Flails & Soft Weapons

FLAILS & SOFT WEAPONS
武器梿

Flail training is an advanced weapon study taught at Imperial Combat Arts in Denver CO. These unique weapons have been used throughout the world for ancient and medieval warfare. While flails may have originated from tools for threshing grain, they later evolved into many unique battlefield weapons.
Additionally other Soft Weapons such as Rope and Jacket are some of the most important and easy to improvise weapons that have many powerful and traditional techniques and combat applications.

Chinese weapon training at a historically accurate combat level is a very different study than the theatrical and acrobatic spear training seen in many modern Chinese martial arts schools that use flimsy mock weapons, and mostly train for show or elaborate tricks. Our combat level spear training has direct lineage to the battlefield, and can hold its own with, or surpass any other weapon system in the world, and blends seamlessly with our hand to hand, ground systems, and chin na, as a complete study.

STICK FLAIL
梢棍

CHIN KUA CH'U LIEN | JINGUACHUILIAN
This weapon, commonly known as a "Tip Stick", is a primary Flail taught at Imperial Combat Arts. These battlefield weapons are one-handed and consist of a handle, chain, and a shorter stick that is swung from the chain. This shorter stick often has metal spikes or ridges. Opposed to the similar looking nunchucks, the handle of this true battlefield flail is long enough to cover the body and engage other melee weapons.

LONG STICK FLAIL
长梢棍

PA LENG LIEN | BA LENG LIAN
This traditional battlefield Flail also known as a Two Section Staff 长小棒 is a long two-handed "Tip Stick" that saw use in Chinese battles. Like the one handed version the head of this weapon can vary in design, it may be pestle shaped and can have studs, spikes, or metal ridges to increase weight and damage. These flails are similar to the ones used in Europe and originate from a common and ancient farming tool.

IRON BAR FLAIL
铁铤梿

T'IEH TING LIEN | TIE DING LIAN
This Flail was designed from the Two Section Staff but made solely for warfare. Instead of a stick head it has a head made of a solid Iron Bar that is long and rectangular like a metal ingot. The weight of the head causes much more damage and the rectangle shape offers corners, points, and edges to also cause harm.
Other solid iron heads are also common featuring spikes, ridges, or sometimes shaped like animals.

DOUBLE HEADED FLAIL
連珠棍

LANG YA LIEN | LANGYALIAN
This Flail is a double-ended Stick Flail with a long staff center and a shorter flail head on each end. This weapon fights like a wooden staff but also offers flail strikes. This weapon is a traditional Flail variant that is trained in Chinese Martial Arts as a specialty design for fighting alone versus multiple opponents, more than in standard battle formations. These flail heads may be again be customized in various ways.

THREE SECTION STAFF
三节鞭

SHAO KUN LIEN |SHAO GUN LIAN
This weapon is similar to the double headed flail but made of three sections of equal length. Also known as the"Coiled Dragon Staff" this Flail is more well known than most Chinese stick flails and yet also less effective in weapon interactions, are more trained for its flashy look in forms. There is a reason why the standard stick flail design was used for battle in many parts of the world.

BALL FLAIL
球梿

CHANG SHAO KUN LIEN
Of the many flail-head designs that can be used on a flail weapon there are several that are ball shaped. In our arts these traditional round flail heads are often shaped the same as our Mace heads and include The Eight Sided Hammer, The Gourd Hammer, The Bud Hammer, and The Spiked Wolf Tooth Hammer. Also there are Balls shaped like a Human Fist or closed claw, usually of a Dragon or Eagle claw in design.

METEOR HAMMER
流星錘

LIU HSIN C'HU | LIUXINGCHUI
This classic weapon is a flail-head on a long chain but with no handle. Most commonly this weapon is found in a Gourd head design though any round ball can be used. This weapon is a important study in that most improvised flails, like a rock in a sock, are used this way. Without a proper length handle these flails do not offer the protection or ability to engage other melee weapons, and rely on evasive, ranged fighting.

FLYING CLAW
飞爪

FEI CHAO | FEIZHAO
Another classic chained weapon is the Flying Claw. This weapon features a metal hand or claw on the end of a chain or rope. Unlike the Meteor Hammer which is designed for blunt force damage the Claw is designed to wrap, capture, entangle, and grip. Some of these weapons are more elaborate and the claw actually closes and tightens when the rope is pulled. Some of these can grab trees and rip off the bark.

ROPE
绳武器

SHENG
Imperial Combat Arts teaches a large and intricate rope-fighting system that at the highest levels enters the study of Spider Kung Fu. This guarded fighting style uses highly toughened strikes, chin na, gripping, and the use of deceptive slight-of-hand techniques to capture and entangle opponents. Spider specializes in blinding and weapon counters as well as knots, traps, and rope climbing.

JACKET
衫武器

SHAN
The Jacket is an effective and common improvised weapon trained at Imperial Combat Arts that uses the same kinds of techniques trained in rope-fighting. The study of jacket applies to both grappling with the use of yours and an opponents worn clothes and also holding the a jacket in the hands as a rope weapon. The jacket can be effective at weapon counters and is trained to be quickly wrapped for padded armor.

FLAIL TRAINING

While there are several types of Flails trained at Imperial Combat Arts, it is still essentially one weapon study. All Flails share the same basic characteristics, and skills developed with each unique Flail transfer directly to the next. Flails and Soft Weapons are one part of complete weapon mastery.

FLAIL AND SHIELD

One handed Flail weapons are also trained with Shields at Imperial Combat Arts. Flails offer unique advantages in Shield-Fighting in that they can strike over and around shields like no other weapon. This is one of the main reasons for Flails used as weapons. Opposed to their Sword & Shield or Axe & Shield training, our practitioners find that with a Flail they can bend the rules that once applied, change their strike angles, as well as their overall angles of approach.

FLAIL DRILLS

Drills are an important part of training Flails. These drills teach primary grips, stances, maneuvers, strikes, blocks, and parries. Weapon drills are done in the air, vs partners, dummies, and all types of specialized equipment. The intricate artwork painted on the floor of the school at Imperial Combat Arts is designed for students to drill attacks and defenses against multiple opponents in all 8 directions as well as with all lengths of battlefield weapons.

FLAIL FORMS

Flail forms are one of the primary ways Masters pass on the ancient knowledge of flail-fighting to the next generation of Warriors. These challenging forms teach dynamic flow, maneuvers, weapon handling, and numerous proven and effective techniques. Every movement and technique in the Flail forms at Imperial Combat Arts relate directly to combat, and are trained dynamically in sets, and matching. Several of the types of Flails on this page share the same basic forms.

FLAIL SETS

Dynamic sets allow students to learn effective techniques and weapon applications that could never be used in sparring. Even with full pads a training flail can cause serious injury or death, therefore mastering flail requires a skilled and dedicated partner with focus and control. This repetitive partner interaction allows one to deeply develop a familiarity with weapon techniques before they begin matching with the weapon or using it in battle.

FLAIL MATCHING

Aggressive matching with training weapons is an important part of preparing for the chaos and fray of battle. Most all matching done at our school, whether armed or unarmed, is done versus multiple opponents. These intense matching sessions are designed to be painful, yet safe, and push practitioners ever forward in skill. Aggressive Spear weapon matching can only be done safely with padded weapons and armor.

FLAIL TARGETS

Throughout history target practice has been a crucial part of weapon development, as it still is today. In all parts of the world Straw Men, and Wooden Pell's of various types, have been the primary targets used to practice weapon attacks and maneuvers. Imperial Combat Arts indoor/outdoor school has a full array of traditional and modern dummies designed for weapon training and to hit full force with blunt weapons. Like a punching bag, striking with force is also important in weapons.

FLAIL VS OTHER WEAPONS

There are numerous traditional sets to teach each weapons interaction with other weapons. Many schools only spar with like weapons when in actuality most fights are mismatched, and some of these pairings are legendary such as Flail vs Sword. Additionally learning how to use flail weapons in close quarters is an important part of melee weapon mastery. These important concepts and lessons transfer directly to empty hand tactics, such as fighting opponents in tight spaces.

IMPROVISED FLAIL

A basic Flail can be a quickly improvised weapon in modern combat, as simple as a Rock in a Sock, a can in a bag, or even a heavy ratchet strap. Even these makeshift Flails can offer a huge advantage in melee combat as they offer a reach superior to most common melee weapons such as knives, crowbars, tasers, etc. With these, and Flails made from nature, a Flail expert can quickly fashion their weapon of mastery in most any setting.