The challenge for me is in fact syncing mind and body or at least the whole being focused without concious focus type thing.

I find this an extremely intriguing topic and could monologue perhaps indefinitely so ill try to keep it brief.

A large part of my love for slinging is how much of a challenge it is to match intention with action (mind with body) and how you have to listen and be in tune with your body to progress. This is a great grounding exercise for me and has had a tremendous effect on my mental health. There are off days when im stressed and pent up. My shot pattern reflects this as a spread out mess with stray shots 60° off target. Other days though when i feel light and more carefree, i can almost effortlessly get high speed, cleanly rifled shots in a relatively small radius. Sometimes ill have both scenarios in the same session. Recognizing correlations between physical actions/feelings and mental state and how they influence each other can be very insightful. .

Although i say "match intention with action" I feel likes its much more than just getting your body to do what your mind wants. From my view its more of an ongoing feedback loop where your body reads and listens to the sling and the projectile flight path which then informs your mind and influences (whether consciously or not) your next throw. Getting in tune with my body and learning to pay attention to the smallest tug, delay in tension, or just weird feeling in my arm has been extremely beneficial for me and has relevance especially in this day and age where we are increasingly losing that primal connection between mind, body and soul. Slinging is one way i stay connected to my inner human. It just feels right.


When i achieve a "flow state" it usually happens on those days when my mind is completely empty of thoughts besides slinging, or when im entirely focused on thoughts outside of slinging. Either i can get super into the logistical physical side of things and really be mentally there, or just go by complete instinct and let my body run on autopilot letting my internal feedback loop subconsciously correct throws until i startle myself out of my reverie with a direct hit.

Like i said i would love to explore this topic and discover others' perspectives.

scrungly wrote on May 16^th, 2026 at 3:46pm:

I've quoted this here before, but will do it again now because it's so good.  This is discussing archery, but could easily apply to slinging as well.

"That instant of time in which the sight suddenly concentrates itself upon the target's centre, whilst every other object grows dark and indistinct, is the critical moment of your aim."

Maurice Thompson
The Witchery of Archery


scrungly wrote on May 16^th, 2026 at 3:12pm:

Certainly.  This usually occurs for me during practice sessions when I'm doing something a little different than normal.  A "normal" practice session for me is 100 tennis balls at 15 meters.  If I change the distance or sling at the target from different angles (I'll often hit a ball off the target, and the next throw is from wherever the ball lies, repeat), that puts more focus on the slinging, as opposed to repeating the same throw that's been done thousands of time.  The rest of the world kind of goes away until it's time to collect the tennis balls and start again.

As for mental health, I notice changes in the short term.  I'm not really sure how to measure longer term.  This won't be too surprising.  After a good round, everything feels content and at peace.  No worries in the world.  After a bad round, any little thing can set me off.  It's like the fuse is lit and just waiting to blow.  That's certainly not every bad round though.  But on some days it just seems to get to you more when the ball isn't hitting the target.  Did this one a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8Um6v2BA-I.


Great topic!

scrungly wrote on May 16^th, 2026 at 3:46pm:


Something like that. My accuracy is at it's best when I'm not thinking about technique, yet at the same time one needs to conciously practice technique to improve.
With other things I've had flow states only after having acquired decent skills. With slinging it seems to pop up for fleeting moments then I go and think about what I'm doing and its gone.

Great topic!

For me, slinging is almost a form of meditation. The monotonous physical action and focus on the target often shuts off my thoughts. I'm here and now, albeit for a short period of time.
Although sometimes, on the contrary, situations I hadn't even thought about surface in the background, and my mind, as if without my involvement, begins to replay them in different scenarios. Perhaps this mode is something close to reflection.
Speaking of ball practice, of course, you get satisfaction when your throws go according to plan and you get close to the target. If not, you accept what you've got and practice another day. Perhaps there's humility and the beginnings of discipline in this.
I've also noticed that destroying something (within reasonable and safe limits for others and myself!) brings me some satisfaction. Whether it's a bottle, a soda can, a stack of rocks, or a pizza box... the main thing for me is to find it interesting to test its strength and my ability to break into it. Somewhere within these limits, excitement and interest are born.
Plus, it forces me to get out of the house, most often to someplace in nature outside the city. And I'm always inspired to "discover" new places and trails.
This is definitely physical activity which is also beneficial.

joe_meadmaker wrote on May 16^th, 2026 at 11:21pm:
It seems like a real inner fire!