Fishermans loop
The square knot everyone was forced into memorizing actually makes for a fairly bad bondage knot. But why do so many bondage instructions recommend it? Read on to find out why …..
Wrap a length of line around the limb and pass one end under all the coils. Notice the line going under all the coils has to pass over all the coils first.
Now do what you have been brainwashed into doing. Say it with me now, ok? ….. Right over left.
….. Then left over right. ….. Now you will see the first problem in that the knot will not lay “flat” because of the line laying on top of all the coils.
The second problem turns up when you try to apply force to only one of the tails. This creates diagonal forces across the knot.
One side of the knot starts to open up under the strain of the force being put on the tail. The other side shrinks up.
At one point the expanding side of the knot will ~swallow~ the shrinking side and the knot will flip over on itself.
video
The square knot has capsized. In its place we suddenly discover that we have tied a fisherman’s bend. As it turns out, this makes an excellent bondage knot. Much better than the square knot we started with.