While getting a new perspective on a variety of subjects at 230 in the morning, I came up with a drill that may be beneficial to you. One of the cool things about a small space with a whip is you have to control where the whip goes. Unless you want to break something and I don't recommend that. This works best with a short whip, I was using a 4' bullwhip but a snake or signal whip would work just as well. The drill itself is pretty simple, sidearm, overhead, reverse scoop. The trick is to get it into a metronome type rhythm and do something else at the same time. Like talk on the phone. Find where the cracks are distinct and even. Play around with elbow positioning, hand extension and squeeze timing. Make sure your involving your lower body too, using the hips and feet. Try it off hand. Try it on the other side of the body, reverse side arm, reverse overhead, rear scoop. Then try it with two whips. One, two, three, one two three. Stay safe, practice.

This is the first part in an installment on what to look for in a whip website for those thinking of buying a whip on the internet. The following comes from copy I pulled of a now defunct website, www.texasbullwhips.com. I'll let the text speak for itself.

We mentioned that we would dispel some "Myths" that are floating around regarding BULLWHIPS and their USE....MYTH:It is best to start with a 6 Ft. whip if you are a beginner because it will be easier to crack. FACT: A 6 Ft. is great for a child or very small adult-its short length actually makes it more difficult to crack because it has less length to make the hairpin turn which makes the TIP travel faster than The Speed Of Sound and hence: the CRACK. A 10 Ft. is MUCH
easier to Master the CRACK with as it provides more room for error and more of a radius for a typical adult arm to move in. Think of it this way: a car with a very short wheelbase takes less steering wheel movement to turn than does a car with a very long wheelbase. Try a 6 ..THEN try a 10..NOT ONLY
DOES IT PACK MORE HITTING POWER..It's a Pleasure To CRACK and
for beginners cuts down on "Backlashes" and the dangers of backlash- The 6 foot will hit most people in the face-the 10 Foot will go up and to their side on an underhand forward throw for instance.
     
   
MYTH: Use Neatsfoot Oil On your WHIP [Yet ANOTHER Aussie Whipmaker has now seen the light{the company initials are "EM"} and NOW does not reommend the use of neatsfoot oil with whips-he must have been educated by our WhipSite. Again, [and we were the FIRST of ANY Whipmakers to advise you of this- FACT: You can use Neatsfoot Oil on a brand-new piece of natural, vegetable-tanned russet leather but..that's all it's good for..NEVER use it on YOUR BULLWHIPS whether old OR NEW. We recommend using OUR SPECIALLY Formulated "TexSteer"(tm) LEATHER CREME/WAX it is for use on all TOP-GRAIN LEATHERS. For VERY OLD WHIPS in Need Of A GOOD CLEANING and RESTORATION--WE Recommend SENDING THEM TO US (eMail us, provide a phone # and we'll give you a firm quote after discussing options)
   
MYTH: WHIPS with thin, spliced-in Falls Crack More accurately and are better suited for target work. FACT: They Crack very nicely if their falls would hold up but.. the fact is..they don't ..We've broken off the ends of MANY spliced-in fall whips(NOT OURS ,OF COURSE)with ONE CRACK! THAT's WHY WE HAVE NO SPLICED-IN FALLS IN OUR WHIPS. Some say that the Integral TIP passes too much energy through the thong and can break the whip..NOT ON OURS! We've owned and USED some of our personal WHIPS [the SAME type of models we offer to our customers] for over 25 YEARS and They Still Crack Beautifully and THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH HARSH DESERT and TROPICAL CONDITIONS(Our "TexSteer"(tm) Leather Creme/Wax took care of that).
   
BIGGEST MYTH: Kangaroo Leather has more tensile strength than Cowhide. BIGGEST FACT: NO WAY! and ESPECIALLY NOT IN WHIPS!
Kangaroo used in shoes and Boots has shown to be very susceptible to cuts and it abrades quite easily, much more than Bullhide, or Cowhide --even some EXOTICS are STRONGER THAN Kangaroo. For whips, while it makes for beautiful and fine plaiting it doesn't allow for strength because IT ALWAYS has to be what WE call spliced. The average Kangaroo Hide is only 4 Square Feet in Size! True, a thin 1/32 x 1/8" strip of Kangaroo can be stronger than the same size strip of Cowhide [IF the Kango is new and perfect-since it comes from a Marsupial--a cross between a dog and a rabbit, but more dog-- it IS VERY susceptible to drying out and gets brittle fast], HOWEVER, Nobody in their right mind would level down Cow Hide to that thickness...with Kango-there is NO Choice as it comes pretty thin naturally, so a lot of strips HAVE to be used for any kind of strength...12-Plait Kango is fine and safe for reasonably hard use in whips, but ANYTHING more really has its drawbacks: 16 should be THE Max and, 20, 32 or 64 is Ridiculous and borders on "Arts & Decorative Crafts." Those high, multiple-plait VERY high-priced whips are STRICTLY for indoor use by a seasoned pro and still; you have to treat them with care. However, the makers don't want to tell people that. There are some very high quality Aussie and New Zealand Whips out there, but there are also a lot of poorly-made, high-priced ones...but even the great ones WILL NOT outlast a QUALITY COWHIDE WHIP for HARD USE OUTDOORS...In our collection, we have COWHIDE WHIPS that have been used HARD on TEXAS RANCHES for over 100 YEARS and they're still CRACKING LIKE DESERT NIGHT LIGHTNING! A former TIGER & LION TRAINER from GERMANY came to see us in Texas recently and HE COULD REALLY Crack a whip LOUDLY!! He did overhead cracks with our WHIPS that actually overtook the noise on the freeway next to his hotel and-HE was VERY impressed with the quality of OUR WHIPS. He too said that he ALWAYS USED COWHIDE WHIPS when training his LIONS and TIGERS in the GERMAN CIRCUS. In fact, a VERY Competent Whipmaker in NEW ZEALAND {initials "PJ"} on his own web site recommends his Stockmans Whip in COWHIDE as being "more resilient to rough use than Kangaroo.".... We've dealt in Hides from all over the world during the course of our business and the BEST AND STRONGEST LEATHER for WESTERN LEATHER PURPOSES and BULLWHIPS is COWHIDE and it COMES FROM THE UNITED STATES, EUROPE, CANADA or ARGENTINA and THEY are ALL EQUAL in quality having VERY GOOD to ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT tanneries in each country. TRUST US on this, WE were making and selling whips on a mass basis all over the world BEFORE ANYBODY. We're giving it to you straight. REAL ADVICE on REAL-WORLD use and care of WHIPS.

Would you want to buy a whip from this site? The King of Bullwhips (tm) model or the deadly accurate Scorpion (tm)? At first glance it seems they appear to know what they are talking about, with all the shouting. And they are dispelling myths too! Consumer advice! The first thing to do is your research! Look at a few different sites and look for a common thread in what is being said. I promise you the above has no common threads in the whip world, real or imagined. So few in fact I had to pull the text from the Internet Archive from 2004. The whip world is still a small one, and there are only a few well known ways to make a whip. All the best do it in this fashion or close to it. They mention the same names, are members of the same associations and will answer your questions. So open your mind and let your mouse to the walking. So with that in mind dear readers, all two of you, why not email me about some of these "Myths?" and set the record straight. Also, cite your source(s). For even more fun, time it. Until next time Stay Safe, Practice.

The annual Indygear Summit was held as usual at the RMS Queen Mary this last weekend. Here is some video. Look for Anthony, Mary and Kendall at around 7:30.

"What is a good first whip?" This question comes up time and time again. And no one had put an answer out there that in my opinion was really useful. And that is how the whip manifesto was was born. It seems most everyone has seen it. And opinions are divided. But it has served it's purpose which is twofold. To answer the question "What is a good first whip?" and to get people thinking. So without further ado, I present my Whip Manifesto, Parts 1 and 2.

This has always been a bugger for me. So I cued up my copy of Mastering the Bullwhip, grabbed a 4' whip and followed along with Anthony. It always surprises me that starting again is sometimes the easiest way to learn. I like this style of reverse crack because it allows for wonderful accuracy and keeps the whip behind you only momentarily. It is a wonderful example of stabbing vs. slashing in whip technique. I'll see if I can give you an idea about how to perform it. But to really get the nuts and bolts buy the DVD. (Look for the link on my FAQ page).
1. Lay the whip in front of you, palm down
2. Drag back and up (Slightly) with your wrist in line with your arm.
3. As your arm comes parallel with your body, stop the arm motion and flex your wrist backward sharply to about 45 degrees. The angle is key. If you flex too much the whip ends up by your ear, if you don't flex enough the whip will not continue back to crack.
4. Following the crack, flex your wrist 90 degrees straight down and move your arm forward from the shoulder to reset the whip.
That's a pretty rough description but this style of reverse crack opens up a few other little tricks. There is what I'm calling "The Delongis Flash". A forward/back horizontal into a diagonal overhead continuing the line. A nice trick when you pull it off. And then a back/front underhand to forward gypsy. These multi-cracking sequences will increase your dialogue with the whip and allow you find how the whip works with you. Did I mention the crack was accurate? Stay Safe, Practice.

    I try to keep out of whip world politics. Okay I did star the "I was Banned from Whip Basics" group on Facebook but I did it of my own free will for reasons that make sense to me, those who can join understand too. But there is this thing about "The Truth" in the whip world. And how it varies from person to person. Very rarely are facts the reason for a whip truth. And it's sad. And all it takes is a little research on google and maybe a phone call and you'll have an answer first hand. We are still as fairly small community and that is possible.But If it's history, construction or technique you can find two sides or more to everything with people putting up their mother-in-law on a stack of bibles telling you it's true. In some cases it's blatantly not true. The evidence does not bear it out. In others, it does.
    The classic case is cracking with the belly of a whip. I too have heard the myth that doing so weakens a whip. However I have tracked this statement to the source and have decided that source is unreliable in this instace. What I find interesting is how that source has affected others. "But James, isn't this politics?" No, it's fact. It can be verfifed and shown impericaly that this does not affect a whip one way or another. And people saying differently are ignoring more then just a simple statement, they are acting as a detriment to the whip world at large.
    In reading Ron Edwards legendary How to Make Whips he makes the comment "Every whipmaker has his own special way of doing things, and insists that this is the only true and correct way of doing it. This is the first rule, and as a beginner you have to remember it". (Page 45) But this goes throughout the whip world. We all have our own way of doing it. I like to think I can't tell you the right way, just mine. This is an important distinction that is lost on many. I'm also not afraid to have my own thoughts on various subjects, some of which go against what is considered mainstream. Take whip's in combat for instance.
    A lot of people out there espousing views on whips as weapons have never nor would they ever attempt to use a whip as a weapon. Or teach it. I do both. So when I'm talking about that subject, I talk from my experience as such and may reference others who also have experience doing it. On the flip side I rarely talk about whip construction because I don't make whips. Doesn't mean I don't want to learn though.
    When navigating the whip world never be afraid to look at multiple sources, where the source material comes from, and what it means for the community in general. Only then can you make an informed decision on what your stance is on a given subject. Knowledge is power. Stay Safe, Practice.

While at David Morgan's retail shop in Bothell, Washington I saw a copy of Dante's book. So on a whim I picked it up. For starters it's a sturdy book, good for throwing in a whip bag without having to worry about bending a cover. At 158 pages it's obvious that the Guinness record holder has put some great thought in this book and it shows. Let's take a look at the Chapter List:
1. The Pelimaries
2. Let's Get Cracking
3. How to Pick the Right Whip
4.Techniques to Safely Improve Your Style
5.Maintaing Your Whips Health
6. Single Whip Cracks, Routines & Flashes
7. Two Handed Whip Cracking
8. Some Basic Tricks
9. Performing
10. Dancing on the Edge (By The Daring Tina)
11. Teaching and Presenting Workshops
12.Practice Routines, Protocol & Beyond
As you can see, Dante touches on everything and in a logical and sequential matter. Each chapter is further broken down into subchapters that fully explain each topic. Dante's background and personality shine through in this book. He is first and foremost a stage performer and this will become an indispensable resource for anybody wanting to take the stage with a bullwhip. The topics covered are mind boggling. Need to snuff a candle? Learn the Brian Chic body wrap? Tie a popper? Perform The Arrowhead? Organize a workshop or performance? Find a whip that's right for you? It's all here. , I believe that Let's Get Cracking should be in the bag, not just the library, of anyone who uses or who want's to use a bullwhip. As reference material it's a marvelous resource and I'm glad Dante has put his years of training and knowledge out there for us to use. I only have some minor issues with the text. Some of the politics of the whip world are presented in this text and they have no place in a reference text as they do nothing to further Dante's goal of education. The drawings I believe could have been improved for clarity of movement and a bit more detail on how bullwhips differ and the effect those changes have in the use and feel of the whip would have been appreciated. Dante, good work!
(4 of 5 ****)

While preparing to go train with Kendall in Portland, I got bored. This is a 4' Louie Foxx bullwhip, my first ever kangaroo hide whip. The method of cracking it I got from Royce Vallejo, a student of David Morgans.

    As you can see I sell my poppers on this site, the same ones I use. I'm always testing and trying them out, trying to get the right combination for the right whip. I'm doing some weekly maintenance on the whips and changing out poppers is part of that. My stock whip, made by fellow Montanan Greg DeSaye has had a lightweight standard on it for the longest time. The whip is kinda light weight and I figured that that a popper of lighter weight would be a nice match. Tonight I changed it out to a standard heavyweight. And wouldn't you know it, it works better.
    When I change a popper, the first thing I do is try it out. Immediately. And it's a very zen thing to try out a popper. For some odd reason it's always late at night too, so I have to make sure it's not very loud. So every movement is small but extended. Throwing the whole whip, trying to get it to do the work. Never hurried, always deliberate. This does two things. For my Aussie fall it tightens the hitch and it fluffs up the tip of the popper, so it's ready the next day when I can bring the volume up a bit.
    I take great pride in the poppers I create, and the comments so far have been positive. I have some changes to make down the road. I'd like to do half nylon/half spectra in the future to increase the life of my poppers. Maybe try and get more of them made in general. I try to keep a stock, but when my Geocities site went down I used the stock on hand as well as giving some out as good will gifts. Nothing says you're awesome like a popper! Well I'm going to head to bed, it's late. I'll add more random thoughts tomorrow. Stay Safe, Practice.

Cleaning out from the Seattle trip I found this, figured I'd throw it up here. He's a great guy.