Why not weave a second or even third finger loop into your sling so it had three settings? Wait, don't do that. I can already hear California ready to ban it and imprison us all.
@@bashkillszombies I suppose the answer is that making slings is so easy and the things are so light, that one might as well make more slings. The excess sting when using it short would be a minor annoyance, perhaps.
@@bashkillszombies I've been slinging in California for 15 years, and this has been an eternal fear of mine. At least we have angry Antrhopologists from UC on our side. It's sad how readily people rewrite liberal philosophy to fit their paranoias.
Be careful if you make your own. These things are lethal weapons with a long range. Treat them like you would a bow or a gun, but with less accuracy of in which direction you're pointing.
True. I've been shooting sling for 35 years. I have to treat it like i'm at a pistol range. A deserted river bank is usually a safe place but you gotta keep an eye out for people cuz i can make it across most rivers in my state with a shot.
It must have been effective if men risked their lives in battle using it, choosing it rather than another weapon. Balearic (good) slingers were sought out as mercenaries in the ancient world.
It was probably a reasonably effective missile weapon but missile weapons in the ancient world generally suck e.g. theropelea even victories like Carrhae and Sphacteria require a ridiculous amount of missile fire.
@@64standardtrickyness make one and try it out yourself, it’s scary the power you can get behind a stone. As a side note, when Cortez and his men fought the Aztec armies they were generally impervious to darts and spears, but were routinely killed and wounded by slings. They are great against armour because of sheer blunt force.
@@deathbyastonishment7930 But for balance I would also have to construct armor and shields realistic for the time and train myself as a hoplite warrior. Otherwise it's just speculation. There are some sources list 200 000 aztecs obviously they are gonna do some damage. The questions are Can a smaller force of slingers defeating a larger force of hoplites? Is there any scenario when replacing hoplites with an equal amount of slingers is favourable?
@@64standardtrickyness Why would it be an equal number? The equipment of a hoplite warrior is worth many times that of a slinger. I suspect with the same resources you could deploy many more slingers
For those who didn't get it, the formula joke went like this: the root of 4L divided by two. So the root of 4 would be 2, so it's 2L, so it's 2L divided by 2, so it's just L where L = the length of the sling. So he's basically saying that the sling is as long as it is. Math = Fun
TheBlueWizard I suppose at first, I didn't realize it was a "joke" but I think Cleaver still has a point, the "formula" reads =((sqrt(4L))/2), which simplifies to 2(sqrt(L))/2 or sqrt(L).. or at least its ambiguous enough to be read that way..
+TheBlueWizard I studied in the UK for a while, and encountered a new (to me) response to a certain type of question where the answer was unknown: "How long is a piece of string?" I eventually started to respond with "Twice the length from the middle to either end."
Gents wearing cloaks hiding long swords and daggers. Get lots of questions from TSA badgers. But long leather belts with a coin you can swing Viola now you're wearing a clandestine sling. When the thug frights When the thief rings When I'm being had, I just unbuckle my clandestine sling And then I don't feel so bad.
"I just unbuckle my clandestine sling. And then I don't feel so bad". Suggestion. "I just unbuckle my clandestine sling. And then I won't feel the sting".
As an American I truly enjoy your sense of humor. But as a student of primitive hunting and ancient combat. I greatly respect your ability to maintain historical accuracy. Thank You my good man.
People always forget that slings were also used in South America. In fact the design is almost identical to Mediterranean Slings which has lead to "Carthage warriors in Peru" and other speculations. Slings are cheap, can be made without specialised craftsmen, the ammunition is plentiful, it is used for hunting small game and protecting livestock as well as a weapon, and against unarmoured or lightly armoured parts of the body they were deadly. The Greeks used to cast lead slingshot with raised relief lettering that left insults as scars on people struck by them - if they survived - kind of like the Phantom's ring.
AEB1066 Yes, yes, no. Leaving imprinted text is basically impossible with human physiology. The Mythbusters even covered--and busted it. So no; glandes/sling bullets [unfortunately] don't leave text on the skin. Instead, the slinger puts a side-spin on them as he slings them, like with an American football. This gives them far better aerodynamics than flying sideways, and the points give the ability to penetrate like the spike on a pollaxe when they meet with soft, unarmored flesh. The Romans even had special tools to extract the glandes from the holes they would punch into soldier's flesh. As for the insults, they are more for the lolz than intended to actually be read. It's the same idea as cheeky soldiers scribbling stuff like "kisses for Hitler" on the side of bombs in WWII. :)
"Anything that could be a sling might as well be a sling." I kinda second that notion. A few years ago I tried using a cloth (yes, an actual random piece of cloth), I would put my "bullet" in the center and bring the edges around. I used a tree as a target and some of the "bullets" penetrated a few millimeters into the bark. Not very impressive but if that were a human skull? You guys come up with an out come here.
They used a sling on the head to hold a leaf sideways to cover one eye from the sun while simultaneously creating 3 vision settings at different angles. Funnily enough they would often ride their horses leaning back into their saddle to accommodate the swing
Last time i saw a formula joke, the rest of my classmates laughed hysterically and i abandoned all hope of making new friends from that physics course.
My family used to practice with slings when my children were small. My husband at the time and my daughter were awful at it. I was ok at it, but my son got so good he could hunt with a sling. We found the best length was different for each person. Measure from your shoulder to the tip of your longest finger and double it. The pouch is best made from leather but denim or other heavy fabric will work too. It was great fun practicing with the children. Give everybody plenty of room!😊
They were used, by both sides. Assyrians used them, as did Celts and to some degree Romans. The ammunition is cheap, they work well for indirect use, they can be heated to cause fires, but for sniping at individual they are not so good.
These short videos are great for binge watching if you only have an hour to spare. Always informative and quite entertaining. But I could sling back a few beers and watch them all day. Thanx for what you do Lloyd.
I too have experienced the ballistic capabilities of Hotwheels cars, though not to such spectacular effect. Might your adult self pick a better spot to try some slinging?
@GamerDudester Yes, once would probably have been common. No one actually knows, of course. I couldn't demonstrate fully in my front room. Overarm swirling doesn't work though. Try it and you'll soon see why.
I have a qualm about the long sling. The slinger does not need to spin the sling more than once. A figure eight technique was quite popular among belairic slingers.
With the long sling shown here I use the 1 1/2 round method which keeps the sling off the ground and allows a vertical swing which is much safer if there are people standing on either side. It also takes very little time and lets the thrower lean his body into the final release which adds speed. I don't do this much anymore at seventy years old but started slinging in 1961. Had fun doing it.
Just wanna say that I saw your site about slinging and just inspired me now an adult to get into it. I too as a youngster used a strip of cloth to sling and I never even saw it done, maybe an ancestor of mine was a big slinger once. Its cheap and fun. Currently a history undergrad in australia, I would study the Australian Aboriginal slings but they never did that :/ ...... its weird it never occured to them yet alot of other ancient cultures. Oh and I'm a pretty big fan of everything you post.
when i was a boy - i studied english and french in school, so there was good part about the jokes....and i didnt get the english jokes. but here i am - and i find this channel - amazing!
that was a demonstration in poor square root bar termination. That formula was either L = L, a trivial solution or L = sqr(4L)/2 which simplfies to L = sqr(L) which would mean L must = 0 or 1
i always liked bowmen a lot before i found out about the effectiveness of the sling. but on learning about the overall damage a slinger can do to a man (they were the original reason why the ancients used helmets) i bow down to the them :)
JonatasMonte Context is key. Owning such a knife is not illegal, nor is transporting such a knife, as long as it's not immediately accessible. So if it was in a box in a suitcase or briefcase, or at the bottom of a box of clothes in the boot of your car, the chances of being arrested are pretty slim. Carrying it in a pocket or on a belt is another matter. Areas in between are somewhat greyer, but context is important.
@klifurdyrid I can't think of an example of a Viking using a sling in battle, but I wouldn't rule it out. They generally preferred bows and javelins, so it is believed.
Slingers back in the day used flat rocks. They would throw them to the side so when it takes the curve it hits the target. Like throwing a Frisbee diagonally, or throwing a boomerang. That s how it happened in a tale in which one stone of a slinger actually got stuck in the forehead of an enemy soldier.
My slinging days came to an abrupt end at age 11. I and my friends were playing (ancient) War with spears, axes, slings, etc. A friend of mine had taken cover behind some pine bushes. Lacking immediate ammo, I siezed a Hot Wheel car which was lying on the ground, loaded my sling and when he popped his head up I let fly......
The knife would be used to dispatch the enemy wounded as you moved forward...by preference a slim one that would go between the joints of the armor or through eye slits.
Ancient slingers used to 'swirl' vertically not horizontally as you shown in the video. They also rarely swirled it more than twice, so a few times is actually wrong.
It's a matter of balance; when compared to other simple, ranged weapons it comes off pretty good. It's incredibly cheap, much lighter per shot to carry than a javelin, with almost double the range; (though with slightly less damage); and with a mere 14 strength you can average more damage than a light crossbow, and with a strength of 22 you can actually start to do more damage than the heaviest pull composite longbow. (ok, I fudged the numbers a bit with the crit range, but you get the idea)
I was under the impression that in certain cultures it was a requisite for a man to know how to use a sling and carry one regardless of what other weapons they were expert with EG first temple Hebrew nation.
Just an fyi, there were some people who went into battle with knives, the Irish scian was an iconic Irish weapon used by kerns and as a sidearm by richer warriors.
It helps that slings are light and cheap (/relatively easy to make). I'm sure other soldiers would love to be able to wrap spare swords or bows around their head with the same ease and price.
i love sling shooting been at it since i was given one by my gran just after she told me the david and goliath story been at it atleast once a week since i was 8
@lindybeige Yeah, the swirl would occur in two steps, first one would do a half reverse swing (back to front) then quickly complete a circle (front to back) and loose. This is according to my Roman Army professor Dr.Bablitz
If i remember correctly the ancient greeks used small metal (maybe iron or bronze, I don't know) spheres for "ammo" along with stones. And because they were such a jokesters they wrote funny things at the metal spheres, like "catch this" :)
Bryan Merced I've never heard that unit of measurement before. I like it :) In the modern slinging "community" (mostly Slinging.org and the Balearic Islands), a short sling of useful length is about a cubit or more--usually fingertips to mid-bicep. (which is about the same length range as your measurement.) A medium-length sling is generally an outstretched arm's length (from middle-finger to shoulder) or longer. Anything longer than fingertip to sternum is considered a long sling. However, some prefer to measure in a more lax manner with the sling loaded, and held at their side. For them, a jack-of-all-trades [medium] sling would be long enough to almost graze the ground, whereas a short sling would provide several inches of clearance.
"Look out, he's got a knife!" LOL The concealability of the slings and knife really explains why the Jewish rebels were very good guerrillas and assassins against the Seleucids and Romans. Just looks like a guy with a headband until he either sneaks up on you in an alley and shanks you or he chucks rocks at you from a long way away. Not good for taking on an army, but it's a great way to get a potshot in.
Other than the fact that not a lot of people are familiar with slings, or perhaps just the "rule of cool", getting hit with an arrow in film is a clear indicator of death without having to show too much blood or yucky bits. Dying from a stone to the head is less visually clear and probably a bit comical. This probably rings true as to why bladed weapons like swords or axes are much more prevalent than clubs, maces or other bludgeoning weapons.
I actually giggled at that video because it was basically how the Legent of the 5 Rings RPG described how Unicorn Clan samurai would slip by unseen weapons (their slings) into various court functions... :P
One of the most important things on a powerful sling is using cord that doesnt stretch. Avoid being around cars or houses practicing and other object that can cause bounce back, that french word i cant spell, riquecet.
Hello, Sir I absolutely love your channel and would go as far as saying it is my favorite, so thank you very much for that. This short series has inspired me greatly and I have just finished braiding my own sling, it took me about 2 hours and I am very proud of the results. Anyway, i am having a lot of trouble finding somewhere safe to practice with it and was wondering if you had any suggestions at all. Thanks again, You legend.
I know this video is 10 years old, but I was told that the length of a short sling should be from your elbow to your longest finger, doubled. The length of a long sling should be from your shoulder to your longest finger, doubled. So, every person would have a different length sling.
Staff slings were not used because of increased distance, it's just a lever and you can just as easily just use longer cords. The advantage of a staff sling is that you can use more massive projectiles, due to the two hand grip, about the same distance. Obviously minus the added drag.
@bloodyvladd The old joke goes:
Q: "How long is a piece of string?"
A: "Twice the length of half of it."
I decided to update and nerdify the same gag.
Lindybeige 1:30 this equation is useless without a unit of measurement
Why not weave a second or even third finger loop into your sling so it had three settings? Wait, don't do that. I can already hear California ready to ban it and imprison us all.
@@bashkillszombies I suppose the answer is that making slings is so easy and the things are so light, that one might as well make more slings. The excess sting when using it short would be a minor annoyance, perhaps.
Clearly it should be "How long is a piece of sling".
@@bashkillszombies I've been slinging in California for 15 years, and this has been an eternal fear of mine. At least we have angry Antrhopologists from UC on our side.
It's sad how readily people rewrite liberal philosophy to fit their paranoias.
...that is an astonishingly useful formula.
Yep, lol.
It's not equal to anything though, so it's less a formula/equation, and more an expression.
Turns out math jokes are a thing. LOL
.. for making horses out of slings.. Supersling theory - ya know.
1:30 this equation is useless without a unit of measurement
Be careful if you make your own. These things are lethal weapons with a long range. Treat them like you would a bow or a gun, but with less accuracy of in which direction you're pointing.
Also they're harder to handle for inexperienced users, making the chance of injuring someone (including yourself) by accident much higher.
@@nkorslund true.
Practice can make a sling very accurate. I used to be able to take rabbits with one.
True. I've been shooting sling for 35 years. I have to treat it like i'm at a pistol range. A deserted river bank is usually a safe place but you gotta keep an eye out for people cuz i can make it across most rivers in my state with a shot.
It must have been effective if men risked their lives in battle using it, choosing it rather than another weapon. Balearic (good) slingers were sought out as mercenaries in the ancient world.
The Roman Legions employed hand slings to great effect. The weapon was extremely lethal in the right hands.
It was probably a reasonably effective missile weapon but missile weapons in the ancient world generally suck e.g. theropelea even victories like Carrhae and Sphacteria require a ridiculous amount of missile fire.
@@64standardtrickyness make one and try it out yourself, it’s scary the power you can get behind a stone. As a side note, when Cortez and his men fought the Aztec armies they were generally impervious to darts and spears, but were routinely killed and wounded by slings. They are great against armour because of sheer blunt force.
@@deathbyastonishment7930 But for balance I would also have to construct armor and shields realistic for the time and train myself as a hoplite warrior. Otherwise it's just speculation.
There are some sources list 200 000 aztecs obviously they are gonna do some damage. The questions are Can a smaller force of slingers defeating a larger force of hoplites? Is there any scenario when replacing hoplites with an equal amount of slingers is favourable?
@@64standardtrickyness Why would it be an equal number? The equipment of a hoplite warrior is worth many times that of a slinger. I suspect with the same resources you could deploy many more slingers
For those who didn't get it, the formula joke went like this:
the root of 4L divided by two. So the root of 4 would be 2, so it's 2L, so it's 2L divided by 2, so it's just L where L = the length of the sling. So he's basically saying that the sling is as long as it is. Math = Fun
If that was a joke, it failed:
sqrt(4L)=2sqrtL, not 2L.
there's an old English joke (I use the term lightly) that goes...
"how long's a piece of string?"
"twice as long as half it's length"
Iam Cleaver If its sqrt(4)*L/2 it holds
TheBlueWizard I suppose at first, I didn't realize it was a "joke" but I think Cleaver still has a point, the "formula" reads =((sqrt(4L))/2), which simplifies to 2(sqrt(L))/2 or sqrt(L).. or at least its ambiguous enough to be read that way..
+TheBlueWizard I studied in the UK for a while, and encountered a new (to me) response to a certain type of question where the answer was unknown: "How long is a piece of string?" I eventually started to respond with "Twice the length from the middle to either end."
Gents wearing cloaks hiding long swords and daggers.
Get lots of questions from TSA badgers.
But long leather belts with a coin you can swing
Viola now you're wearing a clandestine sling.
When the thug frights
When the thief rings
When I'm being had,
I just unbuckle my clandestine sling
And then I don't feel so bad.
James Tickle Ha ha! Excellent.
High on a hill was a lonely goatherd
Could he? Would he? Should he? Could he arm himself?...
"I just unbuckle my clandestine sling. And then I don't feel so bad".
Suggestion. "I just unbuckle my clandestine sling. And then I won't feel the sting".
This is by far the most creative comment I've ever seen.
Isn't it based on that song from Sound of Music?
And then there’s also the bag bolas...
As an American I truly enjoy your sense of humor. But as a student of primitive hunting and ancient combat. I greatly respect your ability to maintain historical accuracy. Thank You my good man.
People always forget that slings were also used in South America. In fact the design is almost identical to Mediterranean Slings which has lead to "Carthage warriors in Peru" and other speculations.
Slings are cheap, can be made without specialised craftsmen, the ammunition is plentiful, it is used for hunting small game and protecting livestock as well as a weapon, and against unarmoured or lightly armoured parts of the body they were deadly.
The Greeks used to cast lead slingshot with raised relief lettering that left insults as scars on people struck by them - if they survived - kind of like the Phantom's ring.
AEB1066
Yes, yes, no.
Leaving imprinted text is basically impossible with human physiology. The Mythbusters even covered--and busted it.
So no; glandes/sling bullets [unfortunately] don't leave text on the skin. Instead, the slinger puts a side-spin on them as he slings them, like with an American football. This gives them far better aerodynamics than flying sideways, and the points give the ability to penetrate like the spike on a pollaxe when they meet with soft, unarmored flesh.
The Romans even had special tools to extract the glandes from the holes they would punch into soldier's flesh.
As for the insults, they are more for the lolz than intended to actually be read. It's the same idea as cheeky soldiers scribbling stuff like "kisses for Hitler" on the side of bombs in WWII. :)
I think midieval knights used slings to propel pomels of their swords to "End him rightly" even more affective!
+Connor Odum ...i came for this comment XD
+Connor Odum that's basically the same power of a siege trebuchet... in your pocket!
But can it launch a 95 kg pommel 300 metres?
This!!!!
Was that a "Twice as long as half it's length" formula?
+Awesome Robb James (AwesomeRobb) Yes, it was.
"Anything that could be a sling might as well be a sling." I kinda second that notion. A few years ago I tried using a cloth (yes, an actual random piece of cloth), I would put my "bullet" in the center and bring the edges around. I used a tree as a target and some of the "bullets" penetrated a few millimeters into the bark. Not very impressive but if that were a human skull? You guys come up with an out come here.
Gangster slingers in ancient America were the first to use their belts as slings as evidenced by their pants falling down.
They couldn't retreat because their pants around their ankles would trip them.
craigmancool that would weigh 5 pounds
Did they hold their slings sideways?
They used a sling on the head to hold a leaf sideways to cover one eye from the sun while simultaneously creating 3 vision settings at different angles.
Funnily enough they would often ride their horses leaning back into their saddle to accommodate the swing
I love the fact that even in his fantasy demo he still misses. Love this guy
Last time i saw a formula joke, the rest of my classmates laughed hysterically and i abandoned all hope of making new friends from that physics course.
You must be a spatial genius
My family used to practice with slings when my children were small. My husband at the time and my daughter were awful at it. I was ok at it, but my son got so good he could hunt with a sling.
We found the best length was different for each person. Measure from your shoulder to the tip of your longest finger and double it.
The pouch is best made from leather but denim or other heavy fabric will work too.
It was great fun practicing with the children. Give everybody plenty of room!😊
@lazylink Well, as you swing it round, it alternates between +L when it is in front of you, and -L when behind, obviously.
They were used, by both sides. Assyrians used them, as did Celts and to some degree Romans. The ammunition is cheap, they work well for indirect use, they can be heated to cause fires, but for sniping at individual they are not so good.
@colddrake80 Yes, I have stuff on my website about them, and one day will probably do a video. Not much more of a pain to load than a hand sling.
"look out hes got a knife"
i was just sipping at my glass now my desk is a mess... thx :D
...and we are baaaaar-BAAAAAAR-iiiii-aaaaans!
Wow didn’t expect to find this old video while researching slings Lindy 👍
@ArmaFennica It's a Lapp knife, yes. It was sent to me from Finland.
These short videos are great for binge watching if you only have an hour to spare. Always informative and quite entertaining. But I could sling back a few beers and watch them all day. Thanx for what you do Lloyd.
Making me laugh and learn at the same time. Keep making these videos and I'll keep on watching them.
+MrPleers You need to check out his video about pointy medieval hitty things
For those of you who are less mathematically inclined: the formula for the length of a sling simplifies to:
±L
where L is the length of the sling.
[Second reply] You can take three normal twisted strings and plait them together. This irons out their twistiness.
I built a short sling because of these videos. It was pretty easy and a lot of fun to use.
@guiltybystander77 Yes, and preferred stance etc. It has to stay clear of the ground when hanging down from you hand.
I too have experienced the ballistic capabilities of Hotwheels cars, though not to such spectacular effect. Might your adult self pick a better spot to try some slinging?
@GamerDudester Yes, once would probably have been common. No one actually knows, of course. I couldn't demonstrate fully in my front room. Overarm swirling doesn't work though. Try it and you'll soon see why.
I have a qualm about the long sling. The slinger does not need to spin the sling more than once. A figure eight technique was quite popular among belairic slingers.
You slung this video together pretty well.
1:13 is around where the word "Slings" stopped making sense to me
You you get a quid every time you say sling?
My ears! I can't stop laughing though at every time he says the word.
It happen more on written word for me.
If placed alone i ask myself "Is this the right spelling ? It seem odd.".
These days, not often at all. I did a fair bit in my late teens.
With the long sling shown here I use the 1 1/2 round method which keeps the sling off the ground and allows a vertical swing which is much safer if there are people standing on either side. It also takes very little time and lets the thrower lean his body into the final release which adds speed. I don't do this much anymore at seventy years old but started slinging in 1961. Had fun doing it.
See sling technique video - coming soon!
Yes, they did.
That's pretty advanced maths!
Genius formula. Worked for me.
Just wanna say that I saw your site about slinging and just inspired me now an adult to get into it. I too as a youngster used a strip of cloth to sling and I never even saw it done, maybe an ancestor of mine was a big slinger once. Its cheap and fun. Currently a history undergrad in australia, I would study the Australian Aboriginal slings but they never did that :/ ...... its weird it never occured to them yet alot of other ancient cultures. Oh and I'm a pretty big fan of everything you post.
While binge watching videos, I get hit with the math here and cant stop laughing. Well played, good sir. Well played.
when i was a boy - i studied english and french in school, so there was good part about the jokes....and i didnt get the english jokes. but here i am - and i find this channel - amazing!
Love your videos. Very good points, and the things that bug you bug me as well. Not to mention that i learn stuff as well. Thank you.
that was a demonstration in poor square root bar termination. That formula was either L = L, a trivial solution or L = sqr(4L)/2 which simplfies to L = sqr(L) which would mean L must = 0 or 1
ending was hilarious!
i always liked bowmen a lot before i found out about the effectiveness of the sling. but on learning about the overall damage a slinger can do to a man (they were the original reason why the ancients used helmets) i bow down to the them :)
You can tell he’s not a Roman because he doesn’t have little bits of leather on his wrists
Honestly knew nothing about slingers. Very interesting indeed.
Also that's a very nice knife you have there.
You're going to get arrested for carrying a knife like this in the UK.
JonatasMonte Context is key. Owning such a knife is not illegal, nor is transporting such a knife, as long as it's not immediately accessible. So if it was in a box in a suitcase or briefcase, or at the bottom of a box of clothes in the boot of your car, the chances of being arrested are pretty slim. Carrying it in a pocket or on a belt is another matter. Areas in between are somewhat greyer, but context is important.
@klifurdyrid I can't think of an example of a Viking using a sling in battle, but I wouldn't rule it out. They generally preferred bows and javelins, so it is believed.
that is the most hilarious formula I have seen all day!
best Chanel in youtube!
Plaited strings don't go all twisty.
using this for my D&D character now, thanks!
Slingers back in the day used flat rocks. They would throw them to the side so when it takes the curve it hits the target. Like throwing a Frisbee diagonally, or throwing a boomerang. That s how it happened in a tale in which one stone of a slinger actually got stuck in the forehead of an enemy soldier.
My slinging days came to an abrupt end at age 11. I and my friends were playing (ancient) War with spears, axes, slings, etc. A friend of mine had taken cover behind some pine bushes. Lacking immediate ammo, I siezed a Hot Wheel car which was lying on the ground, loaded my sling and when he popped his head up I let fly......
The knife would be used to dispatch the enemy wounded as you moved forward...by preference a slim one that would go between the joints of the armor or through eye slits.
THE FORMULA THO
mortaché de muerte I thought I was missing something at first...
Ancient slingers used to 'swirl' vertically not horizontally as you shown in the video. They also rarely swirled it more than twice, so a few times is actually wrong.
The Greeks, being far more intelligent than the English, used the more accurate formula:
(2√9L)/(3!)
Tenzek Still a useless formula.. where is the independent variable? I'm trying to solve for L, not use it as an input..
***** Yours doesn't cancel, by the way. (x^2)/3 isn't the derivative of x^3.
The ancient Greeks had factorials? Hmmmm
Very funny! F(L) = L. Do I get cake?
I'm hoping that this formula resolves to f(L) = L ; in which case you have a good sense of humour - much to be admired.
@Roflcopter4b Well spotted. I shall seek to improve.
Not only is ammo cheap but it's compact. Think of how many bullets could stored in the space taken up by a quiver of arrows.
What do you do mate?Oh I'm a Slinger
Hardly the most glamorus weapon specialty on the battlefield, nice headband at least
Very very interesting, I would like to know a lot more about slings! :)
I love your videos, LindyBeige. Informative and entertaining. Thanks for posting! :-)
Everything in this video seems ancient.
You've semantically satiated the word 'sling'.
@jabames I can report that I am yet to hit myself anywhere with a sling, though twice I nearly hit someone else.
love the quotes at the end of your vids.
Cracking stuff! I'm off to do some slinging! Better to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune than not watch this!
An old gem resurfanced
It's a matter of balance; when compared to other simple, ranged weapons it comes off pretty good. It's incredibly cheap, much lighter per shot to carry than a javelin, with almost double the range; (though with slightly less damage); and with a mere 14 strength you can average more damage than a light crossbow, and with a strength of 22 you can actually start to do more damage than the heaviest pull composite longbow. (ok, I fudged the numbers a bit with the crit range, but you get the idea)
I was under the impression that in certain cultures it was a requisite for a man to know how to use a sling and carry one regardless of what other weapons they were expert with EG first temple Hebrew nation.
I dont have knowledge of that but know it was mandatory in the first temple era.
That was one individual that had one for sure. But that does not prove h was commanded to carry it by law.
Just an fyi, there were some people who went into battle with knives, the Irish scian was an iconic Irish weapon used by kerns and as a sidearm by richer warriors.
There's not much point in doing helicopter impressions with a short sling in my experience. Technique video still in the pipeline.
It helps that slings are light and cheap (/relatively easy to make). I'm sure other soldiers would love to be able to wrap spare swords or bows around their head with the same ease and price.
i love sling shooting been at it since i was given one by my gran just after she told me the david and goliath story been at it atleast once a week since i was 8
Prior to watching this I was a dealer. Now I sling slang.
@maaderllin Grenades were slung into cities, they say, using staff slings.
For satisfaction of craftsmanship and period authenticity, yes. For safety, possibly not. Depends on how good you think you are at making string.
@lindybeige Yeah, the swirl would occur in two steps, first one would do a half reverse swing (back to front) then quickly complete a circle (front to back) and loose. This is according to my Roman Army professor Dr.Bablitz
If i remember correctly the ancient greeks used small metal (maybe iron or bronze, I don't know) spheres for "ammo" along with stones.
And because they were such a jokesters they wrote funny things at the metal spheres, like "catch this" :)
I believe a short sling was as long as twice the distance from the knee to the heel + 6 inches. The long sling, twice as long.
Bryan Merced
I've never heard that unit of measurement before. I like it :)
In the modern slinging "community" (mostly Slinging.org and the Balearic Islands), a short sling of useful length is about a cubit or more--usually fingertips to mid-bicep. (which is about the same length range as your measurement.)
A medium-length sling is generally an outstretched arm's length (from middle-finger to shoulder) or longer. Anything longer than fingertip to sternum is considered a long sling.
However, some prefer to measure in a more lax manner with the sling loaded, and held at their side.
For them, a jack-of-all-trades [medium] sling would be long enough to almost graze the ground, whereas a short sling would provide several inches of clearance.
"Look out, he's got a knife!" LOL
The concealability of the slings and knife really explains why the Jewish rebels were very good guerrillas and assassins against the Seleucids and Romans. Just looks like a guy with a headband until he either sneaks up on you in an alley and shanks you or he chucks rocks at you from a long way away. Not good for taking on an army, but it's a great way to get a potshot in.
Other than the fact that not a lot of people are familiar with slings, or perhaps just the "rule of cool", getting hit with an arrow in film is a clear indicator of death without having to show too much blood or yucky bits. Dying from a stone to the head is less visually clear and probably a bit comical. This probably rings true as to why bladed weapons like swords or axes are much more prevalent than clubs, maces or other bludgeoning weapons.
I actually giggled at that video because it was basically how the Legent of the 5 Rings RPG described how Unicorn Clan samurai would slip by unseen weapons (their slings) into various court functions... :P
cool channel mate, very interesting material
@Maillor Lead. It was easy to shape, and it was everywhere. And because of it's density it hit very hard.
‘It’d be embarrassing, if you ran out of slings’
One of the most important things on a powerful sling is using cord that doesnt stretch. Avoid being around cars or houses practicing and other object that can cause bounce back, that french word i cant spell, riquecet.
Logical, nice if could have more info...but is that available?
I just realized that a spear vs sword is just a knife on a stick vs Giant knife
Have you ever playing around with a staff sling? I have one and they are fun but a pain to reload.
It takes a lot more training to make an actor look good with a sling.
Hello, Sir I absolutely love your channel and would go as far as saying it is my favorite, so thank you very much for that.
This short series has inspired me greatly and I have just finished braiding my own sling, it took me about 2 hours and I am very proud of the results. Anyway, i am having a lot of trouble finding somewhere safe to practice with it and was wondering if you had any suggestions at all.
Thanks again, You legend.
Your videos Rock you are awesome and amazing
I know this video is 10 years old, but I was told that the length of a short sling should be from your elbow to your longest finger, doubled. The length of a long sling should be from your shoulder to your longest finger, doubled. So, every person would have a different length sling.
the equation simplifies to simply root(L). root 4 is 2 which cancels the denominator.
That end slide though.😂
Does Lloyd have any videos on staff slings?
Slings could also be used with a notched staff to increase distance as in the staff sling and a sling made a handy garrote in close combat.
Staff slings were not used because of increased distance, it's just a lever and you can just as easily just use longer cords. The advantage of a staff sling is that you can use more massive projectiles, due to the two hand grip, about the same distance. Obviously minus the added drag.