Getting Started Whip Cracking
Recommended Beginners Guides for Those New to Whip Cracking
2025-09-15
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So, you have your first whip, and you want to learn to crack it safely and effectively.
Beginning Advice
Before we link to the videos I want to give a bit of really important advice:
Personal safety
- Wear eye protection (glasses, sunglasses, googles, something over your eyes please)
- Strongly consider hearing protection - earplugs or earmuffs. Probably avoid noise canceling headsets as the sound is loud and sudden and the canceling may not work so good with whip cracks.
- Especially for starters - make sure you're wearing long pants / leggings and perhaps long sleeves (but not baggy/flared). Just the nature of how and where the whip travels means you'll likely brush your legs occasionally... it's not the most painful thing unless you make a direct hit, but when first starting you may find you are catching yourself a bit - so wear long pants and long sleeves if you can until you're comfortable with it
- Many whip crackers suggest a wide brimmed hat such as a fedora (Fedoras just look cool and channel your inner Indiana Jones) or even a cowboy hat (nothing insanely huge but something with a brim can help direct the whip away from your face if you're getting a bit close)
Others Safety
- Be aware of your surroundings
- If there are pets or people (especially small children), stop and make sure they're a safe distance
- whip cracks can be very loud and can startle/upset pets, children, adults etc, so just be aware of who is around you
Caring for your whip
- If your whip is leather, do not crack in the rain / snow (if your leather whip gets wet be sure to dry and condition it properly afterward)
- No matter what material your whip is made of, DO NOT CRACK ON ASPHALT, Do not crack on rough concrete (such as sidewalks), do not crack on gravel/sand. Instead, crack on grass, or wood floors/decks, very smoothed concrete (such as finely finished concrete found in garage floors may be OK). What you're looking for here is to avoid abrasive/rough surfaces that will damage leather or paracord whips.
Other General advice
- Do not start out just trying to be LOUD!
- Start with just trying to get good form/ technique - Yes you can "muscle" a whip to crack but if you want to ever proceed past just getting it to make a noise, good technique will get you way farther than just really throwing your weight into it.
- Get a decent whip from a reputable whip maker - avoid costume whips... You can get a decent basic/beginner synthetic whip (paracord) for $100 or so, with better quality ones ranging up to several hundred dollars. Good quality leather whips tend to be $300+ but just paying more doesn't guarantee anything.. anyone can sell garbage for way too much.. so please.. Get a whip from a reputable whip maker / seller.
- Be considerate of your neighbors. I often practice in my front yard specifically so folks know I'm cracking whips, not firing guns (yes sometimes folks call the police reporting gunshots when you're whip cracking - another reason to concentrate more on quality of technique than seer volume), but if someone is walking down the sidewalk I'll pause. If someone is walking their dog or kid I'll pause. I also avoid cracking early in the morning or late in the evening - even if its within the noise ordinance times - I will hold off cracking till at least 10 am and will stop cracking whips well before 9pm.
- Personal note - when learning, I crack with the minimum force needed to get the crack - I find its less tiring and helps me concentrate on technique - the loud can come later when you have the muscle memory down to get the crack consistently.
YouTube Tutorials for Beginning Cracks
Scarlet Wench
(coming soon) - I'm planning on doing some tutorial videos soon - Please check back from time to time.
Canada Whips
Cattleman's Crack: Whip Cracking Tutorial
Jacques ze Whipper
A Beginner's Guide to Whip Cracking with Jacques ze Whipper
Adam Winrich
Top 5 Beginner Whip Cracking Mistakes