My 30 Foot Method

I’ve spent the past 4 years trying to perfect my approach to flipping a horseshoe. Starting with this Part, I will be discussing and describing my current method. Along the way I have adopted and rejected various swing thoughts, stances, flights, etc. I would like to start with a series of observations and facts based on my own experience and watching others of various skill levels.

Observations and Facts

Fact — Newton said (I paraphrase), “A horseshoe in motion tends to stay in motion”, and, “a horseshoe at rest tends to stay at rest”. A horeseshoe will neither turn or flip without the action applied by the pitcher.

Observation — A shoe that arrives at the stake un-square reduces the potential for bounceback rejection. Moving the thumb left or right of center encourages an un-square arrival.

Observation — The pendulum swing is the most reliable. A break at the elbow violates the rules of a pendulum. Further, when it straightens the shoe will go to the right. To test this, hold a shoe at your side with a slight bend at the elbow and watch the effect of straightening the arm. The shoe will be pushed out to the right. Centrifugal force will tend to do the straightening. A pendulum follows the same swing path from the backswing through the forward swing. Typically, the arm swings vertically and perpendicular to the ground. This does not mean that you need to swing your arm like a Christmas toy soldier. You can also swing in front of your body as long as it follows the rules of the pendulum.

Fact — The head is the heaviest part of the body. Where the head goes, so goes the shoe. Where the head goes, so goes the shoulder. Where the shoulder goes, so goes the shoe. The pitching method that I will describe controls the movement of the head and shoulders.

Fact — You cannot bring the shoe up in front of your eyes and sight to the stake and perform a pendulum swing. The only way to throw down the target line is to loop the swing during the backswing.

Observation — The backswing must be slow enough to give enough time to plant the striding foot before releasing the shoe. Not setting the body in a balanced and established position will result in uncontrolled flight effecting flip or rotation, height and distance.

Observation — You must start the downswing by bending at the waist with your head starting downward and without moving left or right.

Observation — You must keep your pitching arm fully extended throughout the swing.

Observation — Your drop angle must be sufficient enough to secure the all important points if a ringer is not made.

Observation — A flipper will never beat a turner if you don’t drop the shoe in as softly as possible and concentrate on distance control.

Fact — You cannot look down the target line if you take a square stance. To look down the target line you would have to bend to the right so far, you would lose you balance.

The Complexities of Horseshoe Pitching

To the casual observer horseshoe pitching seems a simple, uncomplicated game. Trying it for the first time will quickly reveal how difficult it really is. There are a large number of variables that determine the ultimate result. Most of our champion horseshoe pitchers started when they were very young and grooved their method over many years of practice and competition. The horseshoe pitcher must learn to control the many variables that means success or failure.

Let’s look at a few of the important ones, any fault among them will cause a miss.
1. The arm swings off the Line of Flight.
2. The stride forward goes left or right.
3. The pitching shoulder rotates incorrectly.
4. The head shifts left or right thus pulling the shoulder along.
5. The shoe is thrown when the body is unbalanced.
6. The shoe is thrown with the wrong velocity.
7. The shoe is thrown to the wrong height.
8. The shoe is flipped or turned incorrectly.

Except for Item 8, the method I describe below should control all of Items 1 to 7. Turning or Flipping is an individual choice. Naturally, the method is my own and may not work for everyone. Give it a try. I think you’ll be surprised about how the control of the head movement and shoulder rotation will correct direction problems. The use of the Visual Alignment Point and starting with the shoe against the leg should eliminate a shoe going to the right. Good Luck

Setting Up Your Practice Area

The Stance — The proper stance is the key to success with this method. This technique allows you to look down the Line of Flight during the forward swing. There are two directional killers while pitching horseshoes, the head and the shoulders. If you move your head left or right, your shoulders will follow with unpredictable results. If you allow your shoulders to rotate, you will typically miss left. The photo below shows my stance. The distance from the foul line is an individual thing. Some folks stride shorter or longer than others. However, this is the stance. On the right approach (I’ll cover the reason later), your left heel is at the left edge with your shoe pointing directly at the right corner. Your right shoe is slightly away from the left edge and slightly forward of the left shoe. Your right foot should be rotated around slightly. Your upper body should be rotated around to the right so that the left shoulder is within your peripheral vision. Your left hand should rest on the left thigh. I had to switch from a long shoe retriever to a shorter one to avoid hitting the retriever during the forward swing. When you step forward with the left foot, your left heel should end up on the left edge of the approach and just short of the foul line.

The Right Hand Approach Stance

The aluminum rod is for demonstration purposes only. It indicates that the left foot points directly at the right corner.

Defining the Line of Flight — The Line of Flight is a straight line from the stake to the Center of Gravity (CofG) of the pitched shoe. To locate the CofG at the approach perform the following steps. If possible, purchase about 40 feet of stretchable cord. I found mine at a boat supply store. Use cord or string as an alternative. 1. Tie a weighted string to the back of the center of the thumb calk. 2. Rest the horseshoe against the right leg and mark the spot directly below the weighted string. The photo below shows a stretchable cord below the CofG of the horseshoe gripped and against the leg.

Center of Gravity with shoe against the right leg

To find the “Line of Flight”, loop a string, cord, etc., around the stake and draw it from the stake to the approach and over the CofG mark on the approach and anchor it a foot or so behind the approach. Mark the location on the front of the pit and drive a nail or hook and move the cord from the stake to the hook or nail. Pull the cord or string taut at the anchor behind the approach. You have now created a line from your CofG of the horseshoe directly to the stake. This “Line of Flight” defines the flight of the horseshoe from approach to stake.

To find the “Visual Alignment Point”, return to the approach, take your stance with shoe against your leg and the shoes CofG directly over the newly defined “Line of Flight” string. With the same weighted string attached to the horseshoe, raise the horseshoe from your leg with your arm fully extended and eye high. When the weighted string is directly over the cord/string on the approach make note of where the left shank is, relative to the stake. This will be your “Visual Alignment Point”. The photo below shows the shoe directly above the cord when at eye height.

Horseshoe extended directly over the "Line of Flight"

Shoulder Alignment — As humans, we all walk about the same. As we step with the left foot our shoulders rotate around to the left. We need to overcome this tendency. I have found that when the stance described is taken, the left shoulder becomes visible in our peripheral vision. To stop the shoulder from rotating I rest my left hand on my upper thigh above the knee, with or without shoe and retriever. A little pressure with my left hand retards the normal rotation of the left shoulder, keeping the right shoulder and arm on the LofF.

Controlling the Head — The last thing I need to do is control the head movement. I introduce the “tamper”. The tamper performs double duty. It not only controls my head movement, but, the “Drop Angle” as well. It’s an excellent choice, as if I hit it, it just flops over and just needs to be reset.

I always felt it was awkward to try to hit a target that I could throw up to, to try to control my launch angle and resulting drop angle. I use a tamper for my clay and one day I put it over the LofF cord about 8 feet from the stake and used it for an aim point and height controller. Recently, while studying the “Drop Angle”, I calculated that at least 30 degrees was required to keep the shoe in point range. My tamper was the perfect solution. I calculated that at 43″ high I could put the tamper at 6 feet 9 inches from the stake and if the shoe went over the tamper I was at least at a 30 degree drop angle. An added bonus was to discover if I put the tamper 2″ to the right of the LofF cord, I could monitor my head movement going left or right. It turned out to be an incredible practice tool. The photo below shows the view of the tamper slightly right and what I see from the approach.

The Tamper to the right of the stake

The photo below is the location of the tamper which is 81″ from the stake and 2″ to the right of the Line of Flight cord. The gap between the stake and the tamper is whas I use to make sure that my head does not move to the left or right.

Temper 81" from stake and 2" to the right of the LofF cord

The image below is a representation of where to position the tamper for a drop angle of 30 degrees and 45 degrees. I consider 30 degrees to be the minimum drop angle for salvaging points. I also consider 45 to be the maximum as anything over 45 degrees requires an increasing amount of effort. So, the drop angle range should be between 30 and 45 degrees.

Tamper location for 30 and 45 degree Drop Angles

One More Thing — I sometimes put a 15″ tire over the stake to insure that I am within point range while I am practicing.

Let’s Practice — Here are the steps by the numbers.

1. Take your stance.
2. Take your grip. Consider moving the thumb left or right.
3. Place your hand, shoes, retriever on left thigh.
4. Rest the shoe on your right leg. I tap the shoe as a locator.
5. Extend your arm and swing up to the Visual Alignment Point.
6. Start the downswing by bending at the waist slightly, with your eyes on the gap between the stake and tamper…swing or drop your arm down sloooowly.
7. Pass the shoe as close as possible to the leg. Ticking my pant leg slightly without upsetting the backswing, is a bonus.
8. Start stride forward when the shoe passes the leg and plant the left foot close to the left edge of the approach.
9. Your arm swing back and through, along the LofF, should take the shoe directly to the stake and under your eyes. Release the shoe with enough height to pass just over the top of the tamper.

Why the Right Approach? — I feel that throwing from the left approach causes the shoe to arrive too squarely, thus, more bouncebacks. Moving to the right side reduced the bouncebacks as the shoe hits the stake more of a glancing blow.

The image below is a layout of the practice pit that I have described above. Note that I have a second stretchable cord from the one stake to the other. I like to get the feel of throwing straight down the target line which will surface any tendencies that I might have for that day.

Pit Layout -- Left foot movement shown

Continue to Part 32 for a description of 7 new shoes.

E-mail me if you have questions.

Table of Contents

Drop Angle

This is a continuation of the discussion of the “High Point” and the “Release Point”. Originally, I wanted Part 30 to be a description of my personal technique for flipping a horseshoe from 30 feet. However, I felt I needed to describe the importance of the “Drop Angle”, whether pitching in sand or clay.

Pitching in a tournament will quickly point out the disadvantage a flipper has against a turner. It is therefore important to describe how to minimize this difference, as well as improving my ringer average. I cannot stress to strongly the importance of salvaging a point or points when I miss a ringer. Last year, I lost a match when I threw 36 ringers and my opponent threw 34. He was a turner and beat me with single points. Why did this happen? At the time, I was throwing my shoes fairly low. If I missed a ringer I was usually out of point range. The problem is much worse in sand. The information below is how I approached the problem with better results when I corrected my “Drop Angle.”

13 Inch Scoring Area

13 Inch Scoring Circle

The image above represents the scoring area around the stake. Any part of a horseshoe inside of the scoring area is a potential point in a cancellation match. In a count all points match, any part of a horseshoe inside of the scoring circle “is” a point.

The Minimum Drop Angle

30 Degree Drop Angle

The image above represents the minimum drop angle of 30 degrees. The shoe bottom right shows a ringer that is 6-1/2″ short of the ringer break. The middle shoe arrives 6″ above the ground, a potential ringer. The shoe on the left is a potential point when the shoe is not a ringer, but, passes the stake no higher than 6″ above the ground. This drop angle gives me a 12-1/2″ ringer length.

The Maximum Drop Angle

45 Degree Drop Angle

Here is the representation of a 45 degree drop angle. Notice that a non-ringer passing the stake at 6″ results in a shoe that is more likely to salvage a point over a 30 degree drop angle.

Your own personal drop angle is more than likely dictated by the rotation of your flipped shoe. The greater the drop angle the slower the shoe needs to rotate, the higher the launch angle and the later the release. In Part 31 I will discuss a simple way that I use to alter my drop angle during practice. It is important that I keep my drop angle somewhere between 30 and 45 degrees. When I pitch in my sand league, I concentrate on launching the shoe higher with slower flip rotation to pick up those all important points if I miss a ringer. I have found that surrounding the stake with a 15″ tire helps me get the feel for point control. Using the tire is in addition to the simple method of controlling my drop angle during practice.

Continue to Part 31 for a description of my current pitching method.

E-mail me if you have questions.

Table of Contents

Highpoint Downrange Location Verified

A Little History

When I first began pitching in 2007, I wondered if there wasn’t some way to put a string at some height, located at someplace, to help with the proper launch height? Apparently, this is a common question for beginning pitchers. A search on the web came up with 60% downrange as the proper location for the crossing string. Parts 9 and 11 of this blog discuss the search and my findings.

A recent posting of my findings on the NHPA forum raised a question about the validity of the formula used and the results. I indicated at that time I would follow up with further testing when the weather turned here in Maryland. Today, I was able to duplicate the findings and record them at 420 frames per second.

Background Layout

Location and Height of Vertical Posts

The image above shows the positioning of three vertical posts. Post 1 is 7.5 feet from the release point, 9 feet from the foul line. Post 2 is at the highpoint calculated as 11 feet from the release point. Post 3 is 14.5 feet from the release point. Each post has a wrapping of tape 6.5 feet above the ground. The center of gravity of the shoe will pass by Post 1 going up to 6.5 feet (bottom of the tape), Post 2 at 6.8 feet (Highpoint) and Post 3 going back down to 6.36 feet.

Highpoint Video at 420 Frames Per Second

The Release Point

The two most important aspects of correct distance is the location of the Point of Release and the Initial Velocity of the Release (the speed of your arm swing). The location of the Point of Release and the Velocity determines if the shoe reaches the stake. The point of release determines everything except velocity. Where you release the shoe determines the launch angle and the launch angle determines the location of the highpoint.

If you hit your highpoint downrange correctly your release point and velocity were correct. In effect if you don’t hit your highpoint, either the velocity and/or release point were incorrect. The two images below describe what happens if your HUB (shoulder) releases the shoe from various points in the forward swing along the swing arc. NOTE: The HUB has not moved for any throw. First, note that the launch angle is directly effected by the release point on the arc. The earlier the release the lower the launch angle and the later the release the higher the launch angle. If you release the shoe at the correct location, but your arm swing is too fast or slow, the shoe will arrive above or below the highpoint.

Below is a description of the image above. If the size is too small there is a link at the bottom for a larger PDF file.

Click for Larger Description of the Release Point

Drop Angle

The Drop Angle is a continuation of the topic affecting the flight of a horseshoe. Part 30 describes the importance of the “Drop Angle” for salvaging all important points.

Continue to Part 30 for information about “Drop Angle.”

E-mail me if you have questions.

Table of Contents

The Tribute Series

Six New Designs

As mentioned in the Table of Contents, I have decided to develop six new designs to honor the five military services and the Vietnam Veteran. Each shoe is significantly different from one to the other. They do, however, share certain characteristics. For instance, each is perfectly balanced front to back and side to side. Each has a marker or notch on each shank designating the halfway point and the center of gravity. In addition, the hook calks are the same, to allow for more options regarding the thickness and shape of the shanks. I also wanted each shoe to be available for the flip or turn from either side. On several of the designs I have included an oversized ringer break. There are two main purposes for this ringer break; first, it improves the ability to reduce bounceback; second, it provides a platform for supporting the index finger for the flipper. Any shoe that makes it to production will be based solely on performance.

With the ability to design all of my horseshoes using 3D software, my options are virtually endless. I use both Moment of Inspiration and Netfabb for each of my designs. Once I am satisfied with the proper weight and placement of the center of gravity, I send the computer file to Wildwood Engineering in Walkersville, Maryland for 3D printing. The output from the printer is a hard plastic representation of the horseshoe. A little sanding and the prototype is off to the foundry for casting in ductile iron. I am including four 3D PDF files showing each of the first 4 shoes designed. I have tried to be respectful to each of the military services with the naming of each shoe. I will describe each unique characteristic of each design below.

The Patriot

I dedicate this shoe to the Vietnam Veteran. This shoe uses a hook calk that is the same on both sides. The shanks on the bottom are raised along the outer perimeter to add stability to the the flight and give the turner a more stable thumb grip. The ringer break is a little larger to reduce bounceback. The notch on the inner perimeter is a grip reminder and is the precise location of the center of gravity.

Selecting the images of each of the four 3D PDF files will present a screen with icons at the top to permit the rotation, pan, zoom, spin, etc., of each image. Simply select one of the icons and hold down your left mouse button to perform the desired view. Don’t forget to check out both the top (thumb calk side) and the bottom. The 3D PDF files were provided by Simlab-soft (http://www.simlab-soft.com/) with a plugin for Google SketchUp.

Select here to see The Patriot in 3D

The Air Force Aviator

The Aviator has the appearance of the M&M or the BigFoot. However, it is weighted differently. The outer perimeter is thicker than the inner perimeter with a flat ledge along the inner. I wanted to eliminate any square area at the back of the shoe to reduce or eliminate bounceback and chose a ringer break for that purpose. The thumb calk is very small and takes advantage of the overall shape of the shoe. The inner shank also has the grip reminder and center of gravity indicator.

Below is a JPG of the Aviator back from the ZCorp 3D printer. It is an exact copy of the prototype built with Moment of Inspiration. A little sanding and it’s off to the foundry for prototype casting.

Aviator rendered in plastic

The Army Ranger

The Ranger has a more traditional look with a few differences. There are two tabs on either side of the oversized ringer break. Again, the design is to reduce or eliminate bounceback by eliminating a location square to the line of flight that could force a bounceback. The most unique aspect of this design is the location for thumb placement for the 3/4 or 1-3/4 turning shoe.

Below is a JPG of the Ranger rendered in plastic from ZCorp 3D printer.

Ranger rendered in plastic

The Marine Warrior

The Warrior is more traditional in appearance. The shoe is perimeter weighted with a bit thicker shank. The ringer break is a bit flatter. The shank angle makes gripping for the turner a bit firmer.

Select here to see the Warrior in 3D

The Navy BullFrog

The BullFrog was an experiment in oval shaped shanks. The predominant weight is directly down the center of the shank. The oval flattens down at the thumb calk. I’ve placed arrow shapes at the halfway point and center of gravity location. The shoe has not gone through the conversion to 3D PDF and is shown in it’s JPG image.

The Coast Guard Coastie

The Coastie was an experiment in egg shaped shanks. The predominant weight is along the outer perimenter of the shank. The egg shape flattens down at the thumb calk. I’ve placed dot shapes at the halfway point and center of gravity location. The shoe has not gone through the conversion to 3D PDF and is shown in it’s JPG image.

Continue to Part 29

Return to Part 27

E-mail me if you have questions.

Table of Contents

The Center of Gravity

Determining the Center of Gravity

Is as simple as nailing a 6 or 8 penny finishing nail to a wall and affixing a string to the nail with a weight at the bottom of the string. You need to drive the nail deeply enough to hold the weight of the weighted string and a dangling horseshoe, making sure you’ve left enough room between the wall and the head of the nail to allow a dangling horseshoe to find it’s alignment without touching the wall.

Next, affix a piece of clear wrapping tape from one shank to the other about halfway between top and bottom of the shoe. I also wrap more tape on the opposite side to add strength for a further test. Simply hang the shoe from the tip of the nail from any point along the inside perimeter of the shoe. Pick a spot that will not slip along the perimeter. Draw a line that follows the underlying string on the clear plastic tape. It’s a bit easier to mark two points that can be connected after removing the horseshoe. Select two or three additional points and draw the appropriate line on the clear tape. Where all lines intersect is the “Center of Gravity.”

The image below shows the string attached to the nail and the horseshoe hanging from it’s first chosen position. Note the clear packing tape from shank to shank. Please ignore shadows caused by the flash. I have deliberately chosen this horseshoe because I know that it is perfectly balanced. I have placed a notch on the inside of each shank, to define the halfway point from top to bottom. If the center of gravity is perfectly centered and is directly opposite the halfway point (as on this shoe), the shoe is perfectly balanced.

NOTE: Most horseshoes are not perfectly balanced. Many horseshoes are tip heavy. This places the center of gravity closer to the tips. In 1998, Johnny Davenport filed a patent for his Mr. D shoes. He recorded the center of gravity for 16 horseshoe models, none of which, had the center of gravity centered.

Click on any image to provide a closer look.

First hanging position

Position 1 showing tic mark over the string.

Below is the third position chosen. The second position is already marked.

Position 3 from randomly selected location marked.

Below shows all lines connected. The point of intersection is the “Center of Gravity.”

Position 5 with all points connected.

To prove that the intersection point is the center of gravity, I have balanced the shoe on the tip of a nail. A weight as slight as a nickel placed anywhere on the perimeter of the shoe would upset the balance.

Balanced on center of gravity #1

Balanced on center of gravity #2

Designing a Perfectly Balanced Horseshoe

A bit of mathematics is in order here. Horseshoes are generally cast or forged. Developing prototypes is much cheaper when cast from the original. All of my shoes are cast from ductile iron. The generally accepted measure of volume for ductile iron is .28 pounds per cubic inch. That means that in order to create a horseshoe that weighs 2 pounds 8 ounces, the total volume of the horseshoe must equal 8.9285714 cubic inches. In order to insure that your horseshoe is perfectly balanced I divide the horseshoe into 4 equal quadrants. Each quadrant has to occupy a volume of 2.2321428 cubic inches.

NOTE: Information changed — I had to make a change in the calculation of weight based on a different volume requirement for ductile iron. When trying to calculate the volume requirement for 2 pounds 8 ounces I was given erroneous information indicating that ductile iron weighed .28 pounds per cubic inch. Actually, that was the weight for steel and not ductile iron. The actual weight per cubic inch of ductile iron is .245 pounds. I kept receiving prototype castings weighing 2 pounds 5 ounces. The new figure of .245 means I have 9.8 cubic inches of volume to work with. This permitted me to add addition design features in the final casting. The prototypes are now being received weighing in at 2 pounds 8 ounces.

The image below shows how this assignment of volume is accomplished. This precision is virtually impossible with prototypes designed in wood. It is only when using 3D computer software that it is possible to make the very fine adjustments to equal this precision. It is very easy to add a little or take a little away. The image below is a representation of the design by quadrants. You will note that the left and right side are identical. Therefore, I only need to design one side. I only need to design the bottom half and the top half of one side. The bottom left occupies 2.2321428 cubic inches and the same for the top left. I join the two halves to form the left shank. I mirror the left shank to create the right shank and join these two halves. Voila! shoe done. Of course, it’s not quite that simple, but it describes the process. The only thing left is adding the company name “Hilfling” on the left calk and the unique name on the right. I print the output in a format acceptable by a 3D printer and the printer output goes directly to the foundry for casting.

Designed in quadrants

Perfect Balance — A New Area of Interest

When I was deciding whether to go into production on the 4 prototypes I had initially designed, I had a number of NHPA pitchers test all 4 shoes. Without fail, every female pitcher preferred the FlipOn. Why? I asked. “It just feels perfect in my hand”, was the usual response. I wasn’t really certain why that was the case. It was not until sometime later, when I was checking the center of gravity that I realized that the FlipOn was almost perfectly balanced. I noticed that even though the shoe weighed 2 pounds 8 ounces, it felt light in my hands. With the introduction of 3D software I was able to concentrate on perfect balance. The horseshoe that you’ve been viewing on this page was the result. When I received it back from the foundry, I wanted to check the various flips and turns. The single flip worked perfectly. Very smooth, almost slow motion without any wobble or shank drop. I don’t throw a turn from 30 feet, but, thought I’d try the flip-turn. I took the 3/4 turn grip with my index finger in the shank notch. Perfect! A slight arm rotation and slight flip and a beautiful flip-turn. Finally, I tried the 1/3 turn holding the shoe at the right hook calk described in one of my earlier Parts. Again, perfect. The shoe flew flat and true without wobble. I was so excited about the results I’ve designed two additional shoes, both perfectly balanced, 3D printed and off to the foundry. The two on the way back are part of my “Tribute” shoes previously mentioned.

Why is Perfect Balance Important?

When the center of gravity is precisely centered, the shoe will rotate like a frisbee without any discernible wobble during rotation and the center of gravity will not deviate from its track to the target. Placing a small weight on the outside of a frisbee would demonstrate visually the impact of an unbalanced object. A balanced flipping shoe would emulate a rod attached from one shank to the other and the shoe rotating around that rod. Again, the center of gravity would track perfectly to the target without deviation.

The following is a list of the most obvious advantages of proper balance.

1. It provides a much smoother flip or turn.

2. It makes the shoe feel lighter.

3. It eliminates the shoe dip from centrifugal force on the forward swing caused by a weighted tip.

4. It eliminates the need to add additional flip effort.

5. It eliminates any unusual unbalanced rotation.

6. It eliminates any sloppy rotation due to heavy or light spots.

Continue to Part 28

E-mail me if you have questions.

Table of Contents

Some Exciting News for 2011

The 3D Software Search

Skip down to Moment of Inspiration, if you’re not interested in the search for 3D software. After the end of the pitching season in 2010, I continued with my search for a useful 3D software package. Most software companies offer a trial version of their software, usually 30 days. Some will fracture their software to reduce features. Typically they will eliminate the ability to save changes or will save in a proprietary format that is not useful outside of the software. Some vendors will give you their total package without reducing capabilities. Other vendors will give you a higher level version as a trial that provides features that don’t exist in their basic package. Make sure you know what version you are testing.

I was looking specifically for software that helped design horseshoes that had to go through the foundry casting process. This meant the ability to provide “draft”. Draft is adding slight angle, usually 3 degrees, to every vertical face. The top half and bottom half have to be drafted in opposite directions to allow for casting in splits. This can be accomplished by chamfering or filleting an edge or the vertical face. Without the ability to provide this simple concept through software, it must be added manually via sanding or routing. I tested at least 20 different 3D, CAD and CAD/CAM packages. The prices vary from free (SketchUp, Blender), low priced (TurboCad17, Milkshape), moderately priced (Rhino3D, T-Splines, Bonzai3D) and more expensive (Alibre, Inventor, SolidWorks, etc.). NOTE: this is not a complete list. I was able to find the most amazing 3D package that offered everything I needed to produce my horseshoes. It is called MOI (Moment of Inspiration).

I downloaded their trial version and began to test the various requirements necessary for green sand casting. When I had a question I would post it on the MOI forum. Sometimes, within minutes I would get a response…a little tip or suggestion or solution to the problem. Many times it came from the developer of the software directly. When I ran out of time on the trial, I sent an email to MOI and was immediately granted an additional 30 days. A personal note: I developed software for 40 years starting in the mid 60′s. My goal was to make the interface as simple as possible and the front-end as intuitive as possible. This describes MOI.

Moment of Inspiration (MOI)

This is an incredible and inexpensive piece of software that provided all that I needed to design my latest line of horseshoes. It is simple to use, yet, extremely powerful in it’s capabilities. It also has a very active forum, ready to provide almost instantaneous response. The primary supplier of help comes directly from the developer. The output from this software is compatible with 3D printers, an absolute requirement for my design requirements. The URL for this website is http://www.moi3d.com/. I would encourage anyone interested in 3D, check out this website. I think you will be pleasantly surprised just how much capability is built into this software. An updated version with additional capabilities is presently under development.

3D Printing — is a relatively new process that allows 3D computer images to be “printed” out on special equipment, resulting in a true three dimensional part that you can hold in your hand. This is done by means of layering very thin slices of the image one on top of the other until the entire part is complete. Each slice is hardened as it’s laid, bonded to the slice below it, resulting in an exacting representation of the finished product. 3D printing equipment uses an array of substrate materials, mainly liquid resins or powders. In general, the cost is based on the type of material used, the resolution desired and the size/volume of the part. A horseshoe uses a lot of material, typically 9 cubic inches. Depending on the material and printer, a typical horseshoe can cost $200+ to have printed. A web search on “3D printing” (commonly known as SLA printing) will offer up significant information on service bureaus and processing equipment available. The common computer language extension for a printable file is a (.STL), producible by most of today’s 3D design software. Most service bureaus have online quotation services that allow you to upload your file for free pricing via the web. Shop around your local area for 3D printing, it’s worth the effort. I was able to find a company that prints my horseshoes and hardens them with epoxy for an extremely reasonable rate. The name of the company is Wildwood Engineering Corp., located in Walkersville, Maryland. They are a full service, full complement design/engineering firm and can assist with the digital creation of your concepts if you do not have access to 3D design software. Their prices are much lower than all other service bureaus I received quotes from, and, are using the very economical yet exacting ZCorp 310Plus 3D printer.

A New Design is Born

I am extremely excited about this new direction of design. With the help of MOI I am now designing a new series of horseshoes that I am referring to as my “Tribute” line of shoes. Each shoe will be dedicated to some military theme/service. My goal is to introduce a shoe that is perfectly balanced front to back and side to side. Every shoe will have a small notch on the inner perimeter of each shank to indicate the precise center of gravity. I’ve also decided to modify the inner and outer perimeter of each shoe and experiment with changing angles. I have sent out for 3D printing, two shoes that will go directly to the foundry for prototype casting. Using MOI I can now position the weighting in volume precise to within .0001 cubic inches. One shoe has the majority of weight on the outer perimeter and the second with the weight distributed around the inner perimeter.

The possibilities are endless, as long as I keep the NHPA specifications in mind. I have always felt that you could design a horseshoe that reacted correctly for the type of swing or release of the individual pitcher. That would include slowing down or speeding up the rotation both vertically and horizontally. Early on I had a shoe modified to allow me to move the weight around the entire perimeter of the shoe.

The first step was to develop a benchmark shoe that was perfectly balanced with the center of gravity directly in the center of the shoe from front to back and side to side. Below is the result of perfectly balancing the shoe. Note: I placed a notch on each side of the shank to indicate the midpoint. I always check how the shoe works with various flips, turns, grips, etc. I was pleasantly surprised that I was immediately able to throw a flip-turn. However, more importantly, the shoe flips perfectly. The benchmark shoe is shown below. If you select the photo below to enlarge it, you will notice a small nail positioned in the upper shank notch. Notice that the shoe is hanging in a perfect horizontal plain. This indicates perfect balance front to back.

Perfect Center of Gravity

Using MOI I began to create a series of designs that looks a bit more traditional, but, has some unique features built in. The results have been amazing. I no longer need to guess at the overall volume of a horseshoe as I did when designing the prototype in wood. I can now precisely add weight anywhere to alter the flight of the shoe.

The Tribute Series

I want to honor the service of our fighting men and women, past and present. Each shoe will be unique and prototypes fully tested by a variety of professional pitchers. I will then decide which and how many should go on to production. The first thing to notice is that I have moved the shoe name to the hook calk. I wanted to leave each shank perfectly smooth so I’m moving any text off of either shank. The first prototype has the weight distributed around the inside perimeter. The second shoe has the weight distributed around the outside perimeter. The intent here is to offer a variety of gripping options for the pitcher using the 1/4, 1-1/4 or 1-3/4 turn. I will also be testing the weighting necessary to add a little wobble for the turner. Both shoes are perfectly balanced and marked with a small notch on the inside shank at the center of gravity. I am attaching a small sample of a portion of one of the shoes. Each shoe is going through the copyright process.

Inner Perimeter Weight

What is the number “58267″? That’s the mystery question.

Continue to Part 27

E-mail me if you know the answer.

Table of Contents

The Horseshoe Pitching Pro Tour

My First Pro Tour Tournament

What an incredible experience this was. Early in the summer I had wondered about competing in the event when it came to Frederick, MD. on September 18/19. I really didn’t know what to expect. When I decided to seriously consider it, I first went to their web page at www.hpprotour.com to check out the membership, rules, etc. There are basically three classes, Class I, II and III. Class I are the 30 and 40 foot pitchers with averages over 60%. Class II were the 30 and 40 foot pitchers from 50% to 59.99%. Class III are the 30 and 40 foot pitchers who have averages under 50%. The percentage is based on tournament results over the previous 12 months.

I wanted to pitch in Class II, but, was concerned that the two remaining tournaments before signing up, were the Maryland State Doubles and Maryland State Singles and could possibly exceed the 60% ringer average putting me into Class I. I mailed in my $25 annual membership fee and completed and mailed in the $50 entry fee for the Frederick tournament. My partner and I won the Maryland State Doubles and I finished with a 59.5% ringer average. I tied for second in the Maryland State Singles, but, dropped to third with a lower ringer average. The 1st and 2nd place pitchers both had 70% averages coming in. My last three matches I finished with a 60.3% ringer average. My new technique described in Part 24 had me psyched about the upcoming Pro Tour event.

Prior to the tournament I had received my membership card and pitching schedule. We were to report at 9:00 a.m. on the 18th and pitching would begin at 10:00. I arrived at 8:00 a.m. and checked over the facility. Everything was in tip-top shape. The pits were groomed, stakes painted, scoreboards up, chairs at the ready. The Frederick team had done a magnificent job of preparing for the tournament. A few additional items were present. The sponsor banners were hanging, the PA system up and running, and a variety of Pro Tour paraphernalia, i.e., shirts, towels, etc. I zipped down to the last pits for a warmup. Prior to the event I had typed up and had laminated my series of swing keys, i.e., stance, grip, alignment, swing speed, etc. I settled down quickly and was happy with my preparation.

At 10:00 we were all called to the front. We first stood for the National Anthem and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Then to the introductions and rules of play. Saturday was the qualification day. You basically pitched to progress to Sunday. There were 45 competitors in the three classes. I looked around and saw four of the worlds greatest horseshoe pitchers. Brian Simmons, Bobby Fields, Sue Snyder and Joan Elmore. Also attending and participating was Bobby White, of White Distributors and his son Tony. The competitors had come from all over the country…Vermont, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Nevada, West Virginia, Tennessee, New York, Indiana, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.

The rules were as follows — each person pitched 30 shoes and only ringers counted. Everyone started each match at the same time and no match would start until the results from the previous match were posted. Each competitor was given a scoresheet and large plastic name plate to be hung on each pit scoreboard. I would be pitching 8 games. The scorekeepers were to receive $1.00 per game from each competitor. All participants moved to the north side of the pits and were introduced one by one by name and state and moved to the south end of the pits. After all introductions the matches began.

It seemed that pitching for ringers was less stressful than pitching heads up against one another. In Class II the two top ringer averages would move on to Sunday. The remaining pitchers would pitch again at 2:00 p.m. to move two more to Sunday. On Sunday, there would be 4 pitching in Class II. There would be other qualifiers at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. I started well with 21 ringers out of 30 for a 70% average. I followed up with 50%, 56.6%, 56.6%, 66.6%, 63.3%, 63.3% and 56.6% for an overall ringer average of 60.42%. At the end of my 8 games I was in 1st place and would return the next day for the finals.

The finals would begin at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. The rules were different on Sunday. It was to be a best 2 out of 3 competition. Introductions were made and the matches began. I was to pitch the 4th place qualifier and just did win the first two matches. The worst I could do now was 2nd place. My competitor threw two beautiful games, the last which was a 73.3% game. I ended up in 2nd place and walked away with a little money in my pocket.

What a wonderful experience. The highlight of my two days was meeting and speaking with Sue Snyder and Joan Elmore. Both were very warm and friendly ladies. Besides the excitement of coming in 2nd, my friend, Vicki Kunde, who pitches at American Legion Post 7 in Crownsville, MD., won Class I — 30 feet, by defeating Joan Elmore and Sue Snyder and Bobby Fields. I was disappointed that I did not have a chance to speak with Bobby White. Bobby has always been available to answer any question about horseshoes via email. He has also been very encouraging during my design development. The success of the Frederick venue insures a return of the Pro Tour next year.

A New Horseshoe Design

I have been working for the past couple of months to transition from designing with wood patterns to computer generated models. The difficulty has been to find products that go from CAD (Computer Aided Design) to mesh based 3D software at a reasonable price. Up until now I have been able to work with a variety of woodworking tools such as band saws, routers, oscillating sanders, and polymer clay to create my designs. However, I now need to add some design features that are not easily created with these tools. In recent years, there has been the development of 3D printing. It is difficult to determine with wooden patterns, the volume (the amount of ductile iron to be used) that will create a shoe that weighs precisely 2 pounds 8 ounces. With computer generated 3D images, it is very easy to determine the volume of your shape. It is much easier to alter the shape of a horseshoe in 3D than a wooden pattern. I have, this week, sent forward to an engineering firm a 3D rendering that will result in a working version of my latest design. Using 3D also allows me to precisely move around the center of gravity of the shoe. My goal is to produce a shoe that is more traditional in shape, but, has the weight distributed precisely front to back and side to side.

The real challenge in this process is to find a 3D package or packages that are affordable. Some 3D packages cost in access of $8,000. I am trying to use public domain (free) and affordably priced software. I am using SketchUp, Blender, Milkshape, MeshLab, TurboCad 17, etc. All of which are low cost and/or free. I hope to have at least one, possibly two, new designs available for the 2011 season.

Continue to Part 26

E-mail me with any questions

Table of Contents

A Summary

The GrabIt Medium

The GrabIt Medium went into production in early June. A new video was placed on YouTube and the Ebay auction entry was modified to include both the Lite and Medium. The GrabIt is also being described and sold through the Hilfling website at http://www.hilflinghorseshoes.com/. True to my belief that a pitcher should not have to purchase a pair of horseshoes without first trying them out, I have made a demo shoe available at the Maryland tournament sites. In addition, I have sent out demo shoes to a variety of pitchers throughout the country for testing.

A New Design

I am excited about work in progress to design a new horseshoe. This horseshoe is more traditional in design, however, there are some unique characteristics built-in. I am taking advantage of 3D printing, which permits me to evaluate the design before sending to the foundry for prototype casting. I have been busy testing and evaluating various CAD packages. Most of the work I am doing in Blender.

My Search is Over

I am excited about this section. This section is the culmination of all of my practice, testing, revising, log keeping, etc. I now have the confidence that when I step to the approach I will throw a ringer. I will describe in detail each aspect of my grip, setup, swing and release. However, I need to preface the description with a little history. A recurrence of a back problem and little bursitis along with the heat here on the east coast, kept me sidelined for a period of time. It was a blessing in disguise. I dug out my notebook and practice log and began to review them. There it was. Page after page of notes and daily practice sheets showed a tendency to miss the stake left everytime I was practicing some particular aspect of my setup, swing, release, etc. Why, I wondered? Actually, it was pretty simple. I grabbed my horseshoe with laser attached and walked with a natural stride and arm swing, paying particular attention to where the laser beam ended up with each stride. The laser beam would swing from right to left pretty much to center. The natural stride of a human generally has the right shoulder and arm swinging leftward when the left leg steps forward and opposite on the right leg stride. So, why not take advantage of my natural tendencies? Below is a description of the changes made to accommodate these natural tendencies.

I am excited to describe the approach below. I hope that anyone flipping from 30 feet will give this approach a test. Last Monday night, at my sand league, I finished my last game with 28 ringers out of 36 shoes. 13 of 18 on the first half and 15 of 18 on the second half.

Change 1 — Approach. This is the most important change. I moved to the right side approach. I switched the line of flight string from the left side approach to the right side approach. This changed everything.

Change 2 — Stance. My right foot is placed on the right edge of the approach with my entire weight on my right foot. The left foot is parallel to the right and a foot length ahead of the right with no weight. By straightening my left leg to the point where my left toe is barely touching the approach, I can easily step forward early. Placing the entire weight on my right foot does two things. It forces me to lean slightly rightward which permits the shoe to pass by my right leg without any manipulation; and, allows me to step forward with my left foot without rocking my body further rightward when I lift the foot to step forward. It also allows me to make my stride smoother and plant quicker.

Step 3 — Grip. There is no change here. A continuation of what I had been doing. I take a grip that is firm, but, not with tension. I want to make sure that the shoe has no movement of any kind in my fingers. I rest the shoe against my right leg and make sure that the line of flight string is directly below the center of gravity of the shoe. Further, I extend my arm until I feel a slight tug on my tricep. I don’t want my arm to shorten at anytime during the swing.

Change 4 — Visual Alignment. Having moved to the right side approach provided a bonus. On the left side approach, my visual alignment point was 22 inches to the right of the stake. On the right side approach the visual alignment point is with the point of the left hook calk of the horseshoe on the right edge of the stake. This eliminates the need to refocus back to the stake. From the right side, I focus on the stake throughout the entire address, stride and swing. My point of focus changes depending on whether a shoe is already there or is the first to arrive at the stake. My target for the first shoe is the base of the stake assuming I’m the first to throw. If a shoe is already resident, I focus slightly higher on the stake.

Step 5 — Downswing. I start the downswing very slowly. If I rush the downswing I don’t have time to stride forward properly. I want the shoe to pass as closely to my right leg as possible. I cannot stress the importance of this aspect of the swing. If I start with the shoe resting on my right leg and I hit my visual alignment point, I know that any shoe that passes very closely to my right leg will be on the line of flight. In my case, if I tick my pant leg, it’s a good thing.

Change 6 — Stride. I must be vigilant here. The natural tendency is to stride toward the stake, but, it is imperative that I stride straight at the opposite approach. I must remember that I am taking advantage of my natural tendency to swing toward center. It is important to note that I have not abandoned the pendulum swing. The swing is still in a straight line. It is just as if the hub (shoulder) has been turned slightly leftward, but it is still a pendulum swing. To insure that I am still on target during the back swing I don’t begin my stride forward until the shoe has passed by my right leg.

Change 7 — Forward Swing and Release. This is the most exciting part of the process. First, I must make sure that I have planted my left foot before the shoe leaves my hand. A rushed downswing will upset the entire sequence. When I step directly forward it places my eyes directly over the target line. I simply swing at what I am looking at. There are no angles involved. Normally, there is a triangle formed between the eyes to the stake and the arm swing to the stake. Throwing from the right side approach permits me to look straight down the target line.

UPDATE — For the past three weeks I have been using the setup mentioned above. The results have been phenomenal. The highlight was the winning of the Maryland State Elders Doubles championship. In addition, last Monday night I threw 29 ringers out of a possible 36 with a score of 87 with a string of 16 ringers in a row. I’ve also had a half dozen games over 70 points out of 108 possible. To complete the excitement, I’ve joined the Pro Horseshoe Tour as a Class II competitor.

Practice Tip

A review of my tournament results indicated that I frequently lost single points to my turn shoe competitor. I kept hearing, “ringer each, 1 point.” It was apparent that turners had the distinct advantage when accumulating single points. I needed to reduce the number of lost points and decided that I was simply coming in too low and hard. I needed to drop the shoe in a little higher and softer, so that my missed ringers remained in the single point range. I visited my local landfill and picked up a 15″ used tire. I cut off 1/4 of the tire so that water did not accumulate and left wings around the base to anchor the shoe inside of the pit. I positioned the tire so that the stake was centered. It works perfectly and I’m learning to loft the shoe a little higher and softer. Photo below.

A great practice aid

Continue to Part 25

E-mail me with any questions

Table of Contents

The Hilfling GrabIt Lite — A Reality

First Sale

Today was a momentous day. After 18 months of designing, casting, testing, revising, recasting, patternmaking, mold making and production, the Hilfling GrabIt Lite, produced the first sale. Actually, the first 3 sales. I had hoped to have the first horseshoes available by January 1st. Unfortunately, the beechwood pattern badly warped on it’s way to Illinois. The patternmaker had to return it for correction. I cut the pattern in 4 places and reglued it. I resealed it and shipped it back. Again, a little more warpage. Finally, the patternmaker cast an aluminum horseshoe and shipped it to me. Actually, it’s a thing of beauty, but, I was warned “Don’t drop it, it’ll shatter.” I handled it with kid gloves, was able to bond some new aluminum to it and shipped it back.

Aluminum pattern -- A Thing of Beauty

The aluminum horseshoe became the pattern used to create the 2 up mold for the foundry. The foundry cast the first pair and sent them to me for review. Below is the the very first GrabIt Lite cast.

The GrabIt Lite -- First Casting

Why The GrabIt Lite?

If you’ve read my blog from the beginning, you will note that my target audience is the beginner, Elder, Women, Youth and children who flipped from 20/30 feet. I felt a lighter horseshoe that was dedicated to the needs of that fraternity of pitchers was needed. So, I decided to dedicate my first horseshoe to that audience. The GrabIt Lite weighs in at 2 pounds 4 ounces. It has all of the same characteristics as it’s big brother the GrabIt, except it’s lighter.

Hilfling Website Up and Running

Finding a quality web host was more difficult than I realized. There seems to be a lot of fly-by-night hosting companies, responsible for a lot of horror stories. I chose AllWebCo as my web host after a fairly extensive search. They have a fantastic template building product with excellent support and reasonably priced startup templates. They also offer a unique supply of add-on capabilities with easy to follow instructions.

It took about two weeks to get everything completed and I put “Hilfling Horseshoes” online on 25 March. Check out the Hilfling Horseshoes web page by clicking the following URL http://www.hilflinghorseshoes.com/ . It is setup to discuss the history of the company; the reason for the design; a products page where you can purchase horseshoes through PayPal; a warranty registration page; a design page with tours of videos of the horseshoes in action, a video of typical rejects; a links page; troubleshooting page; and, individual pages describing each of the Hilflings.

The company mascot “ringertime” accompanies you as you browse around anxious to talk ringers. Get close to his personal space and he’ll broadcast the unique sound of a GrabIt ringer.

Hilfling Horseshoes on Ebay

I decided to sell Hilfling Horseshoes through Ebay, as well as through the Hilfling website. This is primarily to introduce anyone shopping around for horseshoes to see the listing and perhaps pique their interest.

Continue to Part 24

E-mail me with any questions

Table of Contents