Fighter kite

A kite shop in Lucknow, India

Fighter kites are kites used for the sport of kite fighting. Traditionally most are small, unstable single line flat kites where line tension alone is used for control, and an abrasive line is used to cut down other kites.

Kite fighting is done in many countries, but is particularly associated with Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Vietnam and Korea.

Materials used to make fighter kites

In most traditional fighter kite manufacture, the skins of kites are made from a lightweight thin paper and the spars are usually made from a lightweight and flexible wood, usually bamboo.

In modern American fighters, the kite skins are made from a variety of synthetic materials – mylar, aircraft insulation (orcon or insulfab), nylon, and polyester sheeting. The spine may still be bamboo, but often along with the bow is constructed of fiberglass or carbon fiber.

Bridle and Tuning

Bridle position, spine curve, center of gravity, and balance of tension on the spars all play a role in how the kite spins and tracks. Afghan and Indian fighter kites and their variants have their bridles attached in two places on the kites spine. The first place is at the crossing of the bow and the spine. The second attachment is three quarters to two thirds of the total length of the spine from the nose of the kite. The length of the top line to the tow point is the length between the two bridle to spine connection points. The length of the bottom bridle to the tow point is between half an inch to two inches (1.2-5 cm) longer than the length of the two spine connections. The spine of the kite has a slight convex curve toward the face of the kite. To make the kite spin more, the upper bridle line is shortened: to make the kite spin less, the lower bridle line is shortened . Left and right tracking are adjusted by either placing weight on the tip of a wing, or by weakening the bow on the side that you want the kite to track towards. The design of the kite plays a role in the tendency for the kite to spin and pull, and how much wind the kite can handle. Bridling and tuning are only effective when the kite chosen is able to handle the amount of wind that it is being flown in. If the wind is so strong that the spine and bow are severely distorted, no amount of bridle tuning will help with making the kite controllable. A crude method of making a kite flyable in over-strong wind, used in India wherethe kites are cheap and regarde as disposable, is to burn small holes in the flying surface, typically using a cigarette.

Line used for fighter kites

Historically, for most Asian type fighters, a thin cotton or hemp line is coated with a mixture of finely crushed glass and rice glue. In recent years, synthetic line has been coated with a variety of abrasives and stronger glue. Also, there have been some reports of metallic line being used. Some cultures use line that has metal knives attached to hook and cut the opponent's line.

Traditionally, players use a paste of some sort to toughen their line. The primary components of this include glue and crushed glass, but depending on personal preference other materials are added to improve the properties of the line.

In line touch competition, synthetic braided fishing line, 15 to 20 lb test, is used due to its low stretch and high strength for the line diameter and weight. Waxed cotton, linen line or Latex can also be used.

Flying technique

When the kite is flown with the line taut, the kite is deformed by the wind pressure, giving it a degree of stability. When the line tension is reduced, either by letting out more line or by the flyer moving into wind, the kite will begin become unstable and begin to rock from side to side, or in extreme cases even spin. By reapplying tension at the right moment, the kite will move in the direction that the flyer requires.

Line management is a vital part of flying a fighter kite. Although a spool that allows rapid winding and release of line is used, often the flyer will fly the kite by holding the line itself, with one or more assistants to help manage the slack line between the flyer and the spool.

Line cutting contests

Many of these kites are flown with an abrasive coated line (manja). Most kites are flown with a set length of manja at the kite end. The manja is very sharp and to avoid getting hand injuries most competitors use ordinary string (saddi) for their hand position. Some cutting involves knives of some sort attached to the tail, line, or kite. Competition rules vary by geographical area. Two or more contestants fly their kites. The person who cuts the opponents line wins the fight. In multiple kite matches, the person with the last kite in the air is the winner.

The two most common types of cutting are done with abrasive coated line - release cutting or pull cutting. To release cut, once the lines are in contact, both parties start to play out line until one line is cut. In pull cutting, the flier quickly retrieves line until the opponents line is cut. There are many factors in who will win the event and include the size of the kite, the quality of the kite, the quality of the line, the quality of the abrasive on the line, the quality and size of the spool, the spool handler, initial contact, the skill of the person flying the kite, and the wind conditions.

Kite fighting is very popular in many Asian countries. The usual goal of a 'kite fighter' is to maneuver his/her kite to cut the opponent's string.

Capture or grounding competition

Two or more kites are flown. Competitors try to capture their opponents kite and bring it to the ground. The person or team who succeeds is the winner.

Expert kite fighters are able to cut their opponents line (manjha) and then encircle the trailing line (lubjow) of the cut kite. Once secured, the winner can then fly both kites and pull in the prize. Those not involved in the kite flying can be "kite runners" (Once a kite is cut, it no longer belongs to anyone until caught and claimed by the kite runner.) The film The Kite Runner depicts this well. Many children die every year because their pursuit is so frenzied that they run into the path of vehicles or fall off roofs. Along with this effect, occasionally the fiber glass string may cut not only the flier's finger, but also neck. The glass on the string is said to give the kite "cutting teeth".

Specific kinds of fighter kites

• Lokta Changa (Nepal)
• Indian Fighter Kite (India) (also known as a Patang),
• Pakistani Fighter Kite (Pakistan),
• Tukkal (Pakistan and India),
• Hata (Japan),
• Rokkaku (Japan),
• Afghan Fighter Kite (Afghanistan),
• Shield Kite (Korea),
• Chula and Pakpao (Thailand),
• Wau (Malaysia).

In the Americas:

• American Fighter Kite (United States and Canada),
• Brazilian Fighter Kite (Brazil),
• Volantines (Chile).

Various names of line used for kite fighting from around the world

• Spectra - A brand of fishing line used for American Kite fighting.
• Power Pro - A very thin [0.25 mm diameter] braided fishing line used for American Kite Fighting.
• Manjha - Cutting line used in India and Pakistan.
• Tar - Cutting line used in Afghanistan.
• Hilo de competencia o Hilo Curado - Cutting line used in Chile.
• Dor - (India and Pakistan) The string used to fly the kite. The sharper the string, the better it is.
• Pench - When two or more kites are fighting to cut one another. (India)

Kite fighting around the world

Afghanistan

Kite fighting is popular recreation using kites ranging in size from 0.5 meter to 1.5 meters across. The usual name for the sport is gudiparan bazi and for the cutting line tar. As elsewhere, the line is traditionally made with a cotton line and coated with a mixture of crushed glass and rice glue. However nylon string with stronger glue is now often the preferred line. Kites can go up to 3,500 meters in height depending on the size of the kite.

Caribbean

Throughout the Caribbean there are kite-fighting traditions very different to those of Asia.

Most Caribbean kites are hexagonal, flown with a tail, and instead of cutting with glass-coated line, use sharp objects (generally razor blades) attached to the tails to try to "koule" (Creole for "drop") other kites.

Variations of this style exist throughout the Caribbean – in Haiti, Cuba, Curaçao and Surinam.

India

Fighter kites, known as patang have a long and colourful history in India. In some places, such as Kolkata, kite flying is a year round activity^{[citation needed]}, but in many others, kite flying takes place mainly during specific festivals - particularly the spring festival known as Basant, Makar Sankranti when millions of kites are made and flown. More recently on Indian Independence Day.

Japan

The Nagasaki Hata is similar to the Indian Patang, and it believed to have been introduced into Japan, from Indonesia, by Dutch traders. It is highly maneuverable and fought with glass coated line in line cutting contests in a similar way to kite fighting in many other countries.

Japan has a very strong tradition of a quite different type of kite fighting: very large kites, requiring teams. In these contests cutting line is not used, but instead kites are forced down. The festivals at Shirone and Hamamatsu.

The Rokkaku is 1-2m high hexagonal kite fought with teams of players flying each kite. Both the Rokkaku and the smaller rectangular Buka have been adopted and further developed by western kite enthusiasts.

Korea

The Korean fighter kite, the bang-pae yeon is very distinctive; a rectangular, bowed “shield” kite with a hole in the middle of the sail. The frame uses five bamboo spars—one each across the top and the “waist” of the kite, a “spine,” and two diagonals. Although cutting line and fights are similar to other Asian fighter kites, a distinctive large spool is always used.

Nepal

Kite fighting is an strong tradition in Nepal and is especially active during the festival of Dashain. The skies are filled with colourful kites called changas, made from Nepali lokta paper. The line used is coated in crushed glass in order to cut through the lines of rival kites. When a rival line has been cut, the victorious team shouts "chet" to claim their win over the other team.

Pakistan

Kite flying is currently banned as some kite fliers engage in kite battles by coating their strings with glass or shards of metal, leading to injuries and death. Kite fighting is a very popular sport in Pakistan, mainly centered in Lahore people spend thousands of Rupees in preparing different types of kites and threads best suited to battle. The kites that are manufactured for battling are very different from the conventional kites as they are especially designed and made for this purpose. Kup, Patang, Guda, Nakhlaoo, etc. are some of the kites used in the battle and they vary in balance, weight and speed through the air. Threads for kite battling are manufactured using especial glues, chemicals and crushed glass and are numbered based on their ability to cut other threads and to handle kite's weight. It is a very popular social event in Pakistan that happens once a year.

United States

Traditional Indian, Pakistani, Afghani, Japanese kite fighting is done throughout the United States, with New York having had groups of fighters playing on a regular basis since the 1960s^{[citation needed]}. Los Angeles, and San Jose have groups of people that regularly fight Indian and Afghan kites, and other forms of kite fighting, such as the Korean shield kite (pangp'aeyon), the Japanese Rokkaku and Nagasaki Hata, the Brazilian Piao, the Chilean fighter kites have been used for demonstration purposes at various large kite festivals throughout the country.

Starting in the late 1990s, "American Kite Fighting" uses small innovative kites of a range of shapes and materials on short lines for "line touch" competition. Now practised throughout the country, with an annual championship competition held in Washington state

Accidents and kite fighting

In India, Pakistan, and Chile, there have been reported accidents involving the abrasive coated cutting line. These accidents range in severity from small cuts on the fighter's fingers to a few reported deaths from contact with the line while riding motorcycles. In recent years, the fighting lines have evolved from the traditional cotton, rice and glass line to nylon or synthetic line coated with metallic or chemical abrasive compounds. To prevent further injury, many countries have implemented restrictions or bans on the use of cutting line. Some have set limits on the materials used to make the line, others have mandated safety devices on motorcycles when riding during kite festivals. People have been injured while fixated on capturing a cut kite, see Kite running. Other injuries have been due to not paying attention to ones actions while watching battles. Most of these accidents are preventable when fighting is strictly controlled to a specific arena and proper safety gear is worn by the fighters. Other accidents have occurred due to the masses of people present during large kite festivals to which kite fighting has taken the blame. See manja for specific incidents.

Controversy over kite fighting

Afghanistan

There is an ongoing debate in Afghanistan, involving various religious, emotional, and political beliefs on the subject of kite fighting and flying. From 1996 to 2001, the Taliban government in Afghanistan outlawed kite fighting, and kite flying, by declaring it "un-Islamic". After the fall of the Taliban government kite fighting has returned to the country with vigor.

Environmental and safety concerns

Bird lovers have declared all cutting line to be "deadly", and their concerns seem to lie within the issue of a bird accidentally flying into the line, as opposed to cutting line left around as trash that an animal may later encounter. As with any sport, a controlled environment is critical to preventing unnecessary accidents. Many bans have been lifted as kite fighters, manufacturers, and governments come to agreements to achieve a balance of safety and tolerance.

See also

• Kite running, the practice of running after and catching kites drifting in the sky which have been cut loose in battle with other kites.
• Manja or Manjha, Hindi for the abrasive coated fighting line as used in Pakistan and India.
• Basant Panchami, Spring festival of Hindus celebrated with kite-flying in India.
• Shakrain, Bengali kite festival
• Uttarayan, The kite flying festival of northern India.
• The novel The Kite Runner, and the movie based on it.

External links

• Cyber Fighter Website
• Fighter Kite Central
• The North American Fighter Kite Association
• Pakistan tackles killer kites