history of the yoyo as a weapon

[fearn]

Hi Radu,

You're right--the Hawaiian weapon is called a pikoi, and there are several in the collection of the Bishop Museum. Basically, it's a weight on the end of a line--supposedly it's used to trap or trip, but it looks similar to...

...the meteor hammer, a weighted line in Chinese martial arts, which might or might not have a tubular handle on the rope (i.e. one hand to guide, through which the rope moves, while the other hand controls the length of the rope.

...there's also a rope dart, in which the weight is replaced by a sharpened dart, and the dragon claw, where the weight is replaced by four curved, springy, metal claws.

There might also be an African weapon like the rope dart, although I have no information about tribe, name, or use.

Note that none of these are used as a yoyo. The Chinese weapons (shown in John Sanchez, Flexible Weapons) are used for linear strikes. To strike with the weapon, assume the following position: Off-hand holds the rope coiled, the other holds the weight on a few feet of line. Swing the weight in a vertical circle counterclockwise, and whip the weight out underhand, letting the line go loose with the other hand (don't let go of the end of the line!). After the weight hits the target (or misses), grab the rope with both hands, and pull it back rapidly, recoiling the rope as you go.

Basically, it's the analog of a repeater rifle. Rather than having a weight or dart that you throw once and lose, you can pull it back and use it again and again. Supposedly, if you're skillful, you get pretty fast, you can do all sorts of weird angle shots. You can, of course, hold it short and use it as a flail.

Sanchez's Flexible Weapons is a good guide to the use of flexible weapons in general.

F