Monkey Fist Rope Dart? Top Answer Update

Sheng Biao (rope arrow) – Chinese martial arts weapon

Sheng Biao is a rope arrow weapon used in traditional Chinese martial arts. This weapon consists of a long rope (usually over 10 feet long) with a metal dart at the end of the rope. Today, the Chinese Rope Dart is widely used in martial arts demonstrations due to its unusual and exciting fighting style.

You can find more traditional Chinese martial arts weapons in the main martial arts weapons section.

Chinese Rope Dart Demonstration

Rope dart instructional video

weapon in Chinese martial arts

Demonstration of using a rope arrow

The rope dart or rope spear (simplified Chinese: 绳镖; traditional Chinese: 繩鏢; pinyin: shéng biāo), also known as the jōhyō in Japanese, is one of the flexible weapons of Chinese martial arts. Other weapons in this family include the Meteor Hammer, Flying Claws, Fei Tou Flying Weight, and Chain Whip. Although the flexible weapons have similar moves, each weapon has its own specific techniques.

The rope dart is a long rope (usually 3–5 meters or 10–16 feet) with a metal dart attached to one end. This was an ancient weapon that allowed the user to throw the dart at a distant target and pull it back with the rope. The rope arrow can be used for twisting, tying, circling, hitting, stabbing, tightening, cutting and other techniques.

The rope dart game consists of spin, shoot and retrieve. Turning and shooting can be done from any joint such as foot, knee, elbow and neck. The rope is anchored on one side and mainly played with the other hand.

Skillful use of the rope dart can easily trick an opponent, as the dart can shoot very suddenly from a person out of immediate range.

Just like with the chain whip, excellent hand-eye coordination is a must for the practitioner to use this weapon well. In some wushu training programs, the chain whip and changquan are prerequisites to learning the rope arrow.

A variation of this weapon is the meteor hammer, which has a blunt weight at the end of the rope. It was used in a similar way to the rope arrow and many of the techniques are the same. Another variant is the Fei Tou flying weight, which is heavier than a rope dart and consists of a heavy conical weight at the end of a long rope. Like the Rope Arrow, it can be shot at the enemy, but it lends itself slightly better to club hits like the Meteor Hammer.[1]

history [edit]

The earliest known reference to the rope dart as a weapon other than the meteor hammer or flying claw is a drawing in a 19th-century book about Beijing street vendors. The context and objects in this drawing, as well as early 20th-century photographs of similar content, suggest that these rope darts are intended for use in performance art. These early versions are shown with bamboo canes acting as a push handle.[2]

construction [edit]

The rope arrow is made up of 4 to 5 parts:

Arrow

rings

rope or fine chain

flags or colored feathers

handle (optional)

The arrow is made of a hard material, usually iron or steel. According to the user’s preference, it can have variable weight and shape (conical, triangular prism, pentagonal prism).

The rings (usually 4 or 5) are attached to the dart head.

The rope is attached to the last ring. Traditionally, the rope was made from Chinese rope and covered with wax to minimize friction. [citation needed] In modern times, rope is often made of a softer synthetic material and covered with talcum powder or some other substance to reduce friction.

At least one flag is displayed near or on the arrowhead itself to conceal the arrow during play and increase control. Additional flags can be attached to the side rings to slow down the dart and increase control.

The handle consists of the last piece of rope as a slipknot, which is attached to the wrist of the anchor hand.

As performance art[ edit ]

Although relatively new, rope arrow is used in object manipulation scenes due to its impressive feats.[3] Because of this, changes were made to the original design. Some rope darts were created to be lit.[4] A section of refractory chain between the arrowhead or meteor head and the rope securely attaches it and Kevlar wicks form the flammable head. Other rope darts have heads filled with LED lights.[5] Both can be done in the dark, adding excitement and mystery.

In modern media[edit]

In the Assassin’s Creed series, the Assassin characters Shao Jun, Edward Kenway, Shay Cormac, Adéwalé, Connor Kenway, Arbaaz Mir, and Eivor Varinsdottir use rope arrows.[6]

See also[edit]

Slungshot – a rope with a weighted end, much shorter but similar in construction.

References[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

Like many flow props, the rope dart we see today evolved from an ancient weapon and has now become an extremely popular fire and flow toy. In this article, we delve into what a rope dart is, its history and origins, and the different styles and terminologies of darts.

What is a rope arrow?

The rope arrow, or shéng biāo in Mandarin Chinese, is a flexible weapon of Chinese origin that has been enthusiastically embraced in flow arts communities around the world in recent years.

All rope darts consist of a rope or tether, which is usually between 3 and 5 m long, and a dart head. The traditional rope dart used as a weapon held a metal dart (a blade-like object) for its head, and you can still find traditional-style darts today, commonly carried by martial artists.

Those spinning rope darts as a form of flow arts generally prefer a less dangerous head, and you’ll often see various knots being used as a dart head, such as the monkey fist or Isis knots. It’s also fairly common to see beanbags, tennis balls, and even Kong dog toys used for DIY dart heads.

Some rope darts have rings, although these are generally found on martial arts-style versions. These rings are used to disconnect the head from the leash, allowing the head to move independently without tangling the rope. With flow style darts it is more common for a swivel to be used for the same purpose.

Some rope darts also have a flag near the head, and not only does this look pretty as it flies through the air, but it also adds drag that helps slow the dart down, making it easier to stay in control .

A short story

The first written description of the rope arrow dates back to the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), although some claim that it can be dated as far back as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC – AD 24). can.

Rope darts were used as a “concealed weapon” by ancient Chinese soldiers due to their compact size and ability to easily conceal them. It was probably used as a tertiary or final weapon after primary and secondary weapons such as swords, spears, bows, etc. had been used and could not be retrieved.

Some other similar flexible weapons used in martial arts and by the traditional Chinese military are the meteor hammer – a rope with a heavy head on each end instead of a blade/arrowhead – and the chain whip – a flexible chain that runs through the link several creates metal rods, usually with a handle on one end and a metal dart on the other. These weapons share some similar moves, but they each have their own specific techniques.

Grandmaster Dennis Brown (USA) introduced the rope dart to the western world when he returned home after training in mainland China in the 1980s – becoming the first African American to do so. He is considered one of the few living rope dart experts.

While there is no formal history of when the rope dart became part of the flow arts world, it is estimated that it evolved into a flow prop sometime in the early 2000s. Shortly thereafter, rope darts became a popular exercise tool as spinning darts (like many flow props) offer a full body workout and an increase in metal health and wellness.

Nowadays it is common to see not only the traditional martial arts style rope dart, but also practice and day flow versions with ball heads, LED rope darts, smoke darts and of course the ever popular fire rope dart. Lots of prop makers get very creative with their head designs, including our own Hannah with her absolutely stunning Morningstar heads.

All rope arrows should use soft rope as a tether to avoid (as much as possible) burning the rope when shooting and retrieving your arrow. This can range from Cotton Rope for non-fire versions, to Technora (a high heat and flame resistant rope) for fire versions, Kite Rope X, and even Space Rope (Zylon) – named for its use as a space rocket reentry parachute line.

A newer brother of the rope arrow is the meteor arrow. This is essentially a 2 headed rope dart attached to the line with two short lines radiating from a swivel joint. It’s more common to see a spherical head on a meteor arrow, and they look incredibly impressive when they’re on fire!

Rope darts are a common sighting in pop culture and in both classic and modern films, especially kung fu-style films. Many are familiar with the rope dart from Scorpion (Mortal Kombat), Kill Bill, Shang Chi, Kick Ass, Heroes of the East, Shanghai Noon, Romeo Must Die, Kung-Fu Panda 2, and it even appears in the Scooby Doo movie.

playstyles

An incredibly versatile prop, the rope dart can be used in a variety of styles. The most common styles are martial arts-inspired and dance-inspired.

The martial arts-inspired style focuses more on the traditional rope arrow style, where the moves and techniques mean this prop can be used as a weapon. This style brings accuracy, speed and power to the fore.

The dance-inspired style focuses more on self-expression and using the rope arrow as a prop or dance partner. Often slower than the martial arts style, this style emphasizes flow, fluidity, and grace.

There are also tied and non-tied styles of darts. In the tethered style, the darts player attaches or ties the rope to their hand/wrist. The untied style is the opposite – the dart is not attached to the darts player’s hand/wrist.

A slightly less common type of dart game is contact darts. This is the art of manipulating the dart without using any of the traditional hand grips.

Sizing your dart

If your rope is too short, it may be difficult to perform some movements, especially more complicated wraps. If your rope is too long, it can create too much slack – the dart becomes difficult to control, which means you’re more likely to get tangled. You’re also likely to bang your head on the ground more often, which will shorten the life of your dart head.

To find the best overall length to start with, measure your wingspan (fingertip-to-fingertip, arms straight) and then add the distance from your shoulder to the ground. Most rope darts can be shortened without having to cut the rope (rope) by simply placing an extra loop or two around the wrist.

The overall length of the rope arrow itself is usually measured from the tip of the arrowhead to the point where the rope connects to the wrist.

The ideal weight for your dart depends on what spinning style you want to do. If you’re looking for a martial arts style, a lighter head gives you the ability to spin your arrow faster. If you’re more into the flowing dance style, a heavier head will slow your dart down.

The more resistance there is when your arrow flies through the air, the slower it will be and the more control you have. A heavier head spins slower than a lighter head, which can be very helpful in learning control, although it’s too heavy and it becomes difficult to maintain momentum.

If you find your arrow is spinning too fast and you’re having trouble controlling it, you can add a tail to help slow it down – they look super cool too!

terminology

Like many props, the rope arrow uses some of the common river art terminology, such as: B. Planes, but there are some terms specific to rope dart techniques.

One of the great things about darts, which has its own terminology, is that moves and techniques can be easily translated between left and right handed players.

Below are some of the more common and basic rope dart terms that you may find helpful if you are just starting your darts journey and are struggling to understand some of the tutorials.

Arrow – the head part of the rope arrow (metal blade, monkey fist or other bullet, isis knot, beanbag, etc.)

Rope or line – the rope part of the rope arrow

Dartist – the person wielding the rope dart

Wushu – the Chinese term for martial arts

Plane – the relationship between a dart player’s shoulders and the dart movement

Plane Break – Change the path/plane of the arrow

Grip – the dart player’s way of holding the rope

Underhand grip – palm up with the rope on the hand (hand is under the rope), the rope will not fall off when the hand is opened

Overhand Grip – palm down with rope held up by hand (hand is over rope), rope falls as hand opens

Dart Path – the path taken by the dart as it moves around the body

Starting position – the starting position from which all rope dart techniques start

Down(ward) spin – a spin in the wheel plane where the dart falls when it passes the dart player’s eyes

Up(ward) Spin – a spin in the wheel plane where the dart rises as it passes the dart player’s eyes

Anchor side – the non-dominant side of a darts player’s body, the tether is attached to the anchor’s wrist

Leadside – the dominant side of a darts player’s body, used to control the direction and projection of the dart

NOTE: “Left” and “Right” are not generally used in rope arrows, instead “anchor” and “lead” are used – this facilitates the transfer of moves and techniques between left and right handed players.

Anchor rotation – a rotation in the plane of the wall, with the arrow falling to the anchor side

Lead Spin – A spin in the plane of the wall where the dart falls to the lead side

Horizontal Lead Spin – a spin in the horizontal plane with the arrow turning to the lead side

Horizontal Anchor Twist – a twist in the horizontal plane where the arrow turns to the anchor side

Pendulum Swing – Projecting the dart back and forth/side to side like a pendulum

Shot – Projecting the dart with any part of the body (elbow, knee, foot, etc.) to shoot the dart away from the body/at a target

Slack – the rope between the leader and the anchor hands (sleep control is extremely important to avoid getting tangled in the “excess” rope)

become an asshole!

If any of that sounds to your liking, you can get your hands on your own rope dart here at Fire and Flow NZ. We have a range of Dayflow and Fire arrows, as well as materials and parts for those more DIY inclined. You can also check out our DIY monkey fist and rope arrow tutorials.

There is also a fantastic, active and supportive Facebook group dedicated to Rope Darts – worth joining no matter where you are in your darts journey!

Sources

Dimensioning of rope arrows

If you’ve always wanted a basic guide to dart sizing, here’s a video to get you started.

This video explains how to measure yourself for a rope dart. The average rope arrow length is your wingspan (the distance from fingertip to fingertip with your arms fully extended) added to the distance from your shoulder to the ground. This length, tailored to your specific body, accommodates most rope dart techniques and movement styles.

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