Safety First!

We reccomend the use of safety specs at all times during practise.

Re-produced from Pete Gamble's Safety Sheets & bullwhip.org

Whip Safety

Whips can cut flesh, break bones, put out an eye, or slice off an ear. Treat them with respect and use these common sense safety precautions to limit damage to the occasional welt.

Protect Other People
• Be aware of the space all around you, including directly behind you and over your head. Allow plenty of room for your whip to crack.
• Do not fool around with a whip or threaten anyone with it. Uncontrolled and unscripted use of a whip can have unpredictable results. The organisers reserve the right to suspend any participant from the convention that theybelieves to be breaching health and safety considerations.
• Never use a whip where it might pick up dirt or gravel and fling it at someone.

Protect Yourself
• You will hit yourself, understand this point carefully, it is inevitable when learning especially when you are on your own without a Tutor to guide you.
• Wear protective clothing.
• Eye protection is required. Safety glasses are provided please wear them at all times.
• Gloves will prevent blisters on your hands.
• Ear plugs will make the sound level more comfortable. A stout jacket and medium weight jeans may save you some nasty stings. Remember… Ow! Is the sound of learning.when you are cracking a whip.
• When you are not cracking, stay clear of the practice area. Do not enter anyone else's space without warning them. Remember they may be wearing ear plugs so make sure they acknowledge you.

Protect the Whips
• Do not crack the whip too loud. It is bad for the whip and unpleasant for other people. True control of the whip means you can crack it as quietly as you like.
• Do not use anyone else's whip without permission.
• When you are not using a whip, do not leave it where someone might tread on it or trip over it.

Technique
The classic mistake people make with a whip is that they will “muscle it” to crack it. A well made whip is a living breathing thing, use it with finesse and feeling and it will be part of you.
Swing easily at first. Proper whip technique does not require much muscle - it's timing. Swinging harder does create a bigger bang, but it also creates bigger welts and blisters too.
A proper whip throw is like casting a fishing line or throwing a dart. The grip is just like holding a fishing rod. Grasp the handle and have your thumb on top pointing straight along the length of the whip. You aim by focusing on the point at which you want to hit and pointing the thumb at your target and following through to that point. Pay close attention to the words "Follow through". The pop comes from following through towards your target NOT by pulling the whip back at the end.

Resources
The only UK based store that sells whips is www.whipstore.com
There are plenty of great resources available from www.whipenthusiasts.org and www.bullwhip.org