A man catcher is an esoteric type of pole weapon which was used in Europe as late as the 18th century. It consisted of a pole mounted with a two pronged head. Each prong was semi-circular in shape with a spring loaded 'door' on the front. This created an effective valve that would allow the ring to pass around a man-sized cylinder and keep it trapped. The man catcher was used primarily to pull a person from horseback and drag them to the ground where they could be helplessly pinned. This is one of the few examples of non-lethal polearms. A pole weapon or polearm is a close combat weapon with the main fighting part of the weapon placed on the end of a long shaft, typically of wood. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

Man catchers played a role in the medieval custom of capturing noble opponents for ransom. The design assumes that the captured person wears armor to protect him against the metal prongs, which could easily hurt the neck of a person without armor. The term ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner to extort money or property extorted to secure their release, or to the sum of money involved. ...

The Japanese invented a similar weapon called Sode Garami.