The Purpose of the SAWA

The modern whip is an incredibly versatile, beautiful and simple tool that represents over 3000 years of design and development. It's snake-like flow and loud response makes it a beautiful and dramatic tool for theatre and performance, and it's speed, accuracy, and explosive force make it a versatile, and highly underused martial arts weapon.

Up until the 1950's, the whip was most often associated with cowboys, and was a staple tool for the Wild West Performer in the travelling shows, circuses, and action serials from companies like Republic Pictures.

Heroes such as Lash Larue, Zorro, Linda Sterling, and others thrilled audiences, and young children longed to develop their own whip skills.

The 1960s began the post-modern movement, and the re-imagining of the whip in the modern psyche began. The cowboy action movie began to decline, and the whip began to be associated with the Adult Entertainment Industry*.

Western Serial Legend, Al "Lash" Larue

Today, professional whip artists may find themselves in an awkward situation. Unlike martial artists, stunt people, musicians, actors and other performers, there is not professional affiliation or rank that they can hold that will add legitimacy to their skills. For martial artists, stunt people, and actors, there are ranking systems, skill achievement certifications, and other means to ensure that these performers are competent professionals. Those rare organizations that do exist for whip performers do not differentiate between the hobbyists and the professionals who work tirelessly to develop their skills and their performance abilities. They are lumped together with the occasional hobbyists, who might consider themselves "professional performers." Much damage can be done to the reputation of a professional if he uses these same lay affiliations as the "hobbyist performer."** The SAWA wishes to address this problem.

The goals of the SAWA are threefold:

To provide a professional, family-friendly organization that supports and promotes a separate image of the bullwhip to the public.
To support the professional performer and craftsman through developing a series of certification processes to add to the professional legitimacy, and also
To preserve the historical legacy of the whip arts.

*PLEASE NOTE: The goals of the SAWA are not to undermine, or even supplant the image of the whip for use in fetish situations by consenting adults, but instead wishes to develop a structured forum and educational system for those interested in the sport, health, and family-friendly entertainment aspects of the whip. Participation in one area of whip arts does not exclude one from another. There are cross-training skills emphasised in each category of whip performer that can be useful to the other.

**AGAIN NOTE: The SAWA does not wish to marginalize or supplant these lay organizations. These organizations support and encourage the whip arts, and provide an excellent first step for the lay person to begin their study, and pursue SAWA certification only should they choose to.