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Whip Cracking Safety Guidelines

The following ground-rules apply for all participants at the Convention, and are good advice when practicing elsewhere

• An experienced whip artist can make wraps, and other tricks, look deceptively simple. But a novice trying this, on such an unprotected assistant,
  would be placing that person at risk of injury. Make sure that you assess your risks and, if in any doubt about your ability to perform a trick or routine safely, be over-cautious in protecting yourself and those around you!

• Like most sports and hobbies, whip cracking is an activity that carries a degree of risk. You should assess that risk before deciding to take part in a whip cracking event, and before trying any new techniques.

• When a whip cracks, the tip of the whip is travelling faster than the speed of sound. If, at that moment, it hits bare skin, it can cause serious
  injuries - a hit in the eye could blind you; and it has even been known for bones to be fractured. In addition, the sound of the whip can be loud
  enough to damage your hearing, especially when used indoors and/or the whip is 'muscled' to force a loud crack. Scary as that may sound, the good news is that it's very easy to protect yourself to ensure that a minor mishap doesn't become a real injury. All you need is a minimal amount of protective clothing and some common sense. You will make mistakes when practicing but we don't know ofanyone who, being sensible about safety, has managed to suffer anything worse than a pretty stingy slap from the end of the whip. Of course,'ouch' is the sound of learning... or so we've been led to believe.

• Ear plugs and a limited amount of eye protection will be available on the day, but feel free to bring your own if you have them.
  

Personal Protection

• Eye protection should be worn at all times in practice areas, even if you are not throwing a whip yourself.

• Ear plugs are recommend, especially when practicing indoors.

• Long sleeves and trousers, or a long skirt, are recommend clothing; especially for beginners. Avoid thin, or tight, clothing because it is less
  effective at absorbing the energy of an impact. Loose jeans are fine. Leathers are best. Very long whips tend to have more energy on impact, so
  add more layers if you're not used to throwing these.

• Consider head gear. Some people use a wide brimmed hat to prevent painful whacks to the ears and head, especially when practicing overhead
  techniques.

• Gloves will prevent blisters on your hands.

• Wear sensible shoes with flat soles. Open-toe sandals are not recommended!

• If you're not practicing, try to avoid entering practice areas.

• When entering the practice area, be aware that people already there will be concentrating on what they are doing, not on what you are doing. It
  is your responsibility to make sure that you stay out of range of an accidental hit; or to let other people know you're there if you have to pass
  close by. Shout! They may be wearing ear plugs.

• Build your routines, rather than improvising them. Improvised routines are more likely to go wrong.

Protecting Others

• Be aware of the space all around you including behind you and over your head. Allow plenty of room for your whip to crack especially with double
  handed routines.

• Do not throw whips outside of practice areas.

• Check the condition of your whips before using them. Replace/trim badly worn falls - if the end snaps off and whacks somebody, expect to getsworn at! Similarly, check during use; and ensure there are no unexpected knots before performing body wraps etc.

• Check for debris on the ground, that could be lifted and 'fired' by your whip, especially if people have been practicing target cutting where you want to practice.

• Clear up debris after target cutting.

• Everybody will crack their whips very loudly at some point in the day, but please don't spend the whole day forcing the loudest possible sound from your whips. Not only is it bad for the whip, it's bad for other people's hearing. People working at the registration desk, venue staff and visitors, are unlikely to be wearing ear plugs!

• When you enter the practice area, make sure that you have enough room between you and the next person before launching into your routine.

• Risk-assess for practice partners, as well as for yourself: you may not feel that ear plugs are necessary for a particular trick, but your partner will
  be that much nearer to the sound. They are also at increased risk of injury if you make a mistake: consider rigger gloves (or similar) for people
  holding targets, and additional layers for practice partners when you first start wrapping arms etc. Do not practice anything involving a live
  partner until you are sure that you have the necessary technique mastered.

Etiquette

Please remember that the Convention is a family-friendly event. If you're new to whip cracking, ask for help with the basics - there's always somebody nearby who will be happy to share their knowledge.

• Do not use anybody else's whip without asking them first

• If you borrow a whip, please look after it: don't crack it if it's missing a cracker; untie (or ask for help with) unwanted knots in the fall and cracker; don't whack it against the ground or against solid objects.

• Do not hog the practice space - take breaks to allow other people the same amount of time to practice and try not to fill the entire space with your 40 foot bullwhip routine!

• Don't leave whips lying around in the practice area, or where people may wish to sit, or where people can trip over them. Whips can be dangerous, do not fool around with them and NEVER threaten anyone with your whip.

Please Note that reasonable precautions will be taken as regards to safety but, as with any sport, it is impossible to remove all risk. Theorganisers cannot be responsible for any injury that may occur during the convention.

The organisers reserve the right to suspend any participant from the convention, if that participant places themselves or others at risk; or behaves in an inappropriate manner.