Whip Cracking!

Unknown to many people, the whip was the first man-made object to break the sound barrier. Hence the characteristic crack that can cause an acute ringing in the ears! Last year one of my roommates who had served his mission in Budapest, Hungary brought us into the parking lot one night and showed us something like this (imagine ear-splitting cracks):

Naturally I was inclined to learn more. Unfortunately like any talented artist it is always much harder than it looked. With some good coaching and a few nights of practice I had a good crack down. The great thing about the whip is that there are literally dozens of different ways to crack a whip and each one varies in difficulty. It makes for a great activity to bring the neighborhood together. By the time you are done, the whole neighborhood is outside watching and trying it themselves! 

So when it came time for me to teach a skill to others I had to make a quick list of what skills I had.

• Research and program from my job
• Repair my truck as things broke down
• Install and calibrate a home theatre system
• Stupid human tricks
• Crack a whip
• Raise a chameleon
• Ride a snowmobile, dirtbike, or atv
• Drive with a trailer (RV) or drive a motorhome

I thought the whip cracking would be enjoyable and I had everything I needed. I got the whip, a traditional Hungarian 10' long whip special from Hortobagy, Hungary (As shown in the video, the picture shows similar smaller models). Each one is hand crafted with beautiful carvings into the handle and traditional leather straps holding rope to handle. Samuel, Catherine and Holland all watched as I showed them the first snap that I was able to learn.

 Being able to crack a whip while keeping your skin requires patience, timing and a good sense of where the rope tip is. In a way it is an extension of your hand as you twirl it in the air around your head. This is a much longer whip than many american and Indiana Jones counterparts making it somewhat harder to crack but at the same time producing spectacular pops. Samuel was the first to try and I was having a hard time putting to words what the motion was. 

After thinking about it I decided that the best way to crack it is to draw a Z for Zorro in front of you, letting the whip crack across your front. Catherine was next and she was able to get the technique down so that the only thing left was to practice the timing. Holland reluctantly agreed to try it and a few good swings was enough for her. Then Samuel was up again, and this time he was able to get a crack out of the whip! 

It's the moment where you realize you actually can do it that it becomes so much more engrossing. Watch out Dr. Jones!