I owe every love and friendship to the rope dart. I owe my Spiritual practices to the rope dart. My harmony, perseverance, dedication and ambition in life were all lessons taught to me by a solid object attached to a humble rope. Forever grateful. My Story The first time I saw the rope dart used (or ever, for that matter) was by Sifu Michael Parella in his Kung Fu school, ‘Master Parrella’s Kung Fu Centers’ in Queens, N.Y. where I was an instructor. Sifu Parrella was doing basic things (I say ‘basic’ now – at the time it was incredible) and he handled the weapon well. Other than a pendulum swi ..read more

The continuation of our Rope Dart Origin and History. Here, we will explore the rope dart as it pertains to modern history and the impact the rope dart has played in the past 50 years. Please enjoy The Origin and History of the Rope Dart and Meteor Hammer: Part 3, Certain Origins Certain Origins In today’s Traditional Chinese Martial Arts (TCMA) and modern wushu, the rope dart is considered to be in the ‘flexible’ or ‘soft’ weapons category due to the flexibility or, ‘softness’ the rope provides.  Other weapons in the flexible/soft weapons category are the  Double Ended Meteor (Shuan ..read more

The continuation of the search for the Origin and History of the Rope Dart and Meteor Hammer : Part 2, Uncertain Origins The book, ‘Soft Weapons:  9 Section Whip and Rope Dart’, has the rope dart first appearing in a military battle legend during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 CE).  Other legends such as the tale of ‘Three Kingdoms’, which appropriately takes place over 100 years later during the Three Kingdoms Dynasty (220 – 265 CE) makes mention of the meteor hammer, but not the rope dart.    The oldest physical dart style head I have seen can be found during the ..read more

Rope Dart  绳镖 Known as a Chinese weapon, sheng biao, the rope dart consists of a heavy object, in this case a metal dart, attached to a long rope.  The exact inventor, day and place the rope dart was first created and used seems to be lost to time forever and perhaps was never known.  While many facets of the rope dart origin mystery will likely remain, others may well be uncovered.   Before we begin to uncover the mystery, let’s clearly define what we’re initially looking for: the beginning and subsequent evolution of a weapon or tool that features weight(s) of some k ..read more

I have heard some say that accuracy should come later and technique should come first. I have even heard that accuracy doesnâ€t matter at all whether a new or seasoned practitioner. This nonsense is in and of itself inaccurate (pun intended). What does practicing rope dart accuracy initially do for the practitioner? What are the deeper purposes? For one, it is the easiest way to enjoy the rope dart. One doesnâ€t need to know any techniques to have fun simply trying to aim and hit various things (tree, fence, etc). I enjoy walking. I walk to the store, the pizza parlor, my friends house. My rop ..read more

A question came in with regard to the elbow shot. Here is the question exactly as I received it: Have you ever considered the double wrap rear elbow shot? I have, and it all came about after some target practice. There has always been something about the rear elbow shot I didnâ€t like and now I know what it is. With the single wrap, the dart head wobbles or tilts after shooting, but with the second wrap, the head is straight on, and is easier to target with, well at least for me. It also seems to pack a meaner punch too. Not sure if my observations are correct, but that might be a reason the s ..read more