So, I tried making a tennis ball sling last night. As far as my success in paracord weaving a sling I’d say I succeeded. But the functionality for slinging tennis balls was questionable. I tested it a few times before bed and was able to successfully sling a tennis ball. But the problem was that the ball fell out of the sling a few times before I successfully slung it. Now, granted, I am a brand new slinger and it could definitely be user error. But I don’t know. Any ideas what the issue could be for me? My ideas were either that the pouch is too short and not holding the ball well or it’s just my fault cuz I’m bad 😂
Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of the sling at the moment, but the pouch is about 6” long and, I’d guess, 1.5” wide. It’s a solid pouch. Not split.
1.5in is very narrow for a non-split tennis ball pouch
I'd definitely say this.
1.5 inch strips is pretty chonky for a split pouch.
But there's such little margin for error on a solid pouch one.
Well, start with a photo. This is just pure speculation.
Yeah, I totally get that. I won’t be able to get a photo until after work though.
For tennis balls I use a soft leather pouch on one sling and on the other I use a split pouch of rubber. That might sound weird but it works well…
For that narrow of a pouch, you need to have very smooth acceleration of the sling for the ball to stay in the pouch. The drag as it moves through the air puts a force on the ball that wants to tip it out of the pouch. Any extra sideways force from non-uniform acceleration will easily tip it out. I have a difficult time with flat pouches and sports balls and am not new to slinging. You've chosen a challenging combination to start with. Even a small divot or small split will help with retention if you don't have qualms about modifying your pouch.
Hey, thanks for the tips. I love your YouTube content. I didn’t expect to find you here.
I can’t really mod my pouch because it’s woven paracord. I’d need to made a new one. I was watching a video yesterday on how to braid a Balearic sling. I might try that if I can fine the time. I have 100” of paracord coming in the mail today.
Thanks man. I am on every slinging platform that I can find. I really enjoy it and want to help everyone I can enjoy slinging as much as I do. Slinging.org, reddit, Discord, facebook, and even some chats on instagram.
A new sling is always a fun thing to try. Depending on the tightness of the weave of the paracord on your current sling, you can probably shimmy it around a bit to make it slightly cupped. Even some small amount of cupping will help. But a split pouch will certainly make it easier.
I’m in the process of trying to braid a balearic style sling for the first time. We’ll see how it goes.
I’m really loving slinging so far even though it’s been a crash coarse. I’ve made small ones for my sons (5yrs and 3yrs) as well, though I’ll likely make them both Balearic slings after this if it works. They’re both currently obsessed with the David and Goliath narrative, as every young church boy is at some point, and this is giving them a touch point to the story and an activity for us to do together.
Update: I finished the paracord Balearic sling. It feels SO much different than the previous ones I made, which were single stranded cords except for the pouch. This one feels super stiff in comparison. I will say though, the paracord itself felt a bit stiff when I opened it up. I wasn’t aware there was much variation in paracord.
Yeah. It will admittedly take some getting used to. But after years of using them, having started out using exclusively lightweight slings, I believe that heavier, stiffer slings give you more control and consistency. It might be a while before that can be realized though. Trying lots of different slings will help your brain gain better proprioception and you'll be more adaptable in the long run.
Thanks, brother. I really appreciate your help.
So I had a similar issue with my thick leather pouch, which was a split design. Either use a thinner more flexible material or do what I did which was to soak it in hot water then use rubber bands to help mold it as it dries. Now after it’s dried you want to sling heavy rocks to help break it in and loosen it without breaking the mold, otherwise it will hold onto the tennis ball a tad bit longer giving you a later release.