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General >> General Slinging Discussion >> Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
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Message started by joe_meadmaker on Jun 9th, 2019 at 10:50pm

Title: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by joe_meadmaker on Jun 9th, 2019 at 10:50pm
I've been thinking about this question for a little while.  I may just be dancing around semantics, but I'm curious about everyone's thoughts on it.  In full disclosure, I'm aware that anyone who is throwing a projectile with a sling, is technically a slinger.  I guess I'm thinking more about a mindset.

Here's some background on what brought this to my attention.  A while back Mersa posted a video of a really nice throw (@Mersa - hope you don't mind me using your example).  Here is the link to the topic in case anyone hasn't see it and wants to take a look (http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1550922816).  He made a comment that afterward he felt he was "truly a slinger".  I thought that was pretty awesome and have been thinking on and off about the concept since reading that.

For me personally, I feel more like just a person who slings.  And that got me thinking about what would need to happen for me to feel like a slinger.  I know that others on the forum have done things such as taken part in competitions, hunting, reached a reliable level of accuracy, etc.  But I'm not sure what it would take for me to reach that mindset.

What does everyone else think?  In your own mind, are you a slinger or a person who slings?  I'm sure it will be different for everyone, but what do you think it takes for someone to feel like a slinger?

And just to note, I mentioned that I think of myself as a "person who slings".  If that never changes, I am perfectly fine with it.  I love making slings and slinging, and have no intention to stop.  :)

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Kick on Jun 10th, 2019 at 12:28am
I would say I'm a slinger now. I own that many slings, I've been doing it for that long and I feel I have some level of proficiency and knowledge (both in sling techniques and some history). I rarely go out with out at least one sling in my pocket and I'm constantly looking for good sling stones. It's more than just a side hobby for me now, it's a pretty big part of my life.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by TheJackinati on Jun 10th, 2019 at 4:48am
Having started off with throws barely exceeding 80 metres, to nowadays achieving throws of ~120-200 metres... I feel like I might have become a slinger... or at least better-abled than I was as a novice...

That said, I would not be much of a slinger, currently. I focus mainly on distance and so I don't have a great level of accuracy (I do however have good timing with a Byzantine). From a military perspective against formations of men, I would be viable, from a "Duel" or "Group-on-group" engagement at close-to-medium distances... I would not be that great.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by cram on Jun 10th, 2019 at 6:13am
I consider myself a persone who slings. I haven't been slinging all that much.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Frondeur on Jun 10th, 2019 at 6:24am
Oh, I've been facing that question before, regarding other activities.
For me, the feeling of "being something" rather than "doing something" hasn't anything to do with any kind of level. It's about the way you live it.

I'm not claiming any performpance here, but I sling almost every day if space available, and in any case, imagination does the trick when I cannot sling properly.
I'm feeling quite inconfortable when I don't have a sling with me, like some kind of talisman. odd.
Checking for rocks has become quite compulsive. See: Some weeks ago, I was trying to ford a river. I'm not a very balaced guy, nor a very self-confident one. So I strated crossing with both legs and hands.
15 minutes later, some friends came back to check for me. I was still somewhere in the middle of the stream, collecting riverbed rocks... I just forgot they were waiting for me.
And braiding, and collecting clay, leraning history, ballistics, I even learned to read spanish with Hondero's book (granted, I'm french, so it wasn't so difficult as if I was, say, German, because of the similarities between latin-based languages.) And of course roaming this forum, with is a good clue of mental disorder...

So I definely do have the strong feeling I AM a slinger (at least for now...). No doubt I will follow another path someday.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Sarosh on Jun 10th, 2019 at 2:26pm

joe_meadmaker wrote on Jun 9th, 2019 at 10:50pm:
I'm sure it will be different for everyone, but what do you think it takes for someone to feel like a slinger?


for me, trying to figure out how skirmishers would think in a campaign, reading history might help you get an idea. All the duties you have to do... clean out passes for the heavy infantry, delivering messages, ambushing other skirmishers and teaching the young recruits how to kill, hunting, making camp, digging trenches, cutting timber for siegecraft, witnessing the engines of war bring down walls. Enjoying pork and wine after a battle while sharing stories of how someone saved someone else's ass....

also the training might have fun parts, read de re militari , training twice a day for noobs and once for veterans. long marches under the hot sun ending with a swim in the river.

of course the bad thing is taking orders.

like a kid plays pirate, I play slinger that's when I feel like one :P

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Jauke on Jun 10th, 2019 at 3:44pm
Depends on what I wear and where I am. If I wear a shoulder bag with projectiles, a sling repair kit, more slings in the bag or around my neck or on my belt, my hat and a staff, on a hike, I definitely feel like a slinger. When I am sitting behind a pc, not so much

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by slingingrocksforfun on Jun 10th, 2019 at 4:15pm
Interesting question!

When you master an instrument you can call yourself painist or guitarist or is that only when it is your profession?

As well as sling i play some blues harmonica. An old saying " it takes you ten days to learn the basics and ten years (a lifetime?) to master".

Similar with slinging, ten months of learning the basics and a lifetime to master, if ever. So i would not call myself a slinger.

However, i love my playing bluesharp and i love slinging stones at targets.

Getting in the zone, focused but relaxed, timing, tension, release, observing the trajectory to target and wallop. Satisfaction. Love it.

So, I'm not a slinger yet but I'm enjoying trying to get there.

SRFF


Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Jaegoor on Jun 10th, 2019 at 4:23pm
Ich verstehe die Frage nicht. Slinger? Alles nur blabla.
Freunde nennen mich Jaegoor 😂

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by slingingrocksforfun on Jun 10th, 2019 at 5:00pm
Interesting question!

When you master an instrument you can call yourself painist or guitarist or is that only when it is your profession?

As well as sling i play some blues harmonica. An old saying " it takes you ten days to learn the basics and ten years (a lifetime?) to master".

Similar with slinging, ten months of learning the basics and a lifetime to master, if ever. So i would not call myself a slinger.

However, i love my playing bluesharp and i love slinging stones at targets.

Getting in the zone, focused but relaxed, timing, tension, release, observing the trajectory to target and wallop. Satisfaction. Love it.

So, I'm not a slinger yet but I'm enjoying trying to get there.

SRFF


Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by joe_meadmaker on Jun 10th, 2019 at 5:05pm
I love all the different points of view on this.  Very interesting.

@Jaegoor - I'm not surprised the question is having trouble with translation.  Let me try to explain it another way.  Frondeur had a very nice interpretation.  The question was whether people feel that they are only participants in an activity, in this case slinging.  Or if it has become a more significant aspect of their lives.  I hope that is more understandable.

Although I think everyone on this forum would consider you a slinger, Jaegoor ;)

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Greenjay on Jun 10th, 2019 at 5:19pm
I've been slinging for nearly half my life now,when I started it was just a tool I used to keep the squirrels from eating all the pecans before they were even ripe,now it is a lot more, whenever I see a rock I think how far can I shoot that.in conclusion yes I am a slinger!

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Rat Man on Jun 10th, 2019 at 8:45pm
Even though I don't sling as often as I used to due to mostly to a less cooperative pack of dogs I consider myself a slinger.  It has become a part of who and what I am. 

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Jaegoor on Jun 11th, 2019 at 2:49am
Ich hatte es verstanden. 😁
Ich sehe mich nicht als Slinger.
Manchmal stört es mich sogar darauf reduziert zu werden.
Ich trainiere auch viele andere Waffen.
Freunde nennen mich Jaegoor. 😂
Dieser Name sagt viel mehr über mich aus.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Curious Aardvark on Jun 11th, 2019 at 6:54am
I can safely say I'm a slinger :-)

A serious chunk of my life and money for the last 15 years or so has been spent on slinging in one form or another.
For the 20 or so years before that I'd have said I was someone who slung.

Once you've spent 2 days up a hillfort in march, in horizontal rain, sleet and snow putting in over 1200 throws - I think you can say you're a slinger :-)

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Jauke on Jun 11th, 2019 at 10:57am

Curious Aardvark wrote on Jun 11th, 2019 at 6:54am:
I can safely say I'm a slinger :-)

A serious chunk of my life and money for the last 15 years or so has been spent on slinging in one form or another.
For the 20 or so years before that I'd have said I was someone who slung.

Once you've spent 2 days up a hillfort in march, in horizontal rain, sleet and snow putting in over 1200 throws - I think you can say you're a slinger :-)


And over 12000 posts on slinging.org  ;)

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Morphy on Jun 11th, 2019 at 11:02am
If I'm going to be honest I would say I needed a third category right now as I'm not even a person who slings. I still think about my life in the woods making bows and slings, fishing etc. My life for a very long time was wrapped up in slinging. I took it, perhaps, a little too seriously at times. I was a slinger back then now I am a person who daydreams about being one again.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by walter on Jun 11th, 2019 at 11:42pm
Archer and slinger. First thought of myself as an archer in the mid eighties; slinger early 21st century.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by NooneOfConsequence on Jun 12th, 2019 at 12:34am
Wait... Morphy?... MORPHY?!  You’re alive! Welcome back!
Edit: I saw you’ve been active in the bow build conversation... just really quiet on the slinging front :)
... Ok, back to the topic:
Perhaps one of the problems here is that even inside of what is arguably the Internet’s largest community of slinging enthusiasts, nobody wants to self-identify as a “slinger” because they haven’t reached slinging zen mastery. I mean, if Jaegoor isn’t a slinger then nobody is, so this topic is basically a meaningless conversation. 

I consider myself a slinger, not because I’m particularly good at it. I’m a slinger because I enjoy using slings, designing slings, making slings, designing and making ammo for slings, and occasionally conversing with other like-minded individuals in these forums about the various aspects of the craft. Slingers should not be some unachievable or exclusive club. If you love slings, just call yourself a slinger, and if anyone gives you grief about it, you can tell them that I said it’s ok ;D

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Frondeur on Jun 12th, 2019 at 4:59am
@nooc:  ;)

Whoever reaches the "slinging zen mastery" has no need to be a slinger anymore, I guess....

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by joe_meadmaker on Jun 12th, 2019 at 12:10pm

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Jun 12th, 2019 at 12:34am:
nobody wants to self-identify as a “slinger”

Kick, Frondeur, Greenjay, Rat Man, CA, and walter did.  And a couple others as close, or considered themselves one previously.  ;)

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by NooneOfConsequence on Jun 12th, 2019 at 12:49pm

joe_meadmaker wrote on Jun 12th, 2019 at 12:10pm:

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Jun 12th, 2019 at 12:34am:
nobody wants to self-identify as a “slinger”

Kick, Frondeur, Greenjay, Rat Man, CA, and walter did.  And a couple others as close, or considered themselves one previously.  ;)


Sure plenty of people said yes, but they also felt the need to qualify or justify their answers as if there is some undefined and unachievable standard they will be compared to (Jesus the Noodler perhaps?) This community is weird in that everyone is friendly and welcoming to newcomers, but we also pretend that there is some mysterious and exclusive priesthood of master slingers who are the “true slingers”. It’s quite silly.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Kick on Jun 12th, 2019 at 2:39pm
I wouldn't say that. At least from my side, I see it as the difference between someone doing something ever now and then and someone who really invests in a hobby. I've been bowling a few times with friends but I've never bought a ball or the shoes. Slinging however, I have invested a lot of time and a fair amount of money in. The only reason I haven't invested more money is that slinging is pretty cheap as a hobby. Thank God I didn't fall in love with golf...

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by walter on Jun 12th, 2019 at 6:07pm
LOL Kick, there is still time :)

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Kick on Jun 12th, 2019 at 6:10pm
Not on my budget there isn't :D

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by yonderstone on Jun 13th, 2019 at 3:38am
To me this seems to be a question of identity. How you choose to identify and how others identify you are both important parts of who you are and how you experience/interact with the world around you. I consider myself a slinger but that is only a part of who I am.

I also don't believe that you have to be good at something to identify as a practitioner..

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by NooneOfConsequence on Jun 13th, 2019 at 7:33am

Kick wrote on Jun 12th, 2019 at 6:10pm:
Not on my budget there isn't :D


Oh, come now. RNs make decent money. In most places around the world you can pick up an extra shift if you need a little extra money.  You simply choose not to spend your money on golf. If you wanted to, you’d find a way.

This brings up a good point though: slinging costs basically nothing to get started. It’s fun and challenging in many of the same ways as golf. Why isn’t it a more popular hobby?

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Sarosh on Jun 13th, 2019 at 8:26am

Quote:
we also pretend that there is some mysterious and exclusive priesthood of master slingers who are the “true slingers”. It’s quite silly.


It's silly but that's what happens when a noob doesn't understand what it takes to achieve something. I do that with the record throwers. how the frick do you throw 200gram plus stones 260-350meters? You got to be some sort of giant or applied some kind of magic tuning to your slings :P

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Frondeur on Jun 13th, 2019 at 8:45am
I just love those slingosophical debates, even more than the technical ones :D

Slinging as a popular hobby?
well, history-wise, my guess would be that this kind of "peasant weapon" wasn't realy encouraged through middle ages, with the notable exception of the bow in england... so it feel out of the cultural background in most parts of europe. 
Another consideration is that it's just absurdly hard to shoot with, especially when you're quite isolated and train solo.
BTW, the last point was precisely what brought me here: long an hard to learn, and absolutely no practical use for me.
I jus love absurdities!

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Morphy on Jun 13th, 2019 at 12:26pm
"Wait... Morphy?... MORPHY?!  You’re alive! Welcome back!
Edit: I saw you’ve been active in the bow build conversation... just really quiet on the slinging front"


Oh ya. I lurk but lifes been busy. Shoot I only went fishing for the first time this year on Tuesday. My priorities are clearly out of whack. Hope you all are doing well.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by TheJackinati on Jun 13th, 2019 at 12:57pm

Frondeur wrote on Jun 13th, 2019 at 8:45am:
well, history-wise, my guess would be that this kind of "peasant weapon" wasn't realy encouraged through middle ages, with the notable exception of the bow in england... so it feel out of the cultural background in most parts of europe. 


Interestingly enough, Slingers were perhaps the only form of 'peasants' I.e serfs that were hired during the High/Late medieval period.

It seems that slingers were hired on an Ad-hoc basis and generally only for sieges, but you also see them at the battle of Falkirk and at Najeera, and slingers were present  during the Hussite war.

Generally, I think that slings were more common than people imagine they were for the Medieval period, but they were less commonly used than in the classical period.

If you also want to read something interesting, you should look at this portion from the 'Kings Mirror', a Norwegian book written in the 1200's, which suggests that A knight should practice with archery or slinging.


Quote:
Kings Mirror

It is also counted rare sport and pastime to take one's bow and go with other men to practice archery.

Another pleasant and useful diversion is to practice
throwing with a sling both for distance and for accuracy,
and with a staff sling as well as with a hand sling, and
to practice throwing stone missiles. Formerly the custom was for all who wished to become expert in such arts and thoroughly proficient in war and chivalry to train both hands alike to the use of weapons.


If that is not a document encouraging 'Knights' to try slinging... then I shall go and eat a hat. :P

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by NooneOfConsequence on Jun 13th, 2019 at 1:00pm

Sarosh wrote on Jun 13th, 2019 at 8:26am:
It's silly but that's what happens when a noob doesn't understand what it takes to achieve something. I do that with the record throwers. how the frick do you throw 200gram plus stones 260-350meters? You got to be some sort of giant or applied some kind of magic tuning to your slings :P


... or spend some time practicing, improve your skills, and become the next “giant” :)

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by NooneOfConsequence on Jun 13th, 2019 at 1:50pm
@frondeur,
It’s not any less practical or more absurd than golf. It’s good exercise, mentally engaging, challenging, and accessible to anyone anywhere in the world at almost any age. Maybe it would be more popular if it was as expensive as golf... other than price and exclusivity, slinging and golf are not much different.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by walter on Jun 14th, 2019 at 12:16am
@ Morphy

Too many wind mills to fight?  Draw back. Take a break. We miss ya :) A little errantry in ones life a'int always a bad thing.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Morphy on Jun 14th, 2019 at 11:06am
Well put sir. Thank you for the encouraging words Walter.  :)

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Eudave on Jun 15th, 2019 at 5:04pm
Ant thoughts about slinging in high winds?

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by timpa on Jun 15th, 2019 at 6:49pm
If I say I'm a slinger, many people may be sad  :D

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Frondeur on Jun 16th, 2019 at 5:37am
@nooc

Don't take me so litteral. I agree with you, it's just that I'm a little less serious.

And I 'm starting to take interrest  in golf too. Yes, it's very similar in some aspects.


Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by dork on Jun 16th, 2019 at 10:30pm
Slinger. I faded away for a bit but making my way back. I always carry one with me at all times.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Dan on Jun 23rd, 2019 at 9:05pm
I would say slinger. Maybe not the most skilled sling maker, but definitely a decent slinger. I've been slinging pretty consistently for almost 10 years, wrote a significant portion of a book about it, taught many others how to sling and generally informed many others about the nature of slinging.


I just read a great book called Atomic Habits that goes into extreme detail on setting up better habits in your life using different "hacks". One chapter is mostly just discussing how you view yourself affects your habits, and you should call yourself what you want to be.

If you run but want to be better at running consistently, you should consider yourself a runner. It doesn't necessarily have to be your profession, that just means you add the word professional before your title.

Even if you take a break, your accuarcy may fade. However, the ability to take a shoe string or a bit of twin and construct and use a weapon that can throw an egg sized-rock over 100mph with some degree of accuracy is a definite skill that deserves some kind of contribution to your identity.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Eudave on Mar 22nd, 2021 at 12:41pm
for any engish men on here I equate that with
"Are you a Kentish Man" ? "or a man from Kent"?


Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Morphy on Mar 22nd, 2021 at 1:58pm
Ive already answered but I like this question. There are few things in my life that define me more than my love of primitive weapons and the sling is at the top of that list. Virtually my entire life Ive been a slinger and one of my big issues is I get pretty good at something quickly and then burn out on it. Essentially my main hobby is collecting hobbies.

Thats not the case with the sling. Probably the simplest and most complicated aspect of my life. Its such a paradox of a weapon. One of my favorite thing is portable "thing". I like phones and gameboys better than computers and gaming systems. I prefer harmonica over the guitar and nothing is a better combination of fun, power and portability than the sling. Just love this tool.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Oxnate on Mar 22nd, 2021 at 2:42pm
"Are you ladies from England?"

"Wales."

"Sorry, are you whales from England?"

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by xud9a - call me zud 👍 on Mar 22nd, 2021 at 5:45pm
Am I a stranger or a person who stranges ?

I yam proud to define myself as a stringer !

A SLIP weilding STR  ange sl  INGER   

[smiley=vrolijk_1.gif] :sausage: [smiley=vrolijk_1.gif]

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by joe_meadmaker on Mar 22nd, 2021 at 8:26pm
The bump of an old topic that's not that old!

I'm actually still in the same boat as I was at the creation of this topic.  I would call myself a person who slings, not a slinger quite yet.  Although definitely at a higher skill level than I was in 2019.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Mersa on Mar 22nd, 2021 at 8:38pm
Come on joe your basically a expert now!!

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by xud9a - call me zud 👍 on Mar 22nd, 2021 at 8:45pm
Careful!

Expert, Ex        = Has been
              Spert  =  Drip under pressure  !

👍   🤓

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by joe_meadmaker on Mar 22nd, 2021 at 9:05pm
Well, I have to say I might be feeling differently if I would have hit the card in that hourglass attempt yesterday.  Not pulling that one off does have me a bit depressed.

I'll get back to the hourglass soon, but if the weather is good this coming weekend, I've got something completely new planned.  Not a challenge, more like an activity (with a sling of course).  It's something I've never seen done before.  And if it works, it should make for a pretty entertaining video.  If it doesn't, I'll probably still do a video just for experimentation value.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Mersa on Mar 22nd, 2021 at 9:24pm
You have me interested!!!!

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Morphy on Mar 22nd, 2021 at 9:26pm
Joe if it doesnt happen now my kids will cry themself to sleep. No pressure bro! Looking forward to it!

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by NooneOfConsequence on Mar 22nd, 2021 at 9:54pm
Joe if it doesn’t happen, I will cry myself to sleep... which would be pretty awkward since Morphy doesn’t know I’m sleeping under his bed.

Title: Re: Are you a slinger, or a person who slings?
Post by Kick on Mar 23rd, 2021 at 5:05am
If Joe isn't calling himself a slinger yet then I'm someone that just brushed past a sling once in an alley.

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