Once again this year, we went to the outdoor camp in Noer. Whip lessons are now an integral part of this training camp. The early morning sun promised a beautiful day. Basti accompanies me. This makes the two-hour drive much more entertaining. It's certainly another mental tune-up for him, a week before the black belt test.

We arrive during the lunch break. A good time to give everyone a warm welcome. This camp has had a unique atmosphere for me for years. The focus is on togetherness and learning. Hierarchy and ego are subordinate to this. I meet lots of familiar faces and of course there is plenty to talk about.

Once everyone is refreshed and rested, we start after a short briefing. Everyone can choose two out of four parallel activities. The lesson lasts one hour, then everyone swaps so that everyone can take part in two different activities within two hours. Whipping is one of these activities. Almost twenty people attend the first round. That shows me again how much demand there is for the subject.

Arvid teaches the advanced riders first, I teach the beginners. As usual, everyone is eager to get the whip cracking. It works very well, so we make rapid progress. An hour to get a feel for it is also a damn short time. But it's enough to teach basic movements and the fundamentals of long and short distance.

After an hour, the participants swap. The same program again, this time there are slightly fewer of them. A clear sign that whip lessons were the first choice for many. Once again, everyone learns with great concentration and a lot of fun. Every crack is a success and brings a smile to the students' faces. As the group is a little smaller, we gain some time. We use this time to try out the flying beer mats to see if what we have just learned works in practice. We fight with all our bodies for every hit. So this hour also passes extremely quickly.

Our information leaflets about whip lessons at the end of the lessons are in high demand. I'm looking forward to seeing how many people sign up for the seminars in the near future. After all, a third of all camp participants took part in the whip lessons. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Arvid once again for his dedication in teaching and for promoting our seminars. Thanks also to Claudia, who, in addition to taking photos, had her hands full keeping all the whips ready for use and removing any knots. Of course, I would like to thank Sebastian, who simply supported me unobtrusively throughout. See you next year.