I agree with JudoP.  I would go with a leather pouch and paracord.  It's just my preference, but I'd go a little bit longer.  I prefer a sling length in the 25-30" range.  The distance to your target could also come into play.  If you're slinging at a target that is farther away, you might do better with a slightly longer sling.  It really just comes down to preference though.

All that said, you can sling tennis balls with pretty much any sling.  You just need one that will support a spherical projectile.  Small flat pouches don't do this well.  A ball can roll out pretty easily.  A leather pouch that will cup around the ball, or a split pouch that is the right length to allow the ball to sit down in it without falling though work really well.

jw wrote on Jun 12^th, 2022 at 10:34pm:


Sisal can be braided wet and some people do it this way (see aurelio ape tutorial on youtube). In my experience braiding wet makes the braid too loose when it dries, I typically soak and dry the fibres first, then braid them- this produces a much stiffer sling. You can optionally have a second soak and dry under tension of the whole sling to make it more pliable, though this may introduce too much 'springiness'.

Manila works very similar to sisal only it is stiffer. To break it into fibre my method is;
1) Fill the sink with hot water
2) Break rope into 30-40cm lengths
3) Put a length into the water and then unravel it by hand into the individual twisted strands
4) Use your fingernail to pull out the tangled fibres and smooth out the strands. You will probably lose a lot of material like this
5) Once you have all the strands for all the segments, then pour a fresh bit of hot water and soak the strands for an hour or so (not really tested how long to soak, also you might want to refill the bowl on occasion to get rid of the oil/glue that comes in these ropes)
6) Leave the strands to dry and then they are ready to braid, you may have to split the strands to make them thin enough, which means realistically you will lose more material due to tangling and loose fibre

Braiding in polyprop won't change the properties of the sling but it will make the tassel last a lot longer under repeated whipcracks

I know this doesn't answer your question.
Many people talk about tangling. I think it happens due to form or maybe poor sling construction. When I finish the power stroke, I continue to swing my hand forward to prevent the release cord from hitting me anywhere that could hurt. During this time, my sling straightens out. I've gone slinging for hours with single cord slings without tangling. Am I the only one?

As for round versus flat, the difference doesn't seem to matter to me. Flat braids could have a faster release because it is not as stiff in the direction it will open. Round (or square) could mean better rifled spin because it might take more torsion to twist. Both types perform poorly if the braid isn't tight.

As you have said, the single cord wins on portability and weight. It also makes it easier to replace/maintain the release cord.

Hi JazzCat.  Welcome aboard!

There've been multiple discussions here on Y-pouches.  If you run a search you'll be able to find others, but here's an example: https://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1629103628.

Just to mention up front, my only experience with a Y-pouch is with a regular sling.  I'm not sure if there is a direct correlation to a staff sling.  I've used a staff sling, but never one with a Y pouch.  If you do some experimentation with one, definitely let us know what you think about it.

The main difference seems to be that a normal sling will create spin on the projectile.  Once the projectile is released, it needs to push past the pouch and release cord (as you mentioned), and this causes it to spin.  This can also causes the release to seem slightly delayed (as compared to a Y-pouch).  A Y-pouch will release without doing this.  So it has a very clean release, and no spin.

Because of how a staff sling releases, I believe it will put back spin on the projectile.  The Magnus effect of a back spin should cause the projectile to carry farther.  So a Y-pouch may have a shorter flight because it shouldn't have the back spin.  It may also have a feel of releasing early if the slinger is used to a regular pouch.

This is all just theoretical.  Some experimentation needs to be done!

the best answer is, build it and see for yourself

I like leather over a woven/braided pouch. I use pretty rough, jagged stones and woven pouches won't hold up without a leather covering. I just use normal thread and stitch the edges. The only thing to be aware of is if the stone catches the stitches, they will rip, so be mindful of where the stitches are placed, out to the side and kind of underneath the pouch are best if you can.

when people hit the square I hear people saying cuatro isn't it quadra?

If you're referring to the PP online competition, we all say it wrong. I overheard some of the Spanish folk poking fun at us, lol.

"quadro" is square in Spanish, but everyone on the PP comp says "quatro".

But in Catalan it is "quadra" (or possibly "quadrat").

So, honestly, we just need to adjust 1 consonant and we'll be close enough..