[MOJAVE MO]

I was droning on in another thread and got stuck giving a description of how I change my hand hold when my thumb starts to ache from my preferred thumb-brace grip. I then went and grabbed my 'all-rounder' and decided to look at how I was holding it. Within that I started to wonder if I should explain the subtle difference in a way to hold a frame. This isn't just a boring Saturday exercise of sling-fiddling. I just packaged up 3 natty's to send my my brother and his two young sons age 5 and 7. I told him to call me before he starts yanking on the bands thus this post took on a little more meaning for me.

Please feel free to jump in and correct or add to each description or hold variant that will induce a common language that I can reflect upon.

1. I call this a Thumb-Brace Grip. This is always how I start shooting regardless of the frame style with a couple of exceptions like the TopShot and the Scorpion.

2. Is this a 'Modified' Brace Grip? I will hold a frame this way primarily if I am shooting really light bands and ammo, like my bb shooting setup. I can hold my 'big boy' frame like this but it feels dodgy unless I really point my forks forward. I have a nice memory of driving a steel ball into the web of my hand so pointing forks towards a target is not a go-to strategy for me.

3. This is my hold when my thumb starts to complain. What kind of hold is this? I hold a TopShot and a Scorpion like this all of the time.

4. I would call this a Pinch-Grip which on this frame is really too much to pinch. I have a couple of natty's and a RingFingerHunter that is pinch worthy.

5. To me this hold is a Hammer-Grip shown on a frame that isn't meant for a Hammer-Grip. However when I was seven I held my first few slingshots like this because that is what the drawing on the package looked like aside from this was how Dennis the Menace held his slingshot.

Thank you again to the Forum for just bring here!

Cheers, Mo

 

[Hulla Baloo]

When 3 goes stale I'll shoot 5 for awhile

Helps me feel the tips. The lever's a dial…

That sensitivity is hard to convey-

A brief state of grace in a warped shade of gray.

 

[SJAaz]

I'm kind of a 1 and then 3 kind of guy. And for the same reasons as you. Don't know what they are called. I call number three "B&B" ...Boo boos and Bourbon.

 

[Stankard757]

Mix of 1 and 4 depending on the frame.

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[skarrd]

3 and 4 are my standards,except with the Scorpion thats a 5

 

[Palmettoflyer]

On the Mule, SPS, or similar gapper, I would say 1 works quite well. I agree that it is very difficult to relate to an inexperienced shooter the best way to hold the frame. This becomes the fine motor skills that we develop with practice. I'm a believer in the grip needs to match the frame design. Might be why a lot of us prefer one type of frame over another?

Grip 3 looks like you are about to shoot yourself.

 

[Kenman]

The best way to hold a frame?
Maybe I need a narrower slingshot. My hands are small and I have trouble holding 1,2,3, and 4....
I'm a 5 shooter. I found when I use the 5 grip I hit what I,m aiming at, or pretty dam close.

 

[Tobor8Man]

Tobor's 7th theorem of Slingshots suggests that there are as many grip variations as there are shooters. For this reason, in the Centennial Edition of the Gentleman's Guide to Shooting the Pocket Catapult, the editorial board extensively revised Chapter 1 - The Grip.

After comprehensive testing, both in the field and in highly controlled laboratory conditions, our ergonomic consultant and staff anatomist agreed to follow currently accepted conventions and describe 3 grips; hammer, pinch, and thumb-supported.

Thus:

1 and 2 depict thumb-supported grips;

3 and 4 depict thumb supported grips; and

5 depicts a hammer grip.

Give a kid a slingshot with no instruction and he or she will invariably use a hammer grip. Given your nephew's ages, hammer grip all the way for them.

Your brother should try all 3 and see which feels best.

Tobor's 11th theory of grips suggests matching the slingshot to the shooter's preferred grip. The 11th theory's corollary; shooting a slingshot that does not feel good in the hand is both a waste of time and a recipe for disaster, is in accord. Thus, if the shooter is most comfortable with a pinch grip, he/she should shoot a pinch grip slingshot as opposed to struggling with a thumb-supported slingshot..

 

[vince4242]

Wll said Tobor8man, Comfort is key. Took me awhile to find my grip and now that I have definitely helps me not have to even think about that part of my shooting.

Cheers

 

[MOJAVE MO]

On the Mule, SPS, or similar gapper, I would say 1 works quite well. I agree that it is very difficult to relate to an inexperienced shooter the best way to hold the frame. This becomes the fine motor skills that we develop with practice. I'm a believer in the grip needs to match the frame design. Might be why a lot of us prefer one type of frame over another?

Grip 3 looks like you are about to shoot yourself.

Yea. The camera angle looks aggressive but I use this hold a lot and do make sure the web of my hand is just under the throat of the fork. I'm going to add a couple of more photos of a few frames where I can only hold it like this. I suppose I could wonder if those frames are too wide? Regardless, so you'd call this a Hand-Hit Hold?

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[Tag]

Very informative post, thanks

 

[MOJAVE MO]

This is what I'm talking about. Modified-Hammer? Pseudo-Pinch-Palm-Grip??

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[MOJAVE MO]

Same grip different frame. This Zone7 Desert King Snake Custom that I can hold thumb-brace longer than anything but the Huntmaster. Almost a pinch-grip

but not really.

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[MOJAVE MO]

So in summary it seems that Palmetoflyer's assessment is the one so didn't want to hear. If a shooter has a frame that doesn't match their preferred grip then they need to move it along an amend their profile. RHH Shooter, Thumb-Brace Only Frames. All other are just an experiment in futility.

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[Tobor8Man]

The late Jack Koehler refers to the "hook-hook" method in his discussion of his Alley Cat slingshot. Yet another variation of the pinch grip.

 

[hoggy]

brother figer mo do what works for you at the particular time.

 

[MOJAVE MO]

brother figer mo do what works for you at the particular time.

Hoggy my man if I shot as many different frames as you do on a given day I think I'd need a spreadsheet and a sextant to make sure I didn't jack something up. I just had a sad and profound thought that I could potentially come full circle on my personal sling journey and end up with the same slingshot that I had when I came to this party. :banghead:

 

[Tobor8Man]

A classic Roberts Wrist Rocket - not a bad place to end up.

 

[SJAaz]

Mo ...Here is my considered advice...

If it feels good, do it. Sometimes the longer you do it, the better it feels. Ask your 2nd. ex wife for more info on that.

 

[MOJAVE MO]

Mo ...Here is my considered advice...

If it feels good, do it. Sometimes the longer you do it, the better it feels. Ask your 2nd. ex wife for more info on that.

Awww man I was just getting psyched up for some lunch! uke: uke: uke: uke: