Breaking It Down
Speed Williams
By Speed Williams
speedroping.com
Lately I’ve found myself teaching a lot of beginner headers. For them, the answer is easy. They need to learn to rope right to left… first. When you rope both horns at the same time, you’re throwing straight forward and turning your thumb down. It’s like learning to put English on a cue ball before learning how to shoot a straight shot. For me, most of the steers I’ve headed have been both horns at the same time. But I can also run close, rope right to left, and catch a big horned steer that steps into me.
Read more: Roping Right To Left - Or Both Horns At The Same Time Add new comment
By Speed Williams
speedroping.com
One thing my father instilled in me was you never drove by a truck and trailer on the side of the road without stopping to see if they need help. I’ve been many, many miles in my career and have stopped many times and also been broken down and received help. That’s what this story is about.
By Speed Williams
speedroping.com
Recently I’ve started teaching a 14-year-old girl to head, who’s never roped before. She’s competed in barrel and poles and wants to learn to rope. It’s a little easier to teach her to ride and swing her rope since she’s an experienced rider. As a teacher, I don’t stress much about the cosmetics of the swing. For kids and total beginners, it’s important to get them where they can catch, turn steers, and have a chance to win something for it to be fun. If you make it too detail oriented in the beginning and force them to be technically correct, they can become easily frustrated and not enjoy it. Go to a team roping anywhere in the US and watch a #8, #9, or #10 roping and you will see many different types and styles of swings that win money. Basically, you have to get it around your head and on the horns. I’ve seen many styles with a lot of wasted motion but they’ve learned to adapt and make it work for them.
By Speed Williams
speedroping.com
The explosion of breakaway roping has been phenomenal. This growth is very exciting for the girls and I really don’t see it stopping in the near future. When my daughter, Hali, was young she didn’t really want to breakaway rope, she was a team roper. Once in junior high rodeo she realized she needed to. Because she learned to rope right to left and the emphasis had been on catching every cow, it was a major transition learning to rope calves.