Figures, I write a long post back, and the site decided to poop on itself last night.
So, anyways thanks everyone for the responses so far! Good to know a number of you have "cracked a whip" as it were.
Goodeknight said:
"Real whip" is pretty vague. What kind of whip do you have, and what did you pay for it? Type and quality will be major factors in how well it cracks and how easy it is to use.
It's a 10 foot, 12-plait leather (tanned calf skin) whip by Jzrj. It was about $100 or so. I could've gotten a pricier whip (Joe Strain, David Morgan, etc.), but I wanted something reasonable to learn on, and double as a prop on cosplay events. I've seen vids floating around on YouTube with these particular whips, so at least they seem to hold their own. If/when I get better at it, I do want to get an even better whip later on.
That Adam Winrich video was cool! I think I'll just stick to learning on one whip at a time. Gotta learn to walk before I can run, right?
InexorableTash said:
http://m.youtube.com/user/flicky76
"Whip Basics" is a DVD series with a YouTube channel as well.
You'll find more discussion over on indygear.com's Club Obi Wan forum, which has a dedicated bullwhip section. You must register to read/comment, though.
I did check out Daren's video, and subscribed to his feed as well.
I'll look into "Whip Basics" too! Have you heard of
http://bullwhip.org/? Seems to be a very good resource on whips (using, maintaining, repairing, vendors, etc.). Also, will look into the Club Obi Wan forum (indygear.com has been a good resource for me in the past) if I've exhausted everything else. BTW, if I head out to SF (I used to go there annually to visit family), I'll look you up and you can show me some tips and tricks!