From what I can tell, not much, but let’s talk about it anyway! A rope dart, unsurprisingly, features a dart or dagger like head on the end of a cord. A meteor hammer is a round or bulbous shaped head on the end of a cord. A round or bulbous shaped metal head likely emerged from the familiar stone shape, which many agree was the first head style to be attached to a cord for similar weapons for hunting and defense. Both dart and hammer can weigh the same, which range from as little as 4.5 ounces to over a … Continued
The Origin and History of the Rope Dart and Meteor Hammer: Part 4, My Story
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) … Continued
The Origin and History of the Rope Dart and Meteor Hammer: Part 3, Certain Origins
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 (Shuang … Continued
The Origin and History of the Rope Dart and Meteor Hammer, Part 2: Uncertain Origins
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 … Continued