Slinging.org Forum - Practice styles for kids

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Practice styles for kids
Dec 14^th, 2020 at 11:39pm

My scenario is a 4.5 metre tall backstop about 4 metres wide.... pretty big you would think. But I still have issues with the kids missing it altogether at times.

My main issue is with overhand styles as thats how we've lost most balls. A misfire (and we get plenty with the kids) sends balls right over a 4.5 metre tall backstop and thats the last we see of them. So I banned overhand techniques.

Horizontal plane throws aren't as bad, even if they miss we can usually still retrieve the ball. And it was relatively easy to set up a barrier on the main side to stop misses. Building a roof will be expensive and difficult to achieve without messing up my front yard.

Any thoughts on the best styles for kids to learn that won't cost me a fortune in balls?

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Shakli Junior Member Offline City Slinger Posts: 87	Re: Practice styles for kids Reply #1 - Dec 15^th, 2020 at 12:49am I have discovered that accuracy is more about consistency of the the throw. To become consistent you need many shots but the distance to target is not that important. Move the kids closer to the wall say 5-6m away from it, and paint a circle to hit that is 5cm diameter.
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Re: Practice styles for kids
Reply #2 - Dec 15^th, 2020 at 1:57am

Shakli wrote on Dec 15^th, 2020 at 12:49am:

I have discovered that accuracy is more about consistency of the the throw. To become consistent you need many shots but the distance to target is not that important. Move the kids closer to the wall say 5-6m away from it, and paint a circle to hit that is 5cm diameter.

I think you're right.

We have a target, and the kids aren't that bad, they'll usually hit the target once or twice out of five throws and they throw from only about 10 metres. But sometimes the ball just goes wild.

I'm actually wondering if it might be the slings. They're probably a bit small pouched for tennis balls.

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Morphy Slinging.org Moderator Offline Checkmate Posts: 8102	Re: Practice styles for kids Reply #3 - Dec 15^th, 2020 at 4:34am Apache or Overshoulder are good. Though usually they want to use some type of helicopter in my experience. You can also get glow in the dark paint. Some is quite bright. Put a little on each ball and then wait till the evening and as the sun goes down it will be very obvious where any balls lost in grass are.
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Re: Practice styles for kids
Reply #4 - Dec 15^th, 2020 at 5:10am

Morphy wrote on Dec 15^th, 2020 at 4:34am:

Apache or Overshoulder are good. Though usually they want to use some type of helicopter in my experience.

You can also get glow in the dark paint. Some is quite bright. Put a little on each ball and then wait till the evening and as the sun goes down it will be very obvious where any balls lost in grass are.

They like rotating, because the rules are 3 rotations. Which is why none of them have any interest in my styles. Figure 8 is their main overhand technique which lost us a lot of balls.

My neighbour doesn't have a lawn, he has a jungle, and we're not on good terms. If a ball goes over there, it's gone for good.

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Re: Practice styles for kids
Reply #5 - Dec 15^th, 2020 at 8:16am

a wrote on Dec 15^th, 2020 at 1:57am:

They're probably a bit small pouched for tennis balls.

Tennis balls can be very finnicky I've found. There's been a few times I've been sure a sling would be able to hold a tennis ball fine and it's gone spinning off backwards. The combination of being fairly large and a sphere can make finding the right sling a little difficult.

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Re: Practice styles for kids
Reply #6 - Dec 15^th, 2020 at 11:19am

a wrote on Dec 15^th, 2020 at 1:57am:

I'm actually wondering if it might be the slings. They're probably a bit small pouched for tennis balls.

It could be. I had a sling that would drop rocks, balls or anything else I tried slinging with it intermittently. I couldn't seem to figure out why this particular sling kept doing it. It never happened with my other slings. Early releases, ones that fell out during the wind up. Finally, I realized that one side of the split pouch had stretched making it lopsided. This was causing the mis-fires and early releases because there was no lateral stability to the pouch. I also tend to get a lot of misfires when slinging balls if the pouch is too small or too slippery.

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Re: Practice styles for kids
Reply #7 - Dec 15^th, 2020 at 3:13pm

I mostly sling tennis balls in my yard, which is surrounded by a 6-foot picket fence. I have four neighbors adjacent to my yard, and I've donated more than one tennis ball to each of them. I started using Byzantine style because if I have a misfire, it will miss the target side-to-side instead of going over the fence on a late release. Now I still lose tennis balls, but only if they bounce over the fence or if my dog closes his mouth too early and pushes the ball over the fence with his nose while chasing it.

PM me with your address Kilisi. I would like to send your kiddos some slings that are specifically designed for tennis ball throwing. They have good retention and a crisp, clean, and reliable release with a tennis ball. If the balls still go wild, then you will know it is the slinger and not the sling

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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES! Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“ -Jesus the Noodler

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Re: Practice styles for kids
Reply #8 - Dec 15^th, 2020 at 8:59pm

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Dec 15^th, 2020 at 3:13pm:

PM me with your address Kilisi. I would like to send your kiddos some slings that are specifically designed for tennis ball throwing. They have good retention and a crisp, clean, and reliable release with a tennis ball. If the balls still go wild, then you will know it is the slinger and not the sling

I'd love to but the countries on lockdown since March and won't be opening any time soon. Be cool if you send me a design though. Then we can have a go at making them here. No esoteric ingredients please. Wool or nylon is all we have, and I have some canvas if need be.

IronGoober wrote on Dec 15^th, 2020 at 11:19am:

I also tend to get a lot of misfires when slinging balls if the pouch is too small or too slippery.

I think I'll have to bite the bullet at some point and make new slings with bigger pouches. My nylon washing line sling never drops anything. But the kids ones are 8 months old and made from cheap wool, and weren't originally made for anything as big as tennis balls.

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Re: Practice styles for kids
Reply #9 - Dec 15^th, 2020 at 9:13pm

You’re so locked down that mail won’t be delivered?! What if I put a few bandages in there and we call it “medical supplies”?

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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES! Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“ -Jesus the Noodler

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Re: Practice styles for kids
Reply #10 - Dec 15^th, 2020 at 9:16pm

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Dec 15^th, 2020 at 9:13pm:

You’re so locked down that mail won’t be delivered?! What if I put a few bandages in there and we call it “medical supplies”?

Then it would be stolen by someone hoping it was drugs. Yes, no mail, no flights except special ones for repatriation of citizens.

We got a couple of cyclones hovering around, one near Fiji and another South of us. So heavy rain and flooding at the moment. Hopefully they don't head our way. But we should have plenty of time stuck indoors to make some slings.

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Re: Practice styles for kids
Reply #11 - Dec 15^th, 2020 at 10:48pm

I’ve already seen that you and your kids are capable of making wonderful slings and they’re probably much better than mine, but I am always looking for ways to encourage the next generation to keep on slinging, and I thought they might enjoy getting slings from some random guy in Texas

I was planning to throw a few extra tennis balls in for good measure too!

Well, now I have to take this on as a challenge... what sort of package sounds important and official enough to be delivered during a quarantine but also won’t attract thieves?

Anti-fungal medicine?
Paternity test results?
A mail-away test kit for venereal disease?

There’s got to be something that’ll get to you in spite of the pandemic... at least after the storms are gone.

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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES! Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“ -Jesus the Noodler

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Re: Practice styles for kids
Reply #12 - Dec 15^th, 2020 at 11:05pm

a wrote on Dec 15^th, 2020 at 8:59pm:

Be cool if you send me a design though. Then we can have a go at making them here. No esoteric ingredients please. Wool or nylon is all we have, and I have some canvas if need be.

Hmmm... I’d have to think about how the design could be modified for those materials. The cordage could be anything, but my tennis ball slings use leather pouches reinforced with aluminum eyelets where the cords connect to it.

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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES! Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“ -Jesus the Noodler

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Re: Practice styles for kids
Reply #13 - Dec 16^th, 2020 at 1:25am

NooneOfConsequence wrote on Dec 15^th, 2020 at 11:05pm:

Hmmm... I’d have to think about how the design could be modified for those materials. The cordage could be anything, but my tennis ball slings use leather pouches reinforced with aluminum eyelets where the cords connect to it.

I can do eyelets, so probably ok if you give me the dimensions of the pouch? Then I'll make it out of canvas, maybe double the canvas up for strength.

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NooneOfConsequence

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Re: Practice styles for kids
Reply #14 - Dec 16^th, 2020 at 8:53am

Canvas would require a completely different design, but you’re an engineer, so I am sure you can come up with something that works well with the materials you have. With leather I use relatively thin overlapping fingers, and it would unravel the weave if you just copied the same shape in canvas. If you double up the fabric, it gets too thick to install the eyelet, because it would have to pass through 6 layers of canvas.

Generally speaking though, I’ve found 3.5”x7” is a good pouch size for a tennis ball, and I make the pocket deep on the retention side and flat on the release side.

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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES! Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“ -Jesus the Noodler

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