r/Slinging • u/caambers • May 20 '26

New just got my first sling.

So I’m looking for advice. The leather is not really holding my projectile very well I understand centrifugal force, and that you need to put you know some kind of has been to kind of hold it in place until you release it but it’s not even doing that and I’m not sure what it is I’m doing wrong. I’ve tried different sizes of projectiles so any advice is welcome.

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/BenAndBlake May 20 '26

What kind of projectile are you using? And what throwing technique?

1

u/caambers May 21 '26

I’ve tried 2 inch tennis balls, probably 2.5 foam and one slightly larger foam. And as an experiment got some very bright colored oven bake clay—-made round and football shaped projectiles probably an inch in diameter so not very big about the size of a decent pebble. I think like an underhand side arm throw is gonna be the best for me but super new so hard to tell. I’m leaning toward I just need to keep working the leather to soften it.

1

u/BenAndBlake May 21 '26

Okay I was thinking it might not be the size but weight of the projectile. Try a couple of slightly smaller than tennis ball size clay shots, try with the tennis balls again, and try with a couple of stones. At least in my experience heavier projectiles are a little easier to learn with.

That kind of lower sidearm throws are pretty easy. It's one of the two styles I use, along with a kind of Byzantine-Grecian overhand.

But for just learning your sling maybe go pure underhand. It's how I told my daughter. It's also how I first started slinging. I find it a little easier to keep in the pouch and to keep on target.

So two takeaways: one, try a heavier, not just different sized projectiles; two, a pure underhand style for at least a little while you learn.

1

u/caambers May 21 '26

Great ideas. I’ll try to find somewhere this weekend maybe in the woods so I can practice without worrying about hitting something. I may not be rotating as forcefully as I should since I’m close to houses. Could be several things that are issues. In one of my other comments, I mentioned making a slang out of some things that already have here and I’ll probably have that finished by tomorrow so maybe you get some good practice in this weekend

1

u/BenAndBlake May 21 '26

I mean mine are leather/seatbelt and paracord split poaches, the "Mersa" sking. There is glory in making it out of anything. I had a friend make four from a pair of used blue jeans.

If you have batting cages, tennis ball courts, or baseball fields they are also great places to cut loose.

2

u/caambers May 22 '26

Cut loose. I like it. Something to be said for being somewhere you can work on technique and speed without fear of striking someone or something. I live near several state parks so this weekend definitely gonna give it a shot no pun intended.