Whip Stories, Whip Safety, Whip Care
I heard a very wise dominant friend of mine once comment that anyone can buy any toy and that it never has been the toys that are dangerous. This should be tattooed on the forehead of anyone that uses a single tail whip in BDSM play. I am starting this article with the accidents that have happened to me in private and public single tail play. itâs not that big of a list but each event had a lesson and usually some soul searching attached to it.
1. On an intimate night at home with my submissive securely tied to the bed, I was throwing my 4âČ bullwhip over her head popping it and letting the end brush against her thigh. In my desire to frighten her i was concentrating on walking it higher up her inner thigh and forgot about the ceiling fan. When the fall caught in the fan blade I just kept following thru and in a single second my romantic night was over and the fan was not so delicately laying atop my sub. LESSON ONE: always check for clearance a 4âČ bullwhip means an 8âČ ball of potential objects to break.
2. being an expert âMaster of the single tail â a crowd always gathers to watch our scenes i was in an enclosed dance area with a spotter to keep the curious from walking into a back swing i was secure in the thought that a 4âČ rail would keep everyone out of my 12âČ circle so i was doing a wrapping with a 6âČ snake. A person walked up behind me and leaned over the rail in there hand was a long necked bud 8o) it wasnât there long and i can tell you iâm glad it missed the patrons on the other side of the bar. LESSON TWO: change is inevitable expect it. the second coming of lesson two includes pain and a big dent in my ego. while playing at a club i went back with the same whip and someone had pushed a chair onto the play area behind me it just thru the return stoke off enough to alter its flight and caused me to leave a 3âł cut on my subs leg. I am what some consider to be sadistic but I pride myself on control of my actions. My sub says the hurt like the scar is there no matter what my intentions. LESSON TWO AMENDMENT #1 no one is that good.
If there is a trend here i should also bring out the up side. My submissive and i have been including a single tail in our play for 5 years. I have been throwing single tails for 20+ years. I am proud to say that I practice with my whips about 4 times a week for an hour or so. we started with the drawing the whip across her and cracking it in the air and progressed over the years to to selective blood play. During the years we have made lots of friend and introduced many to single tail play. I have discovered that there is no source for reliable education about this, with so many experts and so many opinions, its hard to make absolute statements without including myself in the mix. so let me say its not my opinion its my experience that conveys the following.
signal whips are fun and noisy anyone can make the crack with one. I will never substitute easy for safe so I will never use a signal whip on or near a person.
its ok to miss your target a lot as long as you miss on the no pain side of the target in question.
yes you are allowed to change the fall on a whip. for the new thrower i recommend you take that 1/4 inch one off and save it for later put on something 1 inch wide and suede it will still pop but your sub will allow more mistakes before she loses your whip.
always ask your host if single tail play is ok.
Buy quality whips. even at first. The better whips are accurate and can last a lifetime.
Practice as much as you can.
Never ever crack a whip towards anyoneâs face, even your own.
Never let your ego direct your actions.
 [The following section, which was written by Robert Dante, is an essay taken from the book âScrew the Roses, Send Me the Thornsâ with the permission of Robert and the publisher. It is Copyright © 1995 Philip Miller and Molly Devon. All rights reserved. You can order or obtain more information about âScrew the Roses, Send Me the Thornsâ at the Mystic Rose home page. Though Robert is active in the SM scene he is also gives rodeo-style whip performances, and there is much advice in this article that will be of interest to non-SM whip crackers. Andrew.]
The crack of a whip is the epitome of SM.
It explodes like lightning from the hand of a god or goddess, it snakes through the air like a dragonâs claw. Itâs evil, languid, precise, supremely savage, and sensuous. In short, it is as sexy as it is dangerous.
It can create a range of sensations from delicate to cruel. It can be as subtle as a loverâs tongue or as frightening as a chain saw.
Such is the fantasy, such is the reality.
In the hand of an expert whip handler, a well-made whip becomes a living thing, much the same way a samurai warriorâs sword vibrates with the life force given to it by a master sword maker. With any performing art, dramatic or athletic, the moment of truth is authentic and unique. It cannot be programmed or choreographed to be precisely the same every time.
I have presented seminars and workshops on bullwhip use. Iâve also given private tutoring sessions. Dressing For Pleasure arranged for one of my workshops to be videotaped (warts and all).
I do emphasize âsafety firstâ. Although I can show someone how to use a bullwhip, itâs up to that person to invest the hours of practice required to get the basics down. Be prepared for calluses and blisters. From what Iâve seen, each person develops his or her individual style and relationship with a whip, but the basics are usually in place. I try to communicate those basics clearly and, fortunately, the single-tail whip experience has a sharp learning curve. If youâve got patience and persistence, you can get there from here.
One nice thing about the bullwhip is that the wielder does not have to be a burly linebacker â some of the best whip crackers Iâve seen have been smaller men and women.
Even a gentle stroke with a beautiful form carries more power and grace than a sloppy, strong swing.
Basically, there are three different types of single-tailed whips: black snake, bullwhip and stock whip. The difference is in the handle and the flexibility of the whip. The black snake (and in this category I put signal whips, dog sled whips, and other shot-loaded, flexibleâhandled, short whips) is a faster, shorter, meaner mother than the other whips. On the plus side, it is better for use in confined areas and does not require as much expertise to master. On the negative side, it has a narrower range of SM play potential.
The bullwhip has a short rigid handle and a flexible thong or lash which can come in various lengths. On the plus side, it is a highly versatile instrument. On the negative side, it demands that its user knows what he or she is doing or it will hurt someone (including the handler). It looks easier than it is and the potential to do damage is significant. This is a good place to tell you SAFETY RULE NO. 1: Protect your eyes. You were born with only two â you donât grow new ones if you damage the ones you have, so wear glasses, goggles, or a hat with a brim.
The stock whip has a longer, rigid handle with the thongs attached. In this category I will put buggy whips, horse whips, dray whips, lunge whips, and the whole class of wrist action whips. They are easier to master than bullwhips, but again, the range of play is narrower. They do require less effort to create satisfying cracks, relying more on a fishing rod cast action than a whole-body, Tai-chi-like, bullwhip throw.
The different whips require slightly different throws to effect cracks, but they all crack for the same reason: the cracker or popper at the end of the lash breaks the sound barrier and makes a small sonic boom. A good whip acts like a magnifying glass, taking the motion, momentum, and energy you place into the whipâs handle focusing that energy more tightly into the whipâs tip (Newtonâs Law of the Conservation of Energy). A well-made whip will conserve most of the energy put into it until it reaches its explosive release in the cracker. A shabbily made whip will dissipate its energy, requiring more effort to be put into it in order to create a halfway decent crack.
Using the bullwhip as our model, here is the basic anatomy of a whip: the handle attaches to the lash or thong, which attaches to the fall (a round length of leather or a flat, slapper-type length of leather), which attaches to the cracker or popper, the piece of string at the end. Most crackers are replaceable, some falls are replaceable. The idea is that if you bang the whip on the ground or into a wall, let the cracker or fall take the beating, not the thong of the whip. The cracker or fall are easier to replace; the thong will need to be rebraided, or replaced.
A good whip will have a good core, almost like a secondary whip inside the outer covering. That second whip will have a bolster around it, around which the outer covering is braided.
I recommend people start off with a shorter whip, usually a 4-foot bullwhip. It is faster, much less forgiving of mistakes and requires a stricter form. The advantage is that it is less expensive to buy than a longer whip, can be used in a smaller space and it win not tire out the user as quickly as a longer whip will. And once you have the basics down with a 4-footer, it is a relatively easy matter to take that knowledge and experience up into a 6-footer or an 8-footer.
The longer the whip, the less accurate it will be. Up to eight feet is about as long as you can go and still play fairly spontaneously with any precision. Beyond this length, the whip should be used primarily as a psychological toy â a âbullwhip rideâ can be exhilarating and emotionally draining â even under a thick leather jacket (it will mitigate cuts but severe bruises are still possible).
A new whip will be particularly stiff, I tend to prefer a more flexible thong, but some others prefer their whips to have more body, density. A whip needs to be conditioned and cared for. It is an instrument, a tool. It is leather: it will dry out, so it will need to have its oils replaced to maintain its health (I use Dr. Jacksonâs Hide Rejuvenator, available from Tandy â but others use tallow, lard, beeswax, even Neutragena soap). Donât get it wet. Most whips are made of either cowhide or kangaroo. Cowhide is much less expensive and easier to find, but kangaroo is lighter and stronger, allowing a tighter braid without sacrificing strength.
You donât have to play with the cracker attached. Texas bullwhips have flat falls which can slap; Australian-style whips have single thongs. For the versatility, I like the Texas bullwhip because you can detach the cracker easily and use the whip like a flexible riderâs crop. Still, donât underestimate the potential for damage here. Go easy, even on a slow, wide and flat, slapping-type swing.
Safety: once again, protect your eyes. You can identify a new whip user by the welts on the arms and the nicks on the ears. Treat the whip as if you are learning to play with a chain-saw. The analogy is not exaggerated. Do not snap the whip down so it flies back at your face â unless you desire to sport a welt or scar on your cheek or lip. Wear long sleeves. Wear a hat with a brim. Before you start swinging the whip, make sure there is no one behind you and nothing loose on the ground around you â if you strike just right with the whip, you can send an object flying like a bullet.
Before we begin, spin the whip in a circle around you, like a propeller, using your wrist. Visualize the whipâs arc creating a disc in the air beside you, with the handle at the center. If you spin it on your other side. you have moved the disk. If you spin it over your head, the disk is now above your head. You are always at the center of the disc. If your body is not at the center of the imaginary disk⊠you will hit yourself. If you send the whip out and jerk it back at yourself, the whip will hit you. The whip will do exactly what you tell it to do. If you give a whip two different instructions, it will try to obey both of those instructions and will probably end up hitting you in the face. There is nothing as single-minded as a whip, so be unambiguous in the messages you give it.
After the whip cracks, it is ready to crack again, so continue the motion. Tell the whip with your hand where you want it to go. Always keep the whip moving away from your face. If you need to, drive it into the ground beside you.
There are three basic shots, all building from each other: The overhand throw (including backhand, side-arm âflickâ and upward shot), the circus crack (or forward crack, S-shot, âserpentineâ shot) and the reverse snap (or overhead crack).
With the overhand throw, lay the whip out on the ground behind you. Pull the whip handle-first, so you can pull the lash over your shoulder. Keep your wrist passive. Use your whole forearm as an extension of the whip, aiming the handle at the point where you want the whip to crack. You want to create a hairpin, a wave rolling along the length of the whip as it unwinds before you. Do not go for speed â if your form is correct and the hairpin is tight, the whip will crack all by itself. Listen to the quality of the crack; a sharp report means you have hit the sweet spot. A dull thud means fall is cracking but there is not enough energy to make the cracker pop.
Keep your elbow and forearm on the same plane. If your elbow is aimed outward and your hand tries to compensate by twisting the whip back, you are sending two different messages into the whip. Make every component of your throw a single thought, a single action, a single follow- through. Be single-minded.
Keep the whip moving over your shoulder, close to your face (but away from it, forward). If you minimize the parallax (the discrepancy between your eyes and your aim), you become more accurate, more likely to hit what you are looking at and aiming at.
Be flat-footed (at least, at first). Get grounded. Flex your knees, relax your ass muscles, commit yourself to the throw with your whole body, from the soles of your feet, up through your back, into your shoulder, right through your hand, into the whip. all the way to the cracker. Make it a whole-body experience. Go slow. Donât worry about trying to make the whip crack. If your form is clean, the whip will crack, all by itself.
The second stroke is the circus crack. With this, you make a chopping motion as if you are holding a meat cleaver. Pull the whip forward and up, forming an S shape over your shoulder. Have it double back on itself so your hand now travels down. This is a single stroke, not two strokes. If it is done as a single stroke, by doing this you double the distance the whip travels, placing more momentum and potential energy into the lash, resulting in a louder crack. This is the cutting stroke.
The third stroke is the reverse snap. Make a circle over your head. Now cut the handle back along the same plane, sending a hairpin wave into the thong. Whip will crack, fairly close to you (half the length of the whip or less). This is the easiest stroke for the longer whips, but it is also the least accurate. Powerful stroke. basically the same as the circus crack, but on a different plane. It helps to line the whip up by swinging it twice in one direction. then cutting back on the third swing.
Tip: use both hands, first one, then the other. It will keep you from getting overdeveloped on one side. Also, the practice you get using your off hand will make you a better whip handler with your preferred hand. And when you have burned out the muscles in one arm, you can continue to practice by using your other arm until your tired arm has rested. All this switching hands will continue to educate your eye and the rest of your body, increasing your instinctive understanding of the rhythm of the whip and teaching your brain better whip handing protocol.
For the rest of it, practice. practice, practice. Itâs the one thing someone else cannot do for you. Every stroke you invest in practice goes into your bank of experience. And it pays great interest, once that learning curve locks in.
Playing with someone else: in a word. DONâT â at least, not until you are good enough to take leaves off a tree a quarter-inch at a time. Play with plush toys and teddy bears (their fur will show you where you are hitting). Once again, safety first. Keep the whip moving away from your partnerâs face. Expect to mess up; expect to miss a stroke. If you expect to screw up, you will make an effort to minimize the possibility for damage or injury. You will be glad you did. Have your partner wear glasses, goggles, hat. Even more, have him or her wear gloves, jacket, jeans, chaps.
Wrapping can be particular fun. Have your partner put a hand out (in a glove). Send the whip out so it cracks a bit above and behind the otherâs arm. After the whipâs energy is expended in the crack, the thong will wrap around the arm harmlessly. If you get really good, you can minimize the time between the crack and the wrap so they sound almost simultaneous. Itâs a head trip, a scary ride, but no damage will be done. If, however, the crack occurs at the surface of the skin, you may wind up taking your partner to an emergency room to have a deep cut stitched up. At the least, your partner will have a welt, or an abrasion, which may or may not be permanent. Proceed with great caution.
Donât wrap the neck. The cracker may inadvertently stroke an eye or the thong may abrade the neck or the fall may cut.
I have read a whip user write that a bullwhip does not cut â it âburns.â Well, in my own rodeo-style public stage performances I cut paper and playing cards and slice bananas, stroke by stroke. A crack from a bullwhip can burn, and it can raise a welt â and it can cut. Just ask my favorite bottom.
I will not get into the intricacies of heavier play here. Some things are better (more safely) shown than described.
There is no substitute for having a friendly relationship with a good whip handler. If you can find someone who knows what he or she is doing, introduce yourself. Most of the good whip people Iâve met are happy to share their passion with other experts and neophytes alike. Thereâs always something new to learn and there is always someone out there who can do something you canât.
Tricks are great fun and can sharpen oneâs ability with a whip. Cutting newspaper sheets down smaller and smaller is a good one. Putting out candle flames is always dramatic. Popping balloons is fun, but harder than it appears. Hanky snatching is pleasurable, but is more easily done with a blunter cracker.
Resources are more easily available than they used to be. The Wild West Arts Club (3750 S. Valley View, #14. Las Vegas, NV 89103) has regional gatherings where people of a like mind get together to share their fascination with whip cracking, knife throwing, and rope twirling. It is also a stunt manâs organization with a membership of about 500 people worldwide. Founded by Mark Allen, its catalog features decent bullwhips and videos by such experts as Alex Green.
My own foray into video whip teaching, âWhip It Up,â was recently released by Invision Productions. For information, contact me.
Joe Wheeler is a recognized single-tail whip maker. He usually has a waiting list of clients, but the wait is worth it. The Australian Stock Saddle Co. at P. 0. Box 987, Malibu, CA 90265 has stock whips from Australia available. Roger Patterson of Arizona makes a unique spiral-wrapped whip from Australia available from some select stores in the U. S. and Canada. David Morgan, author of the comprehensive âWhips and Whip Makingâ is a first-class whip maker and importer in Washington (phone 206-485-2132), but if you indicate you are part of the Leather/SM scene, he will hang up on you. Tandyâs Leather has a small booklet by Dennis Rush called âWhipmaking, a Beginnerâs Guideâ which is clear, concise, and informative.
Remember there are two dimensions to whip play â the psychological and the physical. Blend them responsibly.
There you have it â enough information to make you a danger to yourself and others, so please remember, Safety First. Iâve tried to make sure the training wheels are on and youâre wearing a helmet, but there comes a time when you have to go out on your own and find out what itâs all about for yourself. Practice, practice, practice. Consider this a push in the right direction. Just like a motorcycle â all that power, right there in your hands. Have fun â thatâs what itâs supposed to be about.
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The POPPER or CRACKER is string or thread that has a bushy end that makes the pop.
The FALL is a single strip of leather (the narrower the better).
The THONG is 8-16 strips of leather woven around a center (which in a good whip is actually another mini-whip woven of 4-8 strips of leather)
The HANDLE differs between styles of whips (Stockwhip, Bullwhip, etc.) usually either a wooden handle or flexible cane stick, either bare or wrapped in leather.
The BELLY is what is inside the braided thong. In a good whip this will itself be braided leather, but in a cheaper whip it may be strips of leather or rawhide, or even rope or paper.
The KNOT is the knob on the end of the handle.
The whipâs pop is a result of the tip of the whip (the âpopperâ) moving beyond the speed of sound and creating a vacuum in space. The air rushing back into the vacuum makes the pop sound. A whip generates its speed through the âconservation of energyâ. The body of the whip is built to be a continually shrinking diameter from the thick handle down to the tip of the popper which is only a few strands of fiber. A little energy imparted at the handle accelerates along the diminishing diameter until the popper is moving over 700 miles/hour. You scientists can post the exact speed of sound (someoneâs .sig says that âthe speed of time is one second per secondâ
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Reprinted by permission of Phil Frank/San Francisco Chronicle Steve:
1) I said earlier that in the hands of an expert a whip is safe, but in anyone elseâs hands⊠ouch. First off, you have to realize that you are going to whack yourself on the arms, legs and back of the head and neck. It goes with the territory until you learn how to control the whip.
2) The popper can pick up dirt and gravel and fling it through the air at 700 miles per hour. SO DONâT AIM AT PEOPLE IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE .
3) Including your armâs reach, your 10 foot whip will travel in a circle covering some 26 feet in diameter. So be very careful where you swing that thing. And always be aware of whatâs behind you. The whip travels backwards before it goes out in front of you. [Also look out for overhanging tree branches and electric cables â Andrew]
4) Swing easily at first. Proper whip technique does not require much muscle â itâs timing. Swinging harder does create a bigger bang, but it also creates bigger welts and blisters too.
5) A proper whip throw is like casting a fishing line or throwing a baseball. The grip is just like holding a fishing pole. Grasp the handle and have your thumb on top pointing straight down along the length of the whip. You aim by pointing the thumb at your target and following through to that point. Pay close attention to the words âFollow throughâ. The pop comes from following through towards your target NOT by pulling the whip back at the end. This is so important that I wish I could shout louder than typing in CAPS. Also, donât try to throw the whip out in an underhand throw and âsnapâ it back. As my mother used to shriek âyouâll put your eye outâ. She was right. If the tip of the popper doesnât get you, the gravel will.
Other posters have suggested wearing safety glasses, leather jackets, crash helmets, chaps etc. Personally I wear normal glasses and a leather top hat, but I have been known to don a leather jacket and a hard hat when working on new stuff. The whip is at its most dangerous right at the tip just before it pops. After it has cracked, most of the energy has been expended, and it just hurts really badly, instead of slicing flesh and breaking bones.
Thereâs a lot of commentary about the dangers of the whip. This is completely and absolutely justified. But donât be too scared by it. For a whip to actually slice through tin or flesh, it must contact the target right at the point of highest acceleration. Thatâs right at the point where the popper reaches the end of itâs travels and pops. For most amateurs and newbies, that would be a rare shot⊠BUT IT COULD HAPPEN! So be CAREFUL! OK ânuf said.
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Your whip is made of leather so you should be careful to keep it clean and dry. A whipâs worst enemy is dirt and moisture. Dirt can rub and erode the leather, and moisture can cause it to stretch, shrink, kink and even Mildew (ugh!).
DO NOT USE OILS ON YOUR WHIPS. Neetâs Foot Oil will make the whip feel really nice at first, but Iâve been told by many whipsters that eventually it will weaken and break down the leather. I used this on my first DubĂ© whip and it fell apart pretty fast.
The best way to âbreak inâ a whip is to use it. A great whip will have a lot of âlifeâ in it. After being broken in It will carry a little wiggle all the way down its length. This means you wonât have to work hard to get it to react. A well broken in whip will do what you want with very little effort. A whip is âyoursâ when it feels like an extension of your arm. You can smack something with your fingers without having to consciously aim. Good whip work is like that too. You just look at your target and the whip goes there. Oops, too much philosophy. Back to work:
Before you use your whip rub it down really well with a paste made of Saddle Soap. Shave the soap off of a bar into a bowl and add just enough water to make it pasty/foamy (not too much water!). You can buy a bar of Saddle Soap at any Tack shop (thatâs horse supplies for all you greenhorns).
Using your fingers, work the paste into the leather uniformly from the handle right down to the end of the fall. Then let the whip dry for 1-2 days. Hang it by the handle or lay it down flat so that it doesnât dry with any kinks. You can also leave it in a very loose coil. This applies for any time it gets wet: Donât let it dry with a kink in it.
The old-timers say the best stuff to rub into your whip is the fat from around a sheepâs heart. Second best is from a cowâs heart. It has to do with the salt/protein content or something or other. I donât mind killing a saddle for its soap, but I draw the line atâŠ
oh forget it
After it dries, rub it down with a clean dry cloth to remove any excess soap. It might look like hell as it dries because the soap looks kinda crusty, but after you rub it down it will shine like a sexy new car. Keep it clean. Rub it with a cloth after every time you use it. Well, that may be a bit obsessive actually. Just keep it clean of all obvious dirt and dust accumulation.
Store it in a dark dry place. Sunlight can dry it out like an old lampshade. Store it rolled into a loose coil along its natural bend. Donât force it to coil any tighter than it wants to.
Steve, your comments about neetâs foot oil are quite right and I have repaired many whips which have suffered from this scourge. However, it has been my experience that most people use far too much oil on their whips and this is as bad as using water and will rot the leather at the end about four inches from the fall. The other problem occurs when people use whips around wet grass etc. so they apply more oil to the whip in an effort to get rid of the moisture, unfortunately, quality neetâs foot oil is sulfonated which helps it penetrate the leather better but also acts as an emulsifier and only traps the water in with the oil, making the problem worse. Remember, neetâs foot oil can be great for leather but use sparingly on dry whips only.
For water proofing, lubricating and in the making of the belly of my whips I use a paste that my father used to make for the Australian army during WWII made from mutton fat and specially treated mineral oils, testimony of its effectiveness is a couple of 80 + year old whips which still look and feel new.
I totally agree, if you have to use Neats foot oil on your whips use it sparingly. Many whip crackers around the World recommend using animal fat products like kidney fat and tallow to grease their whips. I have the concern that these fats have the potential to grow bacteria that could attack the leather. I use a product called Pecard leather dressing on my whips. It is based on a petroleum Lubricant with the addition of selected waxes such as bees wax. It seems to be recommended by whip maker David Morgan, and to be honest that is good enough for me. It is available through his web site.
As the oils in leather dry out, it loses strength and flexibility. I give my whips a good coat of grease/dressing about every 6 months, with lighter coatings in between when needed. Be sure the whip is clean and dry before you apply a leather dressing to them. For a heavy coat, be sure to allow it time to absorb in, (up to a week or more for dry or dense leather whips) then wipe the excess off with a soft cloth. It seems to work well. I also try to keep my whip falls treated on a more constant basis as they seem to last longer if kept well dressed. I recommend giving a new whip a good coat of dressing before use too. You do not over grease a whip though. It should not feel sticky or tacky after the excess dressing is removed. The amount of use your whip gets also determine how often it should be dressed. Whips in storage or that are not frequently used can probably get away with a light coat of dressing every 6 months. Where as a whip being used on a daily basis or that are being exposed to harsh elements will need more frequent dressing.
One of the quickest ways to damage a good whip is to hit it against hard or sharp objects like walls, fences, rocks, concrete and gravel. So donât hit those things. Also cracking a whip with excessive force can stretch the thong affecting the taper as well as cause the fall to break. With a good technique you should not need excessive force to crack your whip. If you going to be doing a great deal of cutting or smacking objects out of the air with your whip, Let the fall and cracker (popper) take the brunt of the wear. They are replaceable for just that reason. Dirt and sand can also sometimes get inside the braid of the whip causing internal rubbing that in time can cause damage to the whip. If you suspect this has happened and it is causing a problem you can carefully wash the dirt out in warm mild soapy water then rinse it. DO NOT SOAK the whip. Then let it dry properly and completely. Then give it a good heavy coat of grease or leather dressing. While I normally never recommend getting a leather whip wet, (if you can avoid it) this is one rare case where it is necessary, however this is not something you want to do often. For general cleaning you can use a high quality saddle soap or other good leather cleaner as long as it does not contain any salts or solvents.
While it sounds obsessive I try to wipe down my whips with a soft cloth before I put them away, I find they stay much cleaner this way.
A braided leather handle and the knot work on a whip requires slightly different care than the rest of the whip. Most leather dressings lubricate the leather causing it stretch a little in order to encourage flexibility in the leather. While this is the desired effect with the thong and fall, Itâs not what you want with a braided leather handle or the knot work. First off, do not treat them as often as you would the thong and fall. Over dressing a braided handle of a whip can in time cause the leather to become loose and slide on the handle assembly. Aside from keeping them clean, try to use only enough leather dressing to keep the leather in good shape. Wipe on an extremely light coat, then wipe it off to remove the excess.
This is also the case with the fancy knot work on whips. You want to keep those knots tight so that it doesnt loosen up and become undone. An occasional wipe on wipe off with a good leather dressing is ok, but for the most part they donât need it. Instead a high quality leather shoe polish has been recommended and can be use to keep the leather knot work in good shape, with out causing them to loosen up on you. Again though with any product you use on your whip, make sure its not going to contain any harsh chemicals or salts that could eventually damage the leather.
The last foot or two of the whip takes the abuse. You really donât need to worry about the top half. You may use a leather dressing such as Pecardâs. Make sure you wipe the whip down after you condition it. Leaving it oily will only attract the dirt and dust that damages the leather. Treat the whip like your skin. When you feel it getting dry, put some on.
To disinfect the cracker, I have found from the medical supply store a product called Staffine. Itâs a 20oz. aerosol spray, and it kills HIV after 30 seconds. Itâs also colorless which is very important for the whip. You may use it only on the cracker or you may use it on the leather as well. If you spray part of the fall of the whip, make sure you spray the whole length. You donât want to discolor just one part.
Iâve been hearing more and more hype about Staphene, and itâs getting to the point that Iâm slightly alarmed about the virtues being attributed to it. So from my own perspective as a medicinal chemist with 12 years in the chemical and biomedical industries, I wanted to post some fact and dispel some myths.
First, the good news. Staphene is a very effective bactericide, fungicide, and virucide. It is safe for use on leather, in the sense that it wonât harm leather goods.
However there are some dangerous myths about Staphene: Most importantly, Staphene WILL NOT SANITIZE LEATHER!!!! I canât overemphasize this, because this is the biggest part of the hype about Staphene. People think that because Staphene is safe for use on leather, it is also effective against most of the viruses we worry about. And in the case of leather this is not true. In fact, the only use on leather that the manufacturer recommends is spraying leather surfaces to prevent mildew.
Hereâs the problem: leather and wood are very porous. Blood and other body fluids soak into leather, and at that point Staphene canât reach the dangerous micro-organisms lodged in those pores. For surface molds and mildew Staphene works great, and if your leathergoods get wet Staphene can be part of the rehabilitation process to get them back to normal. But please, donât trust it to sanitize leather, cloth, or wood that has come into contact with body fluids.
The only way to sanitize porous organic materials that have contacted body fluids is an autoclave. And of course that will destroy most leathergoods.
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Itâs many years since the text below was written, and a lot of things have changed in the whip market. There are a lot more whip makers and itâs easy to buy from anywhere in the world. Nylon whips have come of age, and parachute cord is now the material of choice for many whip makers, who are getting great results from it. For beginners I normally recommend a nylon bullwhip or cow whip, six to eight feet in length depending how big you are and how much space you have to practice in.
When choosing a whip maker, here are a few things to think about: How long have they been in the business? Is is a full time job or a hobby? Who did they learn from? Though there are some notable exceptions to this, generally whip makers who learned from a master whip maker themselves, and have been doing it full time for decades, produce better and more consistent whips.
The very best whips are made out of kangaroo hide, which is very strong and dense. These are the Aussie whips referred to below. If you order directly from Australia you should only order from a member of the Australian Plaiters and Whipmakers Association, as they will expel any member who does not follow ethical business practices. In recent years the best nylon whips have become equal in performance to all but the finest kangaroo hide whips, and are half the price or less.
Itâs very important that you have a good whip. The usual cheapies that you find in stores just wonât cut it (unintentional pun, actually). Like JuggleBug diabolos, they will give you so much grief just trying to learn the basics that you will probably throw it away before learning. The weave should be very snug. The edges of the leather strips should lay flat against each other and not stick up (run your hand down the whip, it should be somewhat smooth). The âfallâ (the part that connects the braided part to the string popper) should be a continuation of the smallest diameter of the whip. Many cheap whips have a fall that is wider than the thong. This fall should be trimmed with a razor so that it is at least a bit narrower than the smallest part of the thong. At 8 to 10 feet, a whip should be pretty heavy. A good whip has a healthy heft to it. If the whip is too light, it will be very difficult to pop properly. My 6 foot Aussies cost me between $125-150 and my 12 footer cost $250 (in 1991-92).
The longer the whip the harder it is to handle properly, but the louder the pop will be. When beginning to learn you should use a whip that isnât too long. 6 foot or less is best, 8 foot is the top end. Beyond that the whip will be unwieldy and you can learn bad habits trying to get it to pop.
DubĂ©âs whip is OK, but if you are looking for a GREAT whip, get in contact with Mark Allen. He has the best selection Iâve ever seen. I am not a great fan of that Whip book, mostly because it is a book. I, DubĂ© and Mark Allen sell a Whip Video called âWhip Cracking Part 1 and Part 2â (about $25.00 from all of us). There is another video called The Art of the Bullwhip that is more exhibition then instruction.
 A whip you probably donât want to use and wonât last â $25- $40US
A good whip â $60-$100US
A Great whip that will last you for years, $200-$350US
For the last category of whips, you will have to go to see Mark Allen. (1-800-858-5568) say Hi for me.
There is another video called The Art of the Bullwhip that is more exhibition than instruction.
 âThe Art of the Bullwhipâ is essential for anyone who appreciates the bullwhip. There are things on that vid that are stupendous! Vince Bruce, Leonard Wheatley, Joyce Rice, and the Bradys are just incredible to watch. The other two vids are good for instruction. Part 1 covers the basics and Part 2 specifically covers four advanced techniques. I did the sound engineering on that vid and Iâll be damned if one of those students doesnât look really familiar!
A whip you probably donât want to use or wont last â $25-$40US
 Iâm not comfortable with that price range. The whip sold by DubĂ© and Mark for $40-60 is the absolute minimum which can be used properly. There are whips out there for less, but due to the improper construction, they are not able to be popped properly as they are too light and do not taper. You will probably not be able to learn on one of these.
A good whip â $60-$100US
 I havenât seen one for this price range that qualifies as good. Though our mileage probably varies. Both Mark Allen and Brian DubĂ© sell a halfway decent American bullwhip that costs around $60. Itâs not very smooth or accurate, but itâs heavy and tapered enough to learn well with. I did. It has the wide, fall that I described which should be trimmed down. And the popper it comes with wonât last very long.
A Great whip that will last you for years, $200-$350
 Again as mileage (and superlatives) varies, I say $200-350 is a âVery Goodâ whip. A GREAT whip is handmade to order by a recognized expert (David Morgan, Leonard Wheatley), will probably cost more and will definitely take a long time to order and make. Youâll wait for it, but itâs worth it if you are really serious. [Note from Andrew. Since this was written David Morgan has largely retired from whip making and Leonard Wheatley has passed away]
There are some nylon whips out there which are good for beginners as they are not expensive, handle well, can take wet conditions, and do not need conditioning. Billy Anderson, Rhettâs Whips, Greg DeSaye, Mark Allen and others sell nylon whips which I think are the best value around $100.
For more expensive whips, the quality of the braiding and the leather are important, but there other factors: How much âlifeâ does the whip have? When you hang it from the handle, and then move the handle slightly, how fast and how big is the movement in the popper?
Is the density distribution smooth? Does the weight of the whip decrease smoothly along the length? If it is all concentrated in the handle, or spread evenly along the length, that makes the whip harder to crack. The construction of the belly (the part inside the thong) is really important for this. Good whips have a smaller whip woven inside. Bad whips have rope or even paper inside.
Are the fall and the thong the same width where they meet? If not this interrupts the density distribution.
Finally, how much effort does it take to crack, and how does it feel in my hand? The better the whip, the less effort it takes to crack, and a really fine whip will crack with a very small motion of the hand, provided you get it just right.
The higher the plait count, the âlivelierâ your whip will be. Imagine a two foot long chain. Which will be livelier (a) the two foot chain made from three links, or (b) the two foot chain made from 400 links? You can directly interpret this to the number of plaits. A 12 plait will be more supple than an 8, and a 16 more than a 12. But of course the time and skill required to make a 16 plait whip is FAR MORE than that for an 8⊠and you are going to pay for it!
âLifeâ is extremely important in a whip. It is what transfers your intended hand movements out across the whip. It can be viewed as âless lifeâ equals âstatic interferenceâ on your television. The liveliest whip will broadcast every nuance of your delivery without any loss. A less lively whip will lose a lot in the transmission and accuracy and subtlety will be lost.
I donât know enough about the âbellyâ to give an opinion, but any whip from a decent whip maker (not mass-produced) will likely have at least one decent, hand-woven belly with proper filling.
Type of leather is up to your personal taste. Most favored seems to be Kangaroo, but well treated Cow is beloved too. Iâve even held a whip made of Rhinoceros (or was it Hippo? Donât remember now).
So much of whip choice is personal taste. Though in the beginning itâs pretty much either (a) ask someone where to buy one, order it, and if you like it Voila! You now have a favorite whip-maker who you will recommend. Or (b) you use someone elseâs whip and order the same kind.
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There are detailed instructions for making your own bullwhip on EM Brand Whips home page. Thanks Bernie.
Hereâs a PDF I wrote Make-A-Snake in which I show how you can make a simple snake whip out of nylon braid from the hardware store. It uses only the most basic braiding and takes less than an hour to make, but will do a forward crack quite nicely.
The 1892 book Picturesque Hampden has a section on a whip manufacturer in Westfield, MA, which was the center of the 19th Century US whip industry. Start here and press Next button to read the article. There is one surviving whip company in Westfield using 19th Century whip making equipment.
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Whip Repair link is broken
Do not attempt to crack a whip until you have read the Safety Instructions
The first crack you should learn is the forward crack, as it is relatively safe and is useful for cutting targets. The sidearm crack is best for wraps and the overhead is the most impressive looking and will give you the loudest cracks.
The Hungarian Pig Droverâs Crack
This is the crack used for targeting. I have also heard it called the Circus crack and the Gypsy crack.
Hold the handle in your hand with the whip trailing on the ground straight out behind you⊠and I MEAN STRAIGHT. If it is wrapped behind you it might catch your leg as it goes by. Your thumb is pointing down to the ground with your hand hanging at your side.
Part 1: UPSWING. Swing your arm up (forwards) in a fast-paced, constant, fluid (not jerky) motion so the hand ends up above your shoulder, palm facing toward your ear beside your head, with the elbow pointing at your target. The speed should be enough so that the whip is fully extended throughout the upswing, not flopping or wiggling. For these first practice runs let the whip just fall to the ground behind you (donât follow through yet). Practice this so that the whip flies firmly through the air. Do not JERK the whip up, swing it fluidly.
Part 2: THROW/FOLLOW THROUGH. When the whip tip (popper) starts dropping down behind you, step forward with the opposite leg (left leg for right handed throwers) and throw the whip forward. Keep the thumb on top (palm towards ear) and snap the wrist like you are using a hammer or casting a fishing pole. Follow through to a target you have aimed at in the distance (this is important) like a tree or telephone pole. Donât pull the whip down at the end so that it crashes into the ground (most people do this in the beginning). Throw the whip out straight and finish with your arm pointing straight out to the target. The body of the whip will travel past your shoulder creating a loop in the whip.
The loop is the essential part of the delivery. It is what makes the tip go pop. When you swing the whip up and cock your wrist at the top (next to your ear) the tip of the whip is starting to swing down and forward under your elbow. When you throw the whip forward, the tip continues forward (past your shoulder or hip) and creates the loop as in the picture. This is why a good whip is so important. A cheap, lightweight whip wonât have enough weight at the tip for this to happen. The tip will just follow the thong and not create the loop.
Steve describes what I consider to be the hardest way to crack a whip, although it gives by far the most aim and control once you get it. If youâre going to want to hit targets and such, thatâs the way, no doubt. Personally, I have trouble with doing it that way, and often get a wimpy pop.Â
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Forward Crack Variations   Â
Do not attempt to crack a whip until you have read the Safety Instructions
The one in front of your face does not really crack there, but the whip does travel real close. You know the basic crack you use for cutting â well, Karen taught me to do that, follow through and turn 180° to the left at the same time and do it again, which is another thing you can repeat indefinitely. However after doing it a couple of times she said to follow through with your body turned 90° to the right (facing the plane of the crack), bring the whip up again in and do the cutting crack in the opposite direction to the previous one, so that the whip goes from your left to your right, instead of from your back to your front. Hope that makes some sort of senseâŠ
Iâve experimented a lot with the âforward throwâ or âcutâ technique in different planes relative to the body. I do the one youâve described, but you donât have to do the first one and then turn, you can just start it in the plane in front of your body as follows:
Lay the whip out to the right (90° to your right) and bring it across in front of you (scraping across your toes) and up to send the pop out to the left. This is in a plane that is parallel to your shoulders. After the pop on the left side, continue your hand down and to the right dragging the fall across your toes again, but this time from the left to the right. Continue the whip up and pop it out directly to your right. This is an âindefiniteâ technique (goes on and on). By combining this technique with your body turning to the right, you can turn completely around to the right while keeping the whip in the same plane and just continue on and on.
 Thereâs another trick where you can pop the whip out behind yourself by doing the above trick but front to back and then back to front. There is a new part you have to learn to pop it backwards though. Thereâs a big hesitation you have to learn and force the fall to wrap. I combine all these tricks to pop the whip at North, South, East and West.
1) swing the whip in a circle over your head. Donât swing too fast, just enough so that the whip is airborne and straight. MAJOR WARNING: Have enough clearance on all sides!!!
2) When the tip of the whip is behind you and a little to the right, (assuming youâre right-handed) cease the circular motion, and instead bring you arm forward, as if casting a fishing line. Try to aim off to the right a little.
3) As the whip starts coming forward, make sure you snap that wrist.
This method gives me the loudest pop of all the ones I can do. Iâm not sure Iâve explained it well, but without my whip being handy, I canât analyze it any better. Additional comments: Make sure you throw off to the side somewhat. This will make the whip miss your head, which is important.
To learn the Overhead, you should fully understand how the Forward Cut works and what it looks like. The Overhead is the same thing as the Forward Cut, except that it is in a different plane (over your head). Look at the Forward Cut from the side (as if you are looking at someone else doing it). We will be looking at a right-handed whip artist and we are standing to his right side looking at his shoulder. Now imagine a clock face with his shoulder as the spot where the clockâs hands connect at the center. Letâs review the Forward Cut: His hand is down at 6 with the whip trailing off to our left (behind him). He raises his arm up to 12, pauses a microsecond to let the tip come around behind him to create that all-important loop in the whip, then reverses his arm forward to 3. His arm has traveled in an arc. That arc lies ON a plane that runs from front to back.
Now tilt that plane up over his head and look down from above him (keep your point of reference from his right side). He lifts his arm up and starts spinning the whip around over his head like a cowboy spinning a lariat. His elbow is now at the center of that clock face with the 6 off to his right, 12 off to his left and 3 straight ahead. Now as he swings the whip past 6 (going counterclockwise) over his head, when his arm is pointing to 12 he pauses for a microsecond to let the tip come around behind him to begin to create that all-important loop in the whip, he reverses his arm back along the clock face in a clockwise direction down to the 3. The loop in the whip passes over your head and elbow and pops out to the right. Donât pull your hand down, follow through out to the right.
You must keep the speed up during the swing or the whip will droop down behind you and when you reverse direction to 3 oâclock, the whip will go forward directly into the back of your neck or arm. Also, if you pull the whip down instead of throwing it out ahead of you it will hit you in the shoulder or head. Aim high.
Now arenât you anxious to get out there and try this one (heh heh heh)?
Hungarian Pig Droverâs Crack   Â
Do not attempt to crack a whip until you have read the Safety Instructions
The pig droverâs crack is real easy to describe. Using the right arm get the whip rotating counter clockwise (viewed from above) over your head. Assume 12 is straight ahead. When your arm gets to 2 oâclock, stop for a moment, and let the whip carry on, then hurry up to catch up with it. The nice thing about this is that you can do it continuously, and the whip never changes direction. Doing it every other circle is fairly easy, and I am working on doing it every circle.
This is like the forward Crack but done with a sidearm throw. Set up like with the forward Crack (the whip is trailing behind you) but hold your hand and arm in a position as if you are âhitch-hiking a rideâ. Your palm is up and your thumb is on the near side of the handle pointing behind you.
You will be pushing the whip forward with your thumb as if you are casting a fishing pole in a sidearm manner. IMPORTANT HINT: In order to make the all-important loop, you must have as much of the whip up off the ground as possible (or it will droop below your arm). Think of this as if at the first moment of the throw, you are lifting the entire whip UP off the ground. There is a little bit of a âlift upâ with the hand at the first moment as you are throwing forward. It is not separate from the throw, it is *part* of it.
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I wonât explain the technique here, just how the trick works. If you remember in my last post, I described how a safe cut can be done by aiming the popper to expend most of its energy before it hits the target. This is the same thing. You make the whip pop away from the victimâs body, but the continuation of your follow-through carries the body of the whip (which is really just swinging harmlessly through the air at this point) across to wrap itself around the victim. Once again, because it all happens so fast, from the audienceâs point of view, they think the whip is right there against the victimâs body. Itâs safe (unless the whip wraps around his/her throat and you pull really hard :-).
I use this trick to catch a (planted stooge) volunteer from the audience who, after seeing what I intend to do to him, has realized the err of his ways and tries to escape. I use a 12 footer and throw it way out where it pops really loud, then wraps around his/her body on the follow through. From there, I just reel âem in like a fish. Itâs cute.
 This trick is easier with longer whips. 10 and 12 footers are best, and 8 footer will work if you are really good at the sidearm pop, and a 6 footer is best left until after you really know what you are doing.
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