11-22-2013, 11:42 AM
I have wondered about the amount of training it would really need to be effective. Not a true marksman that can hit a plate at 30 yards consistantly, but the level of skill needed to send a projectile downrange at speed at a mansized target. Hitting an arm or a leg with 30-50 grams of fast moving lead will certainly ruin your day. There are different ways of casting, many twirl the sling around overhead, but I have read some accounts on slinging.org where a marksman who also hunts with a sling makes just a single stroke. It was stated all the twirling just makes things more difficult and for hunting is totaly impractical, as one want to get a shot off pronto. Like in golf, it is all about mechanics and achieving clubhead/payload speed, both the sling and the club being extentions of the arm, amplifying the speed at the end. This can be done both overhand and underhand.
Like with the bow and the atlatl (throwing stick for small spears), the basics and some degree of accuracy can be achieved within a few days of practice, after that, it is just honing the skill to become more and more accurate.
Like with the bow and the atlatl (throwing stick for small spears), the basics and some degree of accuracy can be achieved within a few days of practice, after that, it is just honing the skill to become more and more accurate.
