If you have read my blog post about my first sling, slinging for me started with friends. I would not be where I am today if it was not for friends to throw with. Or friends to watch me throw. I certainly would not have continued this long without friends to cheer and gasp with amazement.
I love showing new friends a sling. It is so unassuming. As they hold it, they pull it back like a rubber slingshot and say, “this won’t shoot anything.” At that point, I get an egg-sized stone and maybe a few flat rocks. After that first throw with the rock going 200 to 300ft, they all get excited. Then I throw some flat stones, and they hear the sound that rocks can make. Soon I have 20 to 30-year-olds running around getting stones for me to throw. There is nothing like it.
Getting friends into slinging is also a great way to improve your slinging.
My friend, Matt from college, helped me get better at slinging. He was the first friend that got into slinging as much as I did. He was a blacksmith (I was a painter), and he did pole vaulting in high school (I played video games and did break dancing), so he was much stronger than I was in the upper body department. So when we started throwing, I could outthrow him. But he caught up fast; I had taught him all the tricks for distance before long, and he was throwing further than me!
This got me to practice more. I was learning new ways to throw. Improving my form for the throws, I could already do. And I was working on the release angle for the optimal distance. Once that was set, I started finding the right stones. The ones that would fly further and straighter. And after a while, it was a toss-up on which one of us would throw further. If one of us had a better stone or favorable wind when we threw, that person would win.
Throwing with Matt was the first time I threw over 300 feet. And if it weren’t for him, I would still be happy throwing 150 to 200 feet.
Friends can push you to get better. Whether it is an accuracy contest or a distance contest, some healthy competition is always helpful when it comes to improving. Also, you always have someone to check your form when you throw. You may drop your shoulder right before you throw. Your rotation may be slightly off. You will be able to see this if you record yourself. But it is easier with a friend to see you in person. There is a lot that a video can miss. Even simply having someone there to talk things out makes overcoming challenges easier.
Write in the comments if you have any friends that you sling with. Or if you have any friends that might be interested in it.
Sling on
The Hilltop Hurler 