r/Slinging • u/Reasonable-Bitman • 5d ago

Wanting to learn

Hey yall. I've been wanting to learn both how to make, and how to use a sling. Can you help me?

7 Upvotes

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3

u/ottermupps 5d ago

Lots of videos on youtube. Iron Goober is good for technique, look up the Mersa seatbelt sling for an easy one to make.

1

u/Reasonable-Bitman 5d ago

Thanks! What if.....I don't have a random seatbelt 😭???

3

u/ottermupps 5d ago

Don't need one! You just need some webbing about 1" wide, any hardware store or craft store should have some.

Or get a roll of jute or hemp twine and braid a sling, but if you've never done this sorta thing before it can be a bit hard. Not complicated, but a lot to learn.

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u/Warrior-Yogi 5d ago

Here is everything that I know about slinging in one very long post.

Give some consideration to your ammo, which will help you decide what style of pouch, either open or closed. Tennis balls are safer than rocks. Tennis balls can be thrown from an open or split pouch. So can rocks, but it takes some effort to learn to balance the rock in an open sling.

u/bandit111964 posted a twin loop sling that he designed strictly for tennis balls. Very clever design that is make from 2 lengths of paracord - one of my favorite designs.

You can’t buy strength or accuracy. There are several custom sling makers who produce amazing slings - and we should all support them - but - a custom sling is no substitute for practice.

If you want to start slinging w/out the time and potential frustration of making your own sling - Parallel Halo sells very serviceable sling on Amazon. I own several and enjoy them.

Slings can be dry fired - a great way to practice your throw. There are lots of throw styles, but it basically boils down to overhand, side-armed, or underhand. Start w/ the one that feels best to you and practice.

Let the sling do the work. A relaxed throw at 50-70% of full strength with good form will often yield better results than muscling through bad form.

A shorter sling is more accurate and a longer sling more powerful. A good starting point is to hold the sling in the ready position (retention cord on the finger, release cord between thumb and index finger) and stand with your slinging arm fully extended by your side. The sling should be a little above ground level.

Lastly, and w/ apologies for going all woo-woo on you, if you are interested in how slinging became a path to my cultural heritage - check out my website https://benjamitechronicles.com/ There is a short vid of me slinging on the page titled “Aleph-Bet BaMakal.”

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u/Reasonable-Bitman 3d ago

Thanks bro!

1

u/irongoober 4d ago

You have to keep tension during the throw. If it feels bad or awkward, it's usually because you've lost tension in the sling. Go for slow and smooth. Smooth will gain you much more than trying to muscle through a throw. Slow down if it feels bad.