The speed rope as an ankle whip with two handles can be more brutal in the hands of the right person.
It would be nice if it were as light as a feather for people like me, but in reality it is a pretty robust whip. I'm not saying it is indestructible by any means, but it is light enough to whip someone else's leg out of the way, even if that person has a shield on.
I've seen people try to use a speed rope to knock on their shield, the handle hitting a bit or the weight but not solidly. The handles are made of hard plastic (hard for a shield, not so much for a leg) and would probably need to be replaced. For my use I'd just make two more to replace the first pair I made. When used properly a speed rope can be very effective as a short range weapon, as defense from a short range, and as an offensive maneuver. I also find myself using it as a technique to stop a fight before it started with the simple technique of slapping someone from behind with it. I had a hard time explaining to a friend what I meant by the speed rope. He was always on the other side of it, I guess, and always wanting me to use it. He didn't understand. And I felt like I couldn't demonstrate the concept to him any good without giving him a speed rope to try. But to describe it as a short whip is a good, basic way to describe it.
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I think the short whip is the basic concept. You see the speed rope as the "short whip" and its "handles" acting as the two tails. It is the short whip that makes it work quickly. The speed rope isn't always a whip though, it can be also used to jump rope and do double unders.