coachhelder.com... Coach Helder goes over the uses and applications of the Shepherd's Sling. Music By: "Thunderhead" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons...
This was very helpful! I just made a really crude temporary small sling from masking tape and a shoe lace! I've gotten the overhead to underhand technique down for distance and am working on the overhead to overhand for accuracy!
I recommend tying a knot in the anchor string, and grasping it across the palm with the knot by the little finger, and the string between the middle and index finger. Tying the string to a finger is going to make a pretty sore finger. The release string is knotted for the thumb and index finger. Make a bigger pocket so its more versatile for different ammo. I start at my side, swing the sling forward changing to overhead lasso style for the release. This gives more velocity as its at least one complete revolution of the pocket. I had the evil idea of making these when i stayed with my cousins on the farm in 1965. We got very good with them. The dents in the machine shed are still there. As far as ammo, the course edged gravel is the most fun because the angled edges create a most evil buzzing noise when released. For a real noise maker try a short piece of stick or lath. If you get frustrated because you arent hitting much, put a handful of crushed rock or pea gravel in your sling and go for a shotgun load. Again, i recommend a pocket about 3-4 times as big as the one you have as it is more adaptable to different ammo loads. We made our pockets out of inner tube, The inner tube did not form a tight pocket so it released the ammo consistently. If you ever sling, and the rock stays in the pocket it can come back and hit you very hard usually in the head or face. Lol
Nice video. I make my own sligns from strips of braided leather, with the pouch being 2 overlapping strips of thick leather. The space between the 2 strips can be adjusted to accommodate different size rocks. I have been using 3/4 inch SS ball bearings which also work well in my slingshot. I have been thinking about drilling holes into the ball bearings and adding 1/2 inch spikes, I think they will make an impressive projectile. I bet they would stick in well in wood or someone's forehead. If I ever get it working I'll make a video.
Check out the Balearic slingers, a different motion with a release that can generate more force by speeding up the revolutions per minute. I believe David used that in a lasso style release while running at Goliath swinging the stone. By the time David was 30-40 meters away he released the stone at near the speed of sound. Goliath may have saw it coming but could not escape the blow. Myth busters did an episode on slings and estimate that a slingstone had the force or knockdown power approaching a 45 caliber hand gun. Look up why 1911 45 caliber hand guns were made. You will have a greater appreciation of the Shepherd's sling and its power.
Hey Herd, nice video. I myself use a similar style sling. I take it camping because hey, you never know. More of a deterrent then to kill. The technique is the " lasso" or windmill technique. I can achieve speeds 10x that of the overhead technique. When done correctly you can hear the infamous Sonic boom or in terms of a sling or whip that " crack" as far as ammo, instead of spending hours finding a pouch of the perfect smooth round stone as David found in the Bible..... I use Ball Bearings. Stones will always be inconsistent as the ball bearings will not which will make your slinging consistent. Just my opinion which means nothing. Take care
@Aaron Markel By no means am I an expert slinger but I did read an interesting article about the king of kings when it comes to slinging, the slingers of the Balearic Islands during ancient Roman times, using egg-shaped lead prjectiles as their favored ammo as lead is heavier per cubic centimeter/inch than most other metals...including holes drilled in them for sound effect to "scare" the enemy that much more (which could be easily plugged if it affects the aerodynamics)...aka fishing weights. Have you ever considered using these? I would guess they are much cheaper than steel ball bearings, and according to the Balearic Islanders, superior.
I've always been puzzled at how consistent accuracy can be achieved using such inconsistent ammo as pebbles, both in terms of aerodynamics and mass/density.
My sling attaches to my staff. I can drive 50 cal. lead shot through 1/2" plywood at 50 paces. A staff sling launches the projectile with much more authority than using your arm. If I needed a sling and had the paracord while in the "woods" then after making the sling finding a suitable stick for a staff would be next on my agenda. I have a great deal of practice with an Atlatl but a staff sling is easier to make.
I hold my sling’s ring with my ring finger and the knot with my index and thumb. With the overhand motion, the line doesn’t twist up and pervert the path of the stone.
Made these when I was a kid, always loved the story of David (the underdog) and Goliath (the loudmouthed know-it-all- tuff guy a-hole.) Thud. Lights out. Mine were always made from leather, strings and all. When I was making mine, para cord was not as available, most of it was being used in Korea at the time. If you use one of these right and send about a one-pound rock at, and connect with, someone's head at about a hundred miles an hour, it is lights out, Charlie. Fractured skull, for sure. And a BODY hit? I have been hit with a TWO OUNCE TENNIS BALL (many times) at a hundred miles an hour, from a racket,and buddy, it STINGS. According to the Bible, the rock didn't kill Goliath, only put his ass to sleep. The SWORD is what did him in. Whatever works. My brother and I kicked it up a notch and used one for batting practice with a baseball. Not good. Many a bruised shin and every other part of the anatomy it hit and we stopped that. But, this video brings back some great memories. All kidding aside, you DON'T want to be on the wrong end of this little gem.Thanks for posting, Coach!
British Wrath it says David struck down Goliath and put him to death (“the stone sank into his forehead and he fell facedown on the ground”) however David immediately ran over to him and grabbed Goliath’s sword and behead Goliath in order to make sure he was dead
How much practice before one becomes proficient enough to let's just say hit a bird And how does one go about carving rocks and stones into more effective projectiles
Here is the Wikipedia entry that I was referencing: "On the Iberian peninsula, the Spanish and Portuguese infantry favoured it against light and agile Moorish troops. The staff sling continued to be used in sieges and the sling was used as a part of large siege engines.[25]" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sling_(weapon)
Great another metro dude that can't hit shit with a sling ... first off you want to use thin cord braided surveyor's string works pretty good... the thin cord isn't affected by the air as much and it clears the stone better a smaller pocket is best for a clean release that means shorter and narrower... imagine you'r hand holding a basketball... make them narrower until you start dropping stones a lot then keep that then awhile and one you can keep most in go a smidge wider until you can keep them in ... get a whip or something like a whip and learn to hit a close target with the tip of the whip this will improve your accuracy and train your mind and body to hit the target ... keep both feet solid on the ground ... after you become accurate then you will be able to hit the target regardless but to begin you need a solid foundation... pay attention to every movement of both hands your head your hips and everything... start trying to limit all motion to your throw hand only by standing rigid and maybe put your other hand in your pocket or behind your back grab your waist band or belt.... good advice is get a fly rod and practice putting a fly into a cup or small bucket 8 inch diameter at 30 yards ... visualize the stone at the end of the pocket see it's entire path fly line will help you imagine the path.... focus on getting your hits in a vertical line first try a 6 inch wide tree... try a bigger tree then narrower until you can consistently hit 3 inch wide tree on the verticle.... then start training the elevation....train methodically.... always eliminate flyers ..... think about it the vertical line comes first then the horizontal.... one thing to try is placing the stone and pocket at the small of your back and sling directly inst you'r head to the target on the same plane as you're primary eye ... you want the path of the rotation plane to align with your target .... you will never hit your target when that plane is not aligned..... try to think of a skill saw spinning if one of the teeth come off where can it hit.... if you have a spinning wheel and you throw paint on it where does it go.... this will get you hitting a 3 inch tree at 30 to 50 yards ... to hit the target on the horizontal plane that is controlled by where in the arch you release.... imagine a clock face on the spinning wheel and release at 12;00 o'clock and then at 3 o'clock then 1 then 2 then start going for the minutes .... between .... as long as you have a good vertical line and are always hitting the 3 inch wide tree ... work on the elevation that your hitting using these minutes and seconds..... you imagine these things and in less than one hour practice you will be hitting a softball at 20 yards .... practice at greater distances all the time including trying to lob into a small circle at 100 or so yards .... practice with longer slings too... then when you go to a shorter sling accuracy will improve... the sling string is best with slip knot around the ring finger and across the palm to index finger then hold the knot release end right next to the loop string....I hold my index finger like it's on the trigger of a gun with both strings and knot pinched and when releasing i point that index finger and the strings as an Extension of my finger at the target ... stones should be about the size of a glass marble to a boulder size ..... big stuff just reduces accuracy.... just as David chose smooth round stones you should too.... you can also use 2 or more smaller stones as a shotgun I find it best to have one larger stone and several small ones when doing this.... taking birds in flight is easier with the shot method... I came up with 3 lead shot with string between like a bolo for taking birds you have to wrap them just right or they tangle ... i find that flaking the string into the sling back and fourth across the pouch then placing the shot on top is best.... you can also throw many other things like throwing stars with modified pouches stars though do not fly straight as it's difficult to get good spin
I hope you matched the release knot better off camera because as it was it looked dangerous. Start from the pouch, with even ends so the stone rests securely, and work your way back to the release end.
Sorry about that Michael. To be honest, there isn't much to it. You just release the end that is not tied to your finger. If you release to soon, the projectile will most likely fall behind you. If you release to late, it will most-likely strike the ground a few feet in front of you. I hope that helps and sorry for no elaborating enough in the video. -Hg
It's pretty dam far, Steven. I was also surprised when I did a bit of research before making this video. Here is a quote from Wikipedia: "Ancient peoples used the sling in combat-armies included both specialist slingers and regular soldiers equipped with slings. As a weapon, the sling had several advantages; a sling bullet lobbed in a high trajectory can achieve ranges in excess of 400 metres (1,300 ft)." -Hg
Thanks James, I appreciate your support. I do think that I received that sling from Survival Life a few years back. Did you see it on their channel? -Hg
Yleensä tuo turha pyörittäminen vaan hankaloittaa ajoittamista. Itse pyöräytän vain yhden kerran, enemmän on turhaa, ei lisää kiven nopeutta vaikka pyörittäisit 20 kertaa. Tärkeintä on oikea ajoitus kun aloitat voimakkaan riuhtaisun.
It seems that rocks about the size of tangerines, or cuties would work best because their weight would be heavy enough to overpower the wind drag of the rope and wind resistance while the rock is in flight, yet not so heavy that you can't get good speed to make them travel.
Ancient soldiers could hit targets over 400 meters away and were even able to kill at closer range. Even leather armor provided little protection. With a lot of practice you can learn to kill someone easily with one of these.
Piles of hardened clay ball have been found in ancient armories. Slingers were an essential part of ancient armies. The Phillistines would have known this. The story is a parable for children.
DJ May People also forget how deadly a sling was even without gods help, the sling doesn’t always kill instantly but rather knocks them out and slowly if not medically assisted will die from bleeding of the head, such as a depressed skull which can really can someone
Your figure 8 isn't really a figure 8... fig 8 is a specific technique not just moving your sling in a figure 8 before throwing. The best tutorial I've seen of it is the figure 8 demo by Brian Grubbs which is on youtube. You could also try Greek, balearic and byzantine styles.
Yeah if you do a few slow spins you’ll feel the rock pull on the sling as you spin it. When you feel it pull the direction you want the rock to fly, that’s when you let go.
I think I heard about the Greek underground using these slings against German patrols during WWII. Poor farmers and some priests against the Reich war machine.
Great video ! Also stream beds are a good place to find the smooth rounded rocks. Have a WSH Wood Sheep Hook from Tractor Supply. Cut my WSH down to a long Walking Cane size. Also my WSH takes a one inch (1") Diameter Rubber Foot. And both products may be banned because of the Biblical connection ! Thank you for the video ! tjl
I didnt realize that I was submitting a thesis to you, "Please" would be nice. But... Here is the Wikipedia entry that I was referencing: "On the Iberian peninsula, the Spanish and Portuguese infantry favoured it against light and agile Moorish troops. The staff sling continued to be used in sieges and the sling was used as a part of large siege engines.[25]" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sling_(weapon) -Hg
Asking someone to say please indicates you feel you are superior to them. As an adult and a veteran I certainly don't feel I am inferior to you. I expect the same amount of respect that I show you by not outright telling you you are wrong when I don't have any proof that you are. I asked which armies use slings to throw grenades. You said it as though it's a known fact. So I am curious which ones. If it is true then there are training manuals pictures and other articles to show this. But I can't find them and I am curious.
So you admit that you "assumed" I was wrong from the get-go. I didn't need to be a detective to figure that one out. So to you, being polite and having manners, when asking for something additional, that was provided for free to you initially, translates to superiority? As a veteran and an adult, you should know better. Golden Rule: Treat others the way that you want to be treated. In my book, when I feel something is incorrect and want to challenge someone... well, I do the work myself. Not only was the answer, 1 Google search away, but I had also answered it previously on this comment thread. So basically, you want me to do your work for you, and I am the one with a superiority complex? Sounds legit. Semper Fi. -Hg
Yes Coach, What works for you, In Britain the game of Cricket is played, So in the military we learned to through hand granaids, Cricket bowling ball style, Our instructors were nervious wrecks, If we were asked to use a Shepard sling in live granaid pracktes, Well.
Ja jos haluaa että kivi lentää todella kaus, niin paras tyyli on alakautta tai sivulta. Sivulta saa koko vartalon kierron mukaan antamaan lisää vauhtia.
Topsiekku think the more you throw motion like with your normal hand throw in using the sling , the better the throw , for me I have to throw down vertical , and release when my hand is in front of the target to not miss it by a mile, but every now and then I can throw with a normal hand motion and get a much faster better hit .
That thing With grenades is bullshit. They dont do that and for trowing grenades at long range there are RPGs and rifle grenades and special crossbows but not slings.
It might surprise you to learn that the Bible is simply a story book. David and Goliath as like Hansel and Gretel. However, the sling was used during by stone age people and cave paintings depict this.
Hello Pam, no surprise at all. I just stated that they were mentioned in biblical times. Like most "story books"... There may be a hint of truth in there that has been embellished over the years. Thanks for taking the time to share your opinion. -Hg
The rounded ball is very aerodynamic if you would have seen it you could have used it ill elaborate it in a bit also you were talking about the aerodynamics of rocks so you kinda get it eh?
"i can probably get 300ft or 300m"" so 900ft .....ye right i cant get an atlatl dart 3 football fields i seriously doubt your getting a stone that far.
