Beautiful shapes emerge out of imbalance. Pulling the wrists in different directions will pose the arms in an infinite number of combinations. It is interesting to observe how each side can be different as well. Our bodies aren’t completely symmetric. Differences can be big or small, and it becomes really important to have asymmetric ties in our toolbox to adapt when injuries happen.

The goal of this week is to explore different approaches to asymmetry and how imbalance influences the feeling of a tie.

Activities

Day 113: Front Asymmetry – Tie the wrists together and try pulling them in different directions, try the hip, the chest, or going over the shoulder. Pull the wrists in different directions in front, around the chest, over the elbow, around the hips. Explore the various positions you can create.  Once you find a position that feels good, create a tie to keep it in place.

Day 114: Back Asymmetry – Try different ways of positioning the arms in the back. Pull up, down, or to the side to see what happens.

Inspirations and Resources

Day 115: One in Front, One in the Back – Create a tie to bind an arm in front and the other in the back.

Day 116: One-Arm Box Tie – Modify your favourite box tie to include only one arm. You can keep the wraps over both arms or keep one arm free. Explore different options with the other arm, front, side, or just leaving it loose.

Inspirations and Resources

Day 117: Solo Chicken Wing Tie – Create a chicken wing on one arm and explore different ways to attach it to the body. You can try to put the elbow pointing up, down, to the front or backward. This allows to create one-arm version of various ties like the Bunny (Wakizarashi) , Demon (Tengu) or Angel (Tenshi).

Day 118: Riffle Tie – Aka teppo shibari 鉄砲縛り(riffle tie). The most classic of the asymmetric tie, one elbow pointing up, the other arm in a box position or with the elbow pointing down. This position can become difficult to hold as the upper arm is fighting gravity, make sure you can untie quickly as this position can be quite challenging. The variation with the top arm around the neck instead is called Choking Riffle Tie or self-choking teppo. 

Day 119: Broken Strappado – Tie the wrists together in the back, if flexibility allows, tie the forearms together as well. Then break the symmetry by pulling them on one side.

Video References

We compiled a Youtube playlist with various videos on this topic, let us know if you find others we should add to this list. Note that video references may display risky or unstable techniques, viewer discernment is advised. 

Gallery

Inspirations and Resources

Got more resource suggestions? Write it in the comments!

Or return to Summer for more options.