UPDATE: I've changed up the design for my rope dart slightly, so be sure to check out this video as well!
DIY: The BEST Practice Rope Dart (Part 2b of 4)
http://youtu.be/RivBQxTVxYg
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This is my version of a rope dart (a Chinese martial arts weapon). I've used this only for throwing my kunai into my target. I have not used this rope dart to practice any wraps or drill work as that would be terribly dangerous! After all my research, one thing is common, which is rope darts are one of the most dangerous weapons to train with as it can cause more harm to the user than the opponent. In fact, it is recommended that one should wait several years before attempting drill work with a metal rope dart. For practice, you should use something spongy for the dart. For example, you can fill a tennis ball with BB's or even use a bag of sand. Tom Fazio recommends a bag of gummy bars as they are dense as well as soft.
For my rope dart I chose the hitches, knots, size of the flag, etc. on my own. I did my best to include what part of the rope dart design is my own and what a rope dart should actually be like.
I found information on the rope dart from a variety of sources. Every source had something different to say and few said the same thing. And not one video/article answered all my questions! So I provided you with all the answers from all the sources. Here is what I've watched/read so far and hopefully it helps you in your research of the rope dart!
Shi Debiao's Rope Dart DVD (The Chinese Peculiar Weapon Series)
http://amzn.com/B000LP521Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aggOfsBuaSQ
Donald Hyun Kiolbassa's Rope Dart DVD
http://amzn.com/B001SAOTSU
Tom Fazio's Art of Sash (Volume 1)
http://www.tomfaziotraining.com/fazio-soft-weapons/
http://www.youtube.com/user/ShaolinRopeDart/featured
Tom Fazio's Video for Elbow Rear Shoots
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LH7CHey_5o
The Rope Dart vs. Meteor Hammer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhW67MBO8M8
Shaolin Meteor Hammer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxPO6nwQvxY
Wikipedia Rope Dart
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_dart
Weight of Rope Dart (Routine vs. Traditional)
http://www.kungfubrothers.com/ropedart.html
What Kind of Rope for Rope Dart
http://www.homeofpoi.com/community/ubbthreads.php/topics/905467/The_best_kind_of_rope_to_make_.html
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Where to Buy Flying Steel's Kunai
https://flyingsteel.com/product/kunai
Review of Flying Steel's Kunai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1cXwje5V7M
Video of why Flying Steel is so Freaking Awesome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKxFEuq5zg8
Outtakes of Kunai Rope Dart
Video coming soon!
Zombie Nazi Mob Target
http://www.letargets.com/estylez_item.aspx?item=ZMOB-NAZIS
