Meteor hammer

The meteor hammer (Chinese: 流星錘; pinyin: liúxīng chuí), often referred to simply as meteor, is an ancient Chinese weapon, consisting at its most basic level of two weights connected by a rope or chain. One of the flexible or 'soft' weapons, it is referred to by many different names worldwide, dependent upon region, construction and intended use. Other names in use include liu xing chui, dai chui, flying hammer or dragon's fist. It belongs to the broader class of chain weapons.

Design:

The meteor hammer could be easily concealed as a defensive or surprise weapon, being of a flexible construction. The primary advantage for using a meteor hammer was (in a similar way to the nunchaku) its sheer speed. It acquired its name because it was said to strike "as fast as a meteor".

Using a meteor hammer involves swinging it around the body to build up considerable speed, before releasing the meteor to strike at any angle. Since the meteor has two heads, one could be used offensively, while the other could be used to defend, parrying attacks or ensnaring an opponent's weapon to disarm them. When used by a skilled fighter, its speed, accuracy and unpredictability make it a difficult weapon to defend against. While being swung, a meteor may be wrapped around its user's arms, legs, torso, neck or waist, before being unwrapped by a powerful jerk of the body to deliver a devastating and lightning fast punch. A master is fully capable of striking, ensnaring or strangling from

Construction:

There are two types of meteor hammers: a double-headed version (the typical image of a meteor hammer is generally of this type) and a single-headed version.

Double-headed

The double-headed meteor hammer is typically 2–3 meters in length (traditionally 2 meters) with a spherical head on each end. While the ends of the meteor hammer can be heavier than a rope dart head, the difference in weight is not normally great. Some meteor hammer versions have heads which are much lighter than most rope dart heads. The lighter versions of this weapon are typically used for practice and for modern wu shu displays since they are faster and less dangerous.

Single-headed

The single-headed version of this weapon is used in a similar manner to the rope dart in that it is a long reach weapon with a single head. The main difference between the single headed meteor hammer and a rope spear is that traditionally the meteor hammer has an end shaped similar to an egg or melon. The single end can traditionally weigh up to 3 kg and is attached to a rope that can be 5 meters in length (in contrast a rope dart is typically 3.6 meters long). Because of these traits, a single headed meteor hammer can be a very effective weapon, despite being very difficult to control. In modern times, this version is rarely studied or taught since a weapon of this nature isn't needed and is very complex to learn. The double headed version is flashier and better known.