what i'm looking for is a way to hold competitions with friends and be able to say scores that will (eventually) make sense to anyone who hears them. like archery or shooting. from what I've been reading, it looks like most slingers share this vision with me. ammo is a mute point (if you have lead, use it. if you don't, find a rock. they are almost as good.). sling type is common sense: if it is a pouch, a retention cord, and a release cord, it's a sling. a sling is a sling. style is up to preference; if you can hit the target with a pirouette style, do it. for a target we can just go for the one that is already most common: the Balearic target. one point for square, two for circle. nice and simple. you get 20 throws before it's the next guys turn.

all that's left is distance. it will be measured in meters of course, because that's what most of us use. but we need multiple distances. there are two ways that i can think of to do this:

1: calculate the relationship between distance and difficulty, and multiply you're points by the appropriate number for the distance you throw at. for instance: if throwing at 20 meters is twice as hard as 10 meters, multiply your points by 2 when throwing at 20 meters. when throwing at 10 meters, leave the points alone. i can just whip up a graph of points vs. distance and than bingo, we can weight points according to distance. this is the most versatile and free-spirited method i can think of. you can throw at any distance, and weight the points accordingly. 

2: have multiple classes for competition based on distance and level up to the next distance similar to how a gymnast levels up as he gets better. level one is 10 meters, 2 is 20 meters, 3 is 30, etc. this would be much harder to regulate and not as versatile, but would not require a calculator 

which method do you guys like better?

PS: i know there are people who won't agree with everything, but this is what you get when all the opinions are averaged out. and standardization is all about majority. this is just a simple way to decide who's more accurate, so those of us who like to brag (like myself) can do it with fancy numbers

@c_a   wouldn't inverse square law for distance apply ... double distance equals 1/4 area to throw at
for same size target ... 4X difficulty for 1/2 of original  minute of angle (MOA) to be thrown to/at.

I really don't see the point of attempting to compensate for different distances to fold them all into one score.

Keep to a set of standard targets and standard distances and record the results. If someone wants to compete at one distance rather than another then that's fine.

If you want to mung them all together into some quality measure, that's something for later.

Whatever mathematical model anyone comes up with will not be universal, it will favor some and disadvantage others. It seems like you are looking for something like the heptathlon/decathlon scoring system, but those are based on very large amounts of evidence.

I suppose I'm in favor of your second choice.

I am gonna try this... but due to my wierdo slinging style(large heavy rocks probably decrease accuracy) it won't be great. do bounces count?
BTW I usually sling at a car-size lump of 3/4 plywood.

I've been readin this quickly,so might missed it,but WHAT IF:
square=1
circle=2  regardless of distance. So if you get 25 points, good,also mentioning that 25 points at 30m for ex.
I think the balearic folk do the same.

I like it how it turned out.

how bout (if the max distance is 50) putting the person's score over 50 minus the distance? that way it adjusts for the diffuculty increase with distance. Or some other mathmatical formula.
Or multiplying score by distance. I like that one.
Just some ideas.

CodeMaker wrote on May 28^th, 2013 at 5:26pm:

Working on that, but at a target the size of a car.
(its plywood )

yeah, the easiest way to throw together the graph would be if all the data was recorded in points scored on a Balearic target, and meters as the distance measure. so just draw a 1.2 meter square with a 50cm circle on the plywood and you'll have a proper target i don't really mind if your plywood isn't the correct height above the ground though, that won't affect the data.