[Justin Pasternak]

Was there any form of whip used for warfare? And if their was could the whip have been made out of metal and used in the same manner as a flail?

[Eric Allen]

I'm not going to say "impossible," or "never happened," but I will say "Highly unlikely," in Western Europe, at least.

Most whips aren't and weren't used for hitting things so much as creating a loud noise (to get livestock to move, for example). Whips have been used to hit, mostly as punishment tools (in which case, the "target" is stationary and can't fight back).

The problem with using one is combat, is that for a whip hit to hurt, it has to be at the proper range (so it can snap), and its potential damage can be mitigated by either moving out of range or, better yet, into it. Try this: Next time someone tries to "rat-tail" you with a wet towel, step into it--the towel will smack harmelessly against your thigh. If nullified in this manner, the whip can then be grabbed, and suddenly become a liability for the wielder.

A whip works by snapping the tip of a flexible cord so that it instantaneously breaks the sound barrier (the pop or crack you get from a well-executed whip-strike is a mini sonic boom). That's why whips are generally made of light and flexible materiels, like braided leather. A metal whip would have to be somehow made thin, light and flexible to actually crack.
If the whip isn't cracking, you're not so much whipping or lashing your target as flogging it, and you might as well be using a flail anyway.

Just my $0.02

[Nick Trueman]

Hi

Many nomadic peoples used whips instead of spurs but of coarse not as a weapon. Some of these examples have quite ornate wooden handles ( magyar/khazar ). Another intersting weapon is the khazar flight mace/flail, simply a wooden handle with a egg shaped mace head attached by leather thonging. Made of bone, bronze, steel there exact use is not known? maybe they were thrown we dont know.

N

[John Cooksey]

As a weapon for war, the whip would be fairly ineffective. It has been used for informal dueling, however.
Braided leather lariats/lassos were used by some of the steppe nomads, tho.

[Jean Thibodeau]

I think the Chinese used metal whip-like weapons ? But then the Chinese were very inventive creating a lot of weird weapons some more practical than others and their use may have varied from very common to exotic oddities.

So I would look for sources about Chinese weapons.

Not my area of expertise though. ( Assuming I have an AREA. )

[Hugo Voisine]

You should ask to Lancelot Chan for chinese weapons.

[Michael Olsen]

According to Wikipedia (not exactly land of the accurate information, I know) a weapon known as the Urumi was used in South India, being essentially a "sword made of flexible steel, sharp enough to cut into flesh, but flexible enough to be rolled into a tight coil." Have a picture.

[Eric Allen]

[Justin Pasternak]

Thank you for all your help on this topic!!!

[Danny Grigg]

See attached pics & links regarding some Chinese chain / whip-like weapons

http://www.shaolin-wushu.de/en/en_shop/detail/kette_detail.htm

http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=267
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=284

Danny

[Peter Bosman]

Hmmm. The oriental chain is a disguise of the ball on a chain to a handle. I have no doubt I would prefer the latter riding my horse.
Western martial art seem to have been pragmatic and functional in the absolute.
Oriental weaponry was also and to a considerable effect influanced by the use of objects that legaly were not arms.

Differences is social organisation have a large effect on weaponry. In India p.a. the metal bow was quite abundant one time. Although not overly efficient in respect to the composit recurve, it could be hung to the wall strung, thus ready for use.
Also iron was (is) abundant in India.
I guess the spring sword has to be seen in the same light and not at all in respect to the battle field.

HC