Product Use

Let me start with a simple disclaimer: These weapons are dangerous. They look relatively harmless, which is their greatest attribute, but they should not be used on others. They should be considered novelty items and used for training purposes only. Furthermore, you WILL get hit if you train with them. It’s a necessary consequence of the learning process. So train with soft and relatively light weights to begin with. Sand bags and gummy bears (don’t ask) make excellent starter weights.  We all take our lumps in the beginning, but getting past that is very rewarding.

New Shaolin Rope Dart Use

The new rope dart should be anchored in the left hand (or non dominant hand) and played with the right. Anchoring this device is simple and requires nothing more than wrapping the sash several times around the hand until the desired length is set. The left hand is also responsible for retracting the dart after it is shot.

The right hand is responsible for twining, whipping and shooting and is constantly slipping and sliding up and down the length of the rope dart.

There is no predetermined length for a preparatory hold, as many rope dart techniques alter striking range and require more or less fabric when twining one’s body to set up complicated shoots. Dart length may be altered several feet during play, depending on the technique being applied.

Sash Whip Use

The sash whip is longer than what most practitioners will need. This extra length can be eaten up by wrapping the hand until desired length is achieved. The sash should be held in the right hand (or dominant side hand), and should be adjusted so the whip is close in length to the distance from the trainee’s shoulder to his knee. I find this length allows for the application of most whipping technique and offers optimal speed and balance.

For those practiced in rope dart technique however, this sash offers added length for intermediate twining and shooting techniques that are not commonly applicable with the nine segment lash. The length can be altered while spinning the whip to add up to an extra two feet of reach for deceptive long strikes. This is unique to our sash in that control of the sash remains in the dominant hand, rather than requiring a two handed rope dart grip.

The sash whip can also be emptied of weights, held with two hands, and used as a grappling sash to catch, twine, and bind the limbs of an attacker. There are many grips, stances, and postures one can take with such an approach, and they all require extensive training to be effective in hand to hand combat. A two handed grip can also be used with weights in each end, but this grip is very advanced and is as dangerous for the practitioner as it is for his attacker.

Double Sash Whip
Two sash whips can be used at the same time for aggressive attacking. There is no defensive posture when using this approach, but it may offer great advantages when a person is outnumbered, or simply needs to create space to escape. Double whips are also very advanced, and should be practiced only after one is proficient in single whip training. The grip is the same as that of the single sash whip, but each hand wields its own sash.

 

 

Steel Ball Use

 

While some systems of martial arts utilize soft weapons like belts, sashes, and ropes for in close grappling and binding techniques, or whips and chains for intermediate to long range whipping and shooting, I don’t know of anybody else who uses steel balls for self defense. But their advantages seem too numerous to overlook:

 

• They can enhance countless striking techniques with little additional training
• They can be used to enhance blocks, traps, and damage limbs of an attacker
• They are innocuous items that can be carried in public and pass airport security
• They can be thrown as a distraction or as a last chance tactic
• Most importantly, they are the perfect weight and density for our sash whips and rope darts. The pockets in both were designed specifically to house these balls.

When used in conjunction with the sash whip or new rope dart, meditation balls complete all ranges of fighting for this weapon set. One can strike at close ranges with a steel ball or insert it into the sash for long range whipping.