The 10/10 Challenge

[Sir Roger Tuson]

Sorry, should have detailed, I'm taking about the sideways crack here.

[Rachel McCollough]

Push and snap the wrist. Makes good sense, Roger!

[Robby Amper]

I did a little vid for you again. It's not fancy, but I will help. I hope

https://youtu.be/d48hV4nDmn4


Robby

[Sir Roger Tuson]

'Skimming a stone' - exactly what I was trying describe above! Again Robby, excellent tutorial.

[Ron May]

Rachel, it does make sense.
For me it's like a golf swing. You want the handle (grip area) to lead keeping the head of the club lagging behind a little, then "snap" the wrist a fraction before impact on the same plane as the swing with the arm, shaft, head in a straight line at the moment of impact.

So, if I am understanding it , the handle leads the thong until the snap of the wrist where the thong accelerates past the handle forming the loop and the eventual "crack" or "poof" at the apex all on the same plane. (what's so hard about that, right? )

Ron

[Rachel McCollough]

Thank you, Robby! I will watch this first chance I get!


Ron, "What's so hard about that, right? "
Funny, funny, funny..... Veeeery funny....

[Ron May]

Thank you Robby for the detailed video.

And my condolences to the surviving family members of your next door neighbor. He obviously had too much coughy this morning. (do they have 911 in Germany?)

Teaching and learning with laughter was very enjoyable.

Now back to practice.

Ron

[Robert Gage]

Robby, as you say, it's all in the WB DVDs - but (as ever) this reminder helps!

(One of the things that makes you such a good teacher - I think - is that you know it's never enough to say something once. It needs to be said again and again - and again. Eventually, the student absorbs the message!)

[Bob Ouellette]

Hi Robby, that's a nice explanation. What length whip are you using?

I have no trouble doing what you describe with my 6 foot bullwhips and stock whips. However, I find it difficult to start with the whip in front with my 10 foot whip and near impossible with my 15. I wish I could get video of each, but I am away from home for a bit.

[Robert Gage]

Bob, in case Robby doesn't see this immediately, I know (having used it) that that's a 6-foot 'Amper Special' by Devin Bauer.

[Ben Varsek]

Thank you very much for making this video Robby !!!

Both you and Stefan had to do this shooting under rough (or cough) circumstances
Thank you for your advice Robby and thank you for filming Stefan !!!


Ron, the "wraping" of the whip at the end of my last video is rather simple to do (I'll try to find Robby's video where he explains this wrap and post it here as soon as I find it) - I'm happy that you like it !!!

On todays practice I didn't focus on the cracks but on the technique itself. The whip didn't crack at all attempts but that wasn't my goal on todays practice - I wanted to improove on my technique (less force and speed and a more fluid motion) and to me it fealt like I've improoved a little in that matter !!!

All the best
Ben

[Ron May]

Ben, you are right about the technique.
Getting that right is the main thing and as stated by Robby and others, the crack will be there.
If you can feel the difference and the improvement then you are improving regardless of the crack.

Ron

[Robert Gage]

If you can feel the difference and the improvement then you are improving regardless of the crack.

I've been saying for years (especially when people assume that whip cracking is aggressive) that it's much more like a blend of Zen contemplation and ballet!

[Ron May]

You are absolutely right.
To me it's more impressive to be able to perform like you do than to just muscle it to make it "louder".... which is totally untrue.
Muscling it just shows a lack of skill.

Ron

[Robert Gage]

Ron, when one watches Robby cracking, what's fascinating is that one doesn't tend to look at the whip - but rather at the ease and grace with which Robby himself moves. Robby is a very big guy: graceful, fluid movements are not, perhaps, what most people would expect from such a person. But when he's cracking a whip, that's exactly what you do see. And that's what I try to do, too. One day, perhaps....

It's a curious combination of total freedom and very precise focus. It reminds me of lines from T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets:

At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.

[Rachel McCollough]

The still point-
That's beautifully accurate, Mr. Robert!

[Guest]

Alright I just finished going trough this whole thread and I have to say: there's absolutely no excuse.

So I'm officially in!

It's time for me to head to the parks and not give a damn if I get curious looks.

I'm leaving to my hometown tomorrow (technically today since it's past midnight) and I'm taking my WolfCreek whip from the whip swap and my self made 14 plait 6 footer with me. If my macbook cooperates there will be a video tomorrow!

I see a lot of improvement in everybody's videos and a wealth of hints and information - even Robby's there to make videos for us which is really cool and priceless!

I don't own the DVD's - though I wish to some day - but I can start doing the exercises and be open to critique!

Seems like a lot of us kind of know what to do and it's only a matter of practice and to see ourselves in the mirror to get our body to cooperate.

[Ron May]

WooooHoooo, Erik welcome to the challenge.
It's not too late for anyone to join at any time.
After all it's just one crack at a time and for 10 min. for 10 days then on to the next.

I post a video at the start of each specific crack then one on the last day to have a good comparison of the progress. There will be progress. It's impossible to not improve in this exercise if you commit to it.

I am looking forward to your contribution Erik.

Ron

[Tristan Foy]

Alright so for the first time since taking on the Challenge I had to miss a day yesterday. Some friends and I went to Six Flags in San Antonio to ride the roller coasters and check out the haunted houses. I thought we'd be done by the afternoon but it went late into the night so I had to roll in two practices today.

I through in a few CCs and UHCs, but still the same old story with the UHCs. I am trying to remind myself to go slow on the RHCs. I have gotten a few subsonic cracks but going waaay way to fast. It's like I'm trying to manually pull-start a helicopter. Not Zen-like.

I also wonder if some of the difficulty is coming from the fact that my whip is not even a month old yet. I know it boils down to my use, but I think the whip is still getting broken in.

On a side-note, back when I first started this change the whip cracked on my thumb and even now, a couple of weeks later, when I extend my hand at a certain angle, and certainly when I crack, I can feel a mild pain spread out. I don't think it's a hairline fracture...there's no bruising and I still have full use of it 99% of the time, but I am sure that I beat the hell out of some nerve endings or bruised the bone at the least.

[Ron May]

Tristan , all we can do is try our best and that's all we can do.
I hope your thumb heals and lets you do what you want and need to do.
Watch Robby's video some more and see if you can pick up what you are doing differently.

Today, was partially better. Understanding more from Robby's video with more information in it sure did help. I think I might be cracking it at too high a level which is not the same plane that it starts on. Got to work on that more.
Also bringing it in more of a straight forward motion in stead of the sweeping kind from more behind my body in stead of a straight line directly back.... when I do that the thong immediately tells me with an ouch, not to do that again. Just like Robby's explanation in the video.

The controlled poofs and cracks are there but for some reason I can't sustain it
for the whole 10 minutes. Towards the end of the 10 min. it kind of falls apart.
Perhaps I might be getting tired but it will improve.

Ron