# Hand-Slap Prevention



## GreyOwl (Oct 21, 2010)

just an idea !


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## Brooklyn00003 (Feb 28, 2010)

Or,use the proper ball with the proper rubber ratio.


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## Darb (Sep 14, 2010)

If you're getting handslaps with those theraband gold bands (which look quite strong), it may be from using ammo that's slightly too light for them.

I'd lay good odds your problem may disappear if you move up to a heavier ammo. For instance, if you're using 3/8" steel, try increasing to 7/16" or 1/2", or switching to lead of the same size.


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## GreyOwl (Oct 21, 2010)

Darb said:


> If you're getting handslaps with those theraband gold bands (which look quite strong), it may be from using ammo that's slightly too light for them.
> 
> I'd lay good odds your problem may disappear if you move up to a heavier ammo. For instance, if you're using 3/8" steel, try increasing to 7/16" or 1/2", or switching to lead of the same size.


Thank you guys for your prompt answer.

My purpose is to submit an idea that perhaps can help somebody.


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## A+ Slingshots (Jan 22, 2010)

That would certainly work GreyOwl, and is a creative solution.... But the guys are correct about the best solution being heavier ammo. Those "Gold Winner" bands of mine really like 1/2" steel and .44 cal. Lead best. I get by with shooting 3/8" some too for fun, but I'm predominantly a "flip style" shooter, even then, the small whacks can add up over the course of a practice session and start hurting.


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## Darb (Sep 14, 2010)

Here's the longer technical version of the reason for bumping up the mass of ammo in order to reduce handslap:

I'm still new to slingin, but the physics behind handslaps seem to boil down to this: drawing the bands on a slingshot puts potential energy into them, which the bands then transmit into the ball (and to a lesser degree, the sling and your wrist) when you let go and the bands contract. The higher the quality of the elastic material and the more efficient the thickness and taper of their cut, and the more heavy/rigid the slingshot frame, the more efficent the bandset will be at converting that potential energy (of the draw) into kinetic energy in the ball. That behavior is necessarily tempered by the fact that all elastic materials have their optimal range of contraction speeds within which they're most efficient in effecting that energy conversion, and (in the case of the aforementioned bandset) if the ball is lighter than that optimal load/speed range, the ball will rapidly accelerate towards the band's maximum rate of contraction, but because the bands are already past their optimal rate of energy conversion, the result will be suplus energy that cannot be transmitted into the ball and which will instead linger in the bands after the ball exits the pouch. That surplus energy has to go somewhere. Accordingly, after reaching their maximum range of forward motion, they'll dump part of their surplus energy into the fork heads and wrist (in archery this is called "hand-shock"), and then rebound/whip forcefully backwards, in an semi-uncontrolled fashion, which can frequently result in the bands slapping your gripping fingers (into which they'll dump part of their remaining energy). The bands will continue flailing for a fraction of a second, until they finish dumping all their residual energy.

It is inherently impossible for any bandset to achieve 100% energy transmittal efficiency, so there will always be a certain amount of leftover energy in the bands after the ball exits them ... the trick is to select a size of ammo that offers a mass-load that falls within the optimal efficiency range of the bandset you're shooting. Optimal band loading means optimal efficiency, and less bandslap.

EDIT: another way to think of handslap is being somewhere midway between an ideal shot and a dry-fire.


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## Jaydbot (Aug 14, 2010)

Darb said:


> If you're getting handslaps with those theraband gold bands (which look quite strong), it may be from using ammo that's slightly too light for them.
> 
> I'd lay good odds your problem may disappear if you move up to a heavier ammo. For instance, if you're using 3/8" steel, try increasing to 7/16" or 1/2", or switching to lead of the same size.


Booyah!.....My hand was bleeding after shooting a bag of light marbles with my Theragold bands on Perry's sling....changed to lead and PRESTO!!!!....no slap!


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## 919h (Aug 27, 2010)

Ok, but the better is a hand slap protection...


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## Darb (Sep 14, 2010)

> Ok, but the better is a hand slap protection...


Using handslap protection is a bit like medicating a problem instead of curing it. I've done it myself in the past, when I've occasionally worn an archer's finger guard on my sling hand ... I patted myself on the back at the time for being clever, but the universe continued to slap me on the fingers/wrist with a proverbial noodle (of latex), indicating the problem was still unsolved.

Up-sizing the ammo _just enough_ to stop the slapping offers the benefit of getting more energy efficiency out of your bandsets ... meaning they'll transfer more kinetic energy (KE) into the shot for the _same_ drawing force. In other words, the same excess energy that's being wasted flailing the bands and slapping your fingers could instead be more fully channeled into the ball bearing you're shooting. More transferred kinetic energy means the ability to move a larger mass at the nearly the same elastic contraction speed, which in turn means more striking power when the ball hits the target ... all for the same drawing force.

Continuing the metaphor ... if the universe slaps you on the hand, HIT BACK.


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## ZDP-189 (Mar 14, 2010)

Downsize your draw weight. Handslap is a symptom that your bands are too heavy. You might be able to shoot much lighter bands without much loss of velocity. In some cases, velocity may increase.


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## frogman (Nov 11, 2010)

It appears like it would work well, great idea. What are those sleeves?


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## Darb (Sep 14, 2010)

ZDP-189 said:


> Downsize your draw weight. Handslap is a symptom that your bands are too heavy. You might be able to shoot much lighter bands without much loss of velocity. In some cases, velocity may increase.


An equally valid approach. In effect, if you're happy with the ammo, downsize the strength of the bandsets slightly to properly match it; and conversely, if you're happy draw of the bandsets, upsize the ammo slightly to reach the same efficiency balance.


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## Xidoo (Aug 14, 2010)

I used to wear a glove to prevent hand slaps, since I used to hit my hand over and over. I look for a solution, and part of the solution was to maintain a steady hand when shooting and the inclination at the fork. It worked for me, and I still use the same slingshot, with the same elastics and the same ammo. Saludos,


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## NightKnight (Dec 16, 2009)

Good idea, but for some reason the handslaps usually hit my lower fingers.


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## Jaybird (Dec 20, 2009)

Frogman
Are you still making the same type of slingshots that you had at Denton Hill in Pa. a few years ago.If I remember you shot .38 wadcutter bullets and your slingshots were pretty strong.


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## GreyOwl (Oct 21, 2010)

frogman said:


> It appears like it would work well, great idea. What are those sleeves?


These are bike's handles foam.


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## Deimos (Dec 24, 2009)

Handslap protection ahoy!


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## HOE (Nov 13, 2010)

Use HEAVIER ammo so that it doesn't hurt both your fingers and your rubber bands. Too light projectile will damage bands faster.


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## Darb (Sep 14, 2010)

HOE: it's no use .. many (but not all) people around here only seem to read the subject line and first post of a thread. Anything too far from the top, and longer than 3 sentences in particular, has a high probability of languishing unread.


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## Devoman (Oct 15, 2010)

Darb, great explanation on hand slap, thanks!


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