LadyHugs -> RE: Whip Classes (8/4/2006 8:46:16 PM)
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Dear CeliaRose, Ladies and Gentlemen; Just in case you won't be using floggers, I'll cover single tails in this portion of the reply section. Again, with beginners the real need is judgement of distance. For some reason humans have a trait to lean forward, no matter if single tails or floggers. This is why shifting on the feet can adjust the whip strikes to the target. With single tails, due to the cracker/popper speed alone will cut into the skin faster than many tails of a flogger. A poor man's single tail, is pulling all but 1 piece back under the hand's grip of the flogger's handle. When using a single tail, I recommend using your thumb much like a guide or gun sight, cocking your thumb out away from you the single tail and most other multiple tail whip, e.g. flogger, cat o nines will land on your shoulder or away from it entirely. Better than hitting you in the face. But, for beginners it won't be a bad idea to wear safety goggles. There are two major single tail styles. Westcoast and Eastcoast (For American whip work vocabulary). Westcoast is off the shoulder and straight on. The wearing of a leather vest, gives it a wee bit of friction as to give it a bit of drag and like throwing darts or in archery, to throw/send the single tail forward to the target. Like an arrow, the single tail and arrow shafts wobble so, it is not a good habit to watch the whip go off the shoulder but, keep your eye on the target. Interesting though, the single tail's braiding does stretch out the more strength or power behind the stroke so a 3 foot signal whip for example will stretch with energy to 3 foot and a few inches. Leather stretches--that is a fact. When it comes off the shoulder it rolls like a carpet out and flops down. In slow motion you can see this occur. Using a loose hand, should you need to recall the whip--just close your hand tight and it will come back off the victim's body approxmiately 3 inches. Although the Westcoast style is nothing new, in Europe where dungeons are in the attic, the pitch of the roof created this style. Eastcoast style, is side to side. In Europe the dungeons in some areas are in the cellar, basement to which the roof is low and doesn't permit strokes off the shoulder well so, side strokes were adopted. Much like a horse's tail, the whip is centered to your body, your hand is the 'root' of the energy and the swing of the single tail is side to side, east-west/west-east. In this stroke, I have a roll of toilet tissue that is new, start it a bit and let it hang like a bolt of material and then I softly stroke the tissue as to roll it off and around the roll and return it back without tearing into the tissue. If you slice it, it means you're to strong with it. The real skill is finesse`-- Unwrap the toilet tissue and wrap it again. Only the bangs or the fray ends of the cracker/popper should be touching the tissue and or human skin. When you get to the point of controlling the whip onto specific targets, then you can add the 'pop' to it. I'm not into making a lot of noise as all it does is fray and wears the popper/cracker out more. However, it is fun to create the 'crrrrrrrrrrrack.' This is energy sending through the arm, through the hand and the whip. By making a real fast check-mark, you can hear the pop. Much like the child's game of 'crack the whip.' I personally do not like my single tails to have a sweet spot. My personal preference is to be able to pick a whip up immediately, and have it work no matter what side of the whip I choose. I roll my whips that are new, having the leathers on all 4 sides of the braiding work, stretch and break in--as well as carry the load/stress of energy movement. In addition, I've seen so many people send whips back to the maker, as their complaint that the whip does not go straight. I do save many from the trouble as, it really is a braiding out of alignment. The braids are like 'military chevrons' a V or /\ ; Putting the V back into a straight line again corrects the send. When coiling the whip, often this mis-alignment occurs. So, that is the first thing I check before I use a signal whip or snake-whip. I don't recommend hitting the popper/cracker on anything hard. The best way to target practice is hanging post-a-notes off a pillow and disturb them but not take them off unless you desire them to fly off. If you have a mop, a flogger, wig or anything else soft--even some rope; then you can have it as a target. My students had to single tail a match in my fingers as far as passing 'aim' test. Also, a few of my students had to put a single tail in between two boards 3 inches apart and hit a swinging object. This is before they used whips on a person. Several of my former students are now instructors themselves. But, the basics were the best foundation they had. Respectfully submitted for consideration, Lady Hugs
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