How long should a first whip be?

If you've got the space, a rule of thumb that seems to work is that a six foot bull whip is a good length for most adults' first whip.

If you're not very tall, or are looking to focus on difficult multiple cracking routines, a 5 foot bullwhip may be more suitable - as a general rule, the shorter the whip, the faster the action; so fast routines suit short whips. The downside of this is that learning technical routines with shorter whips can feel pretty hectic. They are also less visually impressive for performing tricks and target cutting, and less well suited to wraps; whereas a six footer is more of an all-rounder and has a more flowing action that I personally find very pleasing. If I had to have just one bullwhip, it would be a six footer.

Some American whip vendors will argue for longer (more expensive) whips but I've taught an awful lot of people to crack whips and I've found that, when you're learning, the whip gets dragged around on the ground, stood on etc. Longer whips in the hands of novices suffer more wear and tear at the point, get damaged more often, and can hamper learning. Long whips also need a great deal of space, and you will enjoy one most when you already have some skill as a whip cracker.

If you prefer stock whips, a 5 footer offers similar handling to a 6 foot bullwhip but is slightly longer overall; and therefore marginally better for learning body wrapping. A 6 foot stock whip is better still, from that point of view, with a slow and elegant action once mastered. It is a bit slow for technical multiple cracking and slower to master overall but, if you really want a long whip for your first whip, go for one of these rather than an 8 or 10 foot bullwhip. A 4 foot stock/yard whip is better for faster routines, and many people are happy to learn with these.

If you are going to be working mainly inside, space is the critical factor, including ceiling height. Short snake whips are my best sellers for indoor work. Signal whips are the best if space is the main determinant of choice. Yard whips have the same sort of range as a six foot bullwhip, but the keeper connection between handle and thong mean that that they can be used for target work in more constricted spaces.

As a general rule, it is easier to judge distance with a short whip - an important consideration for SM whip crackers - but for 'sport' whip cracking, a longer whip will be more satisfying.