Rope bindings: larks head | tutorial for beginners

Even when the bindings that we showed in the preceding pages are our favorites, many people prefers using a doubled up rope, with bindings based on the larks head. We will show it as used for the hobble, but with less coiling it can be used for close bindings also.

This can be used for tying the wrists, the ankles, or even each wrists to an ankle for an uncomfortable position.

As the rope must go around the limbs at least four times (twice, doubled up) this kind of binding requires more rope than the ones made with the preceding technique.

Here we use the larks head around the limbs. The loop should be near one of the limbs.

Coil both ends of the rope around both limbs, pass inside the larks head loop and coil on the opposite direction…

... when reaching the loops again, pass the ends of the rope...

…one upwards and the other downwards inside the second loop (this step is the equivalent for this binding as crossing the ropes is for the preceding ones) …

…and then, begin tightly coiling the ends on opposite directions over the loops of rope between the limbs.

The coiling should be very tight around the rope, covering all the space between the limbs…

.. and ending with a square knot.