Tie a person to a tree or post with no rope!

This is a great party trick that can win you beer or money.  Also fun to do even if the only reward is to make some douchebag look like a fool.  I learned this while in the Canadian army.  I was told it was used to tie up a prisoner temporarily if there was no rope around.

Thanks to my friend Lisa for helping me out!

Please be careful because this can be uncomfortable to about 10% of the people I have done it to.  Be ready to help people out if they need it.

Please check out my other instructables: http://www.instructables.com/tag/?sort=none&limit%3Atype%3Aid=on&q=dave+spencer

I also have a DIY podcast at http://www.mechanicalmashup.tv

here is a short clip from my podcast showing how this instructable is done.

Step 1 Selection

The first thing is tree/ post selection.  If it is too small in diameter, there will not be enough friction on the legs, also if you can get a good grip on the tree you can pull yourself up.  Too big a post and you will put a lot of strain on the persons joints (knees and hips).  A good size to start with is about 4 - 6 inches in diameter.  Obviously a tree with low branches the person can grab is no good.

I have done this to people on soccer goal posts, trees, and street signs.  Trees tend to be the best because of the friction with the bark.

Comments

[book54321]

I'm stuck to a chare

[jackle13]

did it to myself and had to wait for someone to see me

[Superstormj]

I just wanted to add, reinforce what others have said.
You really should take this down. It is the "Grapevine".
If the prisoners try to throw themselves backwards, it WILL sever their spinal cord, or at the very least paralyze them for the rest of their life. Reporting, sorry bud, but this is no joke.

[kraM]

i'm not saying you would but you should not leave someone like that under any circumstances. this is known as the grapevine and was used during during the Vietnam war to detain pow's . if left in that position for extended periods of time cramps will develop in the legs and back making it unable for you to support your own weight. at which point you will "fall" backwards and by the mechanics of the human body you will suffocate your self and cause death

[dave spencer]

Sounds like a pretty important tip! Good to know. I have never done it personally to anyone for more than about 2 minutes.

[wickedsonic1]

realy cool trick! i think ill do it to someone if they mess with me! ill still make sure to let them go within a minute at the most though.

[axionrising]

This is actually a pretty dangerous thing to do to someone. This method of confinement was originally discovered by William Fairbairn while serving with the Shanghai police force between the first and second world wars. During WW2 he instructed allied commando forces in close quarters combat, and this was one of the confinement methods he would teach troops. It's not surprising that knowledge of this still exists in today's military forces - after all, it does work 100% of the time.

kraM was absolutely correct - if left in this position for a few minutes, the muscles in the legs, back, and abdomen will all cramp up causing severe pain. This is where the truly dangerous part comes in... When a prisoner is left like this long enough that they begin cramping up, they're quite likely to panic and thrash around in an attempt to free themselves. The problem is, there's no way to free yourself from this position without having someone else lift you off the ground. Not knowing this, your "prisoner" is likely to throw themselves backward in an attempt to break free. Doing this with enough force will cause them to sever their own spine, killing them. Please heed my advice - this is not speculative, but something that could actually happen if someone were to do this to a freind then walk away for a while to let them sweat. Fairbain himself warns troops that this can have lethal results, when he describes this method in his training manual "Get Tough!" Google it if you want more info, I know there's a PDF version of this manual floating around.

[popa27272]

ha ha i think ill do this to my brother and let him sweat a little