Emperor1956
Posts: 2370
Joined: 11/7/2005
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Oh Jesus. Can there really be so much bad information in so small a space? This is my small bit of knowledge, gleaned from more that a few years of whipcracking (both in Western Arts and D/s realms). Take what you will, but PLEASE ignore the previous posts, or most of them. They are largely bullcrap.
I love the fact that most of the replies to this question start out with "I don't really know..." or "I don't like whips much but..." At least those folks are honest. The "just try it and you will get the feel" is stupid and I suspect the writings of a nasty moron who wants you to hurt yourself.
That all said, here's a little bit of getting started:
Three Maxims: MAXIM ONE: A whip is a tool. Cheap tools are rarely useful. Well made tools are good and get the job done, but they are expensive.
MAXIM TWO: A whip is stupid. It will do ONLY AND EXACTLY what you tell it to do. If you tell the whip to snap forward and then back and cut your cheek, it will do that. If you tell it to punch thru a paper target and go 1/2 foot further than you intended, it will do that, too.
MAXIM THREE: A whip carves out a three dimentional spherical space with a radius equal to the complete length of the whip (from butt to the tip of the cracker) PLUS your extended arm length. ANYTHING IN THAT SPACE WILL BE HIT BY THE WHIP. Make sure your whip space is TOTALLY CLEAR of anything but yourself before practicing.
OK...Got it? Now:
First, about your "bullwhip". I wish you could post a link to a picture, because there are 1000s of cheap leather whips (most originate in Mexico, some in Eastern Europe) that will NOT ever crack or respond well. Regrettably, I think you have one of those (and I think this because "a friend" is unlikely to casually give away a well made whip which would cost at least $150, and usually much more). If your whip is a cheap rolled leather knock-off, hang it up and never use it except as part of your Halloween costume. Get a decent whip and begin to learn.
Second, I would learn on a 3 or 4 foot snake whip. NOT A SIGNAL WHIP, as Surrenderforme helpfully but incorrectly suggests (and the reason she is wrong is explained below). A snake whip is a simple coiled whip with a straight throw from butt to a short fall, and the cracker is attached to the fall. (If you don't know what these terms mean, read up.) The whip has virtually no handle. Why do I recommend a snake whip? Two key reasons: First, they are the easiest "target" whip to learn to throw, and ultimately if you use a whip on a partner, you are doing "target cutting". Second, if you play indoors in a dungeon space or a bedroom, a 4" snake whip is about the longest you will be able to use safely (and even then, its difficult). Review MAXIM No. Three -- the whipspace you will be creating is unlikely to be workable much beyond 3 -4 feet. Finally, with an easily removable cracker, you can learn to throw the whip, mess up the cracker a dozen times (which you will) and then easily replace it with a new cracker. In a signal whip, the cracker is woven into the whip itself, and replacement takes some skill.
Third, I'd get a couple of good whip books and a whip video and STUDY THEM WELL. I'm not fond of David Morgan -- yes, he's possibly the greatest living American whipmaker (by the way, he's 83 now) but he is adamantly scene-unfriendly. If you are gonna whip other people (and we KNOW you are) why not keep your whip dollars in the community? I like Roger Steven's Video a lot. It is 110 minutes, covers just about EVERYTHING and includes several scenes where whips are used on his willing target, marcy. If you want a whip cracking vid you can watch with the kids in the room, I like "THE ART OF THE BULLWHIP" which is widely available. It shows a lot of clever stunt whipcracks that you can aspire to.
And finally, YES....wear protective gear. At minium: A long sleeved fairly heavy (denim or canvas) shirt. Jeans. Safety glasses. A cowboy hat. I never actually wore a helmet, but you might need to if you have a propensity for cracking hard downward (which will snap your whip hard UPward). WEAR THE GEAR, Bucko. Or else before you touch a whip, walk around your average "Western Arts" fair, and count the number of scars on forheads, noses, chins and arms.
Have fun. This makes me want to go outside and cut some leaves off the trees *GRIN*
E.
_____________________________
"When you wake up, Pooh," said Piglet, "what's the first thing you say?"
"What's for breakfast? What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?"
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
"It's the same thing," he said.
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