The Balearic Sling

A brief look into the Balearic sling. Covering design elements, a bit of history, and it's functionality.

[neilhassanali]

"Does" rhymes with "toes" and means female deer .

[spencereaston]

I watched an Afghan shepard kid, prob 12ish, braid a sling out of the long triangular leaves of a a small shrub. It had all the same elements: flat-braid, split pouch, a loop for his finger. It did not however have a tassel at the end. Instead he breaded a ball knot. The kids accuracy was outstanding. With any random stone he was hitting a dinner plate sized rock consistently about 25-30 meters away.

[kirkendauhl]

Seeing grown men practice with this as a sport makes me fully believe the lethality these things posess. Goliath never stood a chance.

[SenseNom]

I've been years making and using this slings. They are amazing. Simple but effective, and its simpleness adds a kind of beauty to them. In the iberian peninsula, where i live, they've been used till now by some hearders with legendary aim. Simply amazing.

[guillemmcbass]

A Balearic here, taught to shoot by my grandfather, taught by his grandfather and all the way back to the times of our ancestors. As a note, in our language the sling is called "fona" from the latin "funda" but there's also a mysterious word, "passetja" which comes from unknown origins and it's possibly the original name in our prehistoric mother tongue.

[diverbob]

Here on Menorca they still hold sling shooting competitions every year, its great to see some of these expert shooters in action.

[boredgrass]

The battle description phrase: "...and x-thousand sling shooters..." suddenly gains quite a relevance, especially when one contemplates the fact that arrows, needed in the thousands add up in weight and volume and might have to be transported across great distances and challenging terrain. In the "right battleground"! Pebbles may cover the ground. I wonder how often generals chose the location for their attack with that factor in mind.

[stinky]

Can't wait for the guide to build one! The ones you showed on this video seemed so perfect.

[neco]

Why am I not surprised that there is a slinging community out there? I guess there is really a community for everything out there. Very cool

[dukecity]

Those slingers helped to bring an end to some Bronze Age empires. They were warriors. This was comprehensive and interesting. Well done.

[demoniquex]

I’m very excited to see the upcoming parts to your sling series! You very clearly have a much more sophisticated and unbiased opinion on slings; a true master to teach us!

[BlackbeardsRevenge]

I had no idea this was still being practiced by so many people. This is awesome! I'm definitely going to try and learn it. Thanks for the awesome videos!!!

[MalcolmCooks]

there's something intoxicating about the power and accuracy, and the snap it makes on release... sling-shooters must have been terrifying to face on the battlefield

[us]

I strongly believe that Rafa Nadal (who comes from the Balearic Archipelago) carries his balistic talent from previous generations!
Great video, cheers from Spain💃

[LoveHatePlank]

As anyone here I am fascinated by the design and do want to replicate it. Therefore waiting for a guide.

I thought I've started to produce decent slings, but after you showing this sexy balearic design tapering to the end.... thank you for eye opening video :D

[greenjackl]

Some good shooting there. Most under rated ancient weapon of all. More than capable of bringing down large game.

[d.l.l.]

A good movie about David would be to start with him casually braiding something, whistling, surrounded by sheep. Then we find out it’s a sling.

[SaveliyShabanov]

You have the best slings I’ve seen on internet, great job👏

[juniorgc]

I used to play with these as I grew up as a kid, used to make our own as well as bows and sling shots from good tree branches. Awesome

[davidnagore]

I remember when I was young and playing D&D, the sling was treated in the game as something of a suck weapon. It was only a few years ago when, after doing a little real-world research, that I found out how well it rivaled the bow in every category.