Fast Load-bearing Double Column

This simple variation on the Lark’s Head Double Column is quick to tie and is suitable for load-bearing situations. By “load bearing”, I mean situations where a person may pull strongly against their bondage. For example, tying a person’s wrists to a headboard so that they can pull against their bondage during the scene, or attaching them to an overhead hard point where they may be pulling down on their cuffs. With this technique, pulling on the cuffs will not make them clamp down and get tighter on the wrists.

This is not sufficient for any situation where the person is unable to relieve the tension. In the bed example, the person needs to simply stop pulling and the tension is relieved. When they relieve the tension, the pressure of the cuffs will be relieved. They are still bound, but the rope will no longer be digging in to their skin.

But attaching them to an overhead hard point can introduce more risk. You can use this to hold their arms over their head, but don’t pull them up so high that they are on their tip-toes and cannot relieve the pressure on their wrists. This is a dangerous situation. Even if you do leave them on their heels so they can relieve the tension, over time doing so may become more and more difficult. Always keep clear communication with your partner and keep their health as your top priority.

Do not attempt to use this or any other wrist-only rope technique to suspend someone.

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Rope Needed

For this tutorial, I used Natural 1/4" (6mm) hemp.

Video

Detailed Step-by-Step Version (For those new to rope)

If tying these on the wrist, tie them where I am pointing with 2 fingers, on the elbow side this little bone on the wrists. This will help make sure the cuffs are not too tight and helps you avoid damage to the sensitive area on the inside of the wrist that contains a lot of nerves and blood vessels. Yes, if a person struggles, the cuffs will naturally shift closer to their hands, but by tying them here, you build in a little space cushion, which tends to reduce risk.

Fast LB-DC (1)

Lay the bite across the wrist.

Fast LB-DC (2)

Using your active hand, reach underneath, grab the bight with your fingers hooked in toward the wrist…

Fast LB-DC (3)

…and pull it underneath the wrists.

Fast LB-DC (4)

Your fingers are already in that bight, in exactly the right positions to grab the tail.

Fast LB-DC (5)

Hook the tail, twist your hands and pull the tail through the larger, easier path…

Fast LB-DC (6)

…forming the Lark’s Head.

Fast LB-DC (7)

Now reverse your tension (begin going back the other way). Position this secondary bite so that the pathway through it is in the middle between the wrists like this.

Fast LB-DC (8)

Now we set the distance of the cuffs. You want the wrists farther apart than with the standard Lark’s Head Double Column or Classic Double Column.

Fast LB-DC (9)

You want them far enough apart so that if you squeeze the lines of the cuffs together so they are touching…

Fast LB-DC (10)

…like this…

Fast LB-DC (11)

…there will still be enough of a gap between the cinched lines and the inside of the wrists that you can get a finger into the hole on each side.

Fast LB-DC (12)

Now that you have the distance set, maintain tension on the tail so that it doesn’t change while you do one or two additional wraps the other direction.

Fast LB-DC (13)

Do your wraps on the opposite side of the direction you want the tail to naturally flow when the tie is complete. In this example, I want the tail to go out the hand side of the cuff, so…

Fast LB-DC (14)

…I do my wraps on the elbow side.

Fast LB-DC (15)

Bring the tail to the same side as your starting node (the Lark’s Head).

Fast LB-DC (16)

Run your finger through the secondary bight, pointing toward the tail.

Fast LB-DC (17)

Hook the tail under your finger.

Fast LB-DC (18)

Crook your finger to begin pulling the rope through.

Fast LB-DC (19)

Use your other hand to control the end of tail so it doesn’t flail around as you pull the rope through.

Fast LB-DC (20)

Now run the tail between the wrists. Take a moment to confirm that it is right in the middle between them; adjust its location, if needed.

Fast LB-DC (21)

Reach down between the forearms and grab the tail.

Fast LB-DC (22)

Bring it around all the strands of the cuff, back to the starting point.

Fast LB-DC (23)

Put your finger under the starting point of this wrap.

Fast LB-DC (24)

Hook the tail under the finger and draw the tail under itself.

Fast LB-DC (25)

This completes the Half Hitch that will act as our cinch.

Fast LB-DC (26)

Squeeze the strands of the cuff together and tighten the Half Hitch.

Fast LB-DC (27)

Make sure it has a tight grip on the lines of the cuffs.

Fast LB-DC (28)

Double Check that you can still get a finger inside the cuffs on each side.

Fast LB-DC (29)

This is a completed Fast Load-bearing Double Column.

Fast LB-DC (30)

Now you can connect this tail to something … say a headboard or overhead hard point.

Fast LB-DC (31)

Watch the tension on the wrists. Adjust periodically.

If the person pulls on the cuffs, the Half Hitch will grip all the strands of the cuffs…

Fast LB-DC - Load (1)

…but the lines of the cuffs themselves will not collapse any more tightly on the wrists.

Fast LB-DC - Load (2)

As soon as your partner stops pulling, the cuffs return to the level of tightness they had when first tied.

Fast LB-DC - Load (3)

The structure of these cuffs will maintain that safety cushion of space.

Fast LB-DC - Load (4)

If your partner does choose to play around in their ropes or struggle, these cuffs will almost always migrate closer to the hands, but by tying them further away from the hands to begin with, will help them not be too tight if the cuffs move. Also, if you notice that they have moved down, you can put a finger under them and move them back.

Fast LB-DC - Load (5)

Like this.

Fast LB-DC - Load (6)

Detailed Step-by-Step Process

When starting a Fast Load-bearing Double Column from the bight, you start with the bight, run the tail through it, then reverse tension and…

In-Line FLBDC (1)

…do your wraps and complete the tie.

In-Line FLBDC (2)

You can also do one in-line, you just start differently: Run the rope to the point where you want the cuffs to begin – the wrists in this example – the holding the rope in place with one hand while you run the tail around the wrists with the other.

In-Line FLBDC (3)

… run the tail underneath itself and …

In-Line FLBDC (4)

… reverse tension.

In-Line FLBDC (5)

From there, you complete the tie just as you would a regular fast load bearing double column. In this case, I want the tail to float for the hands when I’m done with a tie, so I’ll do my wraps on the opposite side of the direction I want the tail to flow naturally at the end, in other words, I’m doing them the second wrap on the side away from the hands.

In-Line FLBDC (6)