Highland Games Basics: Caber Carry

Highland Games Basics: Caber Carry

When I first started throwing, I struggled greatly with the caber, and that’s no exaggeration. Just ask some of my fellow HASA members and they’ll tell you.. So, I did what any newbie would do - I turned to YouTube. Through my rigorous research, one man kept coming up as a dude who crushed monster cabers; legend was that there wasn't a caber this guy couldn't turn. Mike Smith is this man's name, and I quickly decided that if I want to be even pedestrian at this event (it took me five games before I even turned my first one), I had better replicate what this man was doing. His "pick" was pretty standard, but it was his carry that set him apart. Mike Smith would carry the stick so high, it was almost at shoulder level, it seemed. In each instance I saw, he made a conscience effort to get the caber positioned higher.  I'm no smart man, but I did the math:

Dude turns more monster cabers than anyone
+
No one carries it like him
____________________________ 

Worth trying

Now, before I describe a caber carry or even defend it, know that I'm not saying there aren't plenty of different, and successful, ways to carry a caber. I'm just explaining how I do it and how I coach it.

We've already gone over the "pick" so let's jump into the carry. Once you've gathered yourself after catching this huge toothpick, work your hands up to chest level. So, what you have now is you're holding the caber with your elbows bent and the stick tucked in tight against your neck and shoulder.  It doesn't matter what side you carry the caber on (I throw right-handed but carry the caber on my left side), just that you're comfortable with the caber and feel as if you can somewhat control it … yeah, I know, I know..

I like to carry it high for a few reasons:

Less Drop - When I'm about to pull the caber and flip it, the "drop" of that caber is critical. If you jump stop your approach (don't, by the way, but again, more on that later), you're fighting yourself. The lower my carry is, the longer pull I have at the finish, and the more momentum I have to fit as I pull that stick all the way up. With a high carry, I can more easily hit that explosive finish position I want, without having to drop down in the basement to gather for a big turn.

Tight Shoulder - I want to feel in control of the caber. The higher I hold it and the tighter it is against my chest, shoulder and neck, the more control I feel that I have on it. I can pull it in closer to my body as needed for counter-balance and more easily give it a final "nudge" when it's time to pull it (more on that in another section). This all leads me to the last reason ...

Drive the Caber - I think a lot of people make the mistake of a simple mindset; don’t just run with the caber, drive it! With a high carry, I can really drive the caber - kind of like a football sled. You cannot carry a sled and run, you have to drive it forward – let’s do the same with a caber.  I even go to the extreme of keeping my head down during the entire "drive" phase.  In my thought process, if I can apply forward force to the caber, then I am speeding up the top end of the stick, making it that much more likely to turn.

And if you've not Googled Mike Smith by now, I've done you the favor of linking one of my all-time favorite caber tosses.

Carry on. 

 

26 comments

  • KRISTEN STEPHEN

    Anyone who has fallen victim to Any recent or old fraudulent Crypto investment schemes should reach out to THE SCHWARTZ RECOVERY SOFTWARE HACKERS COMPANY
    Haven’t you heard about Schwartz Software Hackers Services the deal in Fund Recovery and Mobile spy and other people had benefited from it? I am KRISTEN STEPHEN by name, I want to share a blog and forums on how to get a real fund recovery firm, thanks to Schwartz Software Hackers who helped me in recovering my funds from a romance scam and I was so poor without funds that I got frustrated. One morning as I was browsing the internet, I saw different comments of people testifying of how Schwartz Software Hackers helped him from being poor to a rich man through this already hacked ATM CARD. I was skeptical if this was true, I decided to contact him to know if he is real he proved to me beyond all doubts that it was really for real so I urgently receive my lost funds with the help of him you can Contact his email schwartzsoftwarehackingprogram@gmail.com and today am also testifying on how SCHWARTZ RECOVERY HACKERS helped me. I never believed in it until the funds were recovered and sent to my bitcoin wallet, which I have my funds back and am grateful to them, Contact the company now and recover all your lost funds

    WhatsApp : +44 77 41 26 48 51
    Email : schwartzsoftwarehackingprogram@gmail.com
    Telegram : https://t.me/schwartzsoftwarehackers
    Website : https://schwartzsoftwareha.wixsite.com
    All rights reserved.
    Copyright© 2021 Privacy Policy.

  • KRISTEN STEPHEN

    Anyone who has fallen victim to Any recent or old fraudulent Crypto investment schemes should reach out to THE SCHWARTZ RECOVERY SOFTWARE HACKERS COMPANY
    Haven’t you heard about Schwartz Software Hackers Services the deal in Fund Recovery and Mobile spy and other people had benefited from it? I am KRISTEN STEPHEN by name, I want to share a blog and forums on how to get a real fund recovery firm, thanks to Schwartz Software Hackers who helped me in recovering my funds from a romance scam and I was so poor without funds that I got frustrated. One morning as I was browsing the internet, I saw different comments of people testifying of how Schwartz Software Hackers helped him from being poor to a rich man through this already hacked ATM CARD. I was skeptical if this was true, I decided to contact him to know if he is real he proved to me beyond all doubts that it was really for real so I urgently receive my lost funds with the help of him you can Contact his email schwartzsoftwarehackingprogram@gmail.com and today am also testifying on how SCHWARTZ RECOVERY HACKERS helped me. I never believed in it until the funds were recovered and sent to my bitcoin wallet, which I have my funds back and am grateful to them, Contact the company now and recover all your lost funds

    WhatsApp : +44 77 41 26 48 51
    Email : schwartzsoftwarehackingprogram@gmail.com
    Telegram : https://t.me/schwartzsoftwarehackers
    Website : https://schwartzsoftwareha.wixsite.com
    All rights reserved.
    Copyright© 2021 Privacy Policy.

  • liam campbell

    Hire A Hacker To Recovery Lost Crypto/ BTC – OPTIMISTIC HACKER GAIUS Can Help You

    The possibility of a successful fund recovery can be raised by working with OPTIMISTIC HACKER GAIUS to create a recovery plan that is customized to the particulars of the scam.

    Go To Website at (www.optimistichackergaius.com )]

    Text +44 737, 674, 0569 On WhatsApp

    Email Box ( support@optimistichackergaius.com )

  • liam campbell

    Hire A Hacker To Recovery Lost Crypto/ BTC – OPTIMISTIC HACKER GAIUS Can Help You

    The possibility of a successful fund recovery can be raised by working with OPTIMISTIC HACKER GAIUS to create a recovery plan that is customized to the particulars of the scam.

    Go To Website at (www.optimistichackergaius.com )]

    Text +44 737, 674, 0569 On WhatsApp

    Email Box ( support@optimistichackergaius.com )

  • Lloyd Austin

    My process for recovery has been kind of a bumpy process because of the fake recovery agents I encountered. However with the support given to me by RIGHT WAY LAW RECOVERY SERVICES, I have collectively succeeded in recouping my locked up BTC Assets valued at $326,790 within the space of 48 hours !! Or rather the team worked hard on my behalf, I only had to provide them with a few details regarding my investment with the fraud company and they did the rest for me. Prior to meeting RIGHT WAY LAW RECOVERY FIRM, I had met a few recovery agents as well, that only seemed to care about their service fee similar to what the fraud company was doing to me and at some point I almost gave up the believe that I would ever get back my money but today I’ve done full circle to come back here and give my own thankful review since I learnt about the team through the many reviews on here. I feel ready to take on the world with my new found awareness and RIGHT WAY LAW RECOVERY on my team! … I wish they would create more awareness platforms and opportunities to help enlighten more people about crypto and how best to navigate the digital financial landscape, this will surely help to reduce the fast spreading fraudulent activities going on here & there and save potential investors from falling prey!. Glad I know it now and I can teach it to my children so they wont make the same mistakes I did. You can also contact them via their official Email address: RIGHTWAYLAWRECOVERYSERVICE@GMAIL (.) COM or
    Telegram:+1 513 602 3179

Leave a comment