The 10/10 Challenge

[Ben Varsek]

Hi !

On todays practice I've noticed that I'm having a harder time to perform this crack (reverse horizontal) with my off hand than compared to the other cracking techniques. I'm having a hard time with this crack in general - one more reson for me to practice this one more often !!!


@ Ron May:

Great job on your first reverse horizontal crack session Ron !!!
The way you crack looks very effordless and relaxed !!!


@ Rachel McCollough:

Congratulations Mrs. McCollough !!!


@ Tristan Foy:

Tristan, the difference in the WB video in between the wrong and right way of doing the reverse horizontal crack is the motion of the thong - or from another perspective - the motion of the handle. If you swing the handle of the whip in a way that the thong will be fully extended sideways before the handle passes your body in the forward motion than that's wrong (the wrong way is performing a too round motion before flicking the wrist).

By fully extendet sideways I mean the following: if you extend you arm sideways and your body would look like the letter T than imagine the thong beeing fully extendet to the direction of where your arm is pointing.

All the best
Ben

[Ron May]

Ben, today's practice was not as good as yesterdays.
Oddly enough my off hand (left) did better than my right.

So, I too need to pay more attention to what my thong vs. handle is doing.
Going slow is a definite advantage to the OHC (opposite horizontal crack) so if I do mess up it's not too painful a lesson to learn.

We just have to keep at it .
Thank you Ben for being so consistent with this challenge.

Ron

[Tristan Foy]

Thank you Ben, I'll take another look with your observations in mind.

I finished my OC and UC today.

OC I am pretty comfortable with. Definitely not mastered, but I've come miles in it. The UC....well, she and I still have a lot of wining and dining to do. Part of it might be the whip, too, though. My main whip is pretty stiff still, as it's still new. The whip I made is also new, but nowhere near as stiff, and I noticed I was able to make the flick easier with its more flaccid thong. But with both whips I felt that I am getting the steps down better. I even got one subsonic crack (I think with mine).

With the RHC, well, I actually did manage to make a subsonic crack there, but my form is still pretty crummy. I need to keep going slow, as I am still not comfortable with it, yet.

[Tristan Foy]

Ron...I meant OHC...I thought it was reverse, not opposite.

So far I think it's an easier crack to learn. But we'll see.

[Ron May]

Tristan, learning can be challenging when we are just starting out.
It sounds like you are making progress and that's the name of the game.
Good job. Sub sonic cracks are just quiet victories.

Ron

[Tristan Foy]

Actually a few times I was trying to purposely make the subsonic cracks. I didn't have much success. I got quieter cracks, but not really subsonic ones. It seemed the secret was the amount of force.

I might just end up sticking with one crack per day now, after all, and maybe through in a few previous cracks just to stay fresh/ get in some practice. I haven't decided yet. It's mostly a question of time.

[Ron May]

Tristan, I think that would be a good decision.
It's why we are doing only 10 min. a day with one style crack.
Most can find at least 10 min. but more than that can be a little tough depending on
what's going on in their lives.
We will, eventually , come back to cracks we have all ready spotlighted.

Ron

[Ben Varsek]

Ron, I have to thank YOU !!!
You have contributet so much to this challenge !!!
Todays practice has also been not as good as yesterday for me.
Yesterday I managed to be a bit more relaxed and slow during my practice.
Here is a small example of todays practice:

http://vid1098.photobucket.com/albums/g ... f596n7.mp4

My old problems - too much force and speed
Tomorrow I'll just be focusing on the technique on my practice and not on the actual crack itself !!!

You're welcome Tristan !!!
maybe a more comprehensive way of yesterdays describtion would be: the wrong way of doing the opposite horitzontal is to do a "round" motion with the handle too soon. The right way is bringing the handle forward in a streight line before doing a round motion.


All the best
Ben

[Ron May]

Thank you Ben, but we all have contributed to this challenge.
Just by being consistent with practice and posting how it went is super.
We are here to help each other and that 's the way it should be and works the best.

Ron

[Jessie Edwards]

I had a cool night tonight teaching. I spent some time on the circus crack with a guy, that had never held a whip before. He fell in love with it and we spent some time practicing together. When he was doing his circus crack, I practiced my circus, underhand, horizontal combo, so he didn't feel like I was staring at him. He's hooked and will be back tomorrow with his eye on my Nunchaku Basics DVD. As for me, I need to focus on that horizontal more. I keep hitting myself in the rear end. I must really enjoy it, since I can't seem to stop. I'm not sure how I always seem to be teaching, but it happens I guess. I'm not much of a teacher if I can't do the cracks right myself. He did make some noise after a lot of trying. He was happy for that.

Ben! I'm not seeing force as much as maybe it should come up a bit.

It looks a little low. Like it is going like this: \ (down a bit)
instead of this: -- (level to the horizon).

Watching you though, I am actually seeing what I need to do to not hit myself. Obviously, you are almost laying it behind you before bringing it forward. I am swinging it and the velocity is bringing it too far behind me so it slaps my butt on its way back to the front. Thanks Ben!

I had the nunchaku video and the whip basics videos tonight together, comparing one to the other. I have an idea on how to practice inside the house, but i'm not sure if its going to work or not. It's on hold for night now, since my Nunchaku Basics DVD and my nunchaku just went out the door with my new whip student for the night. I'm telling you, he is hooked on all of it. Until he returns with my video tomorrow night for more circus crack practice, I'm going to watch The German do the horizontal a couple more times on what video I have left.

[Robert Gage]

Jessie, that utilizing of the Nanchaku Basics with whip cracking sounds an exciting idea.

[Ben Varsek]

Ron, we all are contributing to this challenge but there is one person who has contributed A LOT and who has now become an administrator in this forum !!!

Thank you for your advice Jessie - I'll keep that in mind on todays practice !!!

To avoid starring at your whipcracking student is very important in my opinion - thank you for pointing this out Jessie !!!
When I was trying to teach visitors of the KAMFT event than I've always tryed to position myself so that they wouldn't be able to see if I was watching them or not.
Of course I had to watch them in order to correct them but watching from the backround isn't starring.
I've also noticed that a watching crowd is very counter productive when it comes to teaching someone how to crack a whip. The bigger the watching crowd at my whipstand the longer it has taken the visitors to get the whip to crack.

All the best
Ben

[Rachel McCollough]

Definitely great points on teaching, Jessie and Ben! I can drive my truck just fine until Lonnie rides with me- then my wheels want to find every pothole, and run off the edge of the pavement...

I'm just on circus still of course and working on the underhand. Sometimes it cooperates and several times I clock myself.... In the back, in the legs...
I started trying to crack about two feet from the side of the house so I have a somewhat straight vertical plane to guide the motions better. It messed up what progress I had but I think it will be better later.

[Ron May]

Ben, thanks for the video. Jessie's right if the whip is brought from front to straight behind like you showed, it won't have a tendency to hit the back of us.

I like the wrap at the end of it.
I am sure at some point we will get around to that move as well.

Ron

[Ron May]

Today's practice for the side arm crack was better.
Watching the DVD and trying to emulate what I saw is going better.
It's just like Robby said mostly like throwing a flat stone to get it to skip on top of the water. That little snap of the wrist and keeping it in line with the throw is the key for me.

I still hit myself (arse / back) a couple of times but it's getting better and starting to make a little more sense.

Ron

[Jessie Edwards]

Ron, Robby has a video on youtube about that particular wrap. I practiced last night too and gave my bestie a lesson. I think she would have gone on longer, but it was getting late and we have a sound curfew here in town. My sidearm crack is sporadic. I am trying to make it flow all in one motion (bring it back, flick it forward) but when I do that I always bring my wrist back too far and along with it, the whip, which comes around and slaps me in the ass on its way back out. I'm starting to feel a little violated. I don't get that much attention from my husband.

[Ron May]

Jessie, that's exactly what I have found about the side arm crack.
If I try to make it flow it bites me. If I pause for a second it doesn't . (as much)
Maybe it's the thong going too far around behind us and when we try to move it forward it just naturally curls and "slap" before it gets back on plane. Anything past the horizontal 9:00 is too far?

In the DVD , Robby doesn't take the whip all the way back it's more of a 1/4 movement before bringing it forward.
Of course flying looks easy if your watching an eagle.

I am trying to keep the backward movement and the forward movement afterwards in the same line with the flick of the wrist almost at the end of the forward throw, with a follow through and rolling of the hand over my head.

Ron

[Rachel McCollough]

Of course flying looks easy if your watching an eagle.
Ron

Exactly...
There's trouble I have with the underhand, keeping the plane straight. If I can learn that better I think the others will be better too.

[Ron May]

Rachel, I think you have hit the nail on the head.
To me, almost the whole key, is the keeping the movement of the thong in the plane it's meant to be in. As straight a line as possible with arm, wrist, and overall movement within that plane.
Thank you for pointing that out. I have a big problem trying to do just that.

Ron

[Sir Roger Tuson]

I'm not doing the 10/10 and haven't watched any of you doing it so far but I've found that the crack comes a great deal easier if you 'push' the handle forward rather than try and 'roll' it forward. I use most of my arm in the 'pushing' motion. Hope that makes some sense.