging. I did ok with it but I feel I could do a bit better now I know what's required to make it work. Should be getting my bike fixed tomorrow so hopefully it won't be too long until I get that done.

Here's a little more inspiration for the nail challenge ;D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EDhdAHrOg

Mersa wrote on Mar 22^nd, 2020 at 10:00pm:

Yeah boy!!!! That’s awesome!! Great slinging, I’m going to have to get out there soon! Those hits looked awesome!! Great job on challenges so far!!

How did I miss this?!

"Yeah boy" literally came out of my mouth as I watched your video Joe. Noice! you got the split ice ball from the hit for real this time.

I'm gonna have to try this. The frisbee hit sounds like a fun one too. I was wondering if I could get a mini-disc and dual-sling to try and get an aerial hit (Thanks for the suggestion Mersa, it may not have been this thread). I guess I'll have to try.

Also, NOOC, just so you know, your post did not go unappreciated. I love that sketch and it was a well-placed post.

Thanks!  I had to look back through the thread to see which one that was.  :D

The coin hit was definitely a tough one.  After not getting a hit on my first attempt, it's the first challenge I recall having the thought 'I might not get this'.  But the second attempt went much better.  I do love the aerial challenges.

Yeah I agree the coin challenge was super fun , really any of the aerial challenges have been fun. I also really love the pumpkin Halloween challenges because it’s almost based on destruction and those buggers can be tough. Already got plans for this year’s Halloween challenge.

Joe has kept me working since he joined this thread!!

I really can't wait for the Halloween challenge. This year I'm going for it and getting a massive pumpkin.

IronGoober wrote on Aug 10^th, 2020 at 2:53pm:

Also, NOOC, just so you know, your post did not go unappreciated. I love that sketch and it was a well-placed post.

Ha! It doesn’t bother me if a post is noticed or not. I post my nail-related content in confidence, because I know that I am holding the #1 spot in the nail challenge... we just won’t mention that I am also dead last because there are no other entries ;D

Watch this space for the nail challenge...

I'm going to try to get at it this weekend too. I just have to find a space where I can film and throw stones...

I hit the nail, but ultimately failed.  There was a surprising result from this challenge.  Here's take #1:

https://youtu.be/lGAZbsjd4bo

Stones man! You gotta go with stones.

joe_meadmaker wrote on Aug 14^th, 2020 at 2:26pm:

I hit the nail, but ultimately failed.  There was a surprising result from this challenge.  Here's take #1: https://youtu.be/lGAZbsjd4bo

I am confused by this result. What are those made from? Punching into cardboard shouldn't be that difficult... er.. provide that much resistance. I'm confused how they broke unless they are very fragile or brittle to begin with.

Kick wrote on Aug 14^th, 2020 at 2:48pm:

Stones man! You gotta go with stones.

I humbly take my scolding. :-[

The next time I'll be properly equipped!



IronGoober wrote on Aug 14^th, 2020 at 3:20pm:

I am confused by this result. What are those made from? Punching into cardboard shouldn't be that difficult... er.. provide that much resistance. I'm confused how they broke unless they are very fragile or brittle to begin with.

They're some kind of plastic.  I was also surprised that they broke.  And also that the nail wasn't hammered in.  With the silicone, the street hockey ball weight is 120-130 grams.  I thought that would be enough.  But the glue between the pieces of cardboard must have strengthened that pretty significantly.

I do wish I had a high frame rate camera to see exactly what was happening.

I like this though.  Now it's not just a challenge of accuracy, but also hitting it hard enough.  I'm looking forward to the next round.