Welcome to Lineage Whips!
About Me and Whips
Hello! My name is Robert Buckley, and I would like to thank you for checking out my site. I am a dedicated whip enthusiast, veteran martial artist, father and family man, and a Christian.
I came into the world of whips through the head of my American Kenpo lineage, Mr. Richard "Huk" Planas, more than ten years ago. One of the unofficial traditions of this man's seminars for brown and black belts is to toss a whip to someone, give a few cursory instructions and watch them work it out. (Sometimes with a satisfying crack, other times with funny results.) When it came to be my turn, I was able to really comprehend how a whip worked in practice as well as the science behind it. Needless to say, I was hooked.
I built my first whip after reading some online information as well as How To Make Whips, by Ron Edwards. At the time, I didn't have enough money of my own to be able to invest in the necessary materials for a truly proper bullwhip, let alone being able to buy a handcrafted whip of any degree, so I used a bicycle inner tube, some rope of varying width and a leather lace I found for a fall. I was able to actually build a working four plait bull whip in about six hours of trial and error that cracked to my satisfaction, for the time being. In 2004, I was able to finally buy my own whips, but wanted to have something that was more user friendly in terms of care and maintenance, so I was directed to Mr. Rhett Kelley of cowwhips.com for my first two six foot bullwhips constructed completely of nylon paracord, and they are still cracking great to this day. In early 2009, I decided that I wanted to obtain another nylon whip, but instead of buying one, I felt it was time to try my hand at the construction process once again. It did not stop with one whip, but instead through trial and error and education, grew into a passion that has spawned a product that I believe is competitive in today's nylon whip industry. Whether you have a passion for sport cracking, cracking as a hobby, working livestock, or martial arts applications, I believe you are in the right place. All my whips come with a personal guarantee that when used properly and with common sense, they can last for many years.
Why Nylon?
All of my whips are made with 550 nylon paracord, which is a man made material that will not rot, mildew, or shrink. I have every confidence in the world that I can crack any one of my nylon whips in the rain, snow, morning dew, and fog without ever having to worry about moisture damage. A mild detergent and warm water is all that is needed to keep these whips in good working order on a regular basis. There are a few rules that should apply not just to nylon, but whips in general when it comes to cracking them:
All of my whips are made with 550 nylon paracord, which is a man made material that will not rot, mildew, or shrink. I have every confidence in the world that I can crack any one of my nylon whips in the rain, snow, morning dew, and fog without ever having to worry about moisture damage. A mild detergent and warm water is all that is needed to keep these whips in good working order on a regular basis. There are a few rules that should apply not just to nylon, but whips in general when it comes to cracking them:
- Don't crack them on concrete or hard packed dirt and gravel. It causes the nylon fibers to break apart little by little and the whip will get a "fuzzy" look to it. Eventually, it can cause major damage such as breaking the tail.
- NEVER leave a nylon whip outside in direct sunlight for extended periods of time. The suns rays are harmful! Have you ever left something made of plastic in the sun for a long time and watched it get really brittle? That could be your whip.
- Make sure that you're aware of your surroundings when cracking a whip. The tip of a whip travels two times faster than the speed of sound when performing a good solid crack. BULLET SPEEDS! Be sure that no person or animal is in range.
- Wear protection for yourself! I have personally witnessed blood drawn due to accidents when learning new cracking routines. Use common sense.
- Check the condition of your cracker and fall often, as these parts of the whip wear out the fastest. I sometimes have to change my cracker after a single session of cracking, especially with target cracking. If you get a knot in either one of these parts of the whip and crack it in, it is very difficult to get out, so be observant!
