striking – Among Sallies and Bobs

“Better never than late”

Before I learned to ring I did a lot of contra dancing, which is what Americans did to English country dances. One caller would say at the end of his beginner lessons, “the rule is ‘better never than late’.” The music and the other dancers aren’t going to slow down or stop, so if youContinue reading ““Better never than late””

Where to aim; or, How to do what you want

Say you’re doing archery, shooting arrows at a target. Naturally you’ll aim at the center, since that’s where you want to hit the target! After you’ve fired your round of arrows though, it turns out they’re all *above* the center. Aiming at the center is pretty reliably getting your arrows…not in the center. So, tryContinue reading “Where to aim; or, How to do what you want”

Change the other stroke

I am on a quest to get ringers at one of my local towers to use as little effort as possible. The more efficient we can be in our ringing, the longer we can continue, and the easier it will be to ring heavier bells. A big part of this quest is teaching people howContinue reading “Change the other stroke”

Getting Better

When I taught kids to play violin and cello, I noticed that as they got better at playing a particular piece they would start playing it faster without realizing it. In my own learning experiences I’ve noticed a kind of subjective slowing as I get better, in driving a car, Irish step dancing, and handlingContinue reading “Getting Better”