I get sloppy with the windup sometimes (usually when I get tired) but generally have it down as well. I think once the windup becomes more familiar is when real progress started happening for me.

Instead of a new and strange motion that commands most of my attention, now I can focus on the other parts of the throw.

Last few throwing sessions I have worked on stepping into the throw, increasing shoulder rotation, throwing both harder and also slower, changing the angle up or down for distance or close in, throwing both pure overhead and also 3/4 arm slot.  Basically getting to the point where I have command over the figure 8 throw.

Accuracy still needs to improve! I was at 40% last week, but this week improved to 44% hit rate, so that is some progress. And now gone are the completely wild throws too…misses now are still in the general target area.

I think my goal is to get to 50% hit rate in the near future with the figure 8.  But I am really not sure how accurate I am supposed to be. I am going to have to throw by hand to see what is the hit rate without the sling as I think this should be the target baseline goal.

If I pitch from the windup I would be shocked if I didn’t hit the target 90% of the time.  But can’t pitch from the windup using a sling. Instead, I will have to make a  “non-pitching” throw like shortstop to first base-but the first baseman is a much bigger target. So really I have no idea how accurate I am just throwing, not pitching, at a smaller “sling” target. Need to figure this out.

bandit111964 wrote on May 20^th, 2026 at 8:55pm:

There is a story from the Balearic islands that an "adequate" slinger, could hit the 9 cross-bars of a traditional gate without missing (distance unspecified). https://slinging.org/19.html

No one I know is that good, but it is something to strive for!

IronGoober wrote on May 21^st, 2026 at 1:55am:

Oh, well written article, thank you!
I think I understand whoever wrote this perfectly, as I have similar feelings about the comparison to "traditional" archery or firearms.
Perhaps it is this limitless potential for improvement, coupled with the simplicity of the design and the connection to intuitive, subconscious aiming, that is so appealing.

As for hitting 9 crossbars, maybe that will become a new challenge topic? 

xy747 wrote on May 21^st, 2026 at 2:13am:


Pocket Rock.et,

I experimented with turning my palm to face the ground, and the results were amazing!  I consistently threw straighter with power. I have to retrain myself to turn my wrist automatically because I trained the other position when I thought you needed the palm facing to the sky to prevent the sling cords from tangling on the release.  Apparently, this is not an issue. 

During my first session with the new wrist position, I hit my target more than I usually do, along with throwing it too early and too late as I tried adjusting my wrist position during the throw.

xy747:  Having good days and bad days are pretty typical for most endeavors including slinging.

When I practice it really helps me to keep switching throwing styles. For example, throw a few figure 8’s but no more than dozen or so.

If I am hitting the target, switch to helicopter to see if I can also hit the target.  This breaks up lucky streaks with the figure 8, or if I actually am making improvement then switching styles “locks in” the improvement before fatigue/carelessness messes up the figure 8.

Alternatively, if I am missing the target with the figure 8, switching styles to my more accurate helicopter shows if misses continue then its a more general “I can’t throw today” vs “something is wrong with my figure 8”.   Or if I do throw accurate with helicopter, then at least I stopped doing figure 8 “wrong” and I find after a few helicopter throws the figure 8 usually improves.

Lately I have even been doing a 3 way switch from figure 8, to my reliable helicopter, to my new Byzantine throw. All this variety seems to help me for some reason.

Pocket rock.et

Thanks for your suggestion.    I only worked on the figure-8 throw, so I don't have any other throws to spread the frustration of a degrading throwing session.  I will keep in mind to rest more between sessions, or maybe just focus on a specific aspect of my throw.

xy747 wrote on May 25^th, 2026 at 9:03pm:

Excellent conclusions!
And yes, I think all of these points are important.
I'd just like to add a few nuances of my own:

Regarding the elbow, I think the most important thing to remember is to avoid excessive elbow movement in any throwing technique. Because (again, in my opinion!) the projectile's trajectory, or more precisely, its flight plane, is determined by two points: the position of the elbow and the wrist. The plane in which the hand moves relative to the elbow determines the plane in which the projectile continues to move.

As for body weight, it's more of a supplement, helping to set the overall direction of movement and add power to the throw. And if you don't need a lot of power, simply shifting your weight from your back leg to your front leg, without taking a step, is sufficient.