Spit-ooie!
September 26, 2011 7:06 PM Subscribe
Teach me how to spit like a [cobra/llama/Texan].
I'm spit or miss with my loogie-launching skills, and I'd like to improve. The following aspects are especially in question:
I'm spit or miss with my loogie-launching skills, and I'd like to improve. The following aspects are especially in question:
- Position of the loaded loogie
- Consistency of the loogie
- Order of operations
- Head movement
- Role of the diaphragm
- Role of the tongue
- Role of the lips
I'm a Texan. Have been for over half a century. I don't spit; my cousins don't spit (except when playing baseball or baling hay, and then it don't make no sound.). My gran'mommy would have tared us right good if we had.
I have been in a few bars that have spittoons (brass ones), and they would have kicked you out if you used one (have you ever polished a brass spittoon?). This has been true at least since the early seventies. Even people that chew tobacco (my gran'dad, pre-seventies; cousins and acquaintances more recently) used a coffee can or plastic cup filled with paper towels; you held it to your mouth and kept the sound and the crud out of hearing and sight.
So I'm pretty sure the way you get the PIINNNG is to use a foley board. The way to get your spew to spin and curve and dip is to learn video editing. The way to improve your aim is practice, but learning to shoot a rubber band off you index finger is just as easy, more effective and less disgusting (ever seen a six striped racer stunned and twenty feet? It's impressive; can't do that with spit.)
posted by Webnym at 8:01 PM on September 26, 2011 [5 favorites]
I have been in a few bars that have spittoons (brass ones), and they would have kicked you out if you used one (have you ever polished a brass spittoon?). This has been true at least since the early seventies. Even people that chew tobacco (my gran'dad, pre-seventies; cousins and acquaintances more recently) used a coffee can or plastic cup filled with paper towels; you held it to your mouth and kept the sound and the crud out of hearing and sight.
So I'm pretty sure the way you get the PIINNNG is to use a foley board. The way to get your spew to spin and curve and dip is to learn video editing. The way to improve your aim is practice, but learning to shoot a rubber band off you index finger is just as easy, more effective and less disgusting (ever seen a six striped racer stunned and twenty feet? It's impressive; can't do that with spit.)
posted by Webnym at 8:01 PM on September 26, 2011 [5 favorites]
When I was about 20 I lamented my inability to spit. Spittle would drizzle my chin or land on my shirt, but would never launch in the way it does when, for example, cowboys (or -some- Texans) spit. And I really, really wanted to be able to spit.
How did I change it? I practiced all summer long. That's it. You just need to keep at it. That said, I've been practicing whistling for about 5 years and simply cannot whistle. So perhaps you will find this to be your fate with whistling.
Caveat: This could be tricky if you have an office job or live in a densely populated urban area.
posted by lulu68 at 7:01 AM on September 27, 2011
How did I change it? I practiced all summer long. That's it. You just need to keep at it. That said, I've been practicing whistling for about 5 years and simply cannot whistle. So perhaps you will find this to be your fate with whistling.
Caveat: This could be tricky if you have an office job or live in a densely populated urban area.
posted by lulu68 at 7:01 AM on September 27, 2011
It's a practiced skill. There's also, what we called as kids, 'gleeting' which was lauching a thin stream of spittle off ones tongue. I never got that one down.
Yet again, there's the pressured forcing of the same through the gap in the front teeth via pressure applied by the tongue a la 'cobra' style. Good distance, not so much force.
Loogies are a bit of a different monster, being that they're more substantial and therefor impressive when used for distance. I quit hocking loogies long ago so can't really comment there.
With me, plain old spitting was mostly lips and throat/cheeks... I didn't put a whole lot of diaphragm into it. Aim comes with practice. I don't know about getting a spitoon to ping, I'd think chewing tobacco would help. Viscosity of spittle has an important role as well of course.
Regarding curving and hitting hidden objects, unless you're talking a normal trajectory or a high wind, I'd say it was impossible.
I can't believe I just typed all this.... shame shame...
posted by RolandOfEld at 8:55 AM on September 27, 2011
Yet again, there's the pressured forcing of the same through the gap in the front teeth via pressure applied by the tongue a la 'cobra' style. Good distance, not so much force.
Loogies are a bit of a different monster, being that they're more substantial and therefor impressive when used for distance. I quit hocking loogies long ago so can't really comment there.
With me, plain old spitting was mostly lips and throat/cheeks... I didn't put a whole lot of diaphragm into it. Aim comes with practice. I don't know about getting a spitoon to ping, I'd think chewing tobacco would help. Viscosity of spittle has an important role as well of course.
Regarding curving and hitting hidden objects, unless you're talking a normal trajectory or a high wind, I'd say it was impossible.
I can't believe I just typed all this.... shame shame...
posted by RolandOfEld at 8:55 AM on September 27, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by restless_nomad at 7:27 PM on September 26, 2011