Just a short video of me slinging at my "Diana" target. It's nothing more than an old kids mini-picnic table buried half way in the sand with a .5 meter circle cut from carpet hanging from it. It only represents the center portion, near misses get counted in my head as hits on the wooden portion. It's all for fun though, nothing too serious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm7057FjkHU&feature=channel_video_title

Nice, Morphy.  No reason not to prepare for a figure8-legal Mallorca, just in case
I do something similar during my "morning slinging".  Now when it`s dark in the morning, I sling at a parking sign on a wall with a tennis ball, it`s square, each side measure +/- elbow to finger tip, I easily compare it to this Diana, and I simply imagine the wooden square around it and guesstimate if I hit it.
I play around with this at 10, 15, 20 and sometimes 30 meters.  
timann

Thanks guys for the comments and compliments.

@RatMan Myself included. It takes awhile to get used to. Once you get used to it though it's not too difficult to switch between ground targets and eye level or higher targets. Which is good if your going after rabbits and squirrels in the same trip.

@Timann Yep! I hear ya man. I actually have already started. I just add one forward rotation at the beginning. It's going to take a lot of getting used to though.

@Bill Stones. I don't do cement anymore. Just the thought of making up a batch of cement ammo gives me the chills. 10 years is enough. Stones are denser and since I prefer using heavier projectiles for target now, there really is no practical reason to use anything else. Although if I had access to clay I would give it a shot. It looks a lot easier to work with.

This is my Balearic-friendly figure8 so far   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK_2VunUSUU
timann

with a fig.8 it's easier to sling higher ,past the fence so it might be the reason the federation doesn't like it.Considering that there are kids, beginners too and a quick release could end  way past the slinging range,while a more sidearm or underhand that's popular over there,it's much less likely to do so.

I hear many slingers extolling the virtues of their favorite style, giving credit for empiricals like power, accuracy, quickness, but the underlying theme is that they tried it at some point and liked it. The debates start when someone says "My way is better" or "my way is correct". When someone says "Hey, I really like to do it this way," most replies are to the effect of "that's cool, right on, go for it, et cetera."

I wonder how much of the "way of the foners" is just how they've always done it, and how much was thought out as an approach to modern competition. If more and more people are going to travel the globe to compete in the Balearics, then I think they will just have to do as the foners do. As a matter of course. Or do we expect to be able to influence the rules there through discussion? And, at what point do we start organizing events elsewhere with the "global standards" rather than Balearic? I for one am having to save a LOT of money to get to Mallorca, and invest a LOT of time into learning to spin the pouch three times and trying to figure out when the heck to go for it. Or, in reference to a comment by jlasud, when is "now"?

I'll keep working on it.

Let me back up, and say "nice slinging, Morphy". Your accuracy is impressive, and impressed on me that I need to throw more and braid less.  Well. . .I need to throw more. So, with that motivation, I went out with my daughter today and slang a few dozen rocks. Some I tried for accuracy, but then I thought you never know now when a simple byzantine or figure eight dude like me is going to have to pull off some legitimate Balearic honda-twirling, so I may as well give it another go.

So, first, I found that I could actually do it, which is to say none-too-accurately so far, and with a tendency to underhand the thing halfway to the cosmos, but actually getting a good powerful release. But what surprised the heck out of me was that after several rotations, and just concentrating on going for the final whip and release, I easily threw as far as I ever have. With very little effort. This makes no sense to me, I can't explain it, I didn't believe it when I heard Jaegoor say it (I think that's what I heard him say ). But I'm going to keep working on it, because it just may be worthwhile.

Any idea on how to go from near-vertical rotation to sidearm release? Or do I need to helicopter instead? I think Luis winds up vertical, but releases nearly pure sidearm. I better look at David's videos again. Thanks for listening.

Morphy,

Very very nice slinging!  I haven't mastered the Figure 8 myself but I think it's a great style.  I'd love to see you sling at some more elevated targets.  Looks like you'd loose any rocks that didn't score though eh?  That's where I struggle the most with figure 8 is with slinging at anything more than 3ft off the ground.  If the target is below me I do ok with it.  I'd love to see it used in Balearic competitions in it's original form.  It's really a jip that it's illegal.  Maybe they'll change the rules some day.

Matt,

Luis does windup rather vertical, but it's offset behind him.  The sling doesn't rotate anywhere near in line with the target until his final rotation before his throw.  That sweeps forward , down to the side, and aligns his forearm with the sling prior to the sidearm throw.  If he didn't start with his windup so far back, he wouldn't have the space to change such angles.  His style is a more compact and fast balearic style but you can view lots of balearic slingers do the same things in more exaggerated form.   

If you try to windup vertical to your side and then throw horizontally, the sling will compromise between your windup and throw by releasing the stone low and out to the side.  In such a case, the sling doesn't change angles so much because there's less space for it to do so.   

There are lots of ways to sling.  The results are what matter, eh?