Your practice with a whip allows you to use it for purposes other than damage. You gain the following benefits:

• You can use a whip, treating it as a free hand, for grapple and shove attacks.
• When attempting to grapple or shove in this way, you can make a STR Athletics or DEX Sleight of Hand check, and if you have proficiency in the skill you can add double your proficiency bonus to the check.
• A creature attempting to escape your grapple cannot do so via a DEX Acrobatics Check.