Whips and weapons (Page 1 of 6)

We can go around and around with this. The fact is the whip, as can most everyday objects, be used as a weapon. Is it DESIGNED as a weapon? Nope. I do and will continue to call them "martial tools". Remember Robby, here in the US we have a slightly different take on weapons, guns especially.
As for the effectiveness of the whip as a flexible weapon I don't think that can really be denied in any way shape or form in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing. But as for the practicality of the whip as a weapon, that's another thing. But as I'm more apt to have a whip on me then a knife or a gun it's more practical for me. And in the end if you defeat the whip you have to deal with me and that is something I'm not worried about in the least bit.
But as I'm so fond of saying, "Don't knock it till you try it." Part of my whip work is working the whip as a weapon against other martial artists, other weapons and scenario's. I believe this makes me not only a better martial artist but a better whip handler as well. I'm looking at all the possiblities, from a martial tool to a national sport. Granted my fancy cracking is awful at this point but the point is I'm doing it as well.
It won't go away, this whips as weapons things. I think the important thing is to keep an open mind, keep an eye on safety, and make sure that we acknowledge and appreciate all those who use whips, be it in a martial sense, in a club, on the lawn, or on the stage.

Whips as weapons. 

Were they intended to be weapons initially? Debatable 

Is the PRIMARY purpose of whip to be a weapon? IMO, No.

Can they be used as weapons? Yes

Are they perceived as weapons or potential weapons?  IMO, Yes.

Would I use a whip as a weapon?  If I needed to and there was not something better available.

A weapon by definition is an instrument of attack or defense in combat, as a gun, missile, or sword. Pretty much anything can used as a weapon: fork, spoon, ice pick, dental floss, toothbrush, water (think fire hose), credit card, sound, car, etc. A Swiss Army knife with the Corkscrew out is not something I would like to be hit with. It would definitely ward me off.

The bottom line is I HOPE the establishment, government, authorities, or whatever you call them don't some day consider a whip to be such a dangerous weapon that they outlaw them.  Heck, in the sporting goods department of Wal-mart I had to show PROPER ID in order to buy MARBLES, yes MARBLES.  Why? Because the marbles in the sporting goods department were intended for slingshots.  Now if I went to the Toy department and bought a can of marbles, do you think they would have made me show ID?

Don't get me started on guns.  I grew up on a farm where I shot rifles, pistols, and shotguns.  I was taught the proper use and RESPECT for firearms.  I enjoy sporting clays and target shooting. Guns are tools.  Unfortunately, there are people in the world that use these tools to hurt other people.  You take this particular tool away and those same people will find ANOTHER tool to hurt people.  Is the problem in the tool or the person who uses the tool?

Sorry, didn't mean to get on a soapbox.

Here is a youtube of Anthony DeLongis demonstrating his skills in using the whip as a weapon.  Very interesting I must say!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYwKFTOB0bc

Here's another potential weapon I hope the government never regulates.  I have a personal, vested interest in this since I own over 70 of these items.

A Toy or Another Weapon? You decide.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. 

Skip brought it to a good point. It's a movie weapon. As long your "attacker" is so kind and keeps standing while you wrap your whip around his arms...perfect! Or if he stands in place while you hit him with the whip - perfect. The problems start when the attacker starts to - attack... There's a huge difference between movie fights and real life. I was often asked what's the best defense. My answer was all the time the same. Two words. Run away.

And yes - Yoyos are dangerous things. They should be restricted. Government would be good advised to keep firearms stored and use these ones 

Robby

I think everythig could be used as a weapon..

but be careful, to call a whip a weapon!
you can use it for work, sport, entertainment shows.. perhaps for erotic play, like bdsm. in this case always safe, sane, consensual.
in my opinion it is very important to differentiate these things. today people in germany are discussing about prohibiting paintball games. one reason is the gun rampage in winnenden when a young boy killed several other kids at school. (winnenden is a city near my home and sure my compassion is with the victims and their families.) but i think paintball is a sport like whip cracking and not a training to kill people or a reason why normal men mutate into killers... but some people and also politicians think different.

I agree with Robby and his doubts.. and I use words like whip sport for my hobby and I don`t support anything showing whips as a weapon.

ohh.. english is not my mother tongue, so I hope my postings will comprehensible to everybody

Steffen

I definitely believe that whips possess a great deal of potential as a weapon. Let us not forget that the primary whip action is not the only method by which a strike can be executed with a whip.

-Entangle: The long, flexible thong can be used to wrap, deflect, redirect, pin, lock joints, and trap limbs.

-Garrote: The thong can also be used to cut off airflow and bloodflow to the brain.

-Flail: In the case of a weighted snake whip, or a bullwhip with a heavy handle core, one can grip the whip backward, two or so feet down the length of the thong, and use the (in this case) heavy heel weight as a flail. This can be a quick and devastating maneuver; as quick as a knife strike or other attack.

-Baton: In the case of a bullwhip (with any decent handle core), the handle can be used not only as a flail, but as a baton, using any number of stick-type attack techniques (Escrima, Kali, etc). The handle can also be used to bar the throat, limbs, joints, etc.

And these are just the uses and methods which appear obviously to me; an untrained, average man, with limited knowledge of any fighting technique. Imagine the tool in the hands of an experienced and trained fighter.

Of course, the whip could also be used in a signal capacity; both to ward off attackers and to draw attention or help with its signature crack. A properly built whip can mimic the report of small firearms, making a criminal who has not yet seen you think twice about breaking into your home.

There are other methods I have imagined as possible (not necessarily plausible), such as studded thongs/falls, and even electrified thongs/falls. It is entirely possible to run a conductive filament through the core and fall, and, using a hollow handle with a removable heel, construct a push-button switch and battery compartment in the handle. With the proper circuitry, the whip could entangle an attacker and deliver an electric shock equivalent to a stun gun or taser.

As was said before, anything can be used as a weapon. I wear my cell phone in a belt holster with an open top. I have developed and practiced a technique by which I can quick-draw the phone by its rigid antenna and use the narrow edge to deliver a sharp blow to an attacker's temple. If done properly, the movement is nearly unnoticed. A powerful enough strike to the temple can render a person unconscious, enabling a successful escape.

Yes. Whips can be used as weapons.

Well said, David. You're absolutely right! There's a big difference in what is designed as weapon and what can be used as weapon. If you push hard enough, you could kill a person with a leatherman tool... And that thing is even called "tool".

I think it's wrong to declare whips as weapons in general, because it won't do good for the sport, for the art of whipcracking. I'm so tired to see people who tell you that "the whip is the most flexible and one of the oldest weapons of mankind". Does everything has to be used as weapon?

I'm practicing Karate & Taek won Do now for over 30 years. I formed a lot of Blackbelts, but when I'm asked what's the best defense, my answer was - and is: Run away.

Robby

Mmmmmmmmm! I wonder if our mothers know each other, mine was a wicked shot with a DrScholl   

I too learnt to duck, but one day climbed a tree to get clear, big mistake I got my whacks when I thought it was safe to come down 2 hours later then extra for running away that cunning plan failed miserably methinks

Tony