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Has anyone had any experiences using the rope dart in some form of sparring or combat?
I myself have faced bo staff, jo staff, bokken (wood sword), dummy spear, 2 handed bokken, nunchaku, and three section staff, as well as dumbfounded unarmed opponents. :D
The only ones that presented a real challenge were the soft weapons, nunchaku and 3 section staff, as the chain or corded area is excellent for tying up the rope dart however once entangled your weapons are now one and you can gain a degree of control over their weapon as they have on yours, depending on your skill of sensitivity will decide how well you do and whether or not you are able to yank the dart free and simultaneously dodge the projectile coming back at you that it becomes and resume normal attacks and retreats.
Should the dart be temporarily entangled with no immediate recourse for retrieval, you must now manipulate the rope to control the opponents weapon/movements as you close the gap to tie up their limbs and apply a choke or strike.
I recommend of course, practicing with a monkey fist instead of an actual rope dart, although i have used a live blade on several occasions using a great degree of control to decelerate the dart to the point of light contact sparring while still manipulating it as fast as possible when not on the direct attack.
I have used the live blade only against bokken and the staffs, and was able to control the opponent from a safe distance without them ever being able to close the gap without impaling themselves on the follow through strike, regardless of parries.
I still think a live sword would have been much more interesting, and that day will come at some point.
On a personal note, the weapon felt SO incredibly cheap to use, i felt like i had put in cheat codes in the game of life or something. Seriously. If the opponent tried to chase, a running retreat was more than enough time to gather the blade and fire it back while still retreating, often several times before turning back on the offensive and chasing the enemy myself. The distance was simply too great.
Please tell me your thoughts. :-) (and sorry for the long winded post)
I myself have faced bo staff, jo staff, bokken (wood sword), dummy spear, 2 handed bokken, nunchaku, and three section staff, as well as dumbfounded unarmed opponents. :D
The only ones that presented a real challenge were the soft weapons, nunchaku and 3 section staff, as the chain or corded area is excellent for tying up the rope dart however once entangled your weapons are now one and you can gain a degree of control over their weapon as they have on yours, depending on your skill of sensitivity will decide how well you do and whether or not you are able to yank the dart free and simultaneously dodge the projectile coming back at you that it becomes and resume normal attacks and retreats.
Should the dart be temporarily entangled with no immediate recourse for retrieval, you must now manipulate the rope to control the opponents weapon/movements as you close the gap to tie up their limbs and apply a choke or strike.
I recommend of course, practicing with a monkey fist instead of an actual rope dart, although i have used a live blade on several occasions using a great degree of control to decelerate the dart to the point of light contact sparring while still manipulating it as fast as possible when not on the direct attack.
I have used the live blade only against bokken and the staffs, and was able to control the opponent from a safe distance without them ever being able to close the gap without impaling themselves on the follow through strike, regardless of parries.
I still think a live sword would have been much more interesting, and that day will come at some point.
On a personal note, the weapon felt SO incredibly cheap to use, i felt like i had put in cheat codes in the game of life or something. Seriously. If the opponent tried to chase, a running retreat was more than enough time to gather the blade and fire it back while still retreating, often several times before turning back on the offensive and chasing the enemy myself. The distance was simply too great.
Please tell me your thoughts. :-) (and sorry for the long winded post)
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Re: SPARRING
Sun, November 2, 2008 - 5:02 PMI've had the reverse experience. Every rope dart, whip, or other flexible tool I face with a sword has fallen very short. After one initial volley at long range, whether or not I become entangled, I get the next shot pretty much free. I suppose it could be that I haven't faced a "master" yet, but I don't see the results fairing any differently. -
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Re: SPARRING
Sat, November 8, 2008 - 10:09 AMperhaps one day we can have the chance to test each others' skill :)
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Re: SPARRING
Sun, November 2, 2008 - 7:02 PMIMO: Best chance a rope dart user has is to promptly forget about the dart if it isn't immediately retrievable. -
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Re: SPARRING
Sat, November 8, 2008 - 10:20 AMi've got one move i call 'death from above' or 'the scorpion's sting' that gives the appearance that i'm unarmed and not in control of the dart upon pulling it back after it's been hit to the ground. Upon drawing it back, i take half a step back to square off with the enemy and vary the length of the rope in a very subtle fashion; almost every time the attacker will use this time to charge and try to close the gap, at which point the dart comes crashing down on their head from completely out of sight at the top of it's arc.
I've only hit *myself* in the head with this technique, at least with a live blade (albeit dull), and i must say it definitely removes the will to continue the fight.
Remember that the rope dart was traditionally a secondary weapon to a man or more commonly a woman's weapon due to it's ease of concealment.....so deception is the name of the game.
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