Realistic, safe, working flails can be made quite easily using the same basic design as an axe. Flail heads are not made like maces. They must consist of a 1" rolled-up ball of duct tape covered in 2 inches of high-impact or Landau foam. Do not use soft foam rubber. For the chain use 1" plastic garden chain. Do not use rope, cord or real metal (they either handle unrealistically or are unsafe). Plastic chain functions like the real thing and is still quite safe. The chain must be securely attached to the PVC core by drilling a hole in it and wrapping it in tape. Maximum chain length should not exceed 2 feet. Do not make the flail head larger than 5 inches or longer than 6.

Make sure not to wrap the the flail head foam tightly when taping it. Flail heads also need cloth covers. The last 4-6" of the end of the shaft must be safety padded with an extra 1" of high impact foam extending 1" beyond the tip of the shaft. Flail shafts can be any length as long as based on a historical model. One word of caution: flexible weapons deliver tremendous force and move unpredictably. Care should be taken not to whip them at opponents when sparring but rather to rotate the stick and the chain when striking.