# Howdy



## Christian Soldier (Jun 26, 2012)

Hey, I'm Dan. I've been doing Kenpo Karate (EPAK) for 8 years now and some knife fighting for about 4 years. I got my black belt a couple years ago after being held back for a few years because I was too young, it was well worth the wait, and it taught me how to be patient. It's not realy about the belts for me as much as it is the training and the people. 

Other things about me: I'm going into my junior year of high school this year. I practice Combat shooting at least once a week. I'm a bowyer and primitive archer so I make and shoot primitive bows and arrows. I also spend a lot of my time making slings (the rock throwing kind) and slinging, I've been doing that for about 4 years and now I'm actually writing a book on that with some other slingers around the world called _The Slinger's Guide_. I know my way around the woods pretty well. 

In Jr. High a friend and I got lost in the woods on a camp out with my church (just before this hike I had spent about an hour starting a fire with cardboard and a lighter) and I had no idea what to do so we just yelled for help untill it came. It really woke me up so I immersed myself in survival and wilderness self reliance, and now can start a fire in pretty much any weather and I have spent nights in wiki ups, lean tos, and even a snow shelter in sub zero tempatures. Still learning how little I know in woodcraft too. This immerision also started me in the bow and sling making. (Someone has a plan  )

As you may have gotten from my Username, I'm a Christian. I was saved at a young age and now my main goal in life is to grow stronger in my relationship with Jesus Christ who died for my sins and rose three days later. I want to follow Him for the rest of my life and never turn back.


I really look forward to learning more about MA on here. I find the more I learn the less I really know. I spend most of my online time on slinging.org, but being that it's summer and summer is incredibly boring, I'll have plenty of time to learn and share what I know on here.

Oh and here's my school. http://www.elickerkenpoacademy.com/

I'm the young guy in the center of the picture on the home page with all the black belts, or Mr. Dan M. on the instructor page. And My Dad, my mom, and my oldest sister are also Black belts and my older sister is a brown belt.


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## oftheherd1 (Jun 26, 2012)

Welcome to MT!  I'm sure you will find it interesting here.  I also look forward to your contributions.


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## Instructor (Jun 26, 2012)

Welcome!  I've done a little slinging myself but I never could hit much.  I've been working on a bow kit from 3 rivers but it still needs lots till it's done.  Not sure if I want to reinforce it with fiberglass or the traditional way with a deer tendons.  Would love to hear your thoughts on it.


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## Christian Soldier (Jun 26, 2012)

Instructor said:


> Welcome! I've done a little slinging myself but I never could hit much. I've been working on a bow kit from 3 rivers but it still needs lots till it's done. Not sure if I want to reinforce it with fiberglass or the traditional way with a deer tendons. Would love to hear your thoughts on it.



The sling is the hardest primitive projectile weapon to master, once you figure it out and get used to the technique it can be amazingly effective. For the bow, if you bought one of the kits with the laminations (usually a little over an inch wide) then you should definitly back it with fiberglass and make a primitive bow another time. If you have a primitive self bow and the back of the bow is 'clean' and you haven't nicked the subsequesnt growth rings leave it as it is. You should only sinew back it is a short bow that takes a lot of set, if it is a horn bow that needs more reflex, or if you have compromised the back of the bow. On a normal long bow, sinew will actually slow it down because of the extra mass on the limb and sinew backing is a lot of messy work. I broke the first few bows I made but I kept trying and now I have more than a dozen working self bows that shoot well and I'll always have that skill with me.


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## oftheherd1 (Jun 26, 2012)

I haven't heard of anyone using a sling before.  It sounds like a fun skill to have.  It worked well for David anyway.  ;-)


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## sfs982000 (Jun 26, 2012)

Welcome to the forums!


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## MJS (Jun 26, 2012)

Welcome!


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## Christian Soldier (Jun 26, 2012)

oftheherd1 said:


> I haven't heard of anyone using a sling before. It sounds like a fun skill to have. It worked well for David anyway. ;-)



Yep, if you ever want to learn more come by and see the slinging.org forum. We are a welcoming group like yourselves and you can learn all you can know about slings and slinging. http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl
The catch is that, just like MA, you need real life practice time, a lot of it. It's kind of like learning to throw with your left hand. You may know how to throw, but you need the muscle memory to really be proficent. Really fun skill to have.


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## mmartist (Jun 26, 2012)

Welcome !


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## rickster (Jun 26, 2012)

Welcome!!!!!


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## Yondanchris (Jun 26, 2012)

Welcome to MT! I am sure we will get along just fine! It's nice to have other believers of like mind on here!

Chris


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## Instructor (Jun 27, 2012)

Christian Soldier said:


> Yep, if you ever want to learn more come by and see the slinging.org forum. We are a welcoming group like yourselves and you can learn all you can know about slings and slinging. http://slinging.org/forum/YaBB.pl
> The catch is that, just like MA, you need real life practice time, a lot of it. It's kind of like learning to throw with your left hand. You may know how to throw, but you need the muscle memory to really be proficent. Really fun skill to have.



I was on that board quite a bit a few years ago.  Nice folks.


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## seasoned (Jun 27, 2012)

You are a very well rounded young ladd, and we are glad you found us. Enjoy...........


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## Gentle Fist (Jul 1, 2012)

Welcome to MT!


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