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There are two versions of this chain, a lighter one (usually used in wushu exhibitions) and a heavier one used to all effects as a weapon.

It is an extremely dangerous weapon and can be handled only after a long workout with the elastic rope (first free and then with a light weight).

In 6DKF the first thing we learn is its “soft swinging”, then we switch to rigid rotations, to stopping, to achieve a static target (without getting hit bounce), a moving target… and gradually we come to the last stage, the motion of the dragon (but only after years of training).

The Shaolin 9 Section Chain Whip (Jiujiebian)

Type of weapon: flexible / soft
Used by: Shaolin monks (China)
Martial arts: Kung Fu (various styles, it is one of the 18 Shaolin weapons)
Diffusion level: medium-low (only in specific Kung Fu circles)
Cost: medium-medium-low cost

Technical characteristics

Composition: it is basically a series of 7-9 segments connected one to each other by 3-5 rings (as for the Meteor Hammer, the rings that are not used to connect, are made to help the flow of the movement); at the end, on one side there is a tip (cut in the training version), on the other the handle (covered with a band); a small colored flag is also attached to the tip part to make the motion more visible / hearable (during demonstrations and / or training sessions) and to add a better balance to the weapon
Materials: the entire structure is normally made of copper / iron / steel, then there is the fabric / plastic band over the handles and the fabric flag
Measures: generally the diameter of the sections (in the larger area) is 1-2 cm for the combat versions and 0.6-0.7 in the training ones; the diameter of the tip (in the larger area) is about 2-3 cm; each section is 10 cm and the total length is normally around 150 cm (but in some cases, it can vary depending on the school / practitioner); the training / exhibition version has almost the same length but the sections can also have half or 3/4 of the diameters previously declared
Weight: from a minimum of 400-500 g for the training / exhibitions versions (very fast) to the tremendous 1000-3000 g of the combat ones (very dangerous)

Combat performances

Speed: it is very fast to manage and to follow
Effectiveness: to make it useful in real combat it is necessary a high skill level (rare in our century)
Power: due to the inertia of the movements it gains a certain amount of power, enough to broke human bones
Advantages: medium-long range, fast, hard to follow with the sight and devastating impacts
Disadvantages: at close distance and / or grasped, it loses part of its effectiveness

Practical use

Self-defense: in the hands of a real expert, it is a potentially effective weapon, relatively easy to transport (in a pocket), able to scare most of the common aggressors but easy to recognize (too similar to a chain); in the hands of a beginner-intermediate level practitioner is more dangerous for him than for the eventual aggressors
Useful to: in training to develop high-quality spatial intelligence (read The most important skill in combat), to learn how to hit freehand (read The metal sphere: how to release the force of a punch or a kick) and to start to condition the strength of the arms (the inertia that it involves is very stressful for a not trained person)
Ideal environment: open areas, both in training, both in combat
Effective applications: against armed or unarmed opponents, to maintain the distance, to catch someone by surprise but even as an impact weapon (when folded) and as a strangling tool
How to evaluate the quality level: the metal must be good quality (filled and not too small, especially in the connection areas); the entire structure must resist to the tension that we can impress with our arms; the cover of the handle should not be folded with cardboard (under the fabric) and must not be easily uncovered

How to learn to use the 9 sections chain whip

Danger level: high (when it rotates, it reaches big inertia, if our movements are not precise and harmonic the chain will start to move in an unpredictable way, the impact with the tip can be disastrous)
Level of preparation required: near to the highest possible (spatial intelligence, etc.); outside an exhibition, it a very complex weapons to use
In 6 Dragons Kung Fu: it is facultative, is one of the last weapons we study
Prerequisites: soft touch skill (read How to acquire the Soft Touch skill), precision control (read Introduction to the idea of Precision Control), rigid weapons (start reading The basics of short sticks: safety and grip), easier flexible weapons (the rope, etc., start reading Stance and basic rotations of the rope), trained reflexes (start reading Shaolin training for reflexes), instinctive defense (read How to repel an attack in 6DKF: instinct and reason), state changes (read 6DKF’s interactions: from the strong blow to the light touch), basic conditioning (read Physical conditioning: how it works), etc.
Necessary study time: to start to see the first results (in terms of basic movements), it is a matter of months (after the development of the prerequisites)

Variants and related weapons

Variants:

In China there are plenty of variation of this weapon, it is very hard to add them all
The dart rope – A very similar weapon but longer and with a rope instead of the chain
The training / exhibition version – It is the same but lighter and faster
The beginner training version – Instead of a metal head it is possible to use a tennis ball or a voluminous knot
…

Related weapons:

The Meteor Hammer (read The Shaolin Meteor Hammer)
The Kusarigama
The rope
…

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s weapons – The fundamental development pathof 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s weapons
Weapon disarming: what works and what not – A self-defense oriented video course about weapons disarming

In-depth articles

Learning the use of real weapons – The path to learn to use real martial weapons
Sparring with Nunchaku – How to concretely learn to fight with flexible weapons

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

Have you tried the whip chain? Do you have something to add?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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