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WABUKAN Arsenal · Flexible and rope weapons · Europe

Flail

One or more striking heads joined to a handle by rope, strap, hinge or chain; it can strike around a shield or a parry.

Flail
Flail WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

flail; peasant flail; kisten; fléau d’armes; Kriegsflegel

Origin and history

There are three broad types: the long two-handed infantry flail made from a farm flail, a short handle with one or more metal heads on chains, and a longer-handled two-handed version of that. In the Late Middle Ages peasant armies used two-handed farm flails, sometimes studded with spikes; the Hussites fielded many foot soldiers armed with them between 1420 and 1497, and modified flails appeared in the German Peasants’ War. German fencing manuals of the 15th to 17th centuries teach how to use the peasant flail and how to defend against it. The kisten, a short flail with a strap, is attested in the lands of the Rus’ in the 10th century.

Martial arts that use it

HEMA

Construction

A wooden handle joined to one or more striking heads (swingles) by a flexible link: rope, leather strap, hinge or chain. On short military flails the chain is usually shorter than the handle so the heads do not hit the wielder’s hand.

Basic techniques

Training

Flexible weapons are learned slowly with foam, rope or rubber versions: first the swings and wraps around the body, then changes of hand and stops, and only later strikes at a target. They punish mistakes on the user first, so speed comes last.

Safety

Start with soft versions, wear eye protection and keep a wide empty circle around you. Check chains, cords and joints before each session: a part that breaks mid-swing becomes a projectile.

Legality (general information)

Sticks, staffs and other impact or flexible weapons are ordinary objects in some countries and restricted weapons in others (several European countries, for example, regulate nunchaku, batons or weighted chains). Carrying one in public without a good reason can be an offence even where owning it is legal. Transport it in a bag and use it in the training hall. This is general information, not legal advice: check local law.

Did you know?

Compared with a rigid weapon of the same size, the end of a flail moves faster but hits with less effective mass, so its impact is slightly smaller.

More weapons

Meteor hammer Nine-section chain whip Kusarigama Nunchaku Three-section staff Urumi

Sources

Original WABUKAN text, written from these cross-checked sources (facts, not sentences).

  1. Wikipedia — Flail (weapon)