The whip, in one form or another is one of civilized man's oldest tools, dating back to 3000 BC in both the Chinese and Egyptian cultures. It is also the first man-made object to break the sound barrier. It was this "sonic boom" or whip crack that cowboys discovered could be a great motivator for moving livestock, and its distinctive noise and movement resonates within us.

The ability to harness the speed and power of a whip is exhilarating and dangerous. It can slice through skin, break bone and permanently damage eyes in unskilled and/or careless hands. But in the hands of a skilled artist, it can be a dance.

At right: Anthony and Mary have their whips prepped to rehearse a portion of their bullwhip tango. Click here for the QuickTime mpeg (704Kb) of their rehearsal.

We at Rancho Indalo believe in the power and beauty of the bullwhip. Anthony's system of bullwhip basics will have you cracking the whip quickly and safely. His whip instruction is unique - employing the structure of the whip itself to generate both fluid movement and an explosive crack in a safe manner. The system encourages sensitivity and awareness and a constant dialogue with the whip - delivering it all in simple, sequential segments that make it easy to learn.

The skills you wish to attain depends upon how much time you wish to dedicate to whip training, and how much you wish to dedicate to other skills. A range of instruction is available, from a 90 minutes a day, to 4 hour intensive training. Let us know your goals and we will tailor a program to fit those goals.

Figures include the circus or gypsy crack, the forward throw, the sidearm throw, and diagonals. These can be performed on either side of the body, and can be put together for performing multiple cracks. More advanced training includes target cutting and wrapping.

At right: At the 2001 End of Trail, Anthony and Mary cut two whip targets simultaneously, working the whip with the right hand and holding two targets for the other with the left hand. One target is cut with an upward vertical, then the second is cut with a vertical gypsy crack. For more of their End of Trail performances visit the 2001 Wild West Show page and the 2002 Wild West Show page.

Students are not required to have their own whip for training at Rancho Indalo, but if you have one, we encourage you to bring it with you. This will allow us to not only evaluate its strengths and weaknesses for you, but will also allow us to train you to perform correctly with the tool you will be using regularly.

At Rancho Indalo, we recommend 12-16 plait Australian kangaroo hide bullwhips. They are more expensive than the 4-6 plait cowhide whips, but they have greater resilience and greater sensitivity and well worth the investment for anyone who plans to perform with one. Our whips are made in Queensland, Australia and are imported by the Australian Stock Saddle Company

Anthony's whip-cracking videos are available for a discounted price if ordered when booking your adventure or purchased on site. We hope that your instruction here will just be the start of a lifetime of learning from the whip. For information about his whip-cracking videos, visit his Teaching page.

For information about Anthony's experience, visit his Fight Director's resume.

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Copyright 2004 Anthony De Longis. All contents, unless otherwise noted, are the property of Anthony or Mary De Longis or used with permission of the copyright owner. All text and photos herein may not be reproduced or distributed without the express written consent of Anthony or Mary De Longis, their official representative, or the copyright owner.

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This page last updated June 9, 2004